Why Does 'Convey' Appear For Communicate Crossword Clue?

I get a kick out of cryptic clues that mean 'communicate' because they're so flexible — the surface can be about gossip, but the mechanics are pure wordplay. My go-to approach is to split the clue into definition and wordplay first: the definition will almost always sit at one end of the clue, so circle the first and last few words and ask which could mean 'communicate' (words like 'relay', 'relate', 'impart', 'tell', 'air' pop up a lot). Then scan the rest for indicators — 'about', 'again', 'partly', 'scrambled', 'heard' — they tell you what type of trick is being used. Next I test plausible constructions. For example, 'Again slow to communicate (6)' parses nicely as RE (again) + LATE (slow) = RELATE, which means 'communicate'. Another neat device is the hidden indicator: in a clue like 'Claim partly to communicate (6)', 'partly' signals a hidden answer inside 'claIM PARTly' which gives IMPART. Anagrams and homophones show up too: 'Layer scrambled to communicate (5)' -> RELAY (anagram of LAYER). I always jot down crossing letters from the grid if possible; that often narrows multiple synonyms to a single fit. Finally, practice pattern recognition. After a dozen clues you start spotting favorite indicators and usual synonym lengths. Keep a short list of common cryptic verbs for 'communicate' and their typical entrances: 'impart' (hidden), 'relay' (anagram or charade), 'relate' (re+late), 'tell' (charade or homophone variants), 'air' (broadcast). It feels satisfying when the wordplay locks up and the definition just clicks, and I always smile when a clever surface hides a tidy parse.

A lovely thing about clever clueing is that it talks to you in two voices at once: the straightforward definition and the playful instruction for how to build that answer. I enjoy the tiny rules-setters follow — anagram indicators like 'mixed' or 'shaken', hidden-word leads like 'inside' or 'concealed', homophone flags such as 'sounds like', containers signaled by 'around' or 'holding', and reversals hinted with words like 'back' or 'returned'. Those bits are the grammar of cryptic clueing, and once you know them the setter’s wink becomes a conversation rather than a trick. Beyond mechanics, a setter crafts a surface reading that misleads without lying: elegant misdirection, rhythm, and sometimes a joke. Enumeration (the little (5,4) or (7) note) is the setter’s promise of fairness. Theme entries and grid constraints mean sometimes the clue’s wording has to fit the puzzle’s shape, so I admire how setters fold constraint into creativity. When a clue clicks — that delightful, absurd moment when the wordplay and definition snap together — I feel like I’ve found a secret handshake with the puzzle-maker, and that small victory never gets old.

Ever stared at a New York Times grid and had 'communicate' staring back like a tiny challenge? I get that itch — for me the fun is in matching tone and letter count. Short, punchy fills the Times loves: 3-letter 'say' and 4-letter 'tell' are classic go-tos. If crosses point to a slightly more formal verb, 5-letter options like 'relay', 'speak', or 'utter' pop up often. For six letters, 'inform', 'convey', and 'impart' are frequent choices, and they carry subtle differences: 'inform' = give facts, 'convey' = carry meaning, 'impart' = bestow wisdom. Sometimes the grid wants a phrasal or idiomatic option: 'get across' or 'put across' (often clued as two words), 'talk to' or 'reach out' could fit if spacing and theme allow. For tech-leaning clues, 'transmit' or 'broadcast' might be in play. I always scan crossings — they’ll nudge you toward whether the puzzle needs a blunt 'say' or a softer 'convey'. Personally, nailing the nuance feels like unlocking a small victory every time.

There are a handful of six-letter verbs that crossword setters reach for when the clue reads 'communicate', and I've learned to spot the likely candidates by tone and crossings. 'Convey' and 'inform' are the two that show up most often for me — 'convey' for getting an idea across and 'inform' when someone is being told something. 'Relate' tends to appear when the clue hints at telling a story or reporting. 'Signal' is the go-to if the clue implies nonverbal or coded communication. 'Impart' has that slightly formal, literary bent and often appears in clues about giving knowledge. I also keep 'notify', 'confer', and 'parley' in the back of my mind: 'notify' for formal notice, 'confer' or 'parley' when the clue leans toward discussion or negotiation. Crossings usually seal the deal, but thinking about whether the clue is formal, conversational, or physical helps me pick the right six-letter fit — it’s a tiny semantic dance that never gets old to me.

Seeing 'cultivate' in a cryptic clue usually means the setter is playing with either a straight definition or a little bit of cryptic misdirection. I often spot it used simply as the definition: words like TILL, FARM, GROW, NURTURE or REAR all map naturally to 'cultivate.' In that case the rest of the clue is the wordplay that builds the letters — maybe a charade, hidden word, or a reversal — and 'cultivate' just sits politely at one end as the definition. Where it gets more fun is when 'cultivate' is part of the surface that nudges you toward a different cryptic device. It can sometimes act as a hidden-word indicator (implying something is grown or contained inside a phrase), or rarely as a container indicator — imagine the clue telling you to put one item 'in' another as if planting a seed. Less commonly, setters will use it as an anagram indicator if they want to suggest 'improving' or 'working over' a set of letters; that usage is more metaphorical and shows up less often than clearer anagrinds like 'shaken' or 'spoiled.' My tip when you see 'cultivate' is to check the clue grammar first: is it more likely a definition at the start or end? If the enumeration and surrounding words seem to demand a verb, try synonyms like TILL or FARM. If the surface reads like someone is placing something inside something else, scan for hidden or container signals. I enjoy clues where a gardening verb doubles as perfectly reasonable surface language and cryptic instruction — it feels like pruning a bonsai of language, and that little thrill never fades.

Whenever I spot the word 'turmoil' tucked into a cryptic clue, a little bell goes off in my head — it's usually waving a flag that letters need to be scrambled. I get a kick out of that theatrical language; setters love verbs and nouns that imply disturbance because anagrams are literally about disorder. So 'turmoil' often serves as an anagram indicator: it tells you that the nearby letters (the fodder) should be rearranged to make the answer. The rest of the clue will supply the fodder and the straight definition, and your job is to spot which is which. Beyond the simple rule, there's a bit of art to it. Sometimes 'turmoil' is a strong, active indicator — words like 'tossed', 'mixed', 'in turmoil' scream anagram — and sometimes it's sneakier, blending into the surface reading so the clue still reads smoothly. It can even double as part of the definition if the answer itself means 'chaos' or 'upheaval'. Good setters balance surface sense and cryptic mechanics: you might read a clue about a city in turmoil and, at the same time, find that the letters of the city's name are the fodder being jumbled. If you're new to cryptics, watch for punctuation and for a group of letters whose length matches the enumeration; those are your fodder candidates. I still get a little thrill when the letters fall into place and the definition suddenly clicks — 'turmoil' is a tiny theatrical cue that makes solving feel like decoding a clever little riddle.

I still hunt for words with a kind of quiet glee, and 'condemn' is one of those clues that makes my brain snap into solver-mode. When I see a clue like that I immediately parse what part of speech the puzzle needs — is it a verb (to condemn) or a noun (a condemnation)? That narrows the field fast. For three-letter slots I usually test 'pan' and 'rap' first because crosswords love them; for four letters 'slam' or 'damn' are instant contenders. Longer slots push me toward 'decry', 'censure', 'denounce', or even 'convict' if the clue leans judicial. Beyond raw synonyms I pay attention to modifiers and surface language. If the clue reads 'Condemn loudly' I shove 'decry' to the front of the list; if it reads 'Condemn, perhaps, in court' I'm thinking 'convict' or 'sentence'. Crosses are everything — a single confirmed letter often collapses a handful of options into the one right answer. I also keep a mental list of solver-favorites like 'pan' and 'decry' because puzzle setters repeat certain economical verbs, and that memory saves me time. Solving one of these clues feels like tuning an instrument: a few adjustments and the right word rings out, which never fails to make me grin.

Flipping through a Sunday grid, I often notice the way a clue like "omnipotent" is handled feels like a tiny etiquette test between setter and solver. For easier, American-style puzzles you'll usually see it clued very directly — synonyms like 'almighty' (8) or 'all-powerful' used as straightforward definitions. Editors are careful about length, so you might instead get 'all-powerful deity' which hints at 'GOD' or 'THE LORD' in shorter slots. In themed puzzles the concept can be disguised: an entry might be split across theme answers, hidden in a long phrase, or reinterpreted as a pop-culture nod. In British-style cryptics the setter gets playful. A clean anagram is common: 'Potent, I'm no (10)' is a neat cryptic that literally scrambles 'POTENT IM NO' into 'OMNIPOTENT'. Other cryptic devices include hidden-word clues, whimsical surface readings, or charade clues that build the word from Latin roots like 'omni-' (all) + 'potent' (powerful). I love seeing that mix of linguistic craft and crossword fairness — it makes solving feel like a small victory every time.

I tend to spot recurring crossword fills for the clue 'condemn' all over the grid, especially in short slots where constructors need a compact synonym. In my experience, three- and four-letter entries like PAN, DAMN, or DECRY pop up constantly in daily puzzles because they’re convenient and very cross-friendly. You’ll see the longer cousins — CENSURE, DENOUNCE, CASTIGATE, EXECRATE — more often in the Sunday-sized puzzles or themed venues where longer entries fit the symmetry. Beyond the grid itself, those recurring fills are easy to find in clue databases and solver sites. When I’m stuck I’ll search a database and immediately get a list of common entries that constructors favor. Publications also influence frequency: the mellow voice of some papers might prefer 'censure' while quick-news grids lean toward short, punchy verbs. I like tracking these patterns because it makes solving feel like learning a secret language, and spotting a likely fill from the clue 'condemn' is always satisfying to me.