When Does Wasted Crossword Clue Mean 'Drunk' Instead Of 'Ruined'?

Here's a neat little crossword trick that I always enjoy: the word 'wasted' can legitimately clue either 'drunk' or 'ruined', and deciding which one the setter intends comes down to context, surface tone, and crossword conventions. In cryptic crosswords the definition is normally at one end of the clue, and a clue will often contain an indicator that signals a slangy meaning (for 'drunk') or a more literal/severe meaning (for 'ruined'). For example, if the rest of the clue feels jokey, modern, or uses slang signals like 'slang', 'informally', or a ? to indicate a punny surface, lean toward a booze-related reading. If the surface suggests damage, spoilage, or loss and the clue reads more literal — maybe with words like 'spoiled', 'destroyed', 'ruined', or a phrase describing damage — then 'ruined' is the likelier sense.

Practical things I check when I spot 'wasted' in a clue: enumeration and crossings, tone, and any indicator words. Enumeration often tells you a lot — short fills like 3 or 4 letters point toward compact slang: 'lit' (3) or 'sot' (3, though 'sot' is a noun), while 6–8 letters give room for 'soused' (6), 'smashed' (7), 'hammered' (8) for drunk, or 'spoilt' (6), 'wrecked' (6/7), 'busted' (6) for ruined. Crosses are the fastest route: if crossings give you letters that match 'S O U S E D', 'S M A S H E D', etc., you’re golden. Tone-wise, American-style clues and contemporary puzzles sometimes favor the colloquial drunk sense, while anglophone cryptics, depending on the setter, may prefer the figurative 'ruined' if the clue context is about an event or object.

There are also special indicators in cryptic clues that point to one or the other. If the clue contains an anagram indicator or construction grammar that leaves 'wasted' as the definition, check whether there’s a slang indicator elsewhere (e.g. 'informally', 'on the lash', 'after drinks'). Conversely, words like 'spoiled', 'dampened', 'undone', 'destroyed' or contexts like 'chance', 'opportunity', 'crop', 'party ruined by rain' all nudge toward 'ruined'. And don’t ignore punctuation — a question mark at the end often signals a surface joke, which can mean a non-literal reading such as 'drunk'.

I love spotting these little forks in meaning because they show how playful setters can be with one word. So when you see 'wasted' in a clue, weigh the tone, check enumeration and crossing letters, and hunt for slang or damage indicators — that usually gets you to the right fill, and sometimes gives you a satisfying little “aha” moment when the crossings confirm the intended sense.