The linguists talk about this moment in terms of ‘ incongruity resolution‘ but here in psychology we talk about ‘representational change‘, as the solver is suddenly forced to reappraise their whole understanding of how the clue works. What does this mean for crossword setting? As with jokes, this results in a satisfying ‘pay-off’, leading to surprise, laughter and the delight of the Penny Drop Moment. This approach leads initially to nagging puzzlement, which is only resolved when alternative explanations are explored. The solver is sucked into a readily available, but false reading of the clue based on some sort of linguistic ambiguity. ’Įxactly the same mechanism is at work in the cryptic crossword. ‘So, I bought some animal crackers, and the box said: The listener is led down the garden path, following the deliberately laid trap, before the punchline reveals the unexpected, ‘true’ meaning. In fact, jokes and puns share a common mechanism with cryptic crossword clues, since they are all examples of ‘insight puzzles’: a form of mental challenge which briefly exasperates the would-be solver, before suddenly resolving itself in a gloriously satisfying “Aha!” moment.įor example, a punning joke is usually based on two alternative interpretations of a scripted feed-line, one more ‘obvious’ than the other.
Yorkshire beauty queen, we hear, pulls the wool over one’s eyes (8)Īlternatively, they may be punning riddles reminiscent of Christmas crackers:.
These can be ‘groaners’, like these examples collected by Alan Connor (answers at the foot of the article if you are struggling!): Of course, one of the staple clues of the cryptic crossword is the ‘homophone’ or ‘sound-alike’ clue, which is squarely based on puns. We also know from our survey of cryptic crossword solvers that solvers are particularly motivated to tackle cryptic crosswords in order to get that euphoric “Aha!” moment – the Penny Drop Moment (PDM) which ‘ makes them smile or laugh out loud‘. This was one of the strongest differences between solvers and non-solvers in the trials – and not something the researchers had anticipated! For example, in lab trials during the 1980s*, many crossword solvers began to laugh when shown pairs of words such as “strawberry” and “traffic”, because their brains automatically supplied the missing link (here “jam”). We hope this is what you were looking for to help progress with the crossword or puzzle you’re struggling with! If it was for the NYT crossword, we thought it might also help to see all of the NYT Crossword Clues and Answers for November 2 2022.We know that there are individual differences in people’s appreciation of humour – but it seems that cryptic crossword solvers seem particularly attuned to puns and verbal chicanery.
To give you a helping hand, we’ve got the answer ready for you right here, to help you push along with today’s crossword and puzzle, or provide you with the possible solution if you’re working on a different one. We have searched far and wide to find the right answer for the Intimate apparel in many lawyer puns crossword clue and found this within the NYT Crossword on November 2 2022. Intimate apparel in many lawyer puns Crossword Clue Answer Don’t worry though, as we’ve got you covered today with the Intimate apparel in many lawyer puns crossword clue to get you onto the next clue, or maybe even finish that puzzle. We hear you at The Games Cabin, as we also enjoy digging deep into various crosswords and puzzles each day, but we all know there are times when we hit a mental block and can’t figure out a certain answer. Everyone has enjoyed a crossword puzzle at some point in their life, with millions turning to them daily for a gentle getaway to relax and enjoy – or to simply keep their minds stimulated.
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