Behind schedule, chasing trains, I went express internationally? (9) Minute Cryptic Crossword Clue
Searching for the answer to Behind schedule, chasing trains, I went express internationally? (9) in today’s Minute Cryptic Crossword? Look no further! We’ve provided the solution to help you finish the puzzle and make the most of your crossword-solving experience.
Hints
This clue's indicators are 'chasing' and 'went'. One of these is a deletion indicator - some fodder will leave some other fodder. The other is a repositioning indicator, guiding us to swap the order of some fodder in the clue.
This clue's fodder is 'Behind schedule, 'trains', and 'I'. We'll need to find a synonym of one of these and use it with the letters of the others to construct our answer, as guided by the clue's indicator(s).
Our definition here is 'express internationally?', and our answer will be a word that conveys that. Note the question mark on the end (often an indicator that something in the clue is a little stretchy) - here, we'll need to find a sense of 'express internationally' that's perhaps a little loose.
The answer to Behind schedule, chasing trains, I went express internationally? (9) is TRANSLATE.
TRANSLATE is the correct answer because the clue combines a definition with a neat piece of step-by-step wordplay. The definition, “express internationally?”, points to the act of expressing something in another language — which is exactly what it means to translate.
The wordplay builds the same result by taking LATE (“behind schedule”) and adding it to TRANS, which comes from TRAINS with the letter I removed (“I went”). Put together, TRANS + LATE = TRANSLATE, matching the 9-letter requirement and neatly tying both the literal meaning and cryptic construction into one elegant solution.
Minute Cryptic
A Minute Cryptic is a type of crossword puzzle that focuses on very short, often tricky clues that require quick and sharp thinking. These puzzles typically feature concise clues that challenge solvers to think outside the box and consider alternative meanings, wordplay, or indirect references.
Unlike traditional cryptic clues, which may have more detailed explanations, Minute Cryptics are designed to be solved in a very short amount of time, often making them ideal for quick bursts of mental exercise. They tend to require both a good understanding of wordplay and a high level of familiarity with common crossword conventions, but their brevity makes them a fun and engaging challenge for puzzle enthusiasts.
