Double Definition cryptic clue
Two separate definitions of one word, bolted together with no wordplay at all.
How it works
No wordplay at all: two independent definitions of the same word, side by side. The clue reads like one smooth phrase but is really two separate pointers.
These are often the shortest clues — and often the trickiest. There is no machinery to spot, just two meanings hiding one word.
Worked example
Two definitions, zero machinery — the whole clue is definition.
Solid company (4)
AnswerFIRM
- Two definitions and nothing else: solid = FIRM; company = FIRM.
- The surface pretends to be one phrase — "a solid company".
- Both halves point to the same four letters.
Spotting it in the wild
- No indicator — brevity itself is the tell.
- The two meanings usually come from different worlds: legal and sturdy, business and steady.
- If a clue is very short and every word is definitional, try a double.