Where Does Informer Crossword Clue Commonly Appear In British Puzzles?

2026-02-03 19:53:03
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4 Answers

Mason
Mason
Favorite read: His Undercover Mission
Twist Chaser Lawyer
Lately I've been cataloguing common clue words, and 'informer' sits squarely in the cryptic corner of British puzzles. If I'm teaching a newbie friend how to parse clues, I often point to 'informer' as a textbook example: it nearly always functions as a straight definition on one side of a cryptic clue, while the rest of the clue supplies wordplay. You'll see short British slang solutions first — 'grass' and 'rat' top the list — but setters will vary the register depending on the publication. Sometimes the setter will opt for more colorful or period terms like 'fink' or 'stoolie', and very occasionally you'll find longer forms like 'supergrass' in themed puzzles.

What fascinates me is the variety of devices used with that single definition. A setter might hide the answer across word boundaries, make an anagram that yields 'nark', or build a charade where two unrelated words join to make 'informant'. That makes solving a little dance between vocabulary and construction-spotting. I love pointing out these patterns to friends; it feels like a secret handshake among solvers and keeps the hobby endlessly rewarding.
2026-02-05 07:37:42
9
Keira
Keira
Favorite read: The Ninth Cipher
Bibliophile Photographer
On my commute, I often flick through a couple of British crossword pages and 'informer' tends to show up mainly in cryptic crosswords, where concise slang answers thrive. Papers like The Guardian, The Times and The Telegraph (and their quicks) love short, punchy synonyms — 'grass' is probably the most stereotypically British one, while 'rat' and 'nark' are also favorites. Setters will use 'informer' as the straight definition end of a clue and then hide the wordplay elsewhere: an anagram, a hidden run of letters or a neat charade. That means as a solver I’m always thinking both of slang registers and structural tricks: is the clue pointing to betrayer-as-slang or a literal report? The register matters too — some puzzles avoid coarse slang, so you'll see more neutral forms like 'informant' in tougher or more formal outlets. I enjoy how one tiny clue can teach dialect and clue mechanics in one go, and it keeps my train rides entertaining.
2026-02-06 05:18:14
21
Georgia
Georgia
Favorite read: Her Secret Investigation
Novel Fan Librarian
I get a kick out of spotting the little synonyms for 'informer' that pop up across British newspapers' cryptic pages. When I'm doing the weekend cryptic in a coffee shop, the clue 'informer' will usually be the straight definition part of a clue and the solver's brain immediately starts listing suspects: 'grass', 'rat', 'nark', 'fink', 'stoolie' and occasionally longer entries like 'supergrass'. Those feel very British in tone, and you'll see them across the usual broadsheets and mid-market papers with cryptic grids.

Technically, 'informer' is most common in cryptic crosswords rather than quick definitions or themed variety puzzles. Setters rely on that simple one-word definition because it pairs well with all sorts of wordplay — hidden words, charades and containers. For example, a setter might hide a synonym inside a phrase, or put together letter chunks that look innocent on the surface.

I love that mix of slang and craft: you learn both language color and setter tricks at once. It makes finding 'grass' or 'rat' feel like catching a tiny cultural wink from the puzzle-maker, and I always grin when I spot them.
2026-02-06 22:01:07
12
Sawyer
Sawyer
Insight Sharer UX Designer
On a quick, playful note: whenever I'm racing through a British cryptic, 'informer' is one of those compact clues that can send me down a rabbit hole of slang. My eyes flash through options like 'grass', 'rat', 'nark' or 'fink' depending on length and crossing letters, and the choice often tells me which newspaper style I'm in. Setters use it because it's a clean definition and lets them get creative with wordplay — hidden sequences, letter swaps or clever charades. I love how a single clue can give you both a slice of vernacular and a tiny logic puzzle; it makes cracking that square feel quietly triumphant.
2026-02-09 13:40:23
21
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