Might paronomastic enigma be artistically expressed in this?
If you find reading instructions a bit dull, try it now! A composite anagram is a type of cryptic crossword clue where the letters of the answer are obtained by subtracting one set of letters from another. For example, the cryptic reading of the clue in the heading above indicates that the letters of ‘paronomastic enigma’, when rearranged, might give the letters of ‘in’ plus the letters of the answer (represented by ‘this’). The letters of the answer are thus {paronomastic enigma} minus {in}, or {paroomastcenigma}. As you’ve probably already realised, the answer is ‘composite anagram’. In this case the surface reading of the clue also defines the answer – a paronomastic enigma might well be artistically expressed in a composite anagram – and so the clue type is called ‘composite anagram &lit.’ or ‘comp. anag. &lit.’ for short. This type of clue is very popular among entrants to clue-writing competitions, although good examples are hard to produce by hand. This page (see screenshot to t
