cluemanship

English

Etymology

clue +‎ -manship

Noun

cluemanship (uncountable)

1. (crosswording) The art of writing cryptic crossword clues.
   • 1966, D.S. Macnutt, Ximenes on the Art of the Crossword, page 30:

     And if anyone nowadays feels like calling this resort to dull definition a weakness, let him remember that Torquemada was a pioneer, and also that he was a genius of a most original kind; rules of cluemanship are for ordinary mortals, not for such as he was.

   • 1976, Games & Puzzles:

     Neither does JAC bind himself rigorously to the oft-sung and, at times, overstated rules of cluemanship formulated by XIMENES and AFRIT.

   • 2018 September 6, Jonathan Crowther, quotee, “Crossword blog: Meet the Setter – Azed”, in The Guardian‎^[1]:

     Among occasional setters I admire for their inventiveness and cluemanship are Phi, Sabre and Kea.