Lesson 7 of 8
Containers
One word inside another.
A container clue builds the answer by putting one piece inside another. The indicator either says the outer word holds something (holds, around, about, swallowing, embracing, wearing) or that the inner word is inside something (in, kept in, held by, within).
Both pieces are usually clued, and one is often very short: a single letter from an abbreviation, like I for one, L for learner, or a compass point. “Mind the cereal, one's inside” is BRAN with I inside, which gives BRAIN.
The direction of the indicator matters. “A holds B” puts B inside A, while “A in B” puts A inside B. Read the indicator twice before you decide which word is the shell.
Words that give it away
- holds
- around
- about
- inside
- swallowing
- wearing
- kept in
- containing
- embracing
Worked examples
Mind the cereal, one's inside (5)
- 01“Inside” is the indicator, and “mind” at the start is the definition, not a warning.
- 02“The cereal” is BRAN, and “one” is I. I inside BRAN is BRA-I-N.
- 03“Mind” defines BRAIN, so it all fits.
BRAIN
Pin stuck in southeast backbone (5)
- 01“Stuck in” is the indicator, pointing the other way: the pin goes inside.
- 02“Southeast” is SE, so PIN stuck in SE is S-PIN-E.
- 03“Backbone” is the SPINE.
SPINE
Try one Bunny slope
Tip: a learner's kept in by the signal (4)