Replacement indicators tell the solver that one sequence of letters in an element of the wordplay should be replaced by another sequence. So in the clue “Pass afternoon in repose having succumbed to drink (6)” the A in EASE must be replaced by LAP, producing ELAPSE.
When the string to be replaced occurs more than once in the target, it is usual to indicate which instance is to be replaced, as in “Grasp problem when son drives off first tee (6)” for MASTER (where S replaces the first T in MATTER).
There are certain replacement constructions in which a number of different verbs can be used, and not all possible variations are included in the list. Among these generic constructions are:
- Rejection: [element] <rejecting> X for Y (eg ‘dropping’, ‘abandoning’, ‘giving up’, ‘sacrificing’, ‘doing without’ etc)
- Submission: X submitting to Y in [element] (eg ‘yielding to’, ‘giving way to’, ‘stepping aside for’)
- Transformation: [element] with X <becoming> Y (eg ‘transformed into’, ‘turning into’, ‘changed to’)
- Displacement: Y <displacing> X in [element] (eg ‘driving out’, ‘ousting’, ‘replacing’)
- Substitution: Y <substituting for> X in [element] (eg ‘standing in for’, ‘playing part of’, ‘assuming role of’)
- Effacement: Y <effacing> X in [element] (eg ‘obscuring’, ‘doing away with’, ‘overwhelming’)
- Introduction: Y <being provided> for X in [element] (eg ‘entering’, ‘required’, ‘arriving’, ‘coming in’, ‘included’ etc)
- Correction: [element] <having> Y not X (eg ‘using’, ‘involving’, ‘possessing’, ‘enjoying’, ‘featuring’ etc)
The list below can be sorted alphabetically on Indicator, in either ascending (default) or descending sequence. The Search box allows full and partial searching of the first column in the list.
Date last modified: 27/11/23
Nature of change: Baseline date established
| Indicator | Construction | Alternative form(s) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| becoming | X becoming Y | Standard | |
| bumping | Y bumping X | X bumped by Y | Standard |
| changed | X changed to Y | Standard | |
| coming in | Y coming in for X | Standard | |
| concealing | Y concealing X | X concealed by Y | Standard |
| conceding to | X conceding to Y | Standard | |
| covering | Y covering X | Y covering for X | Standard |
| displacing | Y displacing X | X displaced by Y | Standard |
| doing duty | Y doing duty for X | Standard | |
| downing | Y downing X | X downed by Y | Standard |
| driving out | Y driving out X | Y driving off X | Standard |
| dropping | dropping X for Y | X dropped for Y | Standard |
| exchanging | exchanging X for Y | Standard | |
| expelling | Y expelling X | X expelled by Y | Standard |
| falling for | X falling for Y | Standard | |
| forcing out | Y forcing out X | X forced out by Y | Standard |
| getting | getting Y for X | Standard | |
| giving up | giving up X for Y | X given up for Y | Standard |
| giving way | X giving way to Y | Standard | |
| going | X going for Y | Standard | |
| having | having Y for X | having Y not X | Standard |
| hiding | Y hiding X | X hidden by Y | Standard |
| instead | Y instead of X | Standard | |
| knocking out | Y knocking out X | X knocked out by Y | Standard |
| leaving | leaving X in favour of Y | Standard | |
| made invisible by | X made invisible by Y | Standard | |
| making way | X making way for Y | Standard | |
| obscuring | Y obscuring X | X obscured by Y | Standard |
| ousting | Y ousting X | X ousted by Y | Standard |
| overcoming | Y overcoming X | X overcome by Y | Standard |
| overthrowing | Y overthrowing X | X overthrown by Y | Standard |
| overwritten | X overwritten by Y | Standard | |
| playing part | X playing part of Y | Standard | |
| preferred to | Y preferred to X | Standard | |
| put aside | X put aside for y | Standard | |
| putting out | Y putting out X | X put out by Y | Standard |
| replacing | Y replacing X | X replaced by Y | Standard |
| squeezing out | Y squeezing out X | X squeezed out by Y | Standard |
| standing in | Y standing in for X | Standard | |
| submitting | X submitting to Y | Standard | |
| substituted | Y substituted for X | Standard | |
| succeeding | Y succeeding X | X succeeded by Y | Standard |
| succumbing | X succumbing to Y | Standard | |
| superseding | Y superseding X | X superseded by Y | Standard |
| supplanting | Y supplanting X | X supplanted by Y | Standard |
| suppressing | Y suppressing X | Standard | |
| surrendering | X surrendering to Y | Standard | |
| swapping | swapping X for Y | Standard | |
| taking | taking Y for X | Standard | |
| taking over | Y taking over from X | Standard | |
| taking place | Y taking place of X | Standard | |
| taking role | X taking role of Y | X assuming role of Y | Standard |
| turning into | X turning into Y | X turning to Y | Standard |
| with | with Y for X | with Y as X | Standard |
| yielding | yielding X for Y | X yielding to Y | Standard |
This is great. Your list includes most of the ones I had in mind and several more. Apart from “Y assuming the role of X”, which I mentioned yesterday, the others I have in my list are: “Y doing duty for X”, “X making way for Y”, “doing without X for Y”, “Y being provided for X”, “Y posing for X”, “losing X to Y”, “Y required for X” and “using Y not X”.
Thanks, Richard.
Looking at your additions, I realized that there were certain ‘generic’ constructions which were probably better dealt with in the introductory text – I hope that makes sense. There were two on your list which I was slightly uneasy about – ‘Y posing for [as?] X’ and ‘losing X to Y’. I wonder if ‘posing’ can truly have the sense of ‘taking the place’, or whether it only indicates impersonation, and when something is lost to Y, is it taken by Y rather than being replaced by it? Perhaps I’m being even more pedantic than usual…I’m open to persuasion! The others I have all incorporated in one form or another, many thanks for that.
Thanks. There’s nothing I’d put up a fight for here. I’ve been compiling a list for some time of the examples I’ve seen used – mainly in Times puzzles – and the ones I supplied were from that. Your generic forms are helpful – is it perhaps worth adding a fourth category dealing with transformation?
Thanks for that suggestion – I have taken it a step further and tried to categorize the majority of replacement constructions.