Drag and Drop Indicators

• Cycling elite returns (6) = ELECTS (an element of the word SELECT must be taken from one end and moved to the other).
• Swapping sides, plunder firearm (4) [Across clue] = TOOL (the two ‘sides’ of LOOT must be swapped over in order to produce the answer).

• The list can be sorted by ‘Indicator’, ‘Across or Down’, or ‘Type’
• The list can be filtered using the drop-downs on ‘Across or Down’, ‘Effect’ and ‘Type’. To reset a filter, select the heading from the top of the drop-down list.

• As with reversal indicators, when applied to a single word in order to produce the solution (rather than part of it) there is a risk of ambiguity if the indicator is placed between the definition and the indication of the word to be manipulated. “Famous cycling sailors (4)” could be equally well be a clue to STAR or TARS.
• A reversal is not in general the same as a ‘drag and drop’ operation because it typically involves multiple moves (although a reversal of LEVER, say, or TOOL in the example above, has the same effect as a side swap).
• When it comes to the movement of a specified letter or group of letters within a word, only a subset of the possible indicators is shown here, sufficient to demonstrate the possibilities. Anything which suggests movement forwards, backwards, downwards or upwards is likely to be valid – so while ‘x demoted’ is listed, the similar, and equally sound, ‘x relegated’ is not.

Date last modified: 21/10/24