Minute Cryptic Clue

This is the 204th Minute Cryptic clue, playable on 15 January 2025. Play the free daily clue at minutecryptic.com and on the iOS app
#crypticcrossword #wordgames

[@jmmaury]

Generally, I think all the clues I've looked at since finding Minute Cryptic have been really good. Personally, I don't think this was one of the best clues though. "Expose lying" would be a more accurate definition for 'debunk' IMO. "Demonstrate lying", to me, indicated the actual *process* of lying, which is pretty much the opposite of what was intended. Just my morning rant, I appreciate what you do and my solving skills are improving thanks to this. It's got to be tricky consistently coming up with these, so thank you!

[@xaviwavy3930]

@@jmmaury completely agree, that's why I thought illustrate lying might work a bit better, as it can also kinda mean to expose, without ruining the surface of the clue so it still reads well.

[@danielnapoleoni]

I came here to say this but you got me covered haha

[@OOoo00011]

Agreed, I was stuck on delude for so long!

[@jmmaury]

@OOoo00011 Yes, me too. And 'cradle', but couldn't make the rest of the clue work!

[@kennethowen2596]

One thing I’ve noticed here is that they really prioritize the surface over the technicalities of the wordplay instructions. That’s good practice, as moving up in the level of crossword difficulty does get you prepared for more oblique and cryptic definitions in clues. But it’s also something to be aware of - different setters have different styles. The Everyman crossword, for example, has some very distinctive idiosyncrasies that have allowed me into answers I would have struggled with at first. Other setters are much stricter on definition and how the wordplay works, but sometimes that means the clues read incredibly strangely to anyone not use to the puzzle type.

[@samcrossland5325]

Went down 100 different paths, this clue broke me 😅

[@tinolaing]

This one hurt my stats too.😅

[@sleepystephen]

Same. Got fixated on a synonym for 'double bed'. Well over par today.

[@10.4Jackdaw]

Me too… this was the toughest one for some time. I’m still not convinced, even after hearing the explanation. One over par 😢

[@HilaryBienstock]

Same!

[@42nuala]

Me too! Then when I finally got it from Gavin letters it made sense!

[@illysigelman1264]

I might not get something, but it's kinda weird how the word "in", which usually holds great significance in this game, has nothing to do with the actual clue...

[@ParlanceOpus]

It's very often used like this. Find [DEFINITION] in [WORDPLAY]

[@petercarles1522]

that's the trouble... in can be a linking word or a wordplay indicator. Part of the fun!

[@TheJamesM]

I got tripped up by this as well. I guess in this instance you can interpret it as "you can see the definition _in_ the wordplay".

[@JHO32974]

Totally agree. Not the best clue

[@carrymcbarry]

How can “in” possibly be a linking word, that doesn’t make sense to me?

[@ColleenWebster-t9w]

After a good run, this one took me down a peg or two. Needed the definition and a letter. I emptied “double bed” so wanted to fit something between the d and d, but had already used “bed” to get that far. A little tricky!

[@heatherwp7805]

Similar to me. I wanted to empty double bed too but needed a few letters to get there in the end

[@jameswilletts9859]

I thought the same and still don't like the construction of it. The word play gives no indicator of what to do with the other bed and that it wouldn't be d...d. Not completely convinced this is demonstrating lying either ?

[@TerryTszChunWong]

Once you get under the skin of “Demonstrate lying” the definition makes sense… but it just feels a bit clunky and forced to fit the clue surface to me.

[@DarrenRye]

Agreed, far from the best this one. Debunk is to disprove too, doesn't have to be lying.

[@wizdofaus]

Kudos to anyone who did that without a hint, I had thought about "bunk" as a possible term for "double bed", but then assumed that would mean something inside "B....K". Thankfully the one hint was enough, would never have thought the "definition" part was the first two words (pretty odd way of defining the solution anyway - not wrong per se but I definitely associate the solution more with demonstrating that a widely held belief is false, vs that someone is intentionally being deceptive).

[@ParlanceOpus]

This is why I think the 'hint' button should not be readily used. You never know the 'hint' in a real crossword, but you often have a few letters. I'll always choose letters over the hint to replicate a 'real life' crossword, but it pushes my par score up higher than it would be if I used the hint. In this case the hint makes the clue a lot easier than just a single letter. I'm not convinced that they have this par system quite right yet... Hints should cost 2 points maybe?

[@wizdofaus]

@ParlanceOpus it's meant to be a learning/practice tool I guess. Some of the par values assigned don't make a lot of sense, but I can think you can still get an idea of whether you're getting the hang of it.

[@joveblue]

I solved this as ‘bunk’ as a type of double bed, and ‘debunk’ as a way of ‘emptying’ a double bed.

[@joveblue]

A sneaky &lit clue!

[@jonathanbaldauf4761]

Did anybody else solve this as a double definition?! *demonstrate lying = debunk *to empty a double bed = de-bunk

[@josephulton]

Spent forever looking for a synonym of Demonstrate that was laying within the words "double bed"

[@Dr.Death8520]

The hint threw me a lot because I had no clue what "demonstrate lying" could mean. Had to be given the 'u' to realise the bed part

[@arm_613]

There is so much more going on hete. Bunk beds are a kind of double beds AND if you empty someone out of their bunk beds you would be debunking!

[@svivian]

Well spotted. I think you could also write this as an &lit clue with simply: “Empty double bed?!”

[@TheJamesM]

@svivian I love that!

[@kayg2194]

Brilliant alternative 👏

[@RAK_City]

Plus there’s so much more room for activities!!

[@MrBrainiacism]

I looked at this differently. An empty double bed has been debunked in that you have left the bunk which is another word for a bed

[@ponkje]

anybody else got the hint that the definition was "demonstrate lying" and then decided that de-bunking could be seen as "emptying/leaving a double bed" …

[@HollyAnderson-h4t]

Quickly realised I needed to use de but thought I had to put another word inside. And assumed demonstrate was the definition. Eventually asked for the hint and once I realised it was demonstrate lying it all fell into place. A two word definition makes it more tricky

[@jakekayden4061]

I got it immediately but the wrong way haha. I saw “double bed” and put “bunk” then realized it was debunk without figuring out where “de” came from

[@marcusdavidhall]

Same!

[@michaelkhng6956]

A good, tricky one for me. - Initially, I thought "demonstrate" was the definition, and the answer would be a subsection within 'empty double bed". - Then, I tried to find a 4-letter word to replace "lying", that could fit in D _ _ _ _ D (which is an empty 'double bed'). - I then tried to see if "EE" could be somewhere in the word, due to 'empty double'. - Eventually, I thought the word might be "DEBASE" - trying to use "bed" in a different context ... and that's when the answer came to me.

[@andrewy5251]

I also toyed with the double “e” idea here

[@WritingInMyFreeTime]

I was another victim of EE for "empty double" but I tried to find a word for "demonstrate" to put between those Es (since that word would be lying in EE) for "bed"

[@noire9703]

This was a toughie. I looked at it from lots of different angles over the course of the day and only got it when I realised I didn't have to empty both the words bed and double.

[@Maths4Morons]

Shit one today at even par. Got empty double. Synonyms are quite annoying especially when it was bed and not for lying(like your initial idea) so I defo rolled my eyes finding out it was bunk

[@akabigbird63]

Took me all day searching various synonyms. Took the hint and a letter. Eventually saw bunking was a synonym for lying which got me the answer.

[@ianpilkington169]

I got the empty double right but couldn't work out what to do after that. Didn't get that I needed to synonym for bed to go after the de

[@joecocozza5140]

Aargh. Maybe “Expose lying” would have been better than “demonstrate lying”? Not sure the definition is that great as is and the surface would have worked

[@SallyMcMillan-f7p]

Spent ages on this and still didn’t get there, at one stage was trying to find a 4 letter synonym for demonstration, to put (lie) in the middle of d and e - that made a word meaning bed. Ugh, this felt hard as the “in” and the “lying” were used/not used in ways I’m used to. Another learn 🙃

[@JustinWilliamson-f7t]

Got thrown by empty double meaning oo. Took a while to get that idea out of my head. Great clue.

[@Flow1993B]

Very clever clue I got exactly in the trap of trying to put another word in "de" Only got it thanks to the first letter hint to get the bed part

[@peterspencer7027]

I don't think I'd ever have got this one without the video!

[@HarryHopkins-p8v]

I had De but to get to bunk I doubled bed - for bunk bed, which got me to debunk.

[@AndrewDeakin-v4l]

After diddling around for quite a long time, I dumped the dd (empty shell of double bed), reverted to de, synonymed bed, saw bunk, and ‘solved’ the clue, albeit noting that debunk has a broader meaning than demonstrate lying, & often simply means to prove false a possibly sincere statement (eg, some people believe that anthropomorphic climate change can be debunked by noting comparable changes to climate in pre-industrial times).

[@marialexander9992]

I got away from “lying” as needing the “ing” because it can be an adjective- “that lying rat!” So false, fake etc. But of course, that led nowhere. Finally got it by searching synonyms for demonstrate

[@royston1928]

Loved this one. Stumped me this morning but I looked at it again at lunch and worked it out!

[@stichomythia3435]

Here's a subtlety of cryptic grammar point: many editors won't care about this but tougher crosswords (eg barred grids) will. "Demonstrate lying" doesn't quite match "debunk" - "debunk" is transitive, you have to debunk something, whereas "demonstrate lying" is intransitive. You can't "demonstrate lying the politician's argument". However! "Demonstrate lying IN" is transitive and works perfectly - you can "demonstrate lying in the politician's argument" 100%. I love this - there are a lot of 'close enough' clues given to beginners, which I don't think helps - but this one is perfect

[@astonain]

Had to use the hint for the definition part, after which I worked out the “empty double” but had to google synonyms for bed, I would not have thought of “bunk” because I’m not a toddler or a teenage backpacker

[@prk55]

That was tricky and definitely needed a hint but satisfying to get it and loved the extra link between bunk beds and double beds. Very good.

[@Nick_Oland]

Got empty double right away but spent the next 2 hours going going through the wordplay maze like a madman.

[@rayscotchcoulton]

Feel good knowing I wasn't the only one who felt "Demonstrate lying" wasn't the most accurate way to describe "debunk." I thought, "How would you demonstrate lying? You'd ... just tell a lie."

[@jasmithwrites]

Got the jist of it, but could not think of the right synonym for bed. Damn.

[@TerryBrennan-d8m]

Gist

[@maryam-mo8nw]

“Demonstrate lying” really stumped me

[@lindarehill4965]

Yikes. My first 1 over par. The 2-word definition and ‘in’ sent me in all the wrong directions!

[@747puppyfat]

In being a linking word really threw me off. It just not being part of the clue feels cheap. Not a fan of this one.

[@joeyharrington1863]

Even after revealing the definition, I kept going down the path of "demonstrate lying" as in "performing a lie" instead of "exposing a lie"

[@nottheborg836]

after months of doing these I think this is the first that I actually really disliked, which I guess is a testament to how good the quality usually is!

[@mko6584]

agreed, every game, puzzle, crossword, etc. is going to occassionally have a sinker. overall quality of this game is outstanding!

[@Eundo21]

Started 1 week ago, still haven’t gotten a solve under par😔

[@JudithHawes-pl9zv]

It can take a while to get in the groove, don't give up!

[@feliciapaulraj3799]

This took me down ALL sorts of paths. I was convinced it was 'debase' for a long time because 'base' is another word for bed and fits within b...e but then that didn't work, and finally thought about 'bunk bed' which COULD be another word for double bed...definitely humbling.

[@rolandseddon8072]

'In empty double' surely implies the D is at the beginning and the E is at the end with a word for Bed in the middle. Couldn't get away from this!!!!

[@judithparker4595]

I think this could have been a double definition: if you empty yourself out of a bed, you de-bunk!

[@spencerpinkston9972]

Thought it was just a pun with bunk beds and was confused how empty factored in

[@LindsayPackard]

Not sure if it was intentional, but I liked how ‘empty double’ was part of the word play, but ‘double bed’ is a common way to think of bunk(beds).

[@Luna-hj4jy]

3 under par today! However I got the word “bunk” from double bed, cause bunk beds makes me picture two beds. Thought the definition was demonstrate and figured out the answer from there, but couldn’t figure out how you got “de” from lying in empty 😭

[@prowsey99]

From the penthouse to the outhouse on this one. +1. Completely caught up in empty double. The good news - I did exactly the same thing of putting “D” & “E” on the outside. The bad news. Couldn’t move past that! 😂

[@theniknik0999]

This broke me haha. Initial gut answer was display, cos you splay in an empty bed and it works for demonstrate as well. But that’s 7 and we need 6

[@AJratcliffe]

Completely stumped by this one!

[@mallory721]

I couldn’t get my head away from “fibbed” lol

[@jaymontana2708]

This was insanely difficult. I thought of empty double being DE and had the same thought to put something inside it. I finally had to reveal every letter but N before I could see debunk. I couldnt stop seeing demonstrate lying as literally teaching how to lie or something like it.

[@heroicalternation2685]

I actually thought "double" was used as it's own word and part of the bed wordplay, I found "empty double" and got "de", like normal, then was trying to figure out the bed and realized that a "double bed" could be a bunk bed (when you have one bed on top of another), and got bunk that fit and made a word. Didn't even remember that a bunk could be a single bed.

[@adamseward5922]

'Lying in' would usually be a hidden word indicator. This took a long time until i got the hint for the description. I think its too ambiguous as to what you have to do with what you have considering 'double bed' is generally used as a single word.

[@archaeologuy1]

Literally showed all of the letters but one and I still had no idea what a word could be to give someone a demonstration of lying. I’m an idiot.

[@nickydunlop5556]

I spent a lot of time thinking empty = nothing = o and double bed = king, to come up with “oking” and then could only think of joking which obviously doesn’t fit. 1 over par :(

[@TerryBrennan-d8m]

To those saying there are better words than DEMONSTRATE, yes, there might be. But none of those would have given a surface meaning as well as DEMONSTRATE does. Remember, if the surface meaning is lacking, it's an inferior clue. The setter's job is to deceive while being fair.

[@andrewmayne5096]

This is a great clue, has a fantastic surface meaning. Difficult for sure and had to google synonyms. Most days I find people comment “I got it straight away!” I suspect most people don’t like to comment about their failures….

[@kaushalchhatrapatiheartdoc2146]

Agree. I had to use hints in this one, and letters too. I google commonly, but most times I “get it” instantly if I have to!

[@andrewy5251]

I also toyed with “lying” as a loose anagram indicator, so putting an anagram of a synonym for demonstrate in the empty double. Got nowhere there! Eventually got to the answer with a hint and a letter for 1 under

[@robotmasterfezman]

This was hard! The first one where I needed a hint in ages.

[@1061shrink1061]

It’s funny how everyone finds things different. I got this in maybe 5 mins with no hints. Some of these I find impossible, but I got the DE thing, and I was thinking that double bed would in itself be a play on the idea, and bunk beds just came to mind. A fun one for sure

[@747puppyfat]

I would say that 5 minutes is fairly long. It’s minute cryptic after all.

[@carrymcbarry]

I do love these so much, but this is the first one I’ve thought, I don’t agree with the reasoning, how can “in” possibly be a linking word. Without “in” it makes more sense because you empty double to get DE, and you wouldn’t think to fill it but “in” clearly suggests you need to put something in between D & E, even if you wanted to use whacky grammar to but a word for bed inside D & E. Love this channel though, keep up the amazing work 🎉

[@bruzie900]

Completely failed on this one. Misread empty double bed as "empty double-bed" so was using d and d. Couldn't make head or tail of the rest of it so ended up revealing too many letters to be worth it.

[@JosieJo2000]

Yes same, bed didn’t seem to be the definition so emptying “double bed” to d and d seemed to be the most logical. I still can’t really get debunk to make sense.

[@aprilmunday1152]

I thought demonstrate was the definition and I emptied double bed, so I ended up needing letters. A tough one.

[@marcusdavidhall]

I got “bunk” first and figured that “demonstrate lying” was the definition.

[@saminamanat]

i was certain that “in” was a wordplay indicator

[@jamesreynolds5903]

I almost went too clever at the start and found another word for demonstrate (show) and then thought i needed to anagram it because it was 'lying', putting that between d and e, for a definition of bed 🙈 that was 1 of many thoughts! Very tough for me today.

[@kirstinmead4515]

Oh wow that was hard. Once I figured it out (with pretty much all the clues!) I tried to figure out how the wordplay worked….. I thought it was a double use of the synonym for bed. There is bunk but there’s also bed backwards, and I couldn’t understand how or why it was backwards 😂 Amazing how the brain works

[@Esther_Calx]

I saw double bed and thought “bunk beds”, then say “demonstrate lying” and immediately put down debunk. Had to come here to figure out the de- 😅

[@michaelbudden4799]

Yes, that “in” is problematic. I think the clue might’ve been better phrased as “Empty double bed to demonstrate lying”.

[@RoderickEtheria]

Funny that this one has a punny way at hinting its answer. A double bed is a bunk bed, and if you remove from double bed, you are debunking. On the other hand, if you empty double, you get de, and combine with a name for a bed, you get debunk.

[@pacopax]

Got it in one under par, but I think the definition is a stretch. I kept interpreting “demonstrate lying” as a first-person action, so I kept trying “fib” in the middle of the word. Going that extra step of inferring “demonstrate *someone else is* lying” was hard.

[@lunar-gardens-in-my-mind]

dang this clue broke my no hints streak lol

[@bignosedturnip]

good clue today, i took ‘demonstrate’ as BOTH a definition and wordplay fodder for some reason i tried to fit in a word for ‘demonstrate’ into d____e (demonstrate LYING in empty double) 😂

[@mylesdaniels4309]

Good challenge today, had to use the hint and a letter or two. Question though, is the meaning of debunk not more exposing a lie, so more the opposite of demonstrating lying?

[@mjs7485]

I'm telling the "vilest connections categories" lady about you

[@JustMeLuana24]

Today was my first try at this game. Yikes. This explanation didn't help either.

[@mko6584]

this was a tough one with a lot of regulars not digging it (myself included). Don't give up, it's a great game and channel!!!

[@crants87]

Could I make a feature request? If I already have a letter correct, can you make it so it doesn't use it as a hint and gives me another letter I don't already have please?

[@duncanthompson2458]

Killed me that one! Forgot to do yesterday's so my streak par is now +3 down from -60!!!!!!

[@lukeg1058]

While the actual wordplay of this clue was good, the definition isn’t as such, to debunk something isn’t demonstrating lying, more so exposing lying.

[@tameshewolf]

Phew! Got it in even par 😅 Took the first path mentioned. And couldn't get a break without the hints.

[@awwworacc]

Tried bedbed and emptied it from es... didn't get anywhere. How did you guys even get to bunk, who would have thought of that? Also, "demonstrate lying" for me is would be more like to excel in lying and debunking is quite the opposite. I guess one can see I am not a native speaker.

[@sikutheshrink2787]

Man this was really hard for some reason. It's been a really long time since I went over par.

[@warrenpeace2006]

I thought debunk but then I couldn't figure out how to get 'de' from Empty, since I figured double bed was bunk.

[@xaviwavy3930]

i think "illustrate lying" makes a better definition for debunk whilst still maintaining the clues surface

[@judithstein2137]

I guessed it based on the definition. I only understood the wordplay after watching this.

[@123davyk]

Got there eventually, after a little hint or two.😄

[@argadventurer]

I considered ways to empty bed so bd and then use it twice ….or maybe ee? This clue was horrific for my stats.

[@jo_timesplitters3506]

Enjoyed that. Good clue 👍

[@KyleWarnock]

I read double bed as in bunk beds. Do I had bunk and just made it a word. Thanks for the explanation of the real way.

[@UnfunnyGaming99]

This one took me forever due to the red herrings

[@sarahMbanks]

I emptied double to have d and e but i thought it was on the ends not together but when i realized double bed could be bunk bed i had it which is not even how I was meant to find it but thats the way it is with these isnt it.

[@brenstrong3089]

This one really got me!

[@mjuk3196]

This one was frustrating I got all the wordplay correctly but didn't get my head around the demonstate lying means reveals something as a lie so none of the word play made sense, not on my best form today 😅

[@mko6584]

Sorry... a big no for me today. Went down many paths, and just eventually gave up. Not only could I not figure it out without almost every letter, once I did, I just don't like it -- debunk = demonstrate lying? No, sorry, I just can't get there and agree that it works. But that's okay, not everyone is going to like every puzzle, so it's my turn to say 'boo' for this one. Looking forward to tomorrow!

[@Warlach]

Feel glad I went down the same path 😂

[@ciara6071]

@MinuteCryptic I had to give up as many letter keys not working!

[@litefoot25]

"Lying exposed in empty double bed" would have been better. Both for the definition and the sentence as a whole 😅

[@SallyMcMillan-f7p]

Had no idea!

[@Lauraj87]

It took me quite a while to figure out lying was part of the definition and not wordplay. I spent way too long playing around with de and fib 😅