Container Clue Practice
Eight original container clues arranged from easy to hard. Each clue hides one word inside another — a container indicator tells you that the inner piece is placed within the outer piece to form the answer. Try to spot the indicator, identify the outer and inner words, and work out the definition before revealing the solution.
“Nothing in apartment — drift (5)”
Reveal answer
Answer: FLOAT
- Container indicator: “in”
- Outer word: FLAT (“apartment”)
- Inner word: O (“nothing”)
- Definition: “drift”
"In" is the container indicator. Nothing = O, apartment = FLAT. Place O inside FLAT: FL(O)AT = FLOAT. The definition is "drift".
“Article within chin — links (5)”
Reveal answer
Answer: CHAIN
- Container indicator: “within”
- Outer word: CHIN (“chin”)
- Inner word: A (“article”)
- Definition: “links”
"Within" is the container indicator. Article = A, chin = CHIN. Place A inside CHIN: CH(A)IN = CHAIN. The definition is "links".
“Ourselves within garden tool — dwelling (5)”
Reveal answer
Answer: HOUSE
- Container indicator: “within”
- Outer word: HOE (“garden tool”)
- Inner word: US (“ourselves”)
- Definition: “dwelling”
"Within" is the container indicator. Ourselves = US, garden tool = HOE. Place US inside HOE: HO(US)E = HOUSE. The definition is "dwelling".
“Pig in advertisement — riding (6)”
Reveal answer
Answer: ABOARD
- Container indicator: “in”
- Outer word: AD (“advertisement”)
- Inner word: BOAR (“pig”)
- Definition: “riding”
"In" is the container indicator. Pig = BOAR, advertisement = AD. Place BOAR inside AD: A(BOAR)D = ABOARD. The definition is "riding" — aboard means on board or riding.
“Trendy held by pat — coat a surface (5)”
Reveal answer
Answer: PAINT
- Container indicator: “held by”
- Outer word: PAT (“pat”)
- Inner word: IN (“trendy”)
- Definition: “coat a surface”
"Held by" is the container indicator. Trendy = IN, pat = PAT. Place IN inside PAT: PA(IN)T = PAINT. The definition is "coat a surface".
“We within rocky peak — tall building (5)”
Reveal answer
Answer: TOWER
- Container indicator: “within”
- Outer word: TOR (“rocky peak”)
- Inner word: WE (“we”)
- Definition: “tall building”
"Within" is the container indicator. We = WE, rocky peak = TOR. Place WE inside TOR: TO(WE)R = TOWER. The definition is "tall building".
“Affair involving part of the psyche — obvious (7)”
Reveal answer
Answer: EVIDENT
- Container indicator: “involving”
- Outer word: EVENT (“affair”)
- Inner word: ID (“part of the psyche”)
- Definition: “obvious”
"Involving" is the container indicator. Affair = EVENT, part of the psyche = ID. Place ID inside EVENT: EV(ID)ENT = EVIDENT. The definition is "obvious".
“Get back in errant — plan of action (8)”
Reveal answer
Answer: STRATEGY
- Container indicator: “in”
- Outer word: STRAY (“errant”)
- Inner word: TEG (“get back (GET reversed)”)
- Definition: “plan of action”
"In" is the container indicator and "back" signals a reversal. Get reversed = TEG, errant = STRAY. Place TEG inside STRAY: STRA(TEG)Y = STRATEGY. The definition is "plan of action".
Learn more about container clues
If you want to understand container indicators in depth, see the full teaching page. It covers how to spot indicators, common patterns for inner and outer words, and worked examples from real Parseword puzzles.
Container clues — full guide