Letter manipulation is used to build up an anagram from words in the clue that need chopping, reversing or merging, or to add a part of a word into the mix to construct your answer. In manipulating a word you usually ignore the possessive part. For example, in “Designer’s” you may ignore the S apostrophe, thus making an anagram from DESIGNER. Alert! Sometimes you need to include the “S” in your anagram. The following is a list, by no means exhaustive, of words or phrases you sometimes take as letter manipulation flags. 
[See also Insertion Flags for related clue structures]
List of letter manipulation flags
5—
50% off – use half the word
A—
Abandon – minus one of the letters
Abandon – use a letter from a word. For example, in the phrase “left abandoned” use the L
About – reverse the letters
Above (in a down clue) – reverse the letters
Admits – contains letters from
Almost – use most of the word, usually all but the last letter. For example, use GAV from gave
Alternative – use the first letters of each of the following words
Arrest – take in a letter or letters
At first – use the first letter of each word. For example, in the phrase, “losing weight at first” means remove the W from the preceding or following word
At back of – use the last letter
At the end of – use the last letter
At last – use the last letter
At the outset – take the first letter from each of the next words
Avoiding – missing the indicated letter
B—
Back – reversal of letters
Back of – the last letter of a word
Backed up – reversal of letters
Backing – word reversed
Banks in – use the outer letters of a word
Barring – remove last letter
Base – use first letter of a word
Began – use the first letter of word, or of each word
Biting – the word goes around other letters
Borders – use outside letters of a word
Boring – insert in a word
Bottom of – use the last letter of a down clue
Boxing – the letters wrap before and after the word
Briefly – remove the last letter
Bring forward – a letter is moved to the front or near the front
Brought up – reversed
C—
Capsized – (in down clue) reverse the word
Carried by – word found in the phrase
Case – use the outer letters of a word
Case of – use the first and last letter of a word
Catch – goes round a word
Catching – goes round
Centre – take the middle letters of the word
Charged with – put one set of letters inside a word
Circling – contains letters or a word in the answer
Claims – contains the following word(s)
Climbing – reverse in a down clue
Clipped – remove the last letter of a word (see examples below)
Close – use the end letter of the word
Close of – use the last letter of the word
Close to – use the last letter of the word
Clothing – enclosing letters
Come back – reverse the letters of the next word
Comeback – reverse letters
Coming west – reverse the anagram in an across clue
Concealed – word is hidden in the phrase
Containing – the answer includes these letters
Content of – use the central letters from a word
Cover – word is inside phrase
Cover not needed – remove the outside letters
Covered with lots – use most of the word
Covering – placed around
Covering – use the initial letters of word or words. For example, in “covering empty space”, use ES
Covering – use the outer letters
Crossing – the letters are split across another word
Crust of – remove middle letters
Cut – remove the last letter
D—
Defaced – remove the first letter of a word and use the rest
Denied starter – remove the first letter of a word and use the rest
Discontented – use only the outside letters of the word
Discover – remove outer letters of a word
Discovered – use a word with the first and last letter removed
Disheartened – remove the middle of the word and use the rest
Dismissed – remove a letter from a word
Dismissing one – remove a letter from the next word
Dispensed with – remove a letter
Docked – remove the last letter from a word
Dropped one – remove a letter from the next word
Dropping odds – omit alternate letters and use the rest
During – insert letters in the word
E—
Edge of – take the last letter
Embodies – word is somewhere in the phrase
Emptied – remove all the middle letters and use the rest
Empty – remove all the letters of a word except the first and last.
End – use the last letter of a word. For example, use the E from “prematurE end”
End of – use the last letter of a word
Ending – use the last letter. For example, in “enemy’s ending”, use the Y (ignore the possessive ‘s)
Endless – use the word with the last letter removed
Endlessly – take the letter off the end of the word, or end of each of several words
Ensnaring –– put in the middle of a word
Entering – put a letter or words in an anagram
Enthralled by – indicates a hidden word
Entrance – use the first letter of a word(s)
Environment – the word you want is in a phrase
Escaping from – remove a letter from a word
Essentially – use middle letters
Evacuating – remove the middle of the word
Every now and then – use the alternative letters
Expelled – letter or letters removed
Exposed – remove the first and last letters of the word and use the rest
Extremely – use the outer letters of a word
Extremes – use the first and last letter
F—
Failing to open – remove the first letter, and use the rest
Falls short – remove the last letter
Final – last letter of word/phrase
Finally – use the last letter of a word or of each word in a phrase
Finish off – remove the last letter of a word, and use the rest
First couple unseen – the first two letters of the word are omitted. For example, in “Sweden”, omit SW, and use EDEN.
First to escape – remove the first letter and use the rest
Foremost – use the first letter
Forget first week – remove “W” from the word
Front of – use the first letter
G—
Getting – using a letter from a word
Getting cut – remove the last letter and use the rest
Going north – reverse the word in a down clue
Going west – reverse the letters in an across clue
Grasping – phrase holds the word
Group of – select part of a word
Gutted – remove the middle letters and use the rest
Guzzle – include a letter or two from a word
H—
Half-heartedly – remove one letter from a double letter in the centre of a word
Hard to penetrate – insert H (hard) into word
Head of – use the first letter of a word
Heading north – reverse the letters in a down clue
Heads for – use the first letter of each of the next words
Heartless – remove the middle letter of the word (s), use the rest in the answer. For example, in “Heartless woman” use WN
Hide – include the letters
Hide of – take out the letters of a word
Hiding face – remove the first letter of the word
Hint of – use the first letter of a word
Holding – the word contains another short word
Holding – use the letters from inside the word
Houses – a word or phrase holds the word or letters for the answer
Hugged – wraps round a word
I—
In – hidden in the clue
In need of hotel – this means the H is missing
In retirement – reverse the word
Initially – use the first letters of each word
Intermittent – use the alternate letters of the next word(s)
Ignoring – remove a letter or letters from
J —
Journey north – reverse the letters (in a down clue)
K—
Keeps – includes letters
Knocked back – reverse the word
L—
Lacking – missing a letter
Last – use the last letter of a word
Last off – remove the last letter of a word and use the rest
Last to go – remove the last letter of a word and use the rest
Latest – use the last letter of a word
Lead – may refer to first letter of a word
Leader getting lost – use all but the first letter of the word
Leaders of – use the initial letter of each word or phrase
Lead-free – remove the first letter
Left – remove from word as indicated
Leftwards – the letters are reversed in an across clue
Lifted – reverse the word in a down clue
Lifting – reverse the word in a down clue
M—
Mainly – use most of the letters of the next word
Minimal – the first letter of each word
Minimum of – one letter of a word
Missing bottoms – remove the last letter of each word
Missing conclusion – take the last letter off the word and use the rest
Missing opening – remove the first letter of a word and use the rest
Mostly – use all but the last letter of a word
Most of – use most of the letters from a word
Moved to the north – in a down clue move the last or last two letters of the word to the front
Moving right to start – move ‘R’ from right. For example, with “anger”, move the R to the start for the answer RANGE.
Muffling – the word contains a bit of the answer
N—
Namelessly – remove the N from a word
Never ending – remove the last letter of a word
No answer – remove the letter A from the word
No introduction – remove the first letter of a word
No tail – use the next word, removing the last letter
Not – take out/remove the next word or letters
Not Charlie – remove C(harlie) from a word.
Not entirely – use the next word, omitting its last letter
Not opening – remove the first letter
Not quite – omit the last letter of a word
Not so – remove SO from a word
Not taking sides – remove the first and last letter from a word
Not the front – remove the first letter of a word, use the rest
Not wanting – remove a letter or word. For example, in “not wanting a…” remove A from the word
O—
Occasionally – use alternate letters of a word or phrase
Odd features – use the odd letters from a word. For example, in “nature” use N,T and R in building your answer
Odd one out – use the odd letters from a word
Oddly – use the odd letters from a word(s)
Oddly dropped – in “never oddly dropped” remove NVR (the odd letters) and use EE in the answer
Oddly missed – omit the odd letters of word or phrase
Off and on – use the alternate letters from a word(s)
On – means the words or letters are on top of the next word in a down clue
On reflection – reverse the letters
On the rise – reverse the letters in a down clue
On the up – reverse the letters in a down clue
On vacation – remove the middle letter of the next word; or ignore the outer letters
Opening – use the first letter of a word
Origin – use the first letter of a word
Originally – use the first letter of a word or phrase
Out – remove a letter
Outside – use the outer letters of a word
Outskirts of – use the outer letters of a word
Over – reverse the word
Overcoming – put around another string of letters
P—
Paring edges – remove the outer letters
Part of – use a selected portion of a phrase
Peel – remove the outer letters of a word
Penny refused – remove the letter P.
Picked up – reverse the word in a down clue
Pinching – the letters go round the word
Pocketing – put the letters round a word
Pollarded – remove the first letter and use the rest
Possessed by – word found in the phrase
Possibly – use an alternative of a word
Practically – use all but the last letter
Premature end – remove the last letter
Primarily – use the first letter of the next word
Producing – take word from inside the phrase
R—
Raise – reverse letters (in a down clue)
Raised – reversed (in a down clue)
Rear of – use the last letter of a word
Rear of lost – use all but the last letter of the word
Receding – reverse the word
Reduced – take off the last letter and use the rest
Regularly – use the alternate even letters from a word. For example in “chap must regularly” use H P U and T as part of your anagram.
Rejected – reverse the letters of a word
Rejected – turn the letters around
Relieving – removing the letters. For example, relieving us US from AUGUST gives AUGT
Repelled – spell backwards
Return – reverse the letters
Reversing – turning
Reversal – turn the letters around
Revolution – reverse the word
Revolutionary – reverse the word
Right – move a letter to the right
Right out – remove R from a word, and use the rest
Ripped apart – containing
Rise – in a down clue, turn the word around
Rises – reverse the word in a down clue
Rising – reverse anagram in a down clue
S—
Sandwiches – answer is in the following phrase
Saving – containing
Second to finish – move the second letter to the end of a word
Seconds to go – remove “S” from the word
Section – part of a phrase
Seen around – reverse the letters
Sent back – reversal of letters
Sent down – move the indicated letters down the word to make a new word
Series of – the answer is hidden in the phrase
Served up – reverse the letters in a down clue
Set up – reverse the letters or word in a down clue
Set up northwards – reverse the letters in a down clue
Shedding all outside – remove the outer letters and use the rest
Shelter – remove the outer letters from a word
Short – minus the last letter
Shortly – remove the last letter
Slightly deficient – remove one of the letters
Slightly lacking – omit the last letter
Some – use part of the next word/phrase
Some – use some of the letters from a word or phrase
Source – take the first letter
Source of – use the first letter of a word. In “hop” for example, use the H
Start of – use the beginning of each word
Starter of – use the first letter of the next word
Starters – use the first letters of word or words
Starts – use the first letter of each word
Starts late – used the next word, omitting the initial letter
Start to – use the first letter of a word
Starts to – use the first letter of the word or words
Stays away – remove letters
Stealing – insert letters from
Stem of – take the letter from the end of the word
Stern – the last letter of
Stood up – reversed
Stripped – remove the outer letters
Supplies – provides a word
Supporting – goes with
Suppresses – excludes a few letters from the start and end of a phrase
Suppressing – letters or a word are split around another word
Sweetheart – use the middle letter of sweet, E
Switch leaders – (tricky one, this) swap the first two letters round. For example, “unclear” becomes NUCLEAR
T—
Tackling – put round word
Taken from – use the letters from the next word
Taken over – reverse the letters
Taking top off – use all but the first letter in a down clue
Tip of – use the last letter of a word(s)
Tips – use the first letter of each word
Tips – use the outer letters of a word
Tips – the word is reversed
To box – letters go inside word
To head west – reverse the letters in an across clue
To pen – letters go inside word
To the north – reverse the word or letters in a down clue
Top of – use the first letter of a word in a down clue
Top two – use the first two letters of a down clue
Turn up – reverse in a down clue
U—
Ultimate – use the last letter of a word
Ultimately – use the last letter of each word
Uncovered – remove the outside letters
Under – put after a word in a down clue
Unfinished – omit the last letter
Unloaded – remove the middle letter
Unlimited – discard the first and last letter of the word and use the rest in an anagram
Unprotected – remove the outer letters
Up – reverse the letters (in a down clue)
Upset – reverse the word in a down clue. For example, for “party” use DO then reverse it
Used off and on – use odd letters from a word or phrase
Used up – reverse the word in a down clue
V—
Vacant – use the first and last letter of a word
Vacated by “a letter” – remove this letter from the word and use the rest
Vacation – remove the inner letters
Vacuous – use only the first and last letters of a word
Vertically – use an anagram of a word in reverse, in a down clue
W—
Wanting – use a word minus certain letter(s)
Wanting tips – remove the outer letters
Wasting – use with a letter removed
Welcoming – insert a letter
West – in an across clue means reverse the letters
West of – preceding a word in an across clue
When erected – reverse in a down clue
Wingers – take the first and last letter of a word
Wings parted – remove the first and last letters of the next word
Wiping – remove some of the letters
With no leaders – omit the first letter of each word
Withdrawing loudly – remove the letter F from the word
Examples:
1] Paces around this wiping his face (6). The letter manipulation here is to wipe “his” from “this”, leaving you with T. Next, add T to “paces” to build your anagram PACEST. The answer is “Aspect”.
2] District gets prize but not the first one (4). Take the anagram for prize, which is AWARD. Then remove the A (not the first one). The answer is “ward”.
3] Contract requiring three partly to supply occasional items (6). The definition word is “contract”. The letter manipulation indicator is to supply occasional items, which tells you to pick the alternate letters from “three partly”. Thus: ThReE pArTlY. The answer is “treaty”.
4] The Law of clipped Woodland (4). Take a word meaning “woodland”, COPSE and clip off the last letter. The answer is “cops”.
5] Troop’s physical restraint right out the window (6). “Troop” is the definition word. Right out the window is the letter manipulation flag telling you to throw right (R) out the window. A physical restraint is a leg iron. Removing “R” from this gives the answer, “legion”.
This is also an example where you often have to ignore the possessive, in this case apostrophe S.
6] Stand-in starts to learn off Cambridge University master (5). Starts to is the letter manipulation key. Collect the initial letters of each of the words following starts to. LOCUM, which is the answer.
7] Expedition ignoring a fine outfit (4). Ignoring a is the manipulation phrase here. For expedition use SAFARI. Ignore the letter “I”. Answer is “sari”.
8] Compass needle moving right to start (5). Moving is the manipulation word here. For “needle” use ANGER as in to make someone angry or cross. Move R (right) in the word “anger” to the start of the word. The answer is “range”.
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By Nigel Benetton
Last updated: Monday, 21st March 2022