&lit

/ænd lɪt/

noun

A cryptic crossword clue that can be interpreted in its entirety as either a definition or wordplay; for example, "God incarnate, essentially" for "Odin", a Norse god whose name is hidden in "God incarnate".

“Perfect &lits are hard to create.”

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Meanings

noun&lit (plural &lits)

plural &lits · alternative & lit.

  1. attributivesometimescrosswordingA cryptic crossword clue that can be interpreted in its entirety as either a definition or wordplay; for example, "God incarnate, essentially" for "Odin", a Norse god whose name is hidden in "God incarnate".

    Perfect &lits are hard to create.

    1 more example

    &Lit: This word play means "and take it literally." In these clues, the word play and literal definition are one and the same. &Lit clues are marked with an exclamation point at the end.

    2006, Nikki Katz, Zen and the Art of Crossword Puzzles: A Journey Down and Across, page 63

Origin

From & + clipping of literal or literally, referring to the fact that the clue both forms a traditional cryptic clue and can be read literally as a straight clue. Coined by "Ximenes" (Derrick Somerset Macnutt) in his 1966 book Ximenes on the Art of the Crossword.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

&lit. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%26lit

MLA

“&lit.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%26lit. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “&lit,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/%26lit.

Source: &lit on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.