wordplay

plural wordplays

1. countableuncountableA humorous play on words; such plays on words collectively.

   Even this modest wordplay was an outlier: Sagers counted only three backronyms across the ’70s and ’80s.

   2022 November 12, Matteo Wong, “How Did America End Up With the Z.O.M.B.I.E. Act?”, in The Atlantic, archived from the original on 12 Nov 2022

2. countableuncountableA witty verbal exchange; such exchanges collectively.
3. countableuncountablecrosswordingThe part of a cryptic clue that indicates but does not define the solution.

   delete the T from another part in the wordplay

   2012 June 13, Denise Sutherland, Solving Cryptic Crosswords For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 105

   1 more example

   However, some clues include words that do not form part of the wordplay or the definition.

   2014, Henry Howarth, Learn How to Solve Cryptic Crosswords: A Course for Beginners, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 59