Word.ws English Dictionary

lift and separate

lift and separate noun: a cryptic crossword device where several indicators and wordplay elements are combined into a coherent misleading phrase.

Noun

lift and separate (plural lift and separates)

  1. (crosswording) A cryptic crossword device where several indicators and wordplay elements are combined into a coherent misleading phrase.
  2. (proscribed, sometimes, crosswording) A cryptic crossword device where a single word must be read as multiple words – for example, "indeed" as "in deed".

Forms of lift and separate

plurallift and separates
alternative formlift-and-separate

Origin of lift and separate

From the slogan for Playtex bras. Coined in 2007 by crossword commentator Mark Goodliffe.

Questions about lift and separate

What does lift and separate mean?
Lift and separate means a cryptic crossword device where several indicators and wordplay elements are combined into a coherent misleading phrase.
What part of speech is lift and separate?
Lift and separate is a noun.
What is the plural of lift and separate?
The plural of lift and separate is lift and separates.

Words near lift and separate in the dictionary

  1. Lifshitzes
  2. lift
  3. lift a finger
  4. lift a finger against
  5. lift all boats
  6. lift and separate
  7. lift and shift
  8. lift bridge
  9. lift car
  10. lift cars
  11. lift club

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: lift and separate (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “lift and separate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/lift_and_separate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.