Clues & Culprits › Clue types › Profession clues
Profession clues
Counts across everyone who shares a job — the three cooks, the four guards — wherever they sit.
Exactly one of us three cooks is a criminal.
Every suspect has a profession, printed under their name. Each case uses five to seven professions, and each profession is shared by two to four people scattered around the grid. A profession clue counts across all of them at once, wherever they sit.
When a speaker says "us cooks", they are a cook and they are counting themselves. "The cooks" means every cook in the lineup, and also includes the speaker if they happen to be one.
How to read it
- "Exactly one of the three butlers is a criminal": among the three butlers, one criminal and two innocents.
- "None of the guards is a criminal" clears every guard immediately.
- "The only chef in Row 2 is innocent" combines a profession with a location: there is exactly one chef in Row 2, and that chef is innocent.
- "There are more criminal tellers than criminal guards" compares two professions.
Tip: hover over (or tap) a profession in any clue and every card with that job lights up or bounces, so you don't have to hunt for them.
How it combines with other clues
Profession groups cut across rows and frames, which makes them a great tie-breaker. When a neighbor clue leaves two candidates and only one of them is a cook, a cook count often decides between them.
Real examples from recent cases
The only painter in Row 2 is innocent.— Mila, painter (A4) in Oct 25, 2026 Easy: Forty-One Rubbers in a Row
None of the receptionists is a criminal.— Felix, visitor (B2) in Oct 25, 2026 Hard: An Allergy to Tuesdays
The only postie in Row 5 is a criminal.— Arlo, postie (A1) in Oct 25, 2026 Evil: Duck 1,417 Wins by Thirty Yards
Exactly two of us three stewards are innocent.— Vik, steward (B5) in Oct 25, 2026 Evil: Duck 1,417 Wins by Thirty Yards
Questions
What does “Exactly one of us three cooks is a criminal.” prove?
Counts across everyone who shares a job — the three cooks, the four guards — wherever they sit.
Where do profession clues appear most?
In every difficulty. In Easy cases they usually settle someone on their own; in Hard cases they tend to combine with other clues.
Next: Above, below, left and right · All types: Neighbor clues · Row and column clues · Above, below, left and right · Between clues · Corner and edge clues · Same-verdict and exactly-one clues · more