This is the Chambes Dictionary definition.
cryptic adj 1 puzzling, mysterious, obscure or enigmatic. 2 secret or hidden. 3 said of a crossword puzzle: with clues in the form of riddles, puns, anagrams, etc, rather than synonyms.
A cryptic crossword glue almost always has two parts to it. 1) A definition part which relates directly to the answer.
2) A wordplay part that contains all the hidden clues to generate the same answer.
When your answers to both parts match, you know you have solved the clue.