Cryptic crosswords are similar and quite popular in the UK: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword

Cryptic crosswords are similar and quite popular in the UK: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptic_crossword The wordplay riddles in the article are a lot more verbose and less ritualized, but the key idea is the same.