The answer to the cryptic puzzle “Is verachtelijk bij mens en dier” is RATJE.
Explanation:
- Verachtelijk can be translated to “despicable” or “contemptible” in English.
- Bij mens en dier means “in both humans and animals”.
- Ratje is a Dutch word for “rat”.
Rats are often seen as vermin and are considered to be despicable creatures by both humans and animals. This makes “ratje” a fitting answer to the puzzle.
The puzzle is cryptic because it does not directly state that the answer is a rat. Instead, it gives a clue about the answer by saying that it is something that is despicable to both humans and animals. This requires the solver to use their knowledge of the world to figure out the answer.
Here is another way to solve the puzzle:
- Break the word “verachtelijk” into its component letters: VERACHTELIJK.
- Remove the vowels: VRCTHLJK.
- Rearrange the remaining letters to form the word RATJE.
This method requires a bit more wordplay, but it is still a valid way to solve the puzzle.