Reading technique · Intermediate
Disjunctive Exclusion
Reading an either/or clue for the one thing it gives you immediately: the two alternatives can't be the same subject.
Why it works
An either/or clue only makes sense to write if the two options are genuinely different possibilities. That difference is markable straight away, even though the choice itself isn't.
Trigger
A clue with the shape 'either A or B', naming a single subject.
Common mistake
Waiting for the either/or to resolve before marking anything, and missing the one elimination available on first read.
Example
'Either Mina or Theo owns the turtle' doesn't tell you who, but it does tell you Mina and Theo aren't the same person.