The Stickler Weekly 156 contained the following clue:
3-down Prepared offering party served up? (6,4) [Anagram of OFFERING + DO reversed]
Did you realise it was an &lit? There’s an odd expectation that develops when you know (or think) you’ve written a really good clue. This one I believe is one of the best I’ve ever written, yet not one person commented on it. Wasn’t it as good as I thought, or do I write so many that it’s almost expected and not a surprise? Or (hopefully) maybe the clue suffered from a problem that I read about ages ago where solvers simply miss the fact that a clue is an &lit. How can this happen? Well, as you know an &lit is a clue where the definition is the whole clue and the wordplay is also the whole clue, and, as such, it’s different from a “standard” cryptic clue. Likewise, a cryptic definition, where there is no wordplay, is also different from a “standard” cryptic clue. Solvers are generally expecting a two-part clue, and if the wordplay/definition breakdown doesn’t come to mind early, they will generally move on and solve other clues, and come back to the clue later. It’s highly unlikely that a solver will treat a clue as if it’s an &lit, but much more likely for them to consider it a cryptic definition, which of course (on one level) it is! The theory is that some &lits slip by unnoticed, considered to be (generally poor) cryptic definitions. To counter this, and to alert solvers to something different going on, some setters put a “!” at the end of &lit clues. In the US it’s always done, but in the UK and Oz it’s up to the setter to decide. Obviously, by including the “!”, the game is given away, but at least solvers can admire the setter’s handiwork.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | RICHNESS | |
| Abundance and cornucopia primarily seen in shrines abroad (8) | (C)ORNUCOPIA inside anagram of SHRINES | |
| 5 | PASSIM | |
| Scrape through by one mark here and there (6) | PASS + I + M | |
| 9 | GRANT | |
| Operated within the limits of great concession (5) | RAN inside GT | |
| 10 | RESURGENT | |
| Reserve, pressing, is coming back strongly (9) | RES + URGENT | |
| 12 | TELEVISION SHOW | |
| Program’s screening, in hotel’s view, is in need of review (10,4) | On inside anagram of HOTELS VIEW IS | |
| 13 | OVER | |
| Buffs down two sides and across (4) | (L)OVER(S) | |
| 14 | PERVADED | |
| Diffused power escaped, terminating resistance (8) | (P + EVADED) outside R | |
| 18 | SHARE-OUT | |
| Proceeds of investment are reported in call (5-3) | ARE inside SHOUT | |
| 20 | CO-OP | |
| Store containing stock? (2-2) | Double definition but each definition is the whole clue | |
| 24 | LEAD TO THE ALTAR | |
| Marry sailor after rough deal at hotel (4,2,3,5) | TAR after anagram of DEAL AT HOTEL | |
| 26 | INITIATOR | |
| Founder reformed a trio after enjoying success (9) | Anagram of A TRIO after IN IT | |
| 27 | GRAVE | |
| Last resting place of importance (5) | Double Definition | |
| 28 | GYRATE | |
| Circulate subject matter of dodgy rat experiment (6) | dodGY RAT Experiment | |
| 29 | NEURITIS | |
| Nurse worried about it – one disease affecting the nerves (8) | Anagram of NURSE outside (IT + I) | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | RIGHTEOUS | |
| Just fiddle with temperature in renovated house (9) | RIG + (T inside anagram of HOUSE) | |
| 2 | CHARLIE | |
| Transport left outside hotel that is a donkey (7) | (CAR + L) outside H + IE | |
| 3 | NATIVE | |
| Local is trusting about time (6) | NAIVE outside T | |
| 4 | STRESS | |
| A spinster’s dislocation is relieved of pain and tension (6) | Anagram of A SPINSTERS minus PAIN | |
| 6 | ABRASIVE | |
| Cleaner is taken aback in a challenge (8) | IS reversed inside (A + BRAVE) | |
| 7 | STEROID | |
| Like a star, not a body-builder (7) | ASTEROID minus A | |
| 8 | MUTE | |
| Silent vehicle parked underneath motorway (4) | UTE after M | |
| 11 | SPOKEN | |
| Verbal dig slotted in between two opposing points (6) | POKE inside (S + N) | |
| 15 | DEPORTEES | |
| Exiles see leader of terrorists tied up (9) | [SEE + (T)ERRORISTS + ROPED] reversed | |
| 16 | DEAD LIFT | |
| Lad worked with one in skilful strongman’s exercise (4,4) | (Anagram of LAD + I) inside DEFT | |
| 17 | BUY-OUT | |
| Takeover’s objection probed by people in general (3-3) | BUT outside YOU | |
| 19 | ATELIER | |
| Retailer, before closing, organised workshop (7) | Anagram of (RETAILE)R | |
| 21 | OUTLAST | |
| Youth not restricted by limitations ultimately survive? (7) | (Y)OUT(H) + LAST | |
| 22 | CHARGE | |
| Get mostly behind coal tax, say (6) | (GE)T after CHAR | |
| 23 | BANGER | |
| Explosive burglar’s first to offend (6) | (B)URGLAR + ANGER | |
| 25 | KING | |
| Powerful man’s financial business needing ban lifted (4) | BANKING minus BAN |
Oh David! – You certainly deserve an attempted response to this.
Spirit of Christmas & all.
Got no further than an anagram, just leapt out like a startled REINDEER in a forest.
Only NOW see it also as &lit – & an exceptionally good one.
Therefore thought it one of your BETTER clues – expected & pleasantly surprised.
Therefore also, now upgraded to One of Your Best,
would never attempt to choose The Best!!!.
For the record, most often & each week
there are MORE clues deserving of mention & note – than not.
I noticed it was an &lit. and duly appreciated it. I really should make more effort to praise this puzzle. Life would be significantly poorer without it. Instead, all I do is post when my brain fails and I don’t understand something.
Speaking of which, 7-dn: I got the answer but I’m struggling to see how an asteroid is defined by “(like a) star”.
And while I’m here, I think I’ve raised this before, but:
(Y)OUT(H) + LAST. This is perfectly clear to me. The stuff in parentheses is to be discarded leaving the unbracketed stuff. But then:
SEE + (T)ERRORISTS + ROPED, where the bracketed T is to be included and the unbracketed ERRORISTS is to be discarded, which seems to follow a different system. SEE + T(errorists) + ROPED looks right to me, for what it’s worth.
I’m looking forward to tackling today’s puzzle over morning coffee sometime soon.
Thanks,
Steve = : ^ )
Steve
I am always amazed at how differently we look at clues. What seems plain to me is hard for another. I see this regularly in my two crossword groups.
As I see it, there is a big difference between the two clues you cite.
Youth (not restricted by limitations) + ultimately = last. My problem here is that to me ultimately means finally or lastly and I tried to apply the ultimate to limitations which did not work.
The second is a charade built from see, head of terrorists, roped, (turned) up.
I must admit to being diffident about responding to somebody with your obvious experience with cryptics.
Steve,
Did you look up asteroid in the dictionary?
From Chambers:
adjective
Resembling a star, star-shaped
And, to show it’s not just a Chambers thing (which it can be sometimes), from Macquarie:
adjective
3. starlike.
Re the solution explanation thing – yes, it’s a bit of a dog’s breakfast. I’ll have to come up with a better system.
Yep, it’s definitely my brain failing. I think I know what (an) asteroid is but, like many words (‘elder’ for example) the noun has been derived from an adjective, then we forget the adjectival meaning – or, at least, I do. ‘Asteroid’ sure looks like it could be an adjective, but did it occur to me to check? Nope.
In my (weak) defence, the adjectival meaning is only in the complete Macquarie, not the Concise. But so what? My bad.
Have a great Christmas and New Year.
Thanks,
Steve = : ^ )
David et al
Another learning point for me. The structure pointed to an and lit clue. The penny only dropped when I had a few cross letters. Once solved I moved on to my problem areas and that is where my comments come from.
I struggle to explain and lit clues to my cryptic groups. We see so few of this type of clue, and a smaller number of good examples. This is the best explanation of an and lit clue that I have seen. I hope David will not mind me using it in my teaching session.
Now it is time to set out on the adventure of 158 which lies ahead.
Merry Christmas forum writers and readers