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The answer is found by butting together parts defined in the wordplay. There may be some positional indicators that change the order of these parts.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
The answer is found by butting together parts defined in the wordplay. There may be some positional indicators that change the order of these parts.
A pointer that signifies the placing of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents) around the OUTSIDE of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents).
Examples: holding, keeping, embracing - anything that creates the image of containment.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
A word or series of words that signify a mixing-up of letters.
Examples: changed, at sea, confused, all over the place - anything that indicates change or jumbling.
The answer is a jumbling of letters except for the initial or final letter of the anagram fodder. An anagram indicator and truncation indicator will be present.
Either a mixture of letters is placed inside or outside other letters, or letters are placed inside or outside a mixture of letters. An anagram indicator and containment indicator will be present.
The answer is hidden among the words of the clue. No spare words should be present. A suitable hidden indicator will point to the buried text.
Examples: part of, associated with, types of.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
The answer is found by butting together parts defined in the wordplay. There may be some positional indicators that change the order of these parts.
A pointer that signifies the placing of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents) around the OUTSIDE of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents).
Examples: holding, keeping, embracing - anything that creates the image of containment.
The answer is found by using the sound of a word or phrase. Sounds-like indicators point the way.
A pointer that signifies the placing of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents) around the OUTSIDE of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents).
Examples: holding, keeping, embracing - anything that creates the image of containment.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
I solved this in numerical order up to and including 12-ac and then the wheels fell off completely. The rest was like pulling teeth but I got there eventually except for 22-dn. I weakened and looked at the clue hint and, when I hadn’t firgure out the answer in another minute, I did a pattern search. I wasn’t thorough enough in mentally checking possible words. If I’d hit on the word, I would probably have figured out the wordplay, but it’s tricky.
10-ac and 2-dn were new words for me but I got them both from the wordplay.
Even after I had the answer it took a while to figure out how 20-dn works. Also tricky.
I especially like 19-ac, 23-ac, 3-dn, 4-dn, 7-dn, 20-dn and 25-dn.
Yes, liked all those too Steve.
And me.
I am not doing very well this week at all!
Well I have just got the congrats message but I am still flummoxed by 13a. 10a is a new word for me.
Christine – 13a: Just think of a word you might use instead of “complete” if you were describing someone as a complete amateur.
OK that will do for me Greg. Still had this as outstanding.
Now ALL the other suggestions make sense. Just could not get it before.
I have the congrats, but like Christine, I do not understand 13a.
I started slow, then started to get solution after solution before coming to an abrupt stop with about 6 to go.
Last in was 6d – I had trouble discarding hon.
Agree with Steve”s comments. I thought 1a and 1d were great clues.
10a and 12a really well constructed.
I think I’ve got it. A charade – 4 letters and an abbreviation. The horse was a ???? ???????? when it won at odds of 100:1 and add the abbreviation.
Give that man a ceegarrr!
I get the **** ******* reference but still don’t understand the clue. Brain had a workout today. 22d was great and, ultimately, very simple!
Politically incorrect now, but when I went to school the dunces sat at the front desk.
I also pondered 22d, before I realised what the shortening was.
The definition is the final 60% of the clue.
What a difference a week makes. Really good run.
Still puzzling over 2d – plus 13a like everyone else.
14d seems pretty obvious but don’t know why (yet)
As David says 2d is s simple charade. I knew the word, but had to use my friend google to confirm this use.
14d is another simple charade, substitute 3 letters for six the rest is retired, but not in the way we are.
Fell over the line Arthur except for 13a – still puzzling.
Needed assistance with 2d, complete unknown.
Bodes well – maybe I’m not “tasteless” in other ways!!!
13a When you started cryptic crosswords your mentor may have said he is a ???? amateur.
2d I think if you have had id, you would have been tasteless
2d. Booboo. It pays not to rely on memory. I have discovered that if 2a had “id” it would mean roughly the same as the correct solution, and would not have been tasteless.
Apologies if I have taken anybody up the garden path.
Well, ‘tis finally done after getting stuck in the NE corner. 4d was the key, having chosen the wrong ‘sounds like’ for the answer – something I often find confusing. Once corrected, the rest fell into place. I wonder if ‘animals’ is quite accurate in 18a, or am I just quibbling? Likewise the singer in 12a – I found a reference to a modern day artist which completes the word but being quite out of touch with the latest singers and music, I went with the ‘singer’s group’ anyway and it turned out ok. I still don’t get the ‘roll’ in 26a.
26a the roll is a small bread roll – check google
18a I also wondered whether animals – again google tells me these are one of six animal groups.
12a parses out perfectly. The singer is not loud. The apostrophe may confuse.
According to google, it is a method of voice production used by male singers to sing notes higher than their normal range. I knew of the term from my singing days, so did not look for a reference until you raised the query.
Thanks Arthur, now I have the roll. The parsing of 12a still eludes me however – I have ‘loud’ (F) as in the hints, but fail to see where the rest of the word comes from, despite guessing correctly, if not the gentleman I mentioned above. Awaiting enlightenment…..!
12a – There’s a “group” contained by a much more common (most often female) singer Patrick.
make that ….another much more common…..
Do I hear voices? l am not quite a tenor, as I sit between that and the one you are looking for.
Hi Richard. Ahh, finally I see it! Thanks both. On another note (!), I was tempted, in the early stages before getting 1d, to put the first letter of 9a third. The meaning is still somewhat removed from being truly ‘dead’, but it certainly it would have made 2d, shall we say, more palatable?
When I say ‘somewhat removed’, my references give 9a as describing a lifeless personality, whereas the (wrong) alternative means scared to death!
“It is a method of voice production used by male singers to sing notes higher than their normal range”. Correct, but more importantly (for this puzzle) it is also “a singer using this method of voice production”.
quite so
Any help with 6d or 25d would be appreciated. I have all the others, it is often the way with me, I get the more difficult ones but the easier ones elude me.
thanks Cathy
And thank you David for, yet again, another challenging and stimulating few hours.
Hi Cathy. 6d – think of a famous movie cross-dresser minus that is, being angry at the traffic lights? 25d – an old Australian traditional method that we used to fertilize the lemon tree in the backyard – or an enjoyable smoke we’re forbidden to have – or you may possibly remember the friend of the flowerpot men?
Oh yes Patrick thank you. So easy when you know.
Cheers Cathy
This one had a few clues which kept me puzzled for quite a while. Apparently one way to help keep Dr Alzheimer at bay is to learn how to do something you’re not good at. Well, after many years at this cryptic caper, I reckon I’m still learning, and often feel that I’m not good at it – so hopefully that counts.
10a, 2d: New words for me, but still gettable via the impeccable wordplay
27a: Yay!
1d: I enjoyed “the ‘it’ factor” and the well-hidden definition
5d, 25d: Nice definitions
7d: Beautiful construction, and good fun in the surface reading
And a ditto from me. I also hope it is working for the Alzheimer factor.
Likewise……. & also liked all your Picks of the Week, Greg.