(click on the clue number to see the hint)
Click on underlined text for explanation of terms.
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The entire answer is the result of removing the first or last letter from part of the clue or its synonym. A 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.
A type of clue that involves the mixing up of letters without the inclusion of a letter or letters. This clue will have an anagram indicator to signify jumbling and a subtraction indicator to signify the removal of a letter or letters.
A removed letter may be as seen in the clue, an abbreviation for a word in the clue, or the result of another cryptic device like taking the initial letter from a word. Removed letters may be a whole word as seen in a clue, the synonym of a word in the clue (if that synonym is contiguous within the anagram fodder), or the result of another cryptic device like taking the middle two letters from a word.
The entire answer is the result of removing the first or last letter from part of the clue or its synonym. A truncation indicator will be present.
A word or phrase that defines the answer. All cryptic clues usually have a minimum of one definition which will be located at the beginning or end of the clue.
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.
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.
Thank you David for the Christmas treat.
A new word for me at 15a.
Lots of well-crafted clues with some challenges in parsing. The 3 letter words still held challenges.
Special for me were
1a smooth and simple.
12a I associate this with US but meet it often in my reading.
22a Big smile when I worked out the answer and construction.
27a Appropriate for the festive season.
1d To quote “impressive”
2d Deft – two greys
3d successful search for the final part once I had the solution.
Next Tuesday is Christmas Day. Will you be taking a holiday?
There should be something in your account within a couple of days. I base the amount on what I pay for my Saturday’s paper, and hope it is reasonable. There will be more next year when my Cryptics group starts again.
Thank you for a great year of puzzling. patience and advice.
I had planned to operate as normal through Christmas, but violent storms last Saturday in Sydney damaged internet infrastructure so badly that we still have no internet and there’s no ETA on restoration. If this continues, they’ll be no Stickler next week. Meanwhile, storms continue.
I enjoyed this. There were a couple of new words for me (easily solved from the wordplay), a couple of chuckles and a major forehead slap.
I like the elegant deception of “in an uneven way”, and the wonderful misdirection of 16-dn.
Merry Christmas, bah humbug, etc.,
Steve = : ^ )
Thank you once again David. It has been a muddled week and I’ve had to snatch clues whenever I could, which made it a real guilty pleasure.
15a was a new word for me. I thought 19a, 27a and 16d brilliant. Thank you David for another year’s worth of fun. Merry Christmas.
Thanks David and Merry Christmas to you, your family and all who blog here. Agree with Joy that 19a was a beaut (although with its sugar content, it’s “set” point is prob above zero).
Wish I had another boxed set to buy to take up the coast this hols.
Challenge to another Level, loved it. Likewise Season’s Greeting to all.
1a – so simple & elegant but a struggle, not assisted by wrong track at 2d.
11a – loved The Bird
15a – Who would have known???
25a – brilliant – so Neat
2d – as above, very clever once on the right track
3d – WOW – what an Egg to unscramble
16d – Agree Joy – my Pick of the Week
All this and fully comfortable with all solutions. Great to hear, and it augurs well for next year
The NW corner was very slow going for me. I thought there were going to be a couple of new words, but in the end there weren’t any. My highlights:
16a, 3d, 16d: nice definitions
19a: delicious
1d: “impressive display”
7d: “takes off outside”
Have a great Christmas / New Year / religious or secular festival of your choosing, everyone. And a belated Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrated it a couple of weeks ago.
Thanks for another Wednesday treat, David. Season’s greetings to all.
Another challenging but rewarding grid, particularly liked 1a, 27a and 6d.
Thank you David, Happy Christmas to you and Linda ??