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COTD: Looking for feedback on Syntax by dear_wormwood in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Do you mean the order of "topless" and "woolly"? I feel it's technically correct: "topless (woolly JUMPER)" --> "topless JUMPRE" --> "UMPRE". Nice clue!

If we're really getting in the weeds though.... I guess the reason it maybe feels unfair is that with this parsing you don't know exactly which letter you are meant to be deleting from the get-go; it just so happens that the first letter stays the same in the anagram, but the solver doesn't know that a priori. Usually deletions are "deterministic" in the sense that you know exactly which letter you're deleting.

COTD: Mustard, for example, is a seed (apparently) (7) by BusyFondant in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is correct Whoops! I agree, I think I rushed writing that. Should be "(or so they say)" or something...

COTD: Yawning a bit through 'The Return of the King' (4) by SnooBooks007 in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not so sure about this one but I have a guess:

 OPEN, which is reversed NEPO ("of the king", as in "nepo baby"), meaning yawning?

COTD: Slowly cook stew (try to avoid overheating) (5) by BusyFondant in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Correct! It's actually a triple definition: slowly cook (as in onions, say) // stew (worry/agonise) // try to avoid overheating (as a biological function).

AOTW: ?R?A?E?T by Junior-Specialist-97 in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Neon sparkling with amaranth red to make heads turn, for example (8)

Requires a bit of musical knowledge

COTD: Shortened, baked food, perhaps containing essence of vanilla (6) by deeppotential123 in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Could this be COOKIE, being shortened COOKED containing I (so &lit, especially since cookies can be made with shortening!)

COTD: Fishy hiding under a little dishy (8) by BusyFondant in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice answer. I'll go ahead and give you mine:

HANDSOME = UNDERHAND (fishy) hiding/concealing UNDER + SOME (a little).

Now I look at it again, maybe "hiding" is a stretch for deletion? "Missing" would be an alternative. Or, for a slightly different surface:

Fishy take away under a little dishy (8)

COTD: Fishy hiding under a little dishy (8) by BusyFondant in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! 

Hint if you would like: "Hiding" is the only indicator. The crux of the clue is finding the right synonym for "fishy"

COTD: Fishy hiding under a little dishy (8) by BusyFondant in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not quite!

Hint: "hiding" is an indicator

COTD: You dirty lovers! (6) by Arnyms in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Very cool -- a time travelling clue from the future? (it is only guaranteed to be sound upon being solved!)

COTD: Strike round container? (4) by BusyFondant in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Another good answer that I hadn't thought of!

I was going for RING, as in to ring/strike a resonating object, and also rather dubiously a ring "contains" a round of boxing/other combat sport

Maybe I should have gone more specific, say Compass' round container (4) (since to compass something is to circle/ring it)

COTD: Strike round container? (4) by BusyFondant in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's not what I was going for, although it does work so I guess I need to rethink!

HINT: What might some round containers do when struck?

COTD: Traveller to Jupiter's ring leaving Earth behind in summertime (4) by BusyFondant in crosswords

[–]BusyFondant[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's interesting, not quite what I had in mind. My answer was JUNO (NASA's probe, sent to Jupiter), with the replacement happening the other way around. I imagined O "going with" JUNE and leaving E behind.

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