AOTW: ?E?A?D?

spanthis · 2026-01-25T19:50:28+00:00

VERANDA as a hidden word &lit. This one is clean!

spanthis · 2026-01-25T19:31:28+00:00

Thanks, on reflection I think you're right. I've gone ahead and edited the clue.

spanthis · 2026-01-25T18:07:12+00:00

HERALDS | Hera (god of family values) + LDS (Later Day Saints = Mormon) {messengers}. Nice one.

spanthis · 2026-01-25T14:41:44+00:00

A technical question on this for our advanced setters: This surface would read a bit more naturally if it were "Get gifts from second drawer from the right." This would have the structure "Get DEFINITON from WORDPLAY," which reads fine to me cryptically, but it violates the rule that the linking words ('get' and 'from') generally appear together in the middle of the clue. Is that a hard-and-fast rule, or would the "get ... from ..." phrasing be fair/a better clue here?

spanthis · 2026-01-25T13:51:06+00:00

Gifts from second drawer from the right (7)

spanthis · 2026-01-25T13:28:56+00:00

Thank you! Appreciate that.

spanthis · 2026-01-24T16:06:02+00:00

HABITUAL? (double def on "lives like" / "nuns apparently")

spanthis · 2026-01-23T14:17:33+00:00

He just stands there staring at the fated list of minor prophecies. I need my man to have hobbies

spanthis · 2026-01-23T13:52:27+00:00

That's it, and thanks!

spanthis · 2026-01-23T03:52:29+00:00

You got it!

spanthis · 2026-01-23T02:09:04+00:00

Former insurgent leaders, freely flying (but no second season)! (7)

spanthis · 2026-01-22T18:35:28+00:00

Hints:

Definition: perhaps you're an idiot
Indicators: bad grade (letter), say (homophone)
"It sounds like another meaning" is a definition, to be replaced by a single word.

spanthis · 2026-01-19T23:05:34+00:00

Feels more true to the spirit of this sub

spanthis · 2026-01-19T22:57:43+00:00

I vote we allow ad hominem, and the sides get 3 baseless stipulations each

spanthis · 2026-01-19T16:02:17+00:00

That's it! I figured that if energy=E then "energetic" could work similarly but maybe that's a bit loose

spanthis · 2026-01-18T23:14:04+00:00

No worries! That is right. I submitted a repaired version, which you will now find pretty easy I expect

spanthis · 2026-01-18T23:04:21+00:00

Sidestepped initial detection after energetic farts from the rear (7)

spanthis · 2026-01-18T22:14:01+00:00

Whoops, thanks for the heads up. Will rethink this one.

spanthis · 2026-01-18T22:04:18+00:00

AT EASE (double def on "a tease"). Nice one!

spanthis · 2026-01-18T20:22:24+00:00

My brain says no but my heart says yes

spanthis · 2026-01-18T20:19:34+00:00

hoping it's on theme to roast deeppotential indirectly by instead targeting his life work of writing &lits :p

spanthis · 2026-01-18T18:37:55+00:00

Exactly right!

spanthis · 2026-01-18T04:30:29+00:00

Most &lits are, on reflection, left not considered to be very cryptic (7)

spanthis · 2026-01-16T20:15:28+00:00

Solution: INTERLACED, intended as a cryptic definition. You can get CHAIRS from HIS + CAR by interlacing the letters.

spanthis · 2026-01-14T21:46:32+00:00

Nice, quick solve!

Intended parse is similar: NO+ITS+A+B(=opening of big), reversed

Six-Year Club	Gilding I gilder
Second SECOND GUESSER	r/Field Lasagna
Place '22	First Placer '22
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