Intentional and unintentional coincidences make up our pick of the best of the broadsheets’ cryptic clues
When the Guardian’s Tramp gave us this ...
16ac Fixnovel, after bending back cover (7)
[ title of a novel, after a word for ‘cover’ backwards ]
[ EMMA, after LID backwards ]
14acIn old age, sister conceivably shows taste (11)
[ word describing old age, containing (‘in’) abbreviation of SIBLING (‘sister conceivably’) ]
[ SENILITY containing SIB ]
25acPrince and English duke admitted to fueldamage (9)
[ abbrev. for ‘prince’ + abbrev. for ‘English’, then abbrev. for ‘duke’ inside slang term for ‘fuel’ ]
[ PR + E, then D inside JUICE ]
25acBefore acting, dame chose extremeintolerance (9)
[ abbrev. for ‘before’ + given name of an acting dame + first & last letters (‘extreme’) of CHOSE ]
[ PRE + JUDI + CE ]
20dThe writer turned up ahead of manager to get raise (6)
[ synonym for ‘the writer’ written backwards (‘turned up’), then word for ‘manager’ ]
[ ME backwards, then BOSS ]
5dIn relief, the writer turned, told what to do? (8)
[ synonym for ‘the writer’ written backwards (‘turned’), then word for ‘told what to do’ ]
[ ME backwards, then BOSSED ]
7acSea Eagle follows Little Cloud, initially over poshSwiss city (7)
[ name of a sea eagle, after (‘follows’) first letters of ‘Little Cloud’ surrounding (‘over’) abbrev. for ‘posh’ ]
[ ERNE, after LC surrounding U ]
... mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the Incredible String Band’s album The 5000 Spirits or The Layers of the Onion (Little Cloud, First Girl I Loved, Painting Box, Sound Techniques, Chinese White, Way Back in the 1960s, Gently Tender).
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