Rudyard Kipling’s travel tips and Theresa May’s naughtiest acts in our pick of the best of the broadsheets’ cryptic clues
Around the start of December, I find myself looking forward to Micawber’s end-of-year puzzle. In our interview with that setter, we discussed topical clues; 2017 provided, if anything, too much material for a themed puzzle. If you missed it, here it is; if not, which clues stand out? For me, it’s one ...
11acA fight mainly between left and right of party (6)
[ A (‘A’) + synonym for ‘fight’ losing last letter (‘mainly’), inserted into (‘between’) abbrev.s for ‘left’ and ‘right’ ]
[ A + BOUT losing last letter, between L and R ]
[ ABOU inside LR ]
19acPM announced vote— there was a song and dance about it in spring (7)
[ name of the prime minister + soundalike (‘announced’) of a word for ‘vote’ ]
[ MAY + soundalike of ‘poll’ ]
22dCropConservative runs through? (4)
[ abbrev. for ‘Conservative’, containing (‘through’) cricketing abbrev. for ‘runs’ ]
[ CON, containing R ]
11acButcher’sfine cuts secure starter for Indian (6)
[ abbrev. for ‘fine’, inside (‘cuts’) synonym for ‘secure’ + first letter of (‘starter for’) INDIAN ]
[ F, inside SHUT + I ]
14acAn alcoholic daze? (6,4)
Rufus has decided to retire. This was the first Rufus, published on 30 August 1982.
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