HIJKLMNO (5)
Answer = water
(H to O = H2O = water)
Next clue:
B (6-6)
jjimm, just put the words you want in the Spoiler table between {spoiler} and {/spoiler}, except use square brackets instead of curly ones.
It’s new. There’s a thread about it in ATMB (I’d post a link but it should be easy to find, right on the first page.) If we overuse it, it’ll be taken away.
Second letter?
Gp
It strikes me that this thread really should have had a cryptic title.
Hemlock - I’d never understood the “See?” clues before. How stupid! I never thought to say it out loud!
At first glance I think all Hemlock’s have been solved (or at least the ones I did on the way home last night, damn your eyes).
Any more?
pan
I recently asked the SDMP to identify an exotic fruit, based on my description. Within 20 minutes, I had the answer, complete with a photo emailed to me (it was a “loquat”).
So, I’m not surprised to see geniuses get my lame crossword clues. Jjimm obviously does these for breakfast, and Knowed Out and Usram have done these before.
- Grain found in prehistoric earthwork (4) RICE
- Gun for Hunter S (8) THOMPSON. the writer
- Devil sounds unwell - it’s Vlad’s work (8) **IMPALING. IMP=devil ALING sounds like "ailing, unwell. Vlad the Impaler was the tyrant on whom Dracula was based
- The best of times for covering fliers? (7) PLUM=best. AGE=time. PLUMAGE feathers - birds’ cover
- Prayer for Li, sunburnt youth leader (6) LI + TAN (sunburnt) + Y (youth leader) = LITANY
- After game, set pol awkwardly beside French tower in appeal to voters (11, 4) WHIST = game. LESTOP = anagram of set pol (awkwardly). TOUR = French for tower. WHISTLESTOP TOUR, appeal to voters
- Reprobate should be stamped on (4) HEEL, a pun
- Being unconcerned about other people, elf tends screens incorrectly (4-11) anagram for SELF-CENTREDNESS
- Continue pulling virago (6) DRAGON (drag on)
- Woman manipulates media with odd bits of theory (8) SPINS = manipulates media TER = odd bits of ThEoRy
- Diddley or Peep expires in trunks (6) BO = Diddley or Peep. DIES = expires. BODIES=trunks
- Egghead in ancient Afghanistan has cell (8) E=Egghead in BACTRIA (ancient Afghanistan, hence Bactrian camel) = BACTERIA, a one-celled animal
- Criminals use publicity campaign after middle of retrial (6) TRI= middle of reTRIal, publicity campaign = ADS. TRIADS
- Dictator has dirt about first leader (6) STAIN around L = STALIN.
- Let young lady see = SHOWGIRL, dancer (8)
Gotta get a life…
One that stumped me on the way home last night -
Is it noted as being potentially shocking? (8,5)
Gp
Something strike possibly? Wildfire strike?
In my daily lunchtime crossword I am left with one I cannot do, one that I think I almost have and one that I think I got but whose answer I don’t understand. So for your entertainment:
The one I can’t do:
Arch overseer? (7)
And to make it easy, the letters I have are:
E _ E _ R _ W but the “R” might be wrong
The one I think I’m almost there on:
Study before classes or assembly (9)
Study is CON and a class is a FORM and I know that the clue is C_N_O _ _ _ E so I’m thinking CONFORM*E or something. But I can’t quite get there
The one I think I have but don’t understand:
Sign war-god’s name without starting it (5)
I think this is ARIES (definitely AIS), because of the “war-god” thing, but I don’t get the rest of the clue. Something to do with NOTARIES possibly?
Help me here and I’ll type out some of the ones that were quite good today as a reward 
pan
Oops. Ignore that “strike” rubbish please. I meant to delete that!
GP, the answer to yours could be ELECTRIC ORGAN (noted = musical, potentially shocking = electric)
pan
- Woman manipulates media with odd bits of theory (8) SPINS = manipulates media TER = odd bits of ThEoRy
AAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!! I should have got this one! I kept thinking there was an anagram of media in the answer somewhere. Very good way of fooling the veterans. I was thinking the answer was something having to do with theory, then decided it had to be woman, so I kept thinking it was a variation of DAMSEL. I should have picked up on the odd clue.
More please Hemlock. I want to redeem myself.
Arch overseer
is “eyebrow” - you might arch your eyebrow, which is over your “see-er”.
Sign war-god’s name without starting it
Aries is an astrological sign, but without “i” (the starting of “it”), it becomes Ares.
The one I can’t do:
Arch overseer? (7)
Eyebrow
kabbes
Arch overseer (7)
eyebrow
Study before classes or assembly (9)concourseHint: class isn’t form - it’s course.
**Sign war-god’s name without starting it (5) **
Grrr. I can’t get this. War-god is surely ‘mars’ - without starting it could mean ‘ars’. Your answer would indeed be a zodiacal sign.
Knowed out - got it!
Skirt the edge and bit of hair poison (7)
Is, of course, our friend hemlock.
(The edge of a skirt = hem; a bit of hair = lock; the answer is a poison).
That’s the other weird thing about cryptics… you can sleep on them, and sometimes the answer comes to you without thinking about it.
Cheers guys!
As promised, some of the ones I liked; some easy, some not so much:[list=1]
[li]To do this may cost the earth! (5-4)[/li]
[li]Taxing active love-god about university (7)[/li]
[li]Late because of alarm? (6,2,5)[/li]
[li]Sanctimonious to move Utah loon hither (6,4,4)[/li]
[li]Girl with EC nerds drunkenly made out (9)[/li]
[li]Egghead soon upset loopy hangman’s helper (5)[/li]
[li]Small dessert vegetable (4)[/li]
[li]Tank 101, at the back of the ship (7)[/li]
[li]Crazy note-book, like river, is customised (4,2,7)[/li]
[li]Poison scare in surgery (7)[/li]
[li]French water lovers heard instruments (5)[/li]
[li]Initials of my car? No, it’s broken! (7)[/li]
[li]Swap pictures over and dine o ut (5,2)[/list=1]There! That should keep you going for a while. I thought 1-7 were particularly nice.[/li]
pan
Bastards, that’s my afternoon gone. Initial thoughts…
13 Swap pictures…
Trade In
8 Tank 101…
cistern
6 Egghead…
noose
4 Sanctimonious…
Holier Than Thou
To do this may cost the earth! (5-4)
world-rule
Late because of alarm? (6,2,5)
****** of death
Sanctimonious, Egghead
mwap beat me to 'em, damn you.
Small dessert vegetable (4)
spud
- Girl with EC …
discerned
- French …
oboes
12 Initials …
acronym
jjimm,
I don’t understand the ‘cost the earth’ one - would you e-mail me the explanation?
Is 'taxing active love god…
revenue?
I think ‘french water lovers’ is…
oboes
Damn, I see on preview that dono has beaten me to the last one;)
Jjimm - Your answer to the “To do this may cost the earth!” is, sadly, incorrect.
Everything else so far is correct. Well done!
pan