Masquerading is one thing, but that clue seems to be pointing in the completely opposite direction, which to my mind makes it more misleading than cryptic. Another version might be “The truly passionate aren’t lacking a certain vitamin.” Don’t want to derail the thread, but still trying to figure out the “rules” and subtleties of cryptics. Interested to hear others’ thoughts.
“The truly passionate” is the clue. “Aren’t” in the wordplay is simply those letters. And ARDENT is “aren’t” with a “D”.
The clue as given was very good because it fairly misdirects. Phony punctuation in the wordplay is a part of the game.
Look at it this way: Ardent is aren’t with a “d” and aren’t is ardent without a “d”. Take your pick.
Like I said upthread, find cryptic crosswords elsewhere and work on them to understand the nuances of clues, like here.
Here again, for reference (playing off NAILS):
One of the eight thousand or more incomprehensible Shanghai maps (12)
Hint: I changed the wording of the clue slightly in the repost to make it more fair.
SHISHAPANGMA (It’s one of the mountains over 8,000m, and an anagram of Shanghai maps - a very difficult one which I only solved by googling!)
Girl came back annoyingly neat (4)
to you Demon Tree! I never would have got that.
ANAL (Lana backwards)
State in the style of Margera’s blood type (7)
ALABAMA (a la + Bam + a)
Strong and active woman offers everything you need (6)
I just had a go at that, it was fun. I find most of the ones in the papers far too hard.
Manoff (Dinah Manoff, played Elaine in Soap; container)
++++++
Leg broken, you were put with the others off the front line. (5)
That actually wasn’t the answer I had in mind. I’m surprised the same clue can fit two different answers!
You had in mind Amazon, didn’t ya?
So… What is in play? My alternate answer stolen clue, or shall the Professor offer another?
In case it’s mine, here it is again, overlap being Manoff:
Leg broken, you were put with the others off the front line. (5)
Flank? Fl with part of ankle?
Fibia? [F, “I was put in the B line after I was in the A line”]
Neither are it. As a hint, the answer involves a bit of military slang.
Fubar?
Not FUBAR but somewhat similar in that the slang part of the answer is an acronym said as a word. It also contains profanity.
The military slang pertains to the italicized part below: