I have to admit I don’t really get how this one was solved.
Take out (“miss”) the second letter in each name (“runner up”) and use the rest of the letters.
After you solve it, all possible hints are revealed and there’s a video that explains the clue in its entirety.
Son, I’m cut! Chopped a digit off, maybe? (8)
Easy for me today. I was able to identify that the opening phrase was oddly put and that got me the answers.
Wolf pack roved with uncertainty, initially turning back (6)
I got this, but struggled and needed two letters. I couldn’t think of a word for Wolf other than scarf.
I got it, but what purpose does pack serve in that clue?
Pack is an indicator. You’re packing fodder into fodder.
Okay, I can see that. It’s not necessary, I don’t think, but it’s more instructional I guess.
Not a fan of today’s (Jan 29) puzzle.
Fig ‘n’ ram! (5, 7)
Answer was:
MIXED FARMING
I have no idea what the deal with this one was. Anyone?
Well it is an anagram of farming, thus is mixed farming. Still, “mixed farming” is not a term of which I am familiar.
Though from a quick google I find that mixed farming involves crops and livestock, thus the definition.
I like that one now that it’s explained, but it was also unfamiliar to me.
I did not know what the term meant, so even learning in the end the answer was odd.
I wasn’t familiar with the term either, which is why I never would have figured it out without the two wordplay clues. Once I realized that I needed to anagram the clue, I got the second word easily. The first word I just figured out from thinking of common 5 letter words that would work as anagram indicators.