Cryptic Crossword Thread

[get a clue]

To get this rolling again:

September to November in two days. (5)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[DejMar]

September to November makes me think of Autumn/Fall, but this is only accurate for the Northern Hemisphere, which is not alluded to in the clue.

[novice]

Nice clue. The answer is MONTH - MOnday + N(ovember) + THursday.

[DejMar]

I'm a bit disappointed in the clue September to November in two days. (5) if it is indeed parsed as novice has indicated.
September, though a month, is not MONTH. The clue should have indicated this in some way, such as an adjectival or adverbial clause or another grammatical unit that would indicated that September was only one of the set of months. For the answer, (even though Mo. is a rare abbreviation for Monday) I would politely applaud the clue if it were For instance, September to November in two days. (5)

[Zag]

I have no big issue with just saying 'September' as the definition clue for 'month,' though I agree that adding 'for instance' improves it. My problem with the clue is that I don't get where the 'Monday' is coming from. ... or the 'Thursday,' for that matter. Is it supposed to relate to when the clue was posted? Because the (time-zone adjusted) date of the posting is, from my perspective, Friday. What have I missed?

[novice]

It's just the letter N in (between) the abbreviations for two different days.

[Suspence]

A question - what does everyone here use as a resource for cryptic writing? I often go here - http://cryptics.wikia.com/wiki/Cryptipedia - for a little help.

Does anyone use something else/better?

Would there be any appetite for building a similar (but hopefully better) resource here, compiling an extensive list of different wordplay indicators (with examples, perhaps?)
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I hate people who try to write interesting things in their signature.

[groza528]

I have to agree that we need a "for instance" or somesuch. I'm willing to give leeway to the definition in a cryptic, but in this case I think it's just working backwards. "September" for MONTH seems a little off, but I would have no problem with "Month" for SEPTEMBER even though in a flat crossword it would have to be "A month."
On the other hand, I do not like "MO" as an abbreviation for Monday. It changes the wordplay a little bit, but what do people think of "It might be September in two days" ? I like "MON" is fine as an abbreviation for Monday. And TH I think is ok for Thursday too. But they're inconsistent; is that a problem?

[novice]

Maybe It might be September in two short days. That feels fair.

[Elethiomel]

Shouldn't that be

It might be October or November in two short days. (5)

or how about

Possibly march north in two short days. (5)

[novice]

Groza's clue was using Mon for Monday.

[get a clue]

Improvise drama twelve months after a sequel. (4,2,3)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

Nice clue.
PLAY BY EAR = improvise

PLAY = drama
YEAR = twelve months
after (following)
B = 'A' sequel


Proceeds received from Western designs.(5)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

That was WENDS.

New one shortly.
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

Two smaller states surrounding one large state. (5)

-Suspence
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

Your really have a thing for US states, don't you? :p

That was Maine - MA + NE around I.

New one shortly.
-novice
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

Commuter going from Malta to Portugal uses this for his daily cryptic fix. (8)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[Suspence]

[get a clue]

[get a clue]

It's on the shores of Lake Victoria, in a hole, and home to many great explorers. (8)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

PORTUGAL = "home to many great explorers"
PORT(UG)AL = UG (abbreviation for Uganda) - "It's on the shores of Lake Victoria" = UG..."in",,,PORTAL (a hole or door in a vessel) = "a hole"

Home to one who is unsuccessful. (4)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[DejMar]

Perhaps that hastily created clue was too obscure. Here is one for the same password that might be much less so:

To fully fail is to fall flat. (4)

[get a clue]

That was Flop.

One who is bottled up? (4)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[DejMar]

It isn't the password, but one possible answer could have been:
PUPA
"One who is bottled", i.e. 'bottle-fed', could be 'A PUP', with "up" as the indicator to reverse the direction of the letters, giving 'PUPA'. A 'PUPA' is also an insect 'bottled up' inside a cocoon.

[novice]

Ok, how about:

One who is frequently drunk? (4)

[DejMar]

Another non-password answer:

One who is frequently drunk? (4)
OTIS is an anagram of {I ('one') + SOT ('who is frequently drunk'), the anagram indicator being the &lit clue itself}
OTIS = "One who is frequently drunk" (Otis Campbell was the fictional town drunk on The Andy Griffith Show)

[novice]

Nothing as complicated as that, a little lateral thinking might be required though.

[Zag]

I'm thoroughly impressed by DejMar's answers, whether or not they are what was intended. Dude, you're working awfully hard for these!

[DejMar]

With a little lateral thinking, if the clue was several years ago, the
following might have been an answer:

MOON = 'One who' (Keith Moon was a former member and drummer of the band Who)
MOON = 'frequently drunk' ("moon" can mean 'be idle in a listless or dreamy way' or 'have dreamlike musings or fantasies while awake' -- characteristics that could be that of one intoxicated.)
MOON = 'One who is frequently drunk' (Keith Moon had a noted alcholic addiction)

With a larger stretch...
JOJO = 'One who' (the young Whovillian who shouted YELP! in Horton Hears a Who)
JO(e) = a cup of coffee often drunk - 'frequently' used as an indicator to repeat it, giving JOJO
...hmmm, seems to be an even greater stretch to connect it to the &lit clue.

[LordKinbote]

Surely the answer is AQUA (a + qua)? It's not working as a password.

[DejMar]

Hey LordKinbote, nice thinking. I see how aqua can be "One who is frequently drunk?"
A = 'One'
QUA = 'who is' (in the capacity or character of)
AQUA = water, which somewhat fits the &lit clue: 'frequently drunk?'

[novice]

LK's suggestion is not the intended answer.

[DejMar]

BE-ER = 'One who is' (BE 'is; exist' + -ER, suffix denoting the agent)
BEER = 'frequently drunk?'
BE-ER = 'One who is frequently drunk' (Isn't existence to eat, DRINK, and be merry?')

[Zag]

You seem to be assuming it's an &lit. Just your first two definitions work fine. Anyway, that's looks like the answer, so you should take it.

[get a clue]

Okay, BEER was correct. (I needed to look up the word in an old unabridged dictionary to confirm that the word did exist to mean 'one who exists', Zag - even then the out-dated dictionary indicated the word with this definition as Rare. I was half-joking in the answer, as I did expect a &lit clue as the clue otherwise did fail to provide a who or what to the 'frequently drunk' component with BEER as the answer.)

Among one thousand one: five hundred. (4)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

That one is AMID: a + mi + d.

One left frequently high. (5)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

Nice one...that was ALOFT

New one shortly.
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

Start to stupidly listen to a con artist. (5)

-Suspence
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[get a clue]

SHARK [S (Stupify, start to) + HARK (listen to)] and [con artist]

Everything starts to give out. (5)
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Password is lowercase and has no spaces or punctuation.

[Suspence]