Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

i think it's an &lit clue.
sea and 1st letter of minerals.

You've lost me here, I'm only a novice at this ...what does an '& lit' clue mean, please?

& lit means the whole clue read as a sentence is the definition. quite often will have a question or exclamation mark at the end.

Not sure I'm following you, can you give me an (obvious)example, so I can see what you mean?

...The main (sea) source of minerals (M).
there is no definition given unless you go back and read the whole clue.

seam - an underground layer of a mineral such as coal or gold.

http://bestforpuzzles.com/cryptic-crossword-tutorial/and-lit.html

Thank you for your patience- just when I think I'm progressing with cryptic clues, some terminology throws me again!

i think it is the hardest type of clue to get a grasp of and i'd never heard the phrase before seeing it on this forum - along with many others which aren't useful except in places like this.

Thank you for that flurry of guidance.
Must be havin a blonde day because I'm still not seeing 8d. and 14a.
If I don't ask I'll never learn, so where does the f come from in deity?
Ta.