Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Thanks again pkd and unclued

For
Broke forth, rejecting the last resort

I had SPA T (ow) N without the N, and OW as the extra letters

So Definition = broke forth & solution SPAT

It's little wonder I'm having such a problem filling the grid!

Turast, 'broke forth' = SPRANG, so RN are the two extra letters.

I'm struggling with some of the extra letters, could someone give me a hint for 'Speculative selling' and 'Desist from' please? I have the grid entries but absolutely no idea how they work.

Hi Planks, speculative selling - slowly is the definition; speculative selling to lower price is a 4-letter financial market term (with R and I removed as extra) which is followed by a 4 letter word for discount (often used in terms of foreign exchange).

Desist from - anagram 'in the mirror' with the letters 'horn' removed to give the answer plus extra letters I and R.

Thanks Meursault, financial markets and foreign exchange are well outside my knowledge bank, I would never have got that!

I was looking for all sorts of definitions of squint reversed - having never come across it as an anagram indicator before - a case of wrong tree and barking I think.

Thanks again.

I think 'squint' is highly questionable as an anagram indicator. None of the Chambers really supports it. 'Indirect' is possibly the nearest, though I don't think that is very satisfactory.

dryden - Was only remarking to another 'long-in-the-tooth' crossword addict recently that years ago the anagram indicators used to be obvious. Now seem to get a new one every week! I see my Chambers Crossword Companion gives 'awry' and 'askew' as synonyms and each of these shows 'squint' as synonym and 'anagram indicator'.

Yes, I was thrown for a while by squint. Not having solved Rance in the clue above, the possibility of 'Quit' for desist loomed large. Which may have been an intended deception by the setter. But as to what anagram indicator is fair or not fair - is there any definitive answer ? Continuing on from squint, what about 'angled', 'aslant', 'oblique', 'out of true', etc.

In a couple of senses, I'm happy to meet the challenge. a) cryptic puzzles become stale if they continually use the same old devices and b) language evolves so to my mind its allowable for crossword rules to evolve...

If I was going to pick on any one clue of this puzzle, it would be the 4th in the 2nd column : 'iritis' was clued as an inclusion, but then one of the surrounding letters went missing (along with the S of iritis), so iritis is no longer an inclusion. I think we've had conversations on this theme previously.

Can anyone help me along with the Palm, Jock's handkerchief and Ordinary mortal ? Also, as I am rather new to this forum, is it correct to answer the last post with a new question? As the only options seem to be add a reply or start a new thread. I do apologise for my ignorance.
Thanks.