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Weekly welcome also to Jazzy (well tried), RE (good show), ab (good parsing but where's spike? Well solved the others). GK and Ari, full house.

Thanks to all who participated. I enjoy setting 'em immensely. I'm off to the feast now. Here's my working (already well parsed).

1. homophone (say). immediately (you say this) = right off; sounds like WRITE OFF = cancel

2. Indo-European = IE; Latin not = non; yielding i(non)e = IN ONE = combined (Chambers def)

3. anag (building) of “a vicar ran as a” = CARAVANSARAI = (sometime= at some time in the past = historical) hotel for camper people (? = loosely). camper = caravan, caravan = camper (Chambers & Ox Thes’i). caravansa rai = alternative spelling of caravanserai (Chambers)

4. length (abbrev) = l; ace = a unit (Chambers chief def); l + ace = LACE = spike (as in spike/lace a drink)

5. concealed = secret; from = of; the law = police; “so far we have” = secret of police; covers up an anagram (perhaps) of “in hell” = hinell; yielding secret of polic(hinell)e = SECRET OF POLICHINELLE = something that is common knowledge (Chambers def).

I'll peek in later

Bless

John

Hi jolan
Very late to these this week. I saw #1 and #3 (though I am more familiar with the alternative spelling). I don't think I would have got any others, even with all afternoon to contemplate them.
Thanks.

Hi Chrise. Just caught me with the food on the way to my gob :) Nice to see you

Hello Jolan,

Nice set of clues.

I'm with the "secret of" camp rather than "secret de".. I take the view that unless there is some indication that a foreign language is required then it isn't.

Hi Jolan - thanks again for a good set of clues and the usual mental workout. Hopefully see you next week :)

Great clues, Jolan.
I agree with harbinger; I just didn't know that "of" was an alternative. You'd think it might be "secret of Punchinello" then.

Thanks Harbinger, GK and Ari

I used "OF" because it's the principle definition in Chambers Dictionary.

(see below for a cut-and-paste from Chambers)

secret of Polichinelle (or secret de Polichinelle) ) (Fr equivalent of the character Punchinello) something that is common knowledge.

See you next week, hopefully. Thanks all for the nice comments.