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Sorry Jolan - been out all day and haven't been on the site. I have will write them down and peruse after my meal tonight (I promise I won't peek :))

Thanks again, Jolan for these. Your fiendish ingenuity never fades or fails to delight.

Here is my stab at today’s clues.

1. Ladies do not finish with gunmen for a spear-thrower (6) WOMERA? –
Wome(n) – ladies, with RA - Royal Artillery- gunmen, gives Womera, an aboriginal spear throwing device.

2. Comprehensive setback before buffet (4-2-4) BLOW-BY-BLOW?
Setback – blow, by buffet- also blow gives blow by blow- comprehensive.

3. Times wild bees as they circle about Mediterranean vessels (6) - XEBECS?
Times is multiplied by or X, with bees (wild – anagram) and C – about gives xebecs- boats used in the Mediterranean.

4. Nonconformist goes to Tibet to test out little Scot’s racing cart (5)- BOGIE?
“Goes to Tibet” less “to test” gives goebi- anagram of bogie- little Scots cart.

5. From (smelly?) tea girl to N. American singer (9) CHICKADEE?
Cha- tea, bracketing smelly – ick, with girl- Dee, gives Chickadee a North American bird or “singer”.
Thanks again.
AB

#$#@$^ SNOW!

1- WOME RA
2- BLOW-BY-BLOW
3- X EBE C S
4- BOGIE

Tried chickadee et al, but no luck, and pressed for time.

Hi Jolan
I had a bit of time to look today and I thought they were all cracking clues.


My suggestions are the following. I’m not sure about number 5.


1. Ladies do not finish with gunmen for a spear-thrower (6) WOMERA. Wome(n) + RA for Royal Artillery. Womera is a spear thrower

2. Comprehensive setback before buffet (4-2-4) BLOW BY BLOW. Comprehensive is definition. Setback (Blow) Before (By) Buffet (Blow)

3. Times wild bees as they circle about Mediterranean vessels (6) XEBECS- Mediterranean vessels. Anagram of bees and X (or times) and C (about)

4. Nonconformist goes to Tibet to test out little Scot’s racing cart (5) BOGIE (racing cart). Subtractive anagram. Tibet goes minus test

5. From (smelly?) tea girl to N. American singer (9) Not sure but is it SKUNKBIRD which is a N American singer. Smelly tea could be Skunk (which is slang for tea in US) + Bird (girl)

Ah! Perhaps my first thought was right!

I'm just offering two:

2. blow by blow ?
4. bogie (cart) subtractive anagram

Not a lot of time today, but even if I did
have more time, I would still be on just the
two I think.

There are chickadees in my dooryard as we speak. Poor things.

Welcome also to Jg x, RE, AB and djaw.
Brilliant stuff. I was not going to append my working but will.
AB, super parsing and I just loved the parsing to #5. Not my intention.
djaw, absolutely 5/5 with great parsing also. #5 needs to be posted by me.

Sorry Ari to hear about that pesky snow. We've seen none in my area so far. I'll be sorry I said this.

Thank you all for participating

Till next week! J

1. ladies = women; do not finish = wome; with RA = gunmen; WOMERA = woomera = woomerang = a spear-thrower (Chambers)

2. setback = blow; before = by (by noon); buffet = blow; BLOW-BY-BLOW = comprehensive

3. times = x (2 x 3 e.g); wild bees = anag of ‘bees’ = ebes; circling about = ebe(c)s; XEBECS = small three-masted ships used esp by the former pirates of Algiers (Chambers).

4. subtractive anag (out & nonconformist) of “goes to Tibet” – “to test” = BOGIE = a child's home-made racing cart (Scot). (Chambers)

5. tea = marijuana = skunk (additional hint; “smelly”?); bird = a girl (Chambers def); SKUNKBIRD = bobolink = a N American songbird.
singer = a bird that sings (Chambers def) = a songbird (Jolan)

The original #5 was:-

5. From tea girl to N. American singer (9). I thought it a bit too obscure, so I stuck “smelly?” in as an additional help. “Smelly” has now to do with it, of course, hence the “?”

PS. Thanks for the very nice remarks of appreciation. Makes me feel good. :))

Hi Jolan

You continually come up with devilish clues. Your style doesn't particularly remind me of amy of the setters in The Guardian which is my paper of choice.

If anyone you remind me of Paul- in so far as there is always a slightly mischievious element to the clues. Keep up the good work.

Here's to the next battle.

All the best

Daniel