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Rusty, Elle, Jazzgirl, anyone, everyone...

Did 16 Across in the Times Quick Cryptic work for you?

Bird that cannot fly back, reportedly (4)

It didn't for me!

Hello, Malone!
I didn't have a problem with it?
"rear (back) sounds like "rhea"(bird that cannot fly)

hi Malone
As a Wiltshire girl, it does not work for me either.

Glad to hear it (!), Jazzgirl - at times I wonder if I'm being overly fastidious. This phantom 'r' sound (which can make its way into the pronunciation of 'fought', for example) is NOT as common as the setters seem to think.

Elle, sorry I missed your post - it was at the bottom of the page.

I, like Chambers (I've just checked!) definitely don't pronounce 'rhea' the same way as 'rear'.

Malone, maybe a Sloane ranger may pronounce rhea thus :)

...I meant to type "rear" thus

One of the group I was on a bird-watching trip recently pronounced "flowers" as "flahs" and "wires" as "wahs".

(I hope that she isn't reading this!)

Jazzgirl, I'll check with my Sloane-y friends...it might take a while, as I haven't actually got any!

ChrisE, I'd have needed an interpreter if I'd spent too long in that bird-watcher's company!