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Hi all - i'm new to this forum and hope I'm posting in the right place. I just wanted to ask - what's the cleverest clue you've ever seen?'

My favourite has always been 'HIJKLMNO' (5)

Looking forward to hearing your clues (and answers). Thank you S

I used to quite like that clue - but it got too popular and appeared in too many crosswords!

My favourite is,
Turning into a different story (6,9)

I hold one clue fondly in my memory as being the one that drew me into wanting to know more about crosswords, it seems so tame now but I was only young.

Number (12)

Mine is the famous Arucaria one which is an anagram of While Shepherds watched their flocks by night, but I have temporarily lost it!

This one...

//One of Araucaria's best (and most quoted) long anagrams is "O hark the herald angels sing the boy's descent, which lifted up the world", which produces WHILE SHEPHERDS WATCHED THEIR FLOCKS BY NIGHT/ALL SEATED IN THE GROUND.//

Rosalind, thanks for reminding us about that clue. Mamya, thanks for giving us the clue itself. Although I think it is very, very clever, I don't think I'd class it as the 'best' clue - I prefer them more succinct! I like the one Rusty mentioned.

I heard a Radio 2 DJ say the other day that he hated cryptic crosswords, and the only cryptic clue he ever understood was 'Made in a churn' (4).
I guess if it sticks in the head of a non-believer, it must be a good clue..?

Gegs. (9,4)

Bar of soap (6,6)