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themadwomanintheattic

16th November 2025, 11:12
Please can anyone help with 2d?

Changes M&S trousers for spouse returning socks (13)

I have M - T - M - R - H - S - S. It looks like METAMORPHOSES (= changes), but can anyone explain the parsing?
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quisling

16th November 2025, 11:31
It looks like M S containing PRO (for) MATE (spouse) backwards and then HOSE (socks)
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themadwomanintheattic

16th November 2025, 12:15
Thanks Quisling. Much appreciated.
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bobdown

19th November 2025, 14:26
43a Sincere art making money? (7)

I have EARNEST from the intersecting letters but don’t understand the clue.
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quisling

19th November 2025, 14:39
It’s an occasional Times device using “art” from thou art, antiquated form of you are. So “sincere art making money” needs to be reread as “sincere (you) are earning, ie (you) earnest”
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bobdown

19th November 2025, 16:51
quisling, many thanks. I realise compilers have their own strange lexicon, and I am of course familiar with ‘art’ in its archaic form, but using it here threw me - almost as far as using ‘earnest’ as a present interrogative of ‘earn’. Ouch …
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quisling

19th November 2025, 17:04
It throws me every time I come across it, bobdown. I wish I could say I’ve learnt to consider it every time I see the word “art” in a clue, but it’s always a last resort
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themadwomanintheattic

20th November 2025, 14:35
On the subject of "art" used in this sort of context, I've also come across clues containing the term "French art" - which equates to "es" in the answer. It's a reference to "tu es" (thou art), which is the second-person familiar form of the French verb "être" (to be).

Here's hoping the setters don't start extending this to other languages...
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