Mini Cryptic #16: “Plumbing issue”

Comments

• JWords constructor · 2024-06-02T07:05:38.834Z

  1A: (D[efectiv]E + CABLE)*
  5A: F[unk] + I’S + SURE
  6A: U[-n]TIL + I + [dar]E to take S/Z (one side in ShowbiZ)
  7A: SEATING*

  1D: (FEUDAL[-is]T)*
  2D: SUB< + KING
  3D: CA(UTI + [w]O[rkman])N
  4D: (S+REN[t]+EVE)<

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• kieranjboyd 🤓2:09 · 2024-06-02T10:57:44.253Z

  Nice! Love the Schrodinger of 6A

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  • JWords constructor · 2024-06-02T11:18:22.518Z

    Gotta keep it international!

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• Aaron Riccio 🤓4:38 · 2024-06-02T15:18:32.560Z

  How do you get single-spaced line breaks?! Anyway:

  1A: Great surface and [could spell] is a great anagrind.

  5A: Wonderful use of a positional indicator for surface sense.

  6A: [November to leave] is neatly cooked into this surface. Didn't realize until solving why you chose [take a side]. Good!

  7A: Great anagram that adds to the surface sense.

  1D: My second favorite clue. [Surrendering is] is so natural.

  2D: My least favorite clue, though that's just comparative. I'm not sure I buy SUB for Subway. That's definitely something you can get at a Subway, but maybe usage has just changed here.

  3D: My favorite. [Plumbing issue] is dastardly! Everything works for the surface. Amazing!

  4D: A bit strained to make [flat] work in this surface sense, but nice cryptic play.

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  • JWords constructor · 2024-06-02T17:56:10.336Z

    Thanks for the comment and feedback!

    If you put two spaces on the end of a line before a single line break then you’ll get a regular break. Markup is a strange beast!

    I think your ranking of the clues is more or less the same as how I see them. As for 2D, Chambers defines SUB (noun, informal) as “a subway”, among many other things. So a word for an underpass in general, rather than the chain (franchise?) specifically. It wasn’t a usage I was familiar with either, perhaps I shouldn’t have blindly put my faith in the Big Red Book!

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• nate 🤓5:25 · 2024-06-02T20:57:52.290Z

  Nice one!

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  • JWords constructor · 2024-06-04T05:21:39.079Z

    Thanks!

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• Kookoo 23:08 · 2024-06-03T21:29:55.280Z

  Lovely solve! I was looking for an example puzzle to solve to show a friend how cryptics work and this was perfect! I noticed the schrodinger; that was a very cute touch. Love the definition on groove as well.

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  • JWords constructor · 2024-06-04T05:25:02.674Z

    Thanks so much! I always worry about whether my puzzles end up unsolvable so that’s a really lovely thing to hear.

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• tuber 🤓3:19 · 2024-06-08T10:05:05.515Z

  Nice work. I don't love the fill on 4D and would probably have chosen EYELETS or something by preference, but that's just me. 3D I bashed in without understanding the wordplay, but it seems fair, fun, and nicely tricky.

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  • JWords constructor · 2024-06-08T12:14:17.596Z

    Thanks for the comment! Very fair point on the 4D fill. Originally I did have EYELETS in but was struggling to find an interesting way to clue it. I do agree that it would have yielded an overall better grid, so maybe I should have stuck with it.

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