I've noticed that many of you struggle with clues that don't follow the normal NON-CRYPTIC DEFINITION + CLUE TYPE INDICATOR + FODDER pattern, so I thought I'd give you more practice. There's a certain type of BUILDING BLOCK (aka CHARADES) clue that doesn't have any clue type indicator (other than perhaps a question mark, which is standard crosswordese for THIS CLUE IS VERY TRICKSY)or any non-cryptic definition of the entire answer. It consists of just two or more non-cryptic definitions, which you have to solve and then stick together to complete a very well-known word or phrase, which is not clued. e.g. "Sexy Alsatian? (3, 3)" where SEXY = HOT and ALSATIAN = DOG, so the whole answer is HOT DOG. e.g.2 "Confront coconut or date tree (8)" where CONFRONT = FACE and TREE = PALM, so the whole answer is FACEPALM. Most, but not all, of the clues in this crossword are of this type. If you like my crosswords, then you'll LOVE the Cryptic Mystic's YouTube channel, which is a brilliant resource for cryptic newbies and has been kind enough to feature a few of my puzzles https://www.youtube.com/@The_Cryptic_Mystic
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Great fun! Question on the clue yielding LUCIFERS - I get the LUC and ERS part. Does the "If" not need to be reflected in the clue? I'm still a complete novice at cryptic clue construction.