For Blaugust this year I decided to publish a series of cryptic crossword posts.
I'm aiming for one a day.
Many of our friends over the years have said that cryptic crosswords don't make sense. They certainly do play with your mind, and that is why I take delight in them. I love the surprising discovery inside a puzzle and the challenge of twisting the usual thought patterns and making them do something different.
Sometimes the setter uses spoonerisms to give a tricky clue.
The indicator always says Spooner or spoon
A spoonerisms is when the first letter of one syllable or word is changed for the first letter of another.
Cold toast becomes Told coast
So try this clue out for size...
For Spooner, tart can have little decoration (6)
This is a shorter spoonerism than the usual (it is often two words)
Tart can is the important thing
Tart can is pie tin
A spoonerism of "pie tin" is "tie pin" (see that shift of letters?)
So the answer is tie pin
