Times Cryptic 29562

The straight definition sits at the very end — one word meaning called into question.

'Ultimately' tells you to take the final letter — here the last letter of each word that follows.

'Borders' tells you one piece wraps around another.

'Altered' is a plain synonym — find the 7-letter word it points to.

A multi-word phrase often clues a short verb — 'to lend a hand' is a stock equivalence. Definitions sit at the very start or end of a clue.

'Some' is one of the family of hidden-word indicators (with bit of, part of, in) — it points at a chunk hiding inside the next words.

'returned' belongs to the reversal family (with back, upset, flipped) — read the letters backwards.

No indicator words here — the parts just join end to end. That's a charade.

Private inner rooms or sacred retreats — the plural of a Latin-rooted word for a holy place. Definitions sit at the very start or end of a clue.

'in ... hosted by' is a container construction — one set of letters is placed inside another.

'clubs' is the card suit — its one-letter abbreviation is a stock cryptic device.

The question mark flags a playful definition-by-example — think who looms largest at gift-giving time of year.

The definition is the first word — meaning fussy or hard to please.

'Surroundings' tells you one piece sits inside another.

'House' abbreviates to HO in cryptics.

'Comfortable' points to a 4-letter word for snug.

The definition is the first word — boiling with anger.

'In the end' takes the final letter — here of each word before it, read in order.

'Admitting' tells you one piece is let inside another.

To 'sing' is to inform — a classic word for a snitch.

Definition by description — a narrative or film device that previews a future scene fits the long phrase here. Definitions sit at the start or end of a clue.

No indicator words here — the parts just join end to end. That's a charade.

'Ostentatious' as a noun-adjective for showy display — a short stock equivalent in cryptics.

A hyphenated clue word can decompose into two stock equivalences — 'pro' is for, 'conflict' is war, joined as written.

'Democrat' is a stock single-letter abbreviation in cryptics — D.

'Got' here is the past tense of a verb of obtaining — definitions sit at the very start or very end of the clue, never in the middle.

'take' is one of the family of container indicators (with takes, holds, accepts, embraces, grips) — it signals that one set of letters sits inside another.

A 'reminder' or nudge is a short stock equivalence — the clue word almost never sits in the answer as-is, it points at another short word with the same sense.

'medicine' in cryptics is usually a four-letter remedy — the clue word is a pointer, not a literal.

A short verb of halting — definitions sit at the very start or the very end of a clue, never in the middle.

'initially' belongs to the family of first-letter indicators (with leading, first, primarily, top of) — it tells you to take the opening letter of each named word.

Definition by elaboration — 'low-level member' is a quaint reading for 'foot' (lowest limb), and the problem is a foot ailment. Definitions always sit at the start or end of a clue, never in the middle.

No indicator words here — the parts just join end to end. That's a charade.

'British' is one of the most common single-letter abbreviations in cryptics — B.

A multi-word phrase often clues a single word — 'workers' collective' is a stock equivalence for a five-letter labour body.

Patently obvious =

'business' as a noun for a commercial venture — definitions sit at the start or end of a clue, never in the middle.

An 'Increase' clues a four-letter upward word — the clue word almost never sits in the answer literally.

'key' in cryptics often points at a keyboard key by name — short, exact, easy to miss.

'power' is a stock single-letter abbreviation in cryptics — P (as on a physics formula).

The plain definition is a breed — short for a popular retriever.

'Sheltering' tells you one piece is wrapped around another.

'Pound' is the weight LB — from the Latin libra.

The whole clue is one cryptic definition — read it laterally.

No indicator words — a cryptic definition has no wordplay split, just a playful read of the whole clue.

The whole clue acts as one playful definition, no wordplay parts to break out.

The plain definition sits at the end — a lawless, daring outlaw.

'Nabbing' tells you one piece is grabbed and tucked inside another.

In France, 'some' is DES — the French word for 'some'.

'Ado' means fuss or bother — as in 'much ado'.

'A' often means PER in cryptics, as in 'twice a day' = per day.

A short multi-word def — second-hand clothing or kit passed from one wearer to the next. Definitions sit at the start or end of a clue.

'Odd' belongs to the anagram-indicator family (with strange, mixed, shaken, weird, peculiar) — it signals that the fodder letters need rearranging.

A multi-word def — a long monotonous recitation. Definitions sit at the very start or very end of a clue.

Multi-word phrases often clue a single short word — written material in shortened form is a stock cryptic equivalence.

'some' and 'any' are interchangeable in many constructions — a stock three-letter pointer.

'Switch' as a verb of swapping or reordering — definitions sit at the very start or end of a clue.

No indicator words here — the parts just join end to end. That's a charade.

'behind' is a stock cryptic equivalence for a four-letter back/rear word — the clue word almost never sits in the answer as-is.

A multi-word phrase often clues a single word — 'large stove' is a kitchen appliance synonym.

A verb for unlawful entry — definitions sit at the very start or very end of a clue.

'breaking' is a container indicator — one chunk of letters is forced inside another.

A 'resort' often points at a three-letter health retreat in cryptics.

A 'lock' is not always a fastening — here it is a lock of hair, a stock cryptic misdirection.

A trough is a container where farm animals may eat.

'close to' indicates taking the final letter of the following word.

A part of a golf course is the ROUGH.

'Vehicle' as a short noun for a three-letter conveyance — definitions live at the start or end of the clue, never in the middle.

'almost' is one of the standard deletion indicators (with nearly, mostly, partly) — it tells you to chop the last letter off the fodder.

'overturned' belongs to the reversal family (with upset, flipped, back, returning) — read the letters in reverse.

Multi-word phrases often clue a single word — 'speed event' is a stock four-letter equivalent.