Times Cryptic 29575

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — the closing phrase here reads as a plain description of the answer.

A word meaning 'wrecked' or 'spoiled' is often telling you to rearrange the letters of the words beside it.

Read the clue as a recipe: this opening piece joins the front of the answer.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — which end reads as a plain synonym for the answer?

A word like 'out' next to a word for something present is often telling you to take a letter away.

Start from the whole word before anything is removed.

A straight synonym sits at one end of the clue — which end reads as a plain word for earnings?

A word like 'in' between two pieces can mean one of them is tucked inside the other.

The unit of brightness is the piece that drops inside the shell.

Build the outer shell first — two short pieces sit side by side before anything goes inside.

A definition sits at one end of the clue — here several words together name a famous feuding family from a Shakespeare setting.

A small word like this between two pieces can mean one of them is tucked inside the other.

Build the outer shell first — the longer word that will wrap around the inner letter.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — which end reads as a plain description of the answer? The question mark hints at a playful, figurative reading.

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

Read the clue as a recipe — join the pieces left to right. A short word for a marketing notice comes first.

A word for a split or division joins straight onto the end.

No wordplay to split here — the whole clue is one playful description. Read it sideways: 'well done' is doing double duty, meaning both how a steak is cooked and a word of approval.

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 straight definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle. Think of something that makes a wheel go round.

A word like 'consumed' or 'swallowed' often tells you one piece is wrapped around another.

Build the outer shell first, then drop the inner piece inside it.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle. Here a few words at the start describe a kind of sheltered, covered walkway.

Little words like 'from', 'in' or 'some' can be telling you the answer is spelled out straight across consecutive letters, ignoring where the words break.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle. The question mark hints this one is a playful, tongue-in-cheek description rather than a plain synonym.

A word suggesting someone was stirred up or agitated often tells you the neighbouring letters need rearranging.

Once the jumble is built, a final charade chunk joins on the end.

A straight synonym sits at one end of the clue — which single word here means the same as the answer?

A word about wrapping or shielding usually means one piece is tucked inside another.

A word about breaking in tells you a built-up piece is dropped into the middle of another.

A metal often points at its chemical symbol; this forms the shell of the first wrap.

A place of learning gives the single letter tucked inside that shell.

The time of day reads as a Roman numeral followed by the rest of it, taken as the letters it spells.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — which end reads as a plain description of the answer?

A phrase about losing an opening or a 'start' is usually telling you to drop the first letter of a word.

Start from the whole word before anything is removed.

Join the single-letter tag on the end to finish the answer.

A definition sits at one end of the clue — here the playful tail end, marked by a question mark, describes a famous place where everyone present ranks the same.

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

Read the clue as a recipe — the first piece is a plain verb for nearing a value.

Join on the word for information set out in rows.

The definition sits at one end of the clue — here it names a character by what they did inside a famous play, rather than giving a plain synonym.

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

Read the clue as a recipe and join the pieces left to right — start with the Roman numeral for a single unit.

Add the little word meaning 'in the past' on the end.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — here the very last word names a kind of creature, even though the wordplay before it talks about something quite different.

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

Read the clue as a recipe — join the pieces left to right.

The second piece lands straight onto the end of the first.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle. Here the opening phrase reads as a straight description of the answer.

A word suggesting things could turn out differently is often a nudge to rearrange the letters beside it.

A two-word phrase at one end names a country — that's the straight definition; the rest is the recipe.

A phrase like 'encountered in' sitting between two pieces can mean one of them is tucked inside the other.

The painful word becomes a short piece that drops inside the shell.

Build the shell first — translate the little joining word into the language the clue points to.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — which end reads as a plain word for people of the same age or standing?

'renouncing' tells you to give up a letter; the word beside it names which one, using the alphabet pilots spell with.

Read the clue as a recipe — the first piece comes from a word meaning to look closely.

Begin the second piece with the full phrase for becoming grown-up, before anything is dropped.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — the opening word here reads as a plain noun for offspring.

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

Read the clue as a recipe: build the answer from its pieces in order, left to right.

Millennials are the generation tagged with one letter — join that label on to finish the word.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — here the closing words name the particular figure the answer is famous as.

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

Read the clue as a recipe — start with the word for honouring or praising someone.

Join the one-letter nationality tag on the end.

The straight definition sits at one end of the clue — here it names a famous fleet that once sailed uninvited to England's shores.

A word like 'outside' tells you one piece wraps around the rest — which short word is doing the wrapping?

The wrapping piece is the two-letter tag for the reserve force.

Build the inner piece first by joining two parts end to end — start with the word for paying attention.

Then add the second part of that inner piece — the 'barking ___' word.

The straight definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — which end reads as a plain description of the answer?

In a down clue, a word suggesting something has risen or been lifted is a steer to read the letters the other way.

Begin with the whole word, before it is turned around. Specifically referring to a male fox

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — two words at the start describe a defiant being cast out.

A word like 'keeping' between two pieces usually means one of them is tucked inside the other.

Here 'in' does a second job of wrapping — a small word can signal that everything so far is dropped inside another piece.

Build the outer shell first, then drop the inner piece into it.

This short word for a grandmother is what goes inside.

Now a two-letter state tag wraps right around everything built so far.

A definition sits at one end of the clue, never the middle — which end here reads as a plain phrase for fleeing the scene?

A word suggesting something crushed or broken up is often a nudge to rearrange the letters beside it.

A definition sits at one end of the clue — here two words at the very end describe a kind of person. Which end reads as a plain description of the answer?

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

Read the clue as a recipe — join the pieces left to right. The first piece is the short word for being ahead.

The second piece is what the puzzle-makers are called — drop it straight after the first.

A definition sits at one end of the clue — and a word like 'perhaps' gently warns that the answer is an example of this idea, not an exact synonym.

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

Read the clue as a recipe — join the pieces in order, left to right.

A straight definition sits at one end of the clue — which end reads as a plain synonym for the answer?

A word like 'about' between two pieces often means one of them is wrapped around the other.

Build the outer shell first, then drop the inner piece into it.

Think motercycle

The straight definition sits at the end of the clue here — a two-word phrase describing the answer, with the emphatic tag included.

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

Read the clue as a recipe and join the pieces left to right — the short tag leads off.

Add the climbing-plant word straight onto the end to complete the answer.

The definition sits at one end of the clue — which single word means 'to choose' or 'to go for'?

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

Read the clue as a recipe — join the pieces left to right.