The official bored-at-work cryptic crossword pass it on thread.

how is a pie something to be shared????

lol xp

"Notices" seems fine for "spies" (as verb) to me.

Was trying to make the answer "slips" somehow. Could probably psychoanalyse what people first thought of for hours.

Piece of the pie is a pretty common analogy for a share of something right? I thought the double def worked fine, "notices" being letters that could be received in the mail from SS, or another word for sees. Simple enough for my limited capacity anyway...

I came up with this one the other day: Rewoven vine mat divided country (4,3)

the 4, 3 spelling might raise some eyebrows in the UK maybe

"notices" = "spies" is perfectly cromulent imo

They are both on a continuum, just at radically different ends. "I couldn't help but notice, through my giant telescope trained on your bedroom window, your sexual predilection for dwarves." Yeah I mean that makes sense but... ok forget it jake it's crossword town.

tbh i usually admire that kind of head fake that sends you after a completely different definition, as long as it's fair

RE 4,3 spelling, wth was I thinking? Yes, make that a 7, in the US as well.

i think i've seen the 4,3 used in print? may be archaic

lol just realised where i was thinking of, may be 80s album'd

How would you feel about idk, peeve for torture?

Or to go the full Godwin, rogue for Hitler?

seems slightly on the other side of the line, not seen peeve used in that sense, but could be corrected. peeve as verb rather than noun i'm fine with, wdn't quibble "vex" or "irritate"

have seen "spies" used in the sense of "notices" plenty of times tho admittedly perhaps in older literature

but it works like that in the game "i spy" really

Ok ok ya got me.

To spy is not the same as to spy on

In the corner of the room he spied a manila folder

It's really really conmon

*common c'mon

^ socially conscious typo

Merriam Webster's word of the day is a new one to me, so:

Clue holds a question for a group of sycophants. (6)

Sinatra had a few royal birds (7)

...but Scott didn't have any

oh yeah i should've thought of that!

surprised no one got this, posted upthread

Not too heavy a sea? That's fortunate (4,2,4)

Too facile?

just as well, I got it

phew!

Something something main something.

well this was a bummer in today's :-/

Animal raped and murdered (3, 5)

an endangered species at that

ikr

A half-hearted exhalalation;
Next, with no small delectation,
Vulgar act of masturbation
And rumoured ye ejaculation

I would like to rewrite this I think

spike of encouragement (2,2)

Nice

In re: your previous post, fyi.

don't know.

but it did prompt this:

Offer old Dutch coin as encouragement (2, 2)

ok, got the spike one now.

Xps I can't right now. Forgot to say (2,4,3,3) if anyone's still to get it

Wow, I got the spike one instantaneously, and I'm not British.

Also, new to me in a puzzle I'm working on: screw as in wages.

last week's everyman? i think that was my worst attempt at a crossword in years.

Yep, I'm about 75% finished.

i didn't know this (well, i got the answer because i had the 1st and 3rd letter, but i didn't know the word the clue alludes to)

Crucifix over entrance (4)

Got the basic idea quickly, but the way the clue is written I had the answer wrong way round. Was it just me, or was this overall a pretty poorly written puzzle?

Touch brass instrument in retreat (4)

(is there an unwritten rule that the definition comes first in such clues?)

AFAIK the only rule is that the definition must come either at the beginning or at the end. This applies to all types of clue.

i guess the second one is a bit more obvious (the 'in retreat' at the end implies the brass instrument is the cryptic bit, meaning the first bit is the definition). but the crucifix one could be either way around.

although, thinking about it, the 'over' makes more sense attached to the first bit leaving the last bit as the definition. ROOD / DOOR btw.

^^^ the more I thought about my initial comment, yes, this.