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

Train

The key to cryptic clues is that they normally consist of two parts, the definition, and a description of how to build up the word. So because there are only two parts, the definition either has to come first, i.e. at the start of the clue, or second, at the end. In this case it's the start, 'Something following a queen'. Then we get the word-play bit: sun-god is indeed 'ra', which is plated, or covered by, or inside, 'tin'.

Company member is allowed to be involved in illegal activity (9)

Actually I guess it should really be

Company member allowed to be involved in illegal activity (9)

The key to cryptic clues is that they normally consist of two parts, the definition, and a description of how to build up the word. So because there are only two parts, the definition either has to come first, i.e. at the start of the clue, or second, at the end. In this case it's the start, 'Something following a queen'. Then we get the word-play bit: sun-god is indeed 'ra', which is plated, or covered by, or inside, 'tin'.

Ah, yep, that makes much more sense. The reason why I knew my answer must be wrong is that I thought 'metal-plated' was in too strange a position to be the definition part (aside from the fact that it's not a true definition of the word I gave), but completely overlooked the fact that it could be 'something following a queen' rather than 'something following' (which made no sense to me), 'a queen', etc etc...

Yes, ledge is correct. Thing is, sometimes you can see what the answer is without fully breaking the clue down into its components. And sometimes by adjusting wrong guess you make your way to the right one. So don't get hung up about getting it wrong.

Races around a dictator (6)
Ceasar

Think this should be 'races madly around...', fwiw. Otherwise either the anagram isn't indicated, or 'around' is doing double service.

Yeah, that's better.

Also, it's spelled Caesar :-)

Am part of the way there to ledge's, but not enough to actually get an answer...

complicit

yup

Well done. I'd got comp, but was trying to work in "let" for "allowed" which was throwing me a bit.

Yes, I kept trying to get "let" in there too.

Ha, I thought it might be something to do with 'licit' straight away, but couldn't get the 'comp', kept on trying to go with 'CEO' or similar... feel a bit dumb for not automatically thinking licit -> complicit.

Nobody's gonna try this one?

Kind of engine school gets an earful (6)
--a---

I think I know how it works but can't think of any words to fit.

I managed to cheat my way into the answer, so I won't give it here, but I'm pleased I was on the right track with one of the parts.

King of the mouth getting me a lesson (8)

Tutorial

Kind of engine school gets an earful (6)
--a---

search

ugh (at self)

I'm still a novice at cryptics...
I was doing one today where the clue was "County dressing informally" (4 letters)
I was sure it would be 'Down' as in County Down, dressing down=informally.
The correct answer was mayo.
I see why but is there a reason why 'down' wouldn't work?

If we are being purist, it wouldn't work because "down" =/= "dressing informally". I wouldn't be surprised at it actually occurring though, maybe with a question mark at the end to indicate a less stringent cryptic. (NB I am not an A+ expert at this.)

(Another thing is that the surface of that clue isn't all that, imo -- counties rarely dress.)

get on with a dash and a shout (6)

OK, I hope I don't derail the thread by this, but I really am inordinately pleased with myself for having made my first full 15x15, and would like to share.

NB I'm a beginner at this, so some of the clues may of course be a bit off, at least if you're a hardcore Ximenean or similar. In fact, I know that a couple are really pushing it, and probably outside what's deemed acceptable... ;)

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/olem/cryptic_crossword01.gif

Across
1. Disturbed niece hid son from Vietnam, possibly (11)
9. Monster returns, consequently (4)
10. Wave of popular sentiment is reason to run (11)
11. Deflated, essentially (4)
14. Some heard rumbling membrane (7)
16. Force of about 50,000 "Fat Men" (7)
17. Travels to finish "Peru for Dummies" (5)
18. Was sorry for rude disturbance (4)
19. Second-rate gear for two-master (4)
20. They're in command of their faculties (5)
22. Possible source of biofuel – no diesel around (7)
23. Percussion instrument with broken amp in it (7)
24. The smallest heirloom? (4)
28. Latin boy twisting a citron from a Caribbean island (6, 5)
29. The fifth letter from the right margin ruler (4)
30. You smooth more than half of the small, small parts (11)

Down
2. Single-minded enthusiast rendered half crazy (4)
3. Burden is carried by you and me (4)
4. Cover skin in front of public (7)
5. Amphibian that is both east and west in a part of the Bible (4)
6. Sausages fought over in 480 BC? (7)
7. Working class is in favour of permit allowing song after opening time (11)
8. My French translation of Genet, first rushed in from the Balkans somewhere (11)
12. Drinking-glasses gone next morning? (4, 7)
13. I charge after fresh soil from an Arctic island (11)
15. Motorcycle was blue (5)
16. Dole for President! (5)
20. Orgy revealed by a bed upturned at University church (7)
21. Italian wife's soaring medley (7)
25. Einundzwanzig! (4)
26. Told an untruth by Schubert, for example? (4)
27. Every tea chest contains it (4)

brilliant! have been meaning to do the same myself for quite some time. will give yours a go.

Am stuck on a couple - 19 and 25. Overall I thought it was pretty good! No major probs with the clues, although not really sold on 10 and 11 (if I understand them). Good contructions, and mostly good surface readings. 16 and 24 I liked! Although the latter was the last to get. Oh, and an interesting theme, caught me out more than once!

I think I got 25.

That's a pretty good crossword, well done!

Wow thanks ppl you are too kind! :D

Re 25: haha sorry, that clue is pretty much inexcusable. What is "einundzwanzig"?

Also agree 10 is weakish (singular-plural thing possibly not on) and 11 could probably be improved (I like the premise though). Do you mean 16 A or D btw? I was very pleased with D, while I thought A was perhaps a bit unfair.

Frau.

three times seven

I liked 16 A!

einundzwanzig, google tells me, is twenty-one, or one and twenty... o i get it! that's probably just on the fair side of cheeky :) (xp)

I don't get it. I knew it was 21 in German, what am I missing from there?

Oh, I do get it! ha! nice one!

Did you use any software to compile the grid, Anatol?

important old city fellow (6)

Nah, just resized the rows and columns in Excel to give a square grid, and copied the design out of a book using black fill + borders. :)

(Then Alt + PrintScreen and pasting it into MS Paint...)

Mixed review doesn't blind Morris (6,6)

A continent's mad for pious emperor (11)

Constantine

Yes indeed.

important old city fellow (6)

--g---

urgent

aye

carried around too much (2, 4)

de trop

Anatol, I (belatedly) enjoyed yr crossword very much, but despite having all the intersecting letters and a fair idea of what word might fit them, I don't get this one:

16. Force of about 50,000 "Fat Men" (7)

Anyone care to explain, or to offer some hints to interpretation (i.e. not some letters as I have them all)? Cheers!

(PS sorry if I am mistaken or jumping to conclusions here but I thought you were Norwegian, and if you've compiled a cryptic crossword in something that isn't yr native language then I may have to buy several hats just to doff them in amazement. wow!)

Mixed review doesn't blind Morris (6,6)

------ ---d--

"einundzwanzig" is still going over my head.

Force of about 50,000 "Fat Men" is just a definition of the answer. What is the singular of 'Fat Men'?

einendzwanzig is german for 21, 21d was senhora, frau is german for senhora.

einendzwanzig is german for 21, 21d was senhora, frau is german for senhora.

Ah, I thought it must be something like that. Thanks. (Feeling a bit Brazilian?)

Ah, had to go googling the figure of these singular Fat Men, which I had in fact tried first time round but got an answer which didn't add up - err, multiply up - so I'd decided that I was barking up the wrong tree. Wikipedia provides a more helpful answer in that respect. Cheers ledge.