“Twelve clues lack a common definition”, said the opening line to the puzzle, but even after I was 50% through I hadn’t figured out what the definition was. Some clues (23a, 26d) did look more definition-less than others, which was some help. 3d, with all its checking letters, gave the first break into the themed answers, thereafter the others came one by one. A challenging and very enjoyable workout.

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I commented on the most recent Puck puzzle that it seemed to lack his characteristic playfulness. No such complaint with this one, which I found fun to solve. There is a range of imaginative clues – I only realised the cleverness of some of them while writing the blog – and several which raised a smile. Many thanks, Puck, for an enjoyable and entertaining start to the day.

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Well after yesterday’s mauling by Nestor I was quite relieved to see a Phi in normal Friday Indy mode and give me back some belief that I can do cryptic crosswords.

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