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The magic of a well-set clue is in how economical and inventive the setter has been able to be in their wordplay. So, when they use just one wand and one hat to produce a whole rabbit, the watcher is naturally amazed.
The Hindu Cryptic #13,118 | Bruno | 9 Across
CLUE: Nose pierced by third ring and nose without ring — foolishness (8)
Clue types : Insertion, letter-pick, symbol as alphabet, deletion
Definition : foolishness
Answer : NONSENSE
Clue explained:
This is a great clue, because the setter has found a way to use the two words, ‘nose’ and ‘ring’ as essential components of the clue, and make them perform unique roles in more than one way.
First, Bruno literally gives us the letters N, O, S, and E, from the clue’s first word, ‘nose’.
He then says that NOSE is ‘pierced by’ (just like any injection, this indicates an insertion) ‘third ring’.
‘Third ring’ is just Bruno’s clever way of pointing to the letter N, which is obviously the ‘third’ letter of the word ‘riNg’.
So, NOSE ‘pierced by third ring’ would just mean that we insert an N inside NOSE. That gives us NONSE.
Another way in which Bruno has used ‘ring’ is as a symbolic alphabet. A ring is generally shaped as a circle, and so, in cryptic crosswordese it is accepted as the circularly shaped letter O.
Therefore, ‘nose without ring’ could very well mean the word ‘nose’ without the letter O, which gives us NSE.
Now, put the whole thing together (NONSE + NSE) and the answer is NONSENSE, our 8-letter word meaning ‘foolishness’!
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