CrosswordsContestsSettersAboutContact
Sign up

Introduction

Happy New Year! The challenge this time is DEFER. Good luck.

Gobbo

Submit your best cryptic clue for

DEFER

Voting closed midnight Wed 8 Jan 2025(UTC +00:00)

Results

#
Setter
Clue
Pts
1
F
Flush

Put off after date tipped beer over friend’s head (5)

After D, (b)EER over F -> D+E(F)ER

7

1

1

12

24

2
F
Fez

It could be Fred Astaire's final bow (5)

*FRED (astair)E / "bow"

3

4

0

14

17

3
R
Raphael_Nonsenso

Surrender does hold fear at first (5)

F in Deer (does)

3

0

2

8

11

4
P
Phantom

Adjourn when case for defence upsets judge (5)

D[efenc]E + reversal of REF (judge)

1

3

1

9

10

5
D
Dingo

Refused to let us come around and stay for a while (5)

REFUSED minus US ('to let us') and reversed ('come around') = Defn. (stay for a while)

2

1

1

4

9

6
s
sirdakka

Definition: put back, or capitulate ultimately (5)

&lit. DEF (definition, as in hi-def) + reversal (put back) of RE (or capitulate ultimately)

1

3

0

6

9

7
L
Lutra

Stag eats bit of fruit put on ice (5)

Def: Put on ice. Stag = DEER, eats (container) bit of fruit = F -> DE F ER

2

1

0

4

8

8
C
Chameleon

Set aside one bit of crossword clue... can I phone a friend? (5)

DEF ('one bit of crossword clue', i.e. definition) + ER (i.e. 'can I phone a friend?' if you're saying you don't know the answer)

1

1

1

6

6

9
G
Guinevere

Doctor pockets extravagant fee for stay (5)

Definition: Stay Wordplay: DR(Doctor) 'pockets'(contains) FEE*(extravagant)

1

0

3

11

6

10
t
thepoisonedgift

Stay when given more food in retreat? (5)

def. = RE-FED (given more food) reversed (in retreat)

1

0

3

9

6

11
B
Baldur

Delay leads to doctors expecting fewer encouraging results (5)

Acrostic

0

2

2

10

6

12
C
Coot

Suspend backsliding official after disallowing effort in the opening stages (5)

Suspend = def; reversal of REF after D[disallowing] E[ffort]

1

1

0

8

5

13
t
the

Put off playing Federer having one hesitation too many (5)

DEFER (put off) = anagram (playing) of FEDERer without one occurance of (having one too many) ER (hesitation)

1

1

0

5

5

14
C
Cigogne

Hold back, avoiding demise (5)

DEF[end]ER ('back' = 'defender', 'demise' = 'end', definition = 'hold')

1

1

0

3

5

15
Y
Yorick

Delay Clyde ferry to some extent (5)

Cly[de fer]ry - reference to the "Ferry Fiasco"

1

0

1

7

4

16
A
ALP

Diner's table d’hôte’s entrée comes with free nuts (5)

D~ + FREE* = to table. Diner['s] (US eatery as per Collins/Chambers etc) to indicate the US def.

1

0

0

4

3

17
C
Chissip

Stay or give way (5)

Double definition ('Stay' in the sense of suspend or delay)

1

0

0

4

3

18
B
Bottom

Fed up over hesitation and delay (5)

<FED + ER. Def delay (down clue)

0

1

1

10

3

19
I
Iguess

King's starting point of equality strengthened Round Table (5)

Reversal of R [E]quality FED definition = Table

0

1

1

7

3

20
t
twiSt

Put off by Guardian setter returning to old TV show (5)

def: put off Guardian setter=FED(Dave Gorman) returning>DEF+ old TV show=ER

0

1

1

7

3

21
c
chracol

Consent to bride fervently cuddling (5)

Hidden

0

1

1

5

3

22
Q
Quetzal

Suspend head of technology who’s quitting - traitor! (5)

Def: Suspend. CTO ("head of technology") removed from ("who's quitting") DEFECTOR ("traitor")

0

1

1

4

3

23
C
Cheeseman

Yield of iron in the Lorraine region (5)

Def: yield. DE FER (French for OF IRON)

0

1

0

5

2

24
j
jvector

Freed up delay (5)

Fodder: 'freed'; grind: 'up'; def: 'delay'

0

1

0

4

2

25
M
Meles

Put off choosing fellow, not time (5)

Put off can indicate DEFER or DETER, choose the one with F (fellow) not T (time)

0

1

0

2

2

26
H
Henri

Give in and remove the Christmas tree, say? (5)

Def: Give in, DE-FIR [whimsy/homophone]

0

0

2

9

2

27
R
Rough

Yield of cultivated reed beds beginning to fall (5)

Def:Yield. Anag. REED (cultivated) insertion (beds) of F (beginning to fall)

0

0

1

11

1

28
j
juff

Pause when ruminant eats bit of foliage (5)

DE(F_)ER

0

0

1

7

1

29
G
Gobbo

Evidently rusty iron must break up and give way (5)

RE(FE)D< (down clue)

0

0

1

4

1

30
j
jugular

Yield to others cooking feed on the back burner (5)

anag (cooking) "feed" on R (back burner)

0

0

1

3

1

31

Occasionally die of heart block (5)

Def: block. Alternate letters (occasionally) from DiEoFhEaRt

0

0

0

6

0

32

Revolutionary Communist splits suppressing iron yield (5)

RED< around FE

0

0

0

5

0

33

Hold off contributing to foreign-made Ferraris (5)

Hold off = definition; contributing to = hidden indicator; foreign-maDE FERraris

0

0

0

5

0

34

Wait! Scarlet turns, packing iron (5)

Def = synonym (red) reversal containing atomic symbol (Fe)

0

0

0

2

0

35

Delay will vary extreme effect covered up by "But..." or "Although..." (5)

"Delay"/ D(IF->E)fer (vary) (extreme -E-ffect) Covers IF (But or Although)= Defer

0

0

0

2

0

36

Knocking back wine infused with Iron causes delay (5)

Reversal of RED (wine) containing (infused with) FE (Iron) = Delay

0

0

0

2

0

37

Mixed feed for red-headed fawn (5) (5)

anagram of feed + R. Definition: fawn.

0

0

0

2

0

38

Waive right to support from European leaders, after cutting 50% deal (5)

R[ight] to support (go under in down clue) F[rom] E[uropean] (leaders) after DE[al] (cutting 50%)

0

0

0

1

0

39

Put off first frost disrupting return of water plant (5)

F(rost) in reversal (return) of REED (water plant); def - put off

0

0

0

1

0

1-39 of 39