Guardian Sat

[AnaMarg]

20a Pirate doesn't finish nasty beer. Answer I think is (vil)(lager) but what have villagers got to do with pirates?
16d Spur to cuddle little helper at breakfast. Answer I think is egg spo(on), but where does spo come from?
4d Attribute (sic) beer (not sic). Thought it was an anagram of sicbeer, but it looks like the answer has to be ascribe, so how does that work?

[EGTB]

20a Villager
Pillager is a pirate (Pirate doesn't finish nasty beer)- loose the Pil left with lager

[roslyn251254]

4d ascribe or escribe - escribe coming from anagram of beer + sic. Has to be Ascribe as E already used

[kayakamina]

Egg (spur) Spoon (cuddle)

[AnaMarg]

Thanks all, but I still don't get 20a. Villager is (Vil)(lager), where vil is short for vile (doesn't finish nasty). But what is the connection between villager and pirate?

[sedge47]

Vil(e) Lager

[sedge47]

20a There's no connection. There are two possible answers and you have to work out which starting letter you need.

[AnaMarg]

Thanks Sedge - now I get it! The clue was different to all the other 'special' clues as it had those extra bits in brackets, and so I thought it was an ordinary clue, not one of the specials.

[handspike]

Could it be "pillager" Pill= nasty: Pillager = pirate.

Cuddle = spoon.

[boxtops]

Why is this in Adverts? - is the divert-to-the-wrong-thread happening again?