Thur Daily Mail No. 14,551

[bryand]

4d) Musical 3 encountered working in Italian capital (9)
( 3 is Watch joiner earning money - 5 letters)
6d) Cook more cheesed off about pate starter? (7,2,6)
7d) One of five letters read out in confession (6)
18d) London club's more for men essentially (6)
Apology for no letters. All help greatly appreciated.

[bibblebub]

18d) REFORM = inside ...moRE FOR Men...

[Mamyalynne]

7 avowal

[bibblebub]

7d) avowal - sounds like a vowel

[Mamyalynne]

4 Metronome

[Mamyalynne]

6 Freedom of speech

[bibblebub]

^ i was just arriving at that answer but how is it defined by the clue?

[Mamyalynne]

Struggling to see a definition myself, wonder if we have the full clue?

[bryand]

Thank you Mamyalynne and bibblebub for being so quick and helpful.

[bryand]

Full clue given myself, do you have 3d please, this may help define>

[aelmpvw]

anagram of more cheesed off p

[bibblebub]

Yes, aelmpvw, that is the wordplay but most cryptic clues, including those in the DM crossword, consist of a definition and a subsidiary (i.e. the wordplay), and sometimes the whole clue acts as both. This clue, however, appears to lack the definition.

[Mamyalynne]

ael - yes, but where is the definition?

Bryand, any letters in 3down?

[bibblebub]

3) timer = 'tier' outside of M

[Mamyalynne]

ah so that firs well with 4 down, nice.

[Mamyalynne]

^ fits

[aelmpvw]

clue looks incomplete to me but apparently not

[bryand]

Thank you again, sorry missed bibblebub's last post.

[Duncer]

I think it comes from freedom of speech being a "right".

[factor-fiction]

But 'right' isn't mentioned in the clue.

[Mamyalynne]

Where is the mention of 'right' in the clue - I ask in all honesty, I really don't see it . Unless 'Starter' is used twice and a starter is a right?