I1337

[DestressTermly]

Hi

I am having trouble parsing a couple of answers from The I of Saturday 23 May 2015 (issue 1337). I have the answers, which of course have been published anyway, but I can't build up the answers. Help appreciated.

9 across) City boss backing graduate block. The answer is AMSTERDAM. I am seeing DAM for block and maybe AM for backing graduate....but that leaves me with STER for BOSS, which I am not aware of.

26 across) Line is, as it were, identifying candidates? The answer is SHORT LIST. I see L for line then is, so I now have LIS, but that is all I can see.....

[boxtops]

9 AMSTER is an anagram of MASTER = boss

[boxtops]

Is't - old English for Is it (as it were)
L Is't

[brainiac]

9 across isn't an anagram. Boss = MASTER, then 'backing graduate' means swap the MA (Master of Arts) round, to give AM. Then DAM for block

[DestressTermly]

Very cunning. Yep...boss is master, but then you have to realise that the graduate (MA) to be backed is not adding extra letters to the clue but is rearranging letters you already have in the clue b- which is not the usual way cryptic crossword clues are parsed unless there is some further clue in the clue. Thank you.

[DestressTermly]

I'm sorry but I do not understand what you mean boxtops. Is't would be a old version of is it, like you say - but we don't have "is it" in the clue. I also don't see where SHORT comes into the answer. :-(

[boxtops]

You do - the clue says IS as IT were..... the short list is the overall clue "identifying candidates" eg for interview. IMO.

[DestressTermly]

SHORT LIST is indeed the overall answer, but I don't see how the SHORT part is built up in the cryptic.

I also don't understand what you mean about is't means "is as it were" - is't is short for is it, not short for "is as it were", which doesn't make a lot of sense to me anywhere.

I fear the clue still doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

[Ouzel]

Lis (Line is) = Short List (List without the t) ??

[boxtops]

"is, as it were" is in the clue - but ouzel's answer makes better sense to me!

[DestressTermly]

"Is, as it were" is indeed undeniably in the clue, but I don't see how "is, as it were" = is't.

However, thank you boxtops for your replies and your efforts to explain the clue, and now like you, I prefer the answer by Ouzel, which is that the clue cryptically builds up to simple LIS (List Is) which is clued by the words "as it were" that this is not actually the answer, but it is going to be re-reinterpreted, in this case as "SHORT LIST" (literally List short by one letter). Short list is of course candidates non-cryptically. Thank you Ouzell and thank you boxtops. I fear i may have to have my brain reconfigured before I can fully see clues this convoluted, but I now understand and regard my query as solved.