The answers to the first clues across usually run together to make a word or phrase (if you say them quickly). In today's puzzle I have the following :-
sand robotic cellists dee bertha vinous
but no matter how I say it, I can make no sense of it. Help - I feel really stupid.
Pauline - most "quick" crosswords follow this practice. Usually it is only the first two answers which give you the word or phrase but if (as in this case) they use more, then the clues are in italics.