The Week 1055

[TioMateo]

2 oddies this time. I'm beginning to think there may be a misprint in each of these clues but, more likely, I'm just being dim.

1) "Model worked hard but not using head (5) O_L_D. The wordplay suggests OILED, ie TOILED losing its head of T. But what on earth has OILED to do with "MODEL"?

2) "Nearly finished before onset of spring season"(4) P_S_. Again, the wordplay suggests PASS, ie PAST losing its finish of T, followed by S (the onset of SPRING). But what on earth has PASS to do with SEASON?

[Captain2]

2 seen parsed as season (ticket) = Pass

[elliemay1]

2 a season ticket can be called a pass

[TioMateo]

Thank you to both elliemay1 & Captain2. I had thought of Season Ticket, but rejected it as being worse than poor because no-one would say "I've just bought my season from Bristol to London", but then it probably is simply a worse than poor clue.

Any joy from either of you on "OILED", even if it, too, is a worse than poor clue. Or could it be a misprint?

[Mamyalynne]

'Model' is often used as an anagram indicator but there is of course no anagram here, it feels like an incomplete clue.


Unless there is a definition I've never heard of.

[Calibax]

I can't think why model = oiled either but nor can I think what the misprint might be.

[DerwentDodger]

Worked hard is toiled, but it loses the T from Model T (Ford) to give oiled.
Baffled by the Nearly finished clue though.

[Captain2]

Finished = PAST, so nearly finished = PAS + S = onset of S pring

[DerwentDodger]

Is the 'onset of spring season' SS? So PAST losing ST, because it's "nearly" past. Then SS as the first letters of spring and season?

[fiction-factory]

That doesn't give a definition though, DD

[Mamyalynne]

Where is the definition for 'Oiled' DD?

[Longevity]

pass as in season ticket

[Flonska]

The spring season is also referred to as "push"