Initially

[donny48]

When the word initially crops up in the middle of a clue, does one apply the initial to the word before or after the "initially"

[JJ109]

Could be either and it could relate to the initial letters of a string of words also, not just one word!

[donny48]

As I have always thought but was praying for a definite one way or the other. I am working on a beast of a clue.

 

[newmodarmy]

If you post the clue and letter count, and the pattern you've got I'll see if I can work out what the 'initially' bit gives you.

[donny48]

This  is a contest between my son-in-law and myself, so would be unfair to ask for more specific help. Thank you.

[DoctorClue]

The context is often helpful - look for words either side which have no other cryptic interpretation. So in '...confidence initially lacking...', it's almost certainly the C from 'confidence' which is to be removed ('lacking') from something that follows; in '...nurses initially rather amused...', something earlier in the clue most likely contains ('nurses') the RA from 'rather amused'. The words 'confidence', 'rather' and 'amused' have no special meanings in cryptic clues, so they are probably there just to contribute their first letters.