To think around corners

I am in a great mood today.

Paul has that effect on me. After Araucaria, he is my next favourite compiler.

He had a lovely clue today: Listen! Record isn't medium for an artist. (3, 5)

The first thing to do is to figure out which is the definition; here 'medium for artist' is. Next, we have to get the elements figured out. 'Listen!' could be hear, or psst. It has to be fairly short, as the clue is only 8 letters. Oi is another option. Then 'Record' could be EP, LP, disc, log or enter.

Eureka! Oi, LP. Ah, ha. If slang is being employed, then 'isn't' is ain't.

Ergo. Oil Paint. Medium for artist! :D

This is why I love cryptic crosswords. They make you think out of the box.

Or take 'Red duck that is neither red nor duck (8): It took me a while to get that. Until I remembered that red could mean blushing, or furious. Flaming, in fact. Duck is zero, or O. Flamingo. Which is pink, and a bird but not a duck. :)

I solved some beauties by Taupi yesterday, in the Genius crossword, but I won't talk about them until next month, when the solution is out, as it is a prize crossword and I can't dissect the clues now. I still have to finish it, anyhow.


Cheers!