Please Avoid Using ...

[crosswhit99]

.. words that need to be split between definition and wordplay, even if hyphenated.

To illustrate the fifth example of cruciverbal no-nos, consider this recent example:

Sub-note about neckwear (5, hyphenated)

The hyphen in the answer is of course fine, that in the clue definitely not so !

[dannyk13]

To whom is this post intended?

[Tilly2]

It this for setters or clue/answer seekers?

I don't understand what you are saying, Crosswhit.

[dannyk13]

The way it is worded I presume that it is for setters, although I don't think that there are many on AnswerBank.

[Tilly2]

What's the answer please, Danny?

[sedge47]

U-boa t
Seems a perfectly good clue to me.

[dannyk13]

I think crosswit is objecting(rightly so) to the hyphen in sub-note.

[Tilly2]

Why is note 'ut'?

[jim360]

Variation on the do re mi scale. I think ut was the original "do".

[Tilly2]

Thank you, Jim. That's a bit obscure for me. :-)

[Buenchico]

Crosswhit99 can be fussy about clues!
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/members/crosswhit99/

Maybe he's hoping that Anax will see his posts? (Although I'm sure that Anax never gets anything wrong!)

[jim360]

Sure is, but about 90% of my obscure knowledge of words comes from crosswords so after I while I just got used to them. I had to look up *why* "ut" was "do" for these two posts, but I've seen the usage before.

Also I agree with crosswhit's moan -- where did this clue appear, though?

[Lie-in King]

It's a perfectly good & fair clue IMO.

You'd do better forwarding your criticism to Tom Johnson, aka "Doc", crossword editor of the Spectator & setter of the puzzle containing this clue.

[aelmpvw]

dashed if i can get annoyed about a misplaced hyphen

[Mamyalynne]

I think there's often a case for blaming the setter when struggling with a clue - I know I do it under my breath too, but when I look again I rethink.

I think it's a clever clue , makes you ponder - never a bad thing.

[dannyk13]

I don't think that there should be a hyphen in sub-note, but i'm open to correction.

[Lie-in King]

It is a valid word & alters the surface reading nicely -

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sub-note

[dannyk13]

Thank you L-i k. Then both the OP and I are wrong.

[crosswhit99]

Here's another example to illustrate this particular error:

Fish-meal starter -- brought into room (6)

(In this clue '--' represents an em dash)

The problem isn't that sub-note and fish-meal are incorrect in themselves but that hyphenated words shouldn't be split between definition and wordplay (Fish-meal's starter = F). It's fine to separate definition and wordplay with a dash however, so in this example replacing the hyphen by moving the dash (or with some other punctuation or link word) would solve the problem:

Fish -- meal's starter brought into room (meal's starter = m)