Sunday Times 4356

[MarMatMal]

Just one to go. This crossword is littered with poor clues; we have derived very little enjoyment :(

27a. Put wager on, fifty-fifty - net return covered quarter (4,4)

We have ?E?L ?E?T

All help appreciated!!

M&A

[antonove]

bell tent

[glasman]

Bell tent

[antonove]

sorry

fifty fifty is LL bet and net

[MarMatMal]

DOH !

Thanks, both !!

M&A

[brainiac]

I agree with how poor the clues are, but alas this is the norm for the Sunday Times cryptic: attempted anagrams that aren't quite anagrams, and really laboured clues that don't read as a proper English phrase or sentence. Most of these clues wouldn't get anywhere near a regular Times puzzle, which is strange as both crossword editors must work in the same building! To show you what I mean, here is a great clue that stuck in my head from a recent midweek Times cryptic: Wife set out riding magnificent horse to town (6-5-4)

[bathtub]

That'll be Weston-super-Mare, then. Didn't seem that great a clue to me, but I'm not to be honest a fan of The Times.