I think the answer is SLIP, interpreting the clue as referring to cricket. However, given that it's in the Times Literary Supplement, I wonder if it might be a better clue than that. Is there a character anywhere in Henry Fielding's output with that name or anything else that fits?
My guess is that it describes Fielding's character rather than one of his characters.
I answered Flip as in flippant.
I could find no such character name in any of the various Fielding's works.
I agree with you that the answer is Slip. The setter has used the Capitalization of Fielding at the beginning of the sentence to make you think of the author, and not the cricketing term.
Do you have 24a
Auguste tree (4) - I have C?C? I can't decide between Coco and Coca - any help would be gratefully appreciated.
Coco the Clown is probably the most famous clown in british history. Technically, Coco was not a whiteface clown but an auguste, a foolish character who is always on the receiving end of buckets of water and custard pies. The auguste often works with the cleverer whiteface who always gets the better of him.