Visual Shows Mite In Gem

[satprof]

Alphapuzzle cryptic clue for today.

[emmie]

tick?

[geevo41]

optical

[emmie]

can you explain geevo..

[emmie]

ok got it,

[mallyh]

tic in opal

[emmie]

opal tic

[Neveracrossword]

I can't see how Tic is Mite... (Tick/Mite yes, but Tic...?) I'm off to browse in a few dictionaries.

[emmie]

i think it's one of those anomalies that alpha puzzle throws up

[Sunnychap]

OPTICAL it is, 0 is 3

[Neveracrossword]

Thanks, Emmie - but I still think it's wrong! 'Visual shows most of mite in gem' would have worked.

[satprof]

Well done geevo, you get the gong.

After the unsuitable 7-letter possibilites a,re eliminated, just three remain. Two of these end with the same four letters, 2, 5, 21, & 14, leaving 3, 16, 23 at the beginning of one and 25, 23, 26 for the other. If 23 is P, the only two possibilities for the other word, --pical begin with a T. The initial letter for that possibility is 3, which can't be T as T then must be 23. Hence we get 'Optical' in the vertical position and 'ethical' in the horizontal position, both sharing th corner L.

A bit convoluted, I know, but it's like that sometimes.

As for NACW's point, I think that s/he's right but we seem to have to allow a lot of 'poetic' licence to these setters. Incidentally, by a complete coincidence, I discovered that yesterday's Ultra Alphapuzzle (no clue given) was identical in all respects to the one published on May 15th, 2020. Now that's cutting corners, in my book!

[mouseymick]

After SP’s reasoning all I can add is that Q is 7…..

[Sunnychap]

Stop the clock on page 2 of the puzzle section was solved by 2nd starting with 8 being ABANDON the two 8’s and two 2’s were a gift.

[Sunnychap]

Second down that is

[CHRISTHEOLDIE]

OPTICAL 3-16-23-2-5-21-14 7=Q 10=K