Times Sat 23/7 3 down

[umlimo]

Write down love poet's moving time, using English

I have a?o?t?s?   The only two words I can find that fit are apostasy and amortise but do not see why either of these fit the clue. Help please

[johnalex]

Amortise means to write off, or 'write down', a company's losses over a period of time, perhaps years. The cryptic justification is probably Amori's (Love Poet's) +T +E (for time and English). Quite a toughie...

[umlimo]

Thank you.

[Quizmonster]

Actually, John, the love poet is an 'amorist'. You move the 't' (for 'time', as you say) to behind the 'r' and add the 'e' for English....giving 'amortise'. Maybe not that tough, after all. Cheers

[crofter]

Well done johnalex. I was looking at this earlier and couldn't get anywhere with it! HOWEVER, from your lead, I can move us forward on the cryptic justification!

A "love poet" is an AMORIST - Now move the letter T forward (moving time) and add an E and "Hey Presto"!

[johnalex]

Thanks Quizmonster and Crofter  -  you're both absolutely right!  Having overlooked 'amorist', which of course is now obvious, I came up with 'Amori' which lit up on Google 45,000 times, mostly in Italian.  A truly great name for a romantic poet, if only he existed .....

[Quizmonster]

Yes, John, you even had me consulting an Italian dictionary to see whether there actually was a word 'amori'! I came to the conclusion - since it was not listed as such - that it might be the plural of 'amore' = love. Is it?

[johnalex]

Hi Quizmonster  -  Sorry, don't know any other Italian words, apart from 'Cornetto'.  When I described this clue as a 'toughie' this wasn't meant to be self-congratulatory for having suggested an answer  -  I genuinely found it difficult, especially if 'Amori' was to be part of the answer!  This I had no so cleverly deduced by eliminating T and E.  Then I embarked on a fool's errand on the Good Ship Google, to find the mystery poet, who probably now lives with Jumblies ....  Thanx again, ja!