Guardian 25316

[greencj01]

Nearly finished but stuck on ....

4 Staff facility turned over sacred text (6)

Any help gratefully received.

[bibblebub]

mantra

[imagcq]

any letters?

[greencj01]

Thanks bibblebub

[ronpegram]

I think mantra must be right - but not a good clue is it? First a mantra isn't really a text - just a phrase. Tantra would be better, but doesn't follow from the cryptic part of the clue - staff (man) facility turned over (art reversed). But again an art is not a facility - a facility is something that comes easily, art requires a combination of talent, training and effort.

[bibblebub]

mantra - "any of those parts of the Vedic literature which consist of the metrical psalms of praise" http://www.thefreedictionary.com/mantra

[bibblebub]

and part way down this page http://www.thefreedictionary.com/art

art: method, facility, or knack e.g. the art of threading a needle the art of writing letters

[Flikissimekado]

I've also been stuck on this one - cheers :) if mantra is right then I agree it's not the most satisfying clue, but there's a pleasing efficiency in the elision of 'facility turned over' and 'turned over sacred text', which after all roughly defines the specific nature of a mantra among other tenets!