RTE Guide

[madge2]

15A In the main or not a friend indeed

m?t? Is it mate


Thanks

[factor-fiction]

Very tenuous. Another example example of the style of clue writing that beats me. I bet Lie-in King likes this one though.

[plautus]

Tenuous it is but headwreck's attempt at deconstructing the word play simply doesn't hold water. A poor clue but it simply refers to the two definitions of mate, a friend or a mate(lot).

[gen2]

Are you sure you are not over-complicating it Headwreck?

I read this as
In the main = at sea
or not = on shore
a friend indeed = a genuine friend

I therefore take the clue as a double definition of a MATE - both at sea and on land.

[factor-fiction]

That's what I thought, plautus.