Cryptic definition clues

The whole clue is one playful definition that seems to mean one thing but means another. There is no wordplay to take apart, just a pun or a change of viewpoint.

How to spot one

• The clue often ends with a question mark.
• No word looks like an indicator and nothing can be split up.
• The surface points to an everyday meaning; the answer uses a sideways one.
• Try reading each key word in a different sense, like 'flower' as 'something that flows'.

Examples

• Something put up in a shower (8)
• It has many flights but never takes off (9)
• He cuts his regulars short (6)
• Out to lunch? (6)
• A craft that goes down well (9)
• Where volumes are kept down? (7)