Deletion clues

A word loses some letters to make the answer: its first letter, its last letter, its middle, its outside, or a named piece. The indicator tells you which part goes.

How to spot one

• 'Headless' or 'beheaded' removes the first letter.
• 'Endless' or 'unfinished' removes the last letter.
• 'Heartless' removes the middle; 'peeled' or 'shelled' removes both ends.
• 'Without', 'loses' or 'drops' removes a named piece, often an abbreviation.

Common indicators

headless, beheaded, topless, endless, unfinished, cut short, curtailed, heartless, gutted, peeled, shelled, skinned, without, losing, loses, drops, leaves, lacking, missing, no, short of

Examples

• Headless glove shows affection (4)
• Listen to heart, endlessly (4)
• Heartless parent's gasp (4)
• Lovers exposed — finished! (4)
• Spain without south is agony (4)
• Bird loses son to roll in mud (6)