Is it that I used the wrong tense?

Is "primary" right?

yes

Like Kipling's native hero, call in aid worker, laughing at primary return (1,6,3,4,1,2)

Now: please can you explain your rationale?

Puerto Rico held its first election primary this year.

OK, I didn't know that. But I still don't see it, really. How does the non-definition part of the clue work?

Don't worry about derailing the thread, by the way, as you said in your PM. Firstly, you haven't, and secondly, I think we of the Cryptic Cabal all like it when we feel we're recruiting someone.

corrupted by me = I mar (by = by and also 'next to')

meddling about the edges = pr + y (pry)

I think you mean I've not been precise enough with verb tense and whatnot.

(nice of you to indulge; I'm probably either too scatterbrained or not scatterbrained enough for it)

No, it's not that I could see what you were trying to do and was trying to pick holes, it's that I couldn't retrofit the clue to the answer. I can now.

And yeah, the problem has to do with inflections, I guess: with "corrupted by me" not being exactly the same thing as "I mar", and "pry" being a verb while "meddling" is, what, a participle? Gerund? It's not that this fails some arbitrary test of correctness, but simply that it makes the "search space" for the solver too wide; that's why a bit more precision is thought fair.

But, without wanting to be all condescending like your man says I am, that's a bloody good first effort. Honest.

Everyone doing OK out there?

Only just starting to think about it, to be honest. It's been that sort of Friday lunchtime.

QUOTE:
secondly, I think we of the Cryptic Cabal all like it when we feel we're recruiting someone

I'll bear that in mind.

Wyatt Earp wrote:

QUOTE:
And yeah, the problem has to do with inflections, I guess: with "corrupted by me" not being exactly the same thing as "I mar", and "pry" being a verb while "meddling" is, what, a participle? Gerund? It's not that this fails some arbitrary test of correctness, but simply that it makes the "search space" for the solver too wide; that's why a bit more precision is thought fair.

Got it (hopefully). It seems (to a novice) like the search space is wide in some ways and strict in others. When I tried my clue I hadn't yet recovered from the progression 'bit back' to 'tad backwards' (simple enough I guess) to 'dat AROUND solver' (i.e. 'you'), thus 'day out'. But those are probably just conventions (back-backwards-around) I would need to pick up on & get accustomed to.

QUOTE:
But, without wanting to be all condescending like your man says I am, that's a bloody good first effort. Honest.

My man? I don't follow. Anyway I don't see how that's condescending. Aside from being a good deal cleverer, you're an old hand at this and I'm not.

[Edit: to Mumpo] That's different, man, you were taking the piss out of the whole thing.

Weren't you? "Amountanag" and that? Sorry if we misread your motives, as I'm now worried we did.

BrunoMaggiore wrote:

QUOTE:
My man? I don't follow.

Sorry, I should have said "that bloke".

Andy C wrote:

QUOTE:
Only just starting to think about it, to be honest. It's been that sort of Friday lunchtime.

You may talk o' gin and beer.