Selector cryptic clue
Take only some letters: first, last, odd, even, or the middle of the fodder.
How it works
A selector takes only part of the fodder: the first letter, the last few, the odd or even letters, or the middle. Words like initially, finally, oddly, or heart tell you which slice to take.
Selectors are the smallest device in the kit — often just one or two letters — so they usually appear combined with another device rather than on their own.
Worked example
Take every other letter of STRAW and a small British thanks falls out.
Thanks evenly scattered through straw (2)
AnswerTA
- Definition: thanks — the informal British TA fits (2).
- Evenly says take the even-position letters of STRAW: S-T-R-A-W gives T, A.
- TA — thanks, exactly as defined.
Spotting it in the wild
- first / initially / head → first letter; last / finally / tail → last letter.
- oddly / every other → alternating letters; heart / middle / core → the center letters.
- TA is British informal for thanks — it appears constantly in cryptics.