Do me a favor, Massimo. Post here more often ... not !!!

:p and ;) and ... flagging now ... :sleeping:

I gotta believe the vowel housing's not adaptable on this model. Yer lookin' at three hours fly time, assuming availability at the dealer. The letteryard's another option, but then ya got no guarantee it won't anagramize on ya; at which point ya got alphabet soup or inconsonance --- or both.

Dish that tied a snake in knots (5,5 Partially proper)

Drilled mantra produces ennui (7)

U.S. author "Do Health Resorts help?" (3,6 Proper)

Last of four excuses for lopsided defeats (5)

Album God Roy mixed for a big band leader (3,8 Proper)

Last of four excuses for lopsided defeats (5)


My take:

lopsided defeat = rout

last of four = our or rou

Routs

Correct answer Wisconsin. :ThmbUp:Well done, except for the wordplay which is always optional, particularly for beginners. However, doing wordplay improves your puzzle solving ability.

Wordplay:
Last of four excuses for lopsided defeats (5)

Last of four = the letter "r" (the last letter in four)
excuses = outs

r+outs = ROUTS

So there can be different ways to arrive at a conclusion?

Absolutely. Sometimes the answer just pops into mind. Other times nothing moves. However, in the example you provided it was simply a coincidence that the letters "our" were in the clue. Also, your solution, while correct, couldn't justify the "t."

Most puzzles consist of two parts:
1. Straight definition
2. Wordplay

Sometimes one spots the word just from the definition, and then toying around with the wordplay demonstrates the definiton.
Other times one really is not sure what the Straight definiton is, but by doing exactly what the puzzler says to do the answer appears and then you also see the Straight definiton.

Which is why you don't see me trotting out too many answers, unless they feel right. Got lucky with a couple, like the cats and, what was it it, making music, and I just thought of a musical term the has cat or cats, and staccato made sense. Some make little sense to me even when proven.

This sure is fun, none the less......

In Post #10 of Page 1 of this thread Overlay has outlined several different techniques that are used in "cryptics." That review covers most of the ways that the clues are hidden. Read it, over, and over. Also if you follow the solutions here they will become easier. But Rome wasn't built in a day, and the ability to do cryptics isn't either. In the long run, you'll find it helpful in handicapping horses as well. ;)

Drilled mantra produces ennui (7)

drilled-bore + d + om = boredom

Anagram as defined with " mixed " , Guy Lombardo ??

Album God Roy mixed for a big band leader (3,8 Proper)

U.S. author ... Dos Passos

Album... Guy Lombardo

Well done, Nidge. I missed it. :ThmbUp:

Yes! nijinski takes Guy Lombardo and boredom. Toetoe got Dos Passos. :jump: :jump: :jump:

For newcomers I'm going to justify the Dos Passos answer, although that is always optional. When I do them at home I don't write them out.


U.S. author "Do Health Resorts help?" (3,6 Proper)

The clue is Proper, which probably tells us to look for an American Author, who has a first name with three letters, and last name with 6.

Wordplay:

Do = do
health resorts = spas
help = S.O.S

do+spas+sos = Dos Passos (a U.S. Author)