Got the answers but can't deconstruct the clue to make sense of the answers - help appreciated!
1. Rice dish gets very good praise though unfinished. The answer is Pilau - is that an abbreviation of plaudit but how do you get an i between the p and l?
2. Note guns provided with recoil. The answer is Fiver but why?
3. Simple game with short piece of wood. The answer is Rustic (ie simple, I think) but what's the reference to the piece of wood.
4. Cheshire town with one capsized ship. Widnes but why?