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From ST 4548
Cultivate them on cutting a European wild flower. Wood Anemone.

From Everyman 3487
Reach and agreement with party over a vintage port. Do A Deal.
I get that that party is 'do' but how does the rest of the clue parse?

Do A Deal.


Yes party DO a vintage port DEAL


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal,_Kent

(cultivate) WOO (European) DANE + EMON([th]em on cutting)

best I can do and badly explained

Thanks Mamya! I'm afraid I still don't get the wood anemone parsing beyond woo and dane but then the setter is Dean Mayer who is on another planet!

A bit convoluted, this! (methinks).

cultivate = woo; european = Dane; them = 'em; on = on;

woo + Dan(em + on)e

Jolan has explained it better.

Hi mamya, dan (emon) e
'em = them?

Ah good Mamya!
I was typing as you posted.

Thanks all! Jolan, I think you've hit upon explaining it in a way that makes sense to a cryptic crossword newbie like me. I still maintain, though, that Dean Mayer is on another planet and the clue is clumsily constructed rather than elegantly complex!