Lids in part of combustion engine neither opening nor closing — really? (2,4,2)
I believe the answer is:
is that so
'really?' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'lids in part of combustion engine neither opening nor closing' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'lids' could be 'hats' ('hat' can be a synonym of 'lid') and 'hats' is found in the answer.
'of' could be 'o' and 'o' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'ist' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
I've seen this clue in The Guardian.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution?
Install my app