My

Sample this clue from the Times crossword of yesterday:

Times 24878: A gracious lady (3)

The answer is AMY. Do you see how?

In cryptic clues, "my" may not be the possessive case of "I". In the clue above, it is the interjection of surprise/dismay, matching with "gracious!".

Most commonly, setters use "my" as a pronoun on the clue's surface, to be treated as an interjection in the cryptic reading.

Examples:

FT 13332 (Sleuth): A diner excitedly after my source of flavour? (9) CORIANDER
(A DINER)* after COR (my!)

Times 24468: Bit of maize revealed by my new horse (7) CORNCOB
COR (my!) N COB (horse)

A few more clues that use "my" as interjection. Try solving:

Guardian 25110 (Arachne): School show doesn't start well! (7)
Times 23824: My capricious daughter, husbandless and wrinkled (10) ___R______ 
Guardian 24602: Unlikely story, ancient spa harbouring new well! (5,4) U____ ____
Guardian 25116 (Orlando): My turn with pair of shoes! (4) G___

Related Posts:

• Soldier Changeovers
• What Clues May Mean When They Say "Nothing"
• Why Financial Times gets Free Publicity in Crosswords of Other Papers

If you wish to keep track of further articles on Crossword Unclued, you can subscribe to it in a reader via RSS Feed. You can also subscribe by email and have articles delivered to your inbox, or follow me on twitter to get notified of new links.