The clue:
What a good boy is Paddy! But he's in the soup this time.
Answer: Broth. How is that?
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
2
-
2$\begingroup$ Hi Roger, welcome to Puzzling :) Where did you see this clue, please? We need to know for attribution purposes, and it may also provide useful context. Thanks. $\endgroup$– StivNov 10, 2021 at 23:45
-
$\begingroup$ Are you sure that this was from a proper cryptic crossword? (See the guide for what a cryptic clue is defined as on this site - it's not just a clue which is cryptic). Do you have enumeration (answer length)? $\endgroup$– bobbleNov 11, 2021 at 0:42
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
$\begingroup$
$\endgroup$
While agreeing with the comments that this is not a Ximenean cryptic clue, I suspect the two halves of the clue are simply referring to "broth" in two different ways.
There's an Irish ballad called "Broth of a Boy" meaning a good boy, and Paddy is (sometimes offensive) slang for an Irishman. Broth also means soup. To be "in the soup" means to be in trouble but it looks like this is just providing flavour to the surface reading of the clue, rather than being a part of the solution.
