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I'm just solving a cryptic crossword and had the clue...

Spring edition? (5)

With the letters...

_ S _ _ _

I guessed it was ISSUE and upon checking on google found I was right. But I don't understand the reason why I was right.

I can connect the "edition" part of the clue. I was thinking of "version" and other similar words. But I can't work out what "Spring edition?" adds to the clue?

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    $\begingroup$ Think that is a cryptic definition. $\endgroup$
    – Sid
    Commented Jul 4, 2017 at 12:27
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    $\begingroup$ It's relying on the "originate from" or "arise from" definition of the word "spring". As in "Athena sprang from Zeus' forehead". Thus, it's a synonym for issue. $\endgroup$
    – Hugh Meyers
    Commented Jul 4, 2017 at 12:42

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It's a double definition. For the first half, consider "spring from" and "issue from". For the second, consider an issue of a magazine. (The first half is the bit you didn't already have.)

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    $\begingroup$ I feel bad because Hugh's comment was actually about 10 seconds before my answer (totally independent, of course) -- but, well, Hugh should have made it an answer and not a comment :-). $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Commented Jul 4, 2017 at 12:43
  • $\begingroup$ I'm not sure you've got the usage quite right, though. In the first half, "spring" and "issue" are both intransitive verbs: as Hugh says, consider Athena springing from Zeus's forehead or water springing from the ground. $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Commented Jul 4, 2017 at 12:44
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    $\begingroup$ (And now I've written the word "spring" too many times in rapid succession and it's no longer looking like a real word. I hate it when that happens.) $\endgroup$
    – Gareth McCaughan ♦
    Commented Jul 4, 2017 at 12:45
  • $\begingroup$ Yeah, my description was not very good. I do understand it though. Thanks :D and that's called "semantic satiation" FYI :P $\endgroup$
    – Fogmeister
    Commented Jul 4, 2017 at 12:46
  • $\begingroup$ @GarethMcCaughan No problem. I would certainly have made it an answer if I had wanted credit. I've been purely an asker for quite a while now. $\endgroup$
    – Hugh Meyers
    Commented Jul 4, 2017 at 12:52

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