What does the cryptic crossword clue "Dirty resort has improved on the surface (11)" mean?

The definition is "Dirty". The wordplay uses a container (one word inside another). SPA (synonym="”resort” inside BETTERED=”improved” “on the surface” as a containment indicator") in BETTERED (synonym="”improved” “on the surface” as a containment indicator") = BESPATTERED; definition: "Dirty" The answer is BESPATTERED.

Dirty resort has improved on the surface (11)

Guardian Cryptic #28874 | 10 Down | 2022-09-28 flower

← Back to puzzle

Visit Guardian's puzzle site →