I am, I hope, a cryptic purist.  I have evolved to the point in my construction where I am not predisposed to throwing in linking words solely for the sake of a nicer surface reading of the clue.  It is always my goal to avoid using unnecessary linking words that do not have a legitimate use in the clues.  If one takes a little time with the design, one can come up with a clue that not only reads smoothly, but also does not confuse unnecessarily.  Sometimes this approach results in clues that may come across as terse.  Yet, I hope my clues don’t force the solver to spend time trying to determine which words need to be discarded before the real work figuring out an answer can begin.

A few examples:

Big fans of buddies without resistance (6)

or

Fans buddies without resistance (6)

In this example, the first draft of the clue included the word “of” to provide some flow, but there was no legitimate use for “of.”  And, when it was redrafted, it actually read better.  (The solution here is “fiends” — buddies = friends, without r = resistance )

When I write clues, I try to avoid using and, by, with, is, of, from, in, to, for, at, or about, (and even a) as linking words – to connect the wordplay to the definition — unless they serve a legitimate purpose in the clue.

“For” is a word that is often misused in clues.  Yet, it is fine to use “for” as a linking word, as long as the wordplay precedes “for,” and “for” is followed by the definition of the answer.

Examples:

Valid for professional sign editor (6)

(Answer:  “proved.” (professional = pro, sign = v, editor = ed.)  This one reads just fine, but the placement of “for” is not acceptable, as it comes before the wordplay.

Better would be:

Professional sign editor is tested (6)

Another one:

Support with angle for argument (5)

Answer:  “brawl.”  (Support = bra, with = w, angle =l.)  While this construction is acceptable, it leaves “unrest” hanging at the end of the clue, and is a signal that it is the definition of the answer.

Better construction would be:

Support with long dispute (5)

“That” is another linking word that I have tried to do without.  For instance:

Someone told me to regret that Streisand spat on the field (7)

This is just as good, and avoids the extra word:

Someone told me to regret Streisand spat on the field (7)

The key is taking the time when drafting a clue to make sure that the result is a clue that reads well, but does not confuse unnecessarily.