Letter count in clue?

[cranberry44]

I know that, in a common phrase, the missing word (the answer) can't be more than 5 letters. But can the
missing part of an actual title be more than 5 letters?  i.e., can I use the entry "so dear" and clued as
either "Emily Dickinson poem "Of Whom ___" or "___ To My Heart" (1948 Walt Disney movie)? Or, on the
other hand, can I say something like "And then what, honey?" for a clue to avoid the letter count
altogether?

[mmcbs]

The five-letter limit that most editors go by refers to multi-word answers that are part of a familiar phrase or title of something, as your example SO DEAR. They typically would not allow it if clued with a ___.

If the phrase seems familiar and can stand on its own, then it can be clued with a paraphrased equivalent without the blank. I think the example SO DEAR probably doesn't meet that test. NOT A BAD IDEA and IS IT SAFE recently appeared in the NYT - those are complete thoughts that can be paraphrased, while SO DEAR is just a introductory device - doesn't really have a meaning of it's own.

Clear as mud?

[cranberry44]

No, it's a lot clearer than mud. When NYT mentions the phrase limitations,
I didn't know exactly what that encompasses. Thanks for your explanation. I get it!