Working Hard

First, answer clues one through twelve and collect each solution's first letter...this is the easy work. Now begin the Hard Work by rearranging the twelve solution letters with letters from the 12-Letter-Pile to reveal the Final Message all bosses love to see.



= 1. Oolong container
= 2. Free from obligation
= 3. Fireside
= 4. Dried grape
5. Artificial (E _ _ _ _ _)
= 6. Beat with a flat object
= 7. ____ Mandela
= 8. Oz bigwig
= 9. Guinness item
= 10. Strongly built
11. Fish-eating bird (O _ _ _ _ _)
= 12. Denver cager

1. Teapot
2. Exempt
3. Hearth
4. Raisin
5.
6. Thwack
7. Nelson
8. Wizard
9. Record
10. Solid
11.
12. Nugget

12-Letter-Pile: A D E G H I I O S S S T

Final Message: (3-8-6-2-5)

1. teapot?

4. raisin

Hi soot.

7. Nelson

12. Nugget

8. Wizard

10. solid

9. record

Well done everyone ... everyone has a proper solution

6 thwack

3. Hearth ?

Bernie

2. exempt

Three more down .. two to go

5. fake?

11. heron?

Flo ... You're in the neighborhood but #5 is 'tough' there are many words that fill that clue and there are numerous #11's

So it's time for some hints...see puzzle above

11. osprey

5. ersatz

Final Message : The shortest answer is doing

Most eggscellant TEAMWORK everyone

Nice finish manXman, Bob and Michele