Posted by bensand on 4th June 2007
I think this is an easier crossword than Morph’s previous Independent crosswords, it’s certainly the quickest I’ve solved a Morph! That’s not a criticism though as it’s thoroughly fair and characteristically entertaining. Anyway, having blogged Friday’s Bannsider I was due a gentler one!
| Across |
| 4 |
SMOCKING - S + MOCKING. I had to check that smocking was a type of needlework but I was pretty confident anyway |
| 9 |
GIBING - GI BING (Crosby) |
| 12 |
ESCHEWED - ES + CHEWED |
| 13 |
BROWSE - sounds like (eye)BROWS |
| 15 |
TELEPHONE BOX - TELEPHONE is ring and BOX is what you might do in a ring |
| 18 |
MORNING GLORY - Very concise clue resting on Am for morning |
| 22 |
COCA COLA - CO + CA and CO + LA. The definition of global liquid asset made me laugh |
| 25 |
BIKINI - Cryptic definition. |
|
| 26 |
NINETEEN - (TEN IN) <= + E(V)EN. I couldn’t make anything of this when I first looked, partly from trying to involve magnolia, but next time I looked I had all the letters so it was only a question of explanation! |
|
| |
| Down |
| 3 |
CONTEMPT OF COURT - very entertaining again and a surface as true as Wimbledon’s finest |
| 6 |
CENTRE OF GRAVITY - V is the central letter of gravity and the base of a V shape would be it’s centre of gravity. At least that’s how I think it works although I’m surer about the first part than the second |
| 7 |
IN-LAWS - Hood being the most famous of outlaws |
| 8 |
GOATEE (TOE AGE)* |
| 19 |
MOTORIST - (IM SORT TO)* |
| 19 |
OPTION - POTION with PO turned |
| 20 |
GLUTEN - (H)UT in GLEN. Not a word I knew until a grandfather (but not the one I have in common with Morph!) was diagnosed as a coeliac |
Posted in Independent | 2 Comments »
Posted by ilancaron on 4th June 2007
Solving time: 10’
Heartening start to the week after the weekend puzzles: I do know how to parse a cryptic clue after all. Not too many cryptic defs either – but a couple of requests for reader input.
One thing I like about Rufus is the effort he invests in consistent and meaningful surfaces (e.g. 1D, 12A, 21D, 15A…).
Across
| 1 |
SURGE,ON - “acting” is just ON and the other kind of theatre. Nice misleading surface. |
| 5 |
DEIFIC – (if iced)* — surface had me thinking of angel cake (perhaps just an American thing). |
| 9 |
HARD TACK – pretty clever: but not sure if this is a good cryptic def or a self-descriptive double def: “Tough course for the sailor in more than one way”. BTW, last month’s Genius by Pasquale used TACK to mean food as well in a somewhat controversial clue. |
| 10 |
ROLL-ON – it’s a kind of deodorant and a ROLL is what women use at the hairdresser’s (though isn’t that more properly a ROLLER?). Actually Zan notes that a ROLL-ON is an old-fashioned girdle. |
| 12 |
WATERING HOLE – double def (one cryptic: “place for refreshing game”). |
| 15 |
HEAR(TEN)ING – simple but elegant containment with a good surface. |
| 20 |
STOCKS=”holds”,TILL=”until” – in my first pass through I put STANDSTILL in here. |
| 22 |
TROUBLE SPOTS – (troops bustle)*: anag &lit |
| 27 |
CO-DRIVER – cryptic def with a gratifyingly irrelevant nautical surface: “Second mate at the wheel?” |
Down
| 1 |
SO,H,O – seamless combination of wordplay and definition. Bit of trivia: SOHO in NYC is just an (inspired) acronym: South Of HOuston street. |
| 3 |
ENTR’ACTE – a cryptic def for intermission: I only saw this once I had all the crossing letters in place. |
| 7 |
FELLOWSHIP – double def, one slightly cryptic: “Postgrads may hope for such camaraderie” |
| 8 |
C(ONGE)REELS – gone* in CREELS. Nice surface again. |
| 11 |
PICNIC – two meanings: if it’s a “piece of cake”, it’s easy as pie, i.e. a PICNIC. |
| 14 |
MADE TO LAST – double/cryptic def again: not sure I agree that shoes are MADE TO LAST, rather MADE on the LAST. |
| 16 |
NUTMEG – I think this is just a cryptic def since mace is made from NUTMEG (borne of it?) and the surface misleads to someone bearing the ceremonial staff. |
| 18 |
ESOTERIC – (escort, i.e.)* — slight but perfectly acceptable indirection with “that is” to be replaced by IE in the anag fodder. |
| 23 |
PROUD – my last clue: I don’t understand the wordplay: “Stuck up – literally and metaphorically”. Linxit rescues me by noting that PROUD also means projecting from a surface like a nail (ref. last meaning in Chambers — incidentally, the penultimate meaning is sexually excited. The things you learn…). |
| 25 |
TRIM – rare triple def |
Posted in Guardian | 7 Comments »