Posted by bensand on 22nd August 2007
This seemed like a harder crossword than a standard Dac. Looking back I can’t quite see why though although three words being new to me slowed me down (1ac, 27ac, 20d)
| Across |
| 1 |
CALASH - CA(LA)SH |
| 4 |
SPANKING - definition with a pun on smart (as in “spanking new” as well as a stinging pain) |
| 10 |
PLUMPEST - PLUM + PEST, curiously satisfying! |
| 12 |
CHLORINATE - (IN CLEAR HOT)* |
| 15 |
OPERA SINGERS - (IGNORE A PRESS)* |
| 18 |
SIX OF THE BEST - My last clue. I’d thought crackers (as in nuts, bananas etc) was the definition right until the end but it’s the sound of a cane strike by the look of it. |
| 22 |
PACE BOWLER - ACE BOWLER after P(LAY) |
| 24 |
LEGAL AID - LEG + A + LAID &lit |
| 25 |
MADRAS - (DRAMAS)* Chennai nowadays isn’t it? |
| 26 |
POUNDAGE - double definition |
| 27 |
PLUTON - P(L)UT ON Another new word to me. Gathering is, I think, part of the definition which made it a little harder to break down |
| |
| Down |
| 1 |
CHOW-CHOW - double definition. |
| 3 |
SATURNALIA - SAT + URN + ALIA |
| 5 |
PULL TOGETHER - PULL + TO GET HER, very neat |
| 11 |
INVIGORATING - IN VIGO + RATING Thank heavens for football. I’ve heard of Celta Vigo but not the city in any other context |
| 16 |
CELLARET - C(LE<=)LARET |
| 19 |
FILLIP - sounds like Philip. |
| 20 |
CONGOU - CONGO + U. I’ll have to ask if that’s what they serve at my local caff! |
| 23 |
ALED - AL(ARM)ED Got the answer before the explanation and spent a while putting weapons before ALED to try and find a word for worried. DAGGERALED, CLUBALED … had to stop when I got to ASSEGAIALED |
Posted in Independent | 2 Comments »
Posted by ilancaron on 22nd August 2007
My Sheffield education was provided to me by the movie “The Full Monty” and the occasional Eurosport broadcast of an endless snooker match at The Crucible. Oh yes there are a couple of football teams there and once upon a time a steel factory or two. But according to The Full Monty none of the latter are left… Anyway, that pretty much sums up this puzzle. Except for The Full Monty, which was just poetic license.
There are a couple of wordplays that remain mysterious…
Across
| 7 |
LO(GO,MA)CH,Y[our] – nothing like reasonable wordplay to teach you a new word meaning “verbal sparring”, i.e. argumentation. |
| 8 |
DRILL – I’m assuming this is ref MANDRILL (a type of “monkey”) but not sure how “in khaki” removes MAN? What’s the drill here? (Yeah, ‘training’ I know). |
| 9 |
W[eek],EDNESDAY=(and seedy)* - nice clue linking start of week (W) to its middle, namely WEDNESDAY. (And it’s one of the Sheffield teams). |
| 10 |
CHUCK – two meanings where the second refers to DRILL (8A): a CHUCK is the thingy that holds the bit of drill. Honest. I read it in Wikipedia. |
| 12 |
UNITED – the other team in Sheffield. And take untied (“loose”) and reverse the “inside” letters (since they are queasy) and you get UNITED. |
| 13 |
RE,WARDER – “screw” is Brit slang for a prison warder. |
| 14 |
SNOOKER – so it’s what snooker players try to do to the other guy (at “The Crucible”, 20A)… not so sure about “Object of cocker (?)…” though. |
| 17 |
P.S.,ALTER – groan – only got this as we speak: “I should have written” had I remembered, therefore I’m forced to write a P.S. – and our book is a PSALTER. |
| 20 |
CRUCIBLE – I got this because I guessed at the Sheffield/snooker theme earlier and I feel like I could work the wordplay with refs if I really wanted to. But… I’m lazy. Anyone? “Company with Thorndike for audience at SHEFFIELD THEATRE”. |
| 24 |
JAMMY – Brit slang for lucky: jammy but I wonder about the clue: “Fortunate to ….” – something else going on (snooker/Sheffield related)? There’s no follow-on clue. |
| 30 |
SHEFFIELD – it’s our city but the rest is beyond me (a euphemism for not understanding the clue): “Attempt to muzzle Euphemia would come to the city”. I assume that “would” produces ‘D but the rest? |
| 26 |
B,LAD,E – don’t understand def: ref. Sheffield United? Nickname? |
| 27 |
TWO-LEGGED – (we get gold)* — def is well-hidden, being “being”. |
Down
| 4 |
THEATRE – hidden in “sufficienT HEAT REmaining” – def is ref. using a surgical BLADE (26) in an operating THEATRE. |
| 5 |
ART,HUR (MIL[e])LER – he wrote the play “The Crucible” (Salem witch trials) – and a classic meaningless contrived Araucarian surface – I mean, HURLER for 10-er=CHUCKER? |
| 6 |
B(LACK-EY)E |
| 11 |
OWLS – slow* — I’m guessing nickname for Sheffield Wednesday. |
| 16 |
ELBA – able* — grateful was I ere I saw Elba… |
| 18 |
LASHINGS – two meanings |
| 21 |
COME,D[a]Y – ref. The COMEDY Theatre (4) in London. |
| 22 |
RAF,FLE – rev(elf, far) |
Posted in Guardian | 19 Comments »