Posted by stan on 27th November 2007
Apologies if you checked in earlier - a work crisis of Biblical proportions had wiped out my leisure time and my solution was sparse.
Across
12 KENTISH = (THESKIN)*
16 A-TT-OR-NEY GENERAL - As per 1 down TT is a motorbike race, and then I get a bit lost - a GENERAL is a top soldier and Marshall NEY was a top soldier too. Close enough ?
19 EPONYMOUS = gorgeous clue including as it does a PONY and a MOUSE with the last letter shifted to the front. Meaning is “something named after a person”
21 CAN-ON
22 INDULGE = (ELUDING)*
23 COL-OGNE = COLonel (GONE)*
24 MEANS = i.e MEAN(der) without the “der”
25 ATTAIN-DER (see above - the “der” that was surplus there is needed here) Had to look it up ”
| the termination of the civil rights of a person upon a sentence of death or outlawry for treason or a felony |
”
DOWN
1 ISLAND RACE
4 RUED = sounds like “rude”
14 PHE(NO-MEN)AL = (AHELP)* with NO MEN inside
15 ELLE(NT ER)RY ? Ellery Queen was a crime noverlist NT = New Testament ER is the Queen. Tried to squeeze Helen Mirren in there for the longest time.
7 ROY-A-LIST
18 RENEGADE = ( E A GENDER)*
20 OR-DEAL
21 COLLIE(ry)
22 IAMB - it’s a grammatical “foot” contained in willIAM Brown
23 <<left as an exercise>>
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Posted by John on 27th November 2007
The usual brilliant crossword from Virgilius. His clues are consistently excellent, but there is nearly always a very clever theme, which is usually signposted by the fact that the grid is a bit unusual (although recently we have been having quite a lot of sub-50% checking). For this theme see below.
| Across |
| 7 |
LET THEM EAT CAKE. This refers to the remark attributed to Marie Antoinette, which has given her a reputation that is possibly undeserved. See here. |
| 9 |
Apparently BRATWURST, but I can’t understand why. Presumably a brat is a “child contemptuously”; are we to pronounce “wurst” in the German or the English way? In neither case can I find anything that sounds like a word meaning “expert”. The closest seems to be worst = get the better of = something that an expert can do, but … |
| 10 |
HE-MEN. When “vet” surrounds “hemen” you get a word that means “forceful”. |
| 11 |
A N(THE)M. |
| 13 |
E L(IT)ISTS. I have to admit that I could only do this one with a bit of electronic help. Chambers gives as a rare meaning of “lists” “the boundary of a jousting-ground or similar area, hence the ground itself …”, something of which I was only very vaguely aware. |
| 17 |
H I’D DEN. |
| 18 |
THE MES. Me as in do-re-me. The theme is found in 17 and 18 Across, and THEME is hidden in all the across lines. Nice idea. I think that’s all, but you never know with Virgilius. |
|
|
| 20 |
MER(ED)IT H. Twice in this crossword “without” means “outside” rather than “on the outside” or simply “missing”. |
| 21 |
E MER(G)E. |
| 23 |
Hidden in GobLET HEre. Lethe is the river of forgetfulness. |
| 26 |
MEANS (= imports, the verbal meaning “signifies”) TESTS (as in cricket). |
| |
| Down |
| 1 |
MEGA, a gem rev. |
| 2/22 |
This is apparently simply HENRY JAMES; Henry and James are names of English kings, and Henry James was an American author. |
| 4 |
UTAH, which is pronounced “you-taw” and is close to “you taught”. |
| 6 |
TENNIS, being “sin net” rev. |
| 8 |
(WE HATE ODD)*. I had to check “Tow-headed” afterwards, although it’s pretty obvious. |
| 9 |
BEAN (2 defs). |
| 12 |
T(R)IER. |
| 14 |
THE(R)MOSES. Rather an odd word, but no doubt inevitable in view of the theme. |
| 15 |
SP(E)AR. |
| 16 |
UNSTAMPED, being (m[ad] and upset)*. “Represented” is really “re-presented”. This is standard, but is it OK? Perhaps it’s only Chambers that gives the spelling with the hyphen. |
| 20 |
M ALIGN. Very good clue. Cleverly-obscured definition (Speak critically about), and dress = align doesn’t immediately occur. Not to me, anyway. |
| 24 |
TU TU. A tutu is a short skirt, so it provides limited cover for the legs. |
| 25 |
EATS, being both (K)eats and (Y)eats. |
| 27 |
Hidden in earliER GOspel. |
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