Posted by nmsindy on 18th January 2008
A quick post - harder than usual from Phi with a theme - referred to after the clue explanations. Solving time, 29 mins.
< = reversed
ACROSS
10 SHOO(t) Definition = off!
11 DIURETIC
12 A US TEN
15 RE (p)LIABLE
18 BUTTER (c)UP
19 SPR(a)Y
27 DER ELIC(i)T
28 (do)SE CURE
DOWN
2 I AM BI
6 OBS TA (C) LE
8 PROP (E LL) ER
14 A QUIT A IN E
17 GRAF(t) FIT I
20 UNI TES set<
22 E AG(i)LE
Outside columns give LADYBIRD HONEYBEE
Posted in Independent | 2 Comments »
Posted by neildubya on 18th January 2008
| Across |
| 1 |
(MARIA FOLLOWING)*,E - WILLIAM OF ORANGE. “After the Reformation” is the anagram indicator so the capitalized R is more than a bit cheeky. |
| 9 |
DUMB,FOUND - great definition (”stump”) but does “see” mean the same as “find”? |
| 11 |
INGENUE - “genuine” with the IN moved. |
| 14 |
CORPORATION - which is an informal or facetious word for “paunch”. |
| 17 |
CONSUMPTION - great double definition clue: “Eating disorder…” |
| 18 |
DIG - as is this: “…like mine” |
| 20 |
TATA in RAT - RAT-A-TAT. |
| 23 |
LAMINAR - the only way I can parse this is as R (last of “your”), ANIMAL (meat) reversed but that would make “reject” as the reversal indicator but “reject” doesn’t mean to reverse or turn something around so have I read this one wrongly? |
| 26 |
REM (SINCE I)* - REMINISCE. |
| 27 |
BED AND BREAKFAST - I guess that a “second” is a B here (second letter of the alphabet) |
| |
| Down |
| 2 |
LIME GREEN - a reference to the novelist Graham Greene and Harry Lime, a character in “The Third Man“, a film with a screenplay by Greene (who also a wrote a novella of the same name). Lime was played - famously - by Orson Welles. A brilliant film and possibly my favourite ever. |
| 3 |
I, F in NUN |
| 6 |
AI,SEC in RAIN - RAISE CAIN. |
| 7 |
G in NUDE - “exposed” = in [the] NUDE. |
| 8 |
EVERT,ON |
| 15 |
O,AMM in RIFLE - ORIFLAMME always seems to crop up in crosswords, so much so that it’s the first thing I think of when I see “standard” in a puzzle. |
| 17 |
CO,RN,COB |
| 21 |
TUM,I’D - I liked “food processor” for TUM. |
| 22 |
T,HR,[-y]OB |
| 24 |
S in MINK |
Posted in Independent | 1 Comment »
Posted by Colin Blackburn on 18th January 2008
The grid pattern and setter meant a theme was there somewhere. It took a while for it to work out but in the end it’s spelled out across the middle of the grid. All the across entries bar 9,10 and 23 (ANTISOCIAL) contribute to or hint at the theme of the Channel Islands. The CI are famous for their knitwear, their cows and their liberal approach to tax and financial regulation. Brendan sensibly tackles the first two topics.
|
| Across |
| 7,17 |
FALKLAND ISLANDS — FLAK* + I in LANDS+LANDS — excellent, if disturbing, surface. |
| 9,10 |
FLOWER SHOW — FL + (WHO SWORE)* — Chelsea has one of these. |
| 11 |
SACRED COWS — cryptic def? — I’m reading this as a cryptic definition unless anyone can point me to any word play. |
| 12,25 |
YELLOW JERSEY — cryptic def. — what the leader of the Tour de France wears. |
| 14 |
ALDERNEY — ALDER + YEN< — a small cow named after the island. |
| 15,22 |
CHANNEL TUNNEL — sort of cryptic double def. — this can be read as a single cryptic definition. It can also be read as two definitions the second cryptic and the first referring to Napolean’s failed project to build the tunnel. |
| 20 |
KNITWEAR — (trun)K + (A WINTER)* — several of the CI also produce distinctive knitwear. |
| 24 |
SARK — double def. — the northern garment is a Scottish shirt, the association is with ‘knitwear below’, ie with Jersey and Guernsey. |
| 26 |
GUERNSEY — (US ENERGY)* — another island cow. |
|
| Down |
| 1 |
HASHEESH — HAS HE E? SH! — |
| 5 |
FOR CERTAIN — REFRACTION* — |
| 6 |
PEEWEE — WEEP< + EE — another name for the lapwing (from its lapping flight) aka peewit (from its call.) |
| 8 |
DACHAS — CAD< + HAS — |
| 21 |
NANTES — N+ANTES — here I’m assuming pool refers to the several antes put in by each plays, hence ANTES rather than ANTE. |
| 22 |
TILLER — double def. — perhaps a hint to the fifth major CI, Helm? |
Posted in Guardian | 4 Comments »