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Archive for January 23rd, 2008

Guardian 24292/Paul - The truth hurts: money talks

Posted by ilancaron on 23rd January 2008

ilancaron.

A classic Paulene challenge though no Araucarian cross-refs nor complex multi-word anagrams. But still some charming and clever clues… as per usual I always feel entertained and gratified having solved Paul. Lots of clever cryptic definitions and allusions in the wordplay.

Across

9 HAR(L)E,QUIN - to HARE is to “hurry”.
10 T,RUTH - the def is a CD referring to the “truth always hurts” I suppose. RUTH is “pity” and “climax in excitement” I suppose yields the ultimate T?
11 GA(S LAM)P - SLAM (for “slate”, as in criticize) in GAP
14 COIN,TRE[e],AU - our COIN’s “silver” and a birch is a kind of TREE. I thought this was the weakest clue in terms of surface.
16 STRAPPED FOR CASH - rather amusing CD.
19 POST(NAT)AL - ref. post-partum blues and the POSTAL service.
21 SH,TUM - from the Yiddish for shut up.
22 BR(OM)IDE - it’s a compound and OM is “Order of Merit” and one member of a union could be a BRIDE.
22 TOO,T(S[ore])IE - slang for your toe. TIE is our “relationship”.
25 A(EROP)LANE - rev(pore=opening) in A, LANE.

Down

1 GAME’S UP - two meanings
2 P,R(IS,ONE)R - I suppose “walls of RochesteR” are the first and last letters.
3 L(EG)ACY - what’s left!
4 [p]LUMP
5 UNFRUITFUL - haha. Dates are very useful cryptically as fruits and meetings.
7 PU(MI=rev(I’m))CE - PUCE is a dark purple.
8 WHEE[l]
14 CHEW THE FAT - two meanings, ref. Jack being lean and his wife not so.
15 UNHAMPERED - I suppose if you’ve forgotten your hamper, you’re…
17 PAN(PIP)ES - to PIP someone at the finish line is to “just beat” them… nice.
22 B,RRR - amusing clue. Third of feBruary is B and the 3R’s are what we tried to learn in primary school.
21 S(L)OPPY - soppy (sentimental) and sloppy (moist) are both wet.
23 TART - two antonymical meanings.

Posted in Guardian | 6 Comments »

Independent crosswords now online

Posted by neildubya on 23rd January 2008

neildubya.

The cryptic puzzle is here and the concise/simple puzzle is here.

Each puzzle is currently a day late - so the one on the website right now is yesterday’s Virgilius. Prize puzzles will be published a week late and Friday’s puzzle will appear the following Monday. They’re also not published under a setter’s byline.

Neil

Posted in Independent | 5 Comments »

Independent 6636 by Dac

Posted by nmsindy on 23rd January 2008

nmsindy.

This had everything you could ask from a daily cryptic from this top setter.   Excellent misdirection, great variety, and all with everyday words.  Flawless construction.  Solving time, 25 mins.

* = anagram

ACROSS

1 BROW BEAT

5 FOR FAR

11 MANI(c) KIN

12 TUITION  (U = university into it)*     A nice &lit, though in the surface reading, I’d hope it’s more than just ‘possibly’!

14 PERMA-TAN   Clue of the puzzle for me   “Redecorated most of apartment, using non-fade brown colour”  (apartmen)*

22 CHEQUER   “Checker”

25 DO (YE) NNE’S

DOWN

1 BIG (A = adult) MIST    Epic film ain’t “Gone with the Wind” or anything like that - it’s ‘big mist’!    Victorian novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon - Lady Audley’s Secret.   I got it from the worldplay once I’d crossing letters.

2 ORLANDO Bloom (actor).   Home of Disneyland in 7 down.

3 BREAKS NEW GROUND    Wembley having been recently rebuilt.

4 A RD EN (in in French)

7 FLO RID A   Refers to Andy Capp comic strip - but it had to be a US State so not too hard.

15 N EUROS IS

19 SOUP CO(r)N

22 CREDO   A cunningly concealed hidden, which was the last I solved.

Posted in Independent | 5 Comments »