Posted by neildubya on 24th January 2008
Some clever grid construction here as one phrase appears twice in the grid and there’s a Nina too (see 5a below for an explanation). I found this quite hard going in places - I guessed a few answers and I couldn’t get 27a at all. I also don’t understand 28a.
| Across |
| 5 |
SWORDS - in the unchecked squares in the left and right hand columns of the grid we have CLAYMORE and SCIMITAR, both types of SWORDS (I think this is what the reference to 8 4 - DOUBLE EDGING - is pointing to. And of course, crossing SWORDS is a confrontation. |
| 9 |
LIE,BIG - a whopper would be a BIG LIE. I’ve never heard of him but apparently he invented a condenser . |
| 10 |
ERA in OPTIC - not really sure what the surface reading is getting at. Some people might think that the clue should read “of Carmen, say/perhaps”. I couldn’t possibly commment. |
| 11 |
AS IF - don’t understand this one, apart from the definition: “Hypothetically, a riddle left unfinished”. |
| 16 |
ME,OP,C,I,PE< - not the most convincing of surface readings. |
| 18 |
A KEG in MOOD |
| 21 |
(CRIME)* - is MERCI a woman’s name, as well as the French word for “thank you”? |
| 24 |
OLGA - GAOL with the pairs of letters reversed. I think the definition (”one”) comes from the previous clue (where the definition was “woman”) as they are linked by ellipses. |
| 25 |
LAURA - AURAL with the L moved. Another “one” linked by ellipses. |
| 27 |
???ARIA,L(?) - couldn’t get this one. Full clue: “Severely criticise song accompanying what’s central to Tales of the Riverbank”. |
| 28 |
IBERIA - is this right? IBERIA is a peninsula but that’s as far as I can get: “Contents of tin for Russian peninsula”. |
| 30 |
EG,GONG (reversed) |
| |
| Down |
| 2 |
RE,ISSUE - I puzzled over this one for what seemed like ages until I realised that the definition made up most of the clue: “Response to demand for out-of-print book…” and that the wordplay was actually very simple: “on children”. |
| 4 |
DG,IN in EG - the “top bod at the Beeb” is the Director-General or DG. |
| 5 |
SHED,EVIL |
| 6 |
(RELEASE PONGS)* - ORANGE PEELS. |
| 8/1 |
(BOLD RESOURCES)* - DOUBLE CROSSER. A phrase which appears twice in the grid. |
| 12 |
(DO LIFE)*, A,GAIN. |
| 17 |
OWL in LYING - “like Fenland” is the lift-and-separate definition. |
| 22 |
C in CHOICE - nice &lit. |
| 23 |
RA,PIER - there seems to be a small misprint in the clue as 5 appears twice, when it’s only needed once (in reference to 5a). |
Posted in Independent | 16 Comments »
Posted by stan on 24th January 2008
As previous discussed, I’m not a nature-boy, but ”False Acacia” seems a tad obscure - oh well, thanks for the Botany lesson, Brummie. Otherwise quite a blood-thirsty set of clues todays with some great wordplay.
ACROSS
1 FALSE ACACIA - (a calais cafe)*
9 ON(STAG)E - to “go stag” means women not allowed
10 S-(w)ORRIER
11 CHAIN MAIL
12 BE-A-NO - i.e the opposite of “Be a ‘Yes’”
13 BODY-AR-M(O)UR - A stiff is a body; “ar” is the hesitation
14 C(LAW)-HAMMER - can be used for removing the nails it knocked it - superbly crafted clue
18 BEHIND BARS
19 E.G-A.D
21 LAPS-E
24 ETHANOL - “LO” backwards with an anagram of “the” with “an” - not such a satisfying clue
25 D(ANC)IN-G
26 PATERNALISM - (PARLIAMENTS)* - excellent and unexpected anagram
DOWN
1 FISH AND CHIP SHOP - I guess a carpenter would have a “chip shop”
2 LEA(R)N - i.e David Lean, director of “Lawrence of Arabia” etc.
3 Omitted on purpose
4 CA-SELAW - “Wales” “A/C” in reverse
5 CERE(BR)AL - “BR” is BRAIN reduced by 60%, Rye isn’t the town, it’s the cereal crop …
6 ANIMAL MAGNETISM
7 u(FO X CUB)e
15 INTERN-ET
16 BULLET-PROOF VEST - Cryptic Definition - the sort of “slugs” that come from a gun, not a garden
17 B-IPOLAR - B for Bass with (APRIL O)*
20 DO(TAG)E
23 FUN-GI
Posted in Guardian | 8 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on 24th January 2008
Some unusual words made this one a little harder for me than some recently from Quixote.
Solving time, 21 mins
Notes on some clues below, happy to explain others if asked.
* = anagram
ACROSS
12 OLD SA RUM (sold a)*
18 EL (OP) EMENTS Elements = bread and wine (from Christian service).
19 (g) O SLO (w) Extreme members = outside letters
DOWN
5 SPHALERITE (earth piles)*
8 SEPTUAGESIMA (I put a message)* 3rd Sunday before Lent - the day the puzzle appeared. Definition = today
17 HEN E QU(e)EN
Posted in Independent | No Comments »
Posted by Pete Maclean on 24th January 2008
A moderately easy and thoroughly splendid offering from Cincinnus this week. It is a bit heavy on double-definition clues but there’s nothing wrong with that especially since only one of them is a plain and simple example; the others are decidedly clever.
Across
1. HOLLOWAY - double definition
5. JIGSAW - WAS GI J[oe] reversed
9. REACTION - RE (sappers) + ACTION (combat)
10. STRAIN - double definition
11. TAHITIAN - A (a) + H (head for heights) in TITIAN (artist)
12, 14. DENTAL HYGIENISTS - anagram of SIGN IN TEETH SADLY
18, 22. ORANGES AND LEMONS - double definition. The clue refers to the English nursery rhyme that starts, “Oranges and lemons say the bells of Saint Clement’s”.
23. ASPIRATE - double definition
24. TARTAR - TAR + TAR (sailor twice) and double definition
25. ABSINTHE - A (a) + B[utler] + S (bearing) + IN + THE. I happened to read just today that, following repeal of a law banning it, a company has just started marketing an absinthe in the US for the first time in 100 years (at a stunning $75 per 750ml bottle).
26. ENLIST - L[ocker] + IS (is) in ENT (hospital department)
27. UXORIOUS - anagram of SIOUX FALLS. Pity there was no way to capitalize the ‘F’.
Down
1. HERETO - anagram of THE ORE
2. LOATHE - LO (old-fashioned look) + A + THE (articles)
3. OCTETS - vOiCeThEyTeSt
4. APOCALYPSE - cryptic definition referring to the movie Apocalypse Now
6. IN THE END - INTEND (mean) around H[ous]E
7. SMARTEST - anagram of MATTRESS
8. WINDLESS - double definition
13. WITNESS BOX - WITNESS (see) + BOX (tree)
15. ROULETTE - LET (allowed) in ROUTE (passage)
16. BALMORAL - MO (doctor) + RA (artist) in BALL (dance)
17. UGANDANS - anagram of A GNU + DANS (in French)
19. VIZIER - VIZ (adult comic) + IE (that is) + R (right). Viz is a British adult comic that, Wikipedia tells me, has been running since 1979. Curiously I have never come across it before.
20. CASTRO - C (leader in Caribbean) + A (a) + anagram of SORT. Oh my, what a fine &lit.
21. RECESS - double definition. And a truly brilliant one!
Posted in FT | 3 Comments »