Posted by stan on 14th April 2008
Short of time to give much explanation here, but the answers were pretty straight I thought. The only ones I had a problem with were SOURDOUGH (it is North American prospector) and I only think that SLUG is the answer to 27ac.
ACROSS
1 O-PINION (Eileen correctly informs me it’s not O-PEN-TOP)
5 LASAGNE
10 SA(I)D
11 HOT-TEN-TOTS
12 CEREAL
13 ABSTRACT
14 SOUR-DOUGH
16 LASS-O
17 CASTE
19 STAGEHAND
23 RATION-A-L
24 LIBIDO
26 CONVALESCE
27 SLUG
28 USURERS
29 CYGNETS
DOWN
2 PLACE-BO
3 NUD-GE : (E.G DUN) in reverse , where “dunning” is the process of chasing payment.
4 OT-HELLO
6 AVERS-E
7 AFTERMATH
8 NOTICES
9 STRAIGHT FLUSH
15 RETRIEVER
18 AT A LOSS
20 GALLERIES
21 NO DOUBT
22 ANG(L)ER
25 BA-SIN
Posted in Guardian | 11 Comments »
Posted by NealH on 14th April 2008
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed
The nuclear accident theme of some of the clues helping me to get off to a flying start on this, but then I started to struggle, with my lack of general knowledge letting me down on things like Oresteia and Malaprop.
| Across |
| 9 |
Uraninite: Unite around ran + i. |
| 10 |
Hunch: Not completely sure about this but I’m assuming it’s hunch[back]. |
| 11 |
Leacock: I think this is Le + a + cock. Tees’s habit of using specific people to clue general things threw me again on this one, as I assumed “Voltaire’s the first” must be a V rather than just the French word for “the”. |
| 12 |
Torture: I assume this is just a soundalike of “teacher”, although it’s stretching homophony a bit too far for me. |
| 13 |
Acre: Are around c. |
| 14 |
Metabolism: (mobile mast)*. |
| 16 |
Applies: Apples around i. |
| 17 |
Payroll: Poll around Ayr. |
| 19 |
Cloudburst: (Tudors club)*. |
| 22 |
Semi: Cryptic def. |
| 24 |
Deficit: Deft around ICI. |
| 25 |
Cryptal: C + (partly)*. Good deception in the use of partly as the anagram word. |
| 26 |
Nasal: Hidden. |
| 27,4 |
Radiation Sickness: I assume this is an &lit + anagram, but can’t quite work out what the anagram is. On the face of it, it looks like “Risk associated + [ur]ani[um]“, but there aren’t 2 Ns, so it doesn’t quite work. |
| |
| Down |
| 1 |
Nuclear Accident: (certain a clue CND)* + & lit. |
| 2 |
Malaprop: (or pal)< in map. |
| 3 |
Nixon: Nix on. |
| 5 |
Bertha: berth A. |
| 6 |
Chernobyl: Cheryl around nob. |
| 7 |
Annuli: Another one I’m not entirely sure about. I think it’s Ann + Uli. |
| 8 |
Three Mile Island: (I shall determine)*. |
| 15 |
Windscale: Wind + scale. |
| 17 |
Postcode: Post + cod + e. Zip (code) is the US equivalent of a postcode. |
| 18 |
Oresteia: (easier to)*. |
| 20 |
Offish: Of fish. |
| 21 |
Upturn: Up + turn. |
| 23 |
Dylan (Thomas): Seems to be hidden in “bloody language”, but I’m not clear how that is being indicated by the clue. |
Posted in Independent | 7 Comments »
Posted by beermagnet on 14th April 2008
A couple of capitalisations in the clues here attempt to misled that extra step - some might say a step too far.
| Across |
| 1 |
EGGCUP e.g. G-Cup |
| 5 |
TO BE SURE T(ime) RU back in OBESE |
| 9 |
GIVING HEAD Generous educating person |
| 10 |
OGLE O-(LEG)* First that I wrote in |
| 11 |
STIGMA (GITS)<-MA |
| 12 |
HORNY DD |
| 14 |
DREAMT-UP Anag (NEW PM REAL TURD) without an R and L |
| 16 |
PRIMLY RIM in PLY Cyclops has clued the most innocuous word in the grid in the rudest way |
| 17 |
UTERUS (TRUE)* inside the US from Bushes heart |
| 19 |
REFLEXES FLEX inside REES The “former Hom. Sec.” is Merlyn REES from the 70s ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merlyn_Rees ) who might be unknown to younger solvers. But is FLEX synonymous with “contract”? Last I put in and then only because it fits the crossing letters and the definition. Full clue:
Gut reacions of former Home Secretary bagging contract (8) |
| 21 |
ODDLY 2nd last in - For a long time I thought it was going to be ODDIE from the definition (”a git”), which it cannot be from the crossing Y. It was only while writing this blog I saw it - the odd letters of “Anglia TV” are “AGIT”. Full clue:
Thus could Anglia TV be taken to be a git (5) |
| 22 |
ALLEGE LEG in ALE Oh not piss = ale again |
| 25 |
SOAK S(uck) O(ff) A(ctor) K(night) A bit contrived |
| 26 |
EPIGLOTTIS (G-SPOT IT LIES)* |
| 27 |
WHITE TIE |
| 28 |
YO-HO-HO Reminded me of the childrens’ cartoon “Yo-ho Ahoy” - recommended viewing (just the once will do) |
| |
| Down |
| 2 |
GLITTERATI LITTER in (A GIT)* |
| 3 |
CLING CL[EAR]ING I found this terribly obvious |
| 4 |
PAGEANT AGE (”to get on”) about PANT (”Puff”) |
| 5 |
TOE THE PARTY LINE It took several crossing letters before this became clear, but it is solidly clued.
TOE (”Reportedly pull”) THE (”article”) PARTY (”social”) LINE (”dose of cocaine”) |
| 6 |
BAD TRIP <shudder> |
| 7 |
STORYLINE S TORY-LINE |
| 8 |
RULE DD |
| 13 |
OLD ENGLISH (SOD IN HELL G)* |
| 15 |
AIR POCKET Nick as in steal - sneaky capital:
This should interrupt the smooth rise of broadcast by Nick (3,6) |
| 18 |
SADDEST S(enate) (DEAD)* ST |
| 20 |
FRAILTY AIL-[doors]T[epper] inside FRY (”Cook”) - another naughty capitalisation:
It’s a weakness of Cook, welcoming trouble (doorstepper at heart) (7) |
| 23 |
LATCH C(amilla) in LATH |
| 24 |
TOSH T(urn) O(ver) SH (be quiet) |
Posted in Private Eye/Cyclops | 5 Comments »