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Archive for April 28th, 2008

Guardian 24374 / Auster Holding things together

Posted by tilsit on 28th April 2008

tilsit.

Solving time: 12 minutes

Pleasant thematic start to the week, reminiscent of Altair’s puzzles, for those of an age.  A nice puzzle for those wanting to find their way into cryptics and themed puzzles.  With my purist’s hat on, I have a few reservations.

Hadn’t heard of 8 down before and not keen on 12 across as it part-uses an answer already in the grid.  13 across doesn’t quite work for me, either.  Nevertheless, good fun and thanks to Auster for a nice challenge.

Mood music:  Bad Penny Blues by the late, wonderful and incomparable Humphrey Lyttelton.  RIP Humph.

ACROSS     (*) = ANAGRAM  -  (R) = REVERSAL     (CD) =  CRYPTIC DEFINITION

1.   EMBOSS    EM (R)  +  BOSS (Master)

4   VACANT    VA (Virginia)  +  CANT

9   OPEN         O + PEN  (How to address the writer!)

10  ACCESSIBLE  ACCESS (Gate) = IB (1B) + LE   Definition = 9 across 

11  CANDID   CANDID (ATE)

12  OPEN BOAT  OPEN (9) + OB (R) + AT  I don’t like to see a word used again in a puzzle.

13  INGENUOUS  I presume  this is supposed to be INGENIUS with the second “I” replaced by a homophone for “You” (U), but what about the “O”. 

15  FREE  Double def

16  UNDO  Hidden answer - Discovered at just about works for me as a container indicator.

17  ASSASSINS  ASS + ASS (Fools) + IN (as in cricket) + S (Start to spinners) 

21  STALE AIR     ALE inside STAIR

22  SECURE   SEE around CUR

24  DAY-TRIPPER  (CD)

25  AJAR  A + JAR

26  HAS A GO    HA(S) + SAGO (Pudding loved by grannies loathed by schoolkids)

27  PATENT   PATIENT minus I

DOWN

1   EXPLAIN     EX + PLAIN

2   BONED       I don’t think this needs explanation!

3   SPANDAU  SP (Spanish - NOT in Chambers though!) + AND + AU  Prison where Rudolf Hess was held for many years.

5   ANSWER   A NSW (There are states outside the USA, you know!)  + RE (R)

6   ACID BURNS  A C.I.D. + BURNS

7   TILLAGE    TILL + AGE

8   OCTOPUS STRAPS   OCT + OPUS + STRAPS  Never heard of ‘em!

14  ENDPLATES  N PEDESTAL (*)

16  UNTEACH   U (Turn) +  CAN’T HE (*)

18  AUSTRIA    AUSTRALIA minus AL (Gore)

19  NOR’EAST  SENATOR (*)

20  GAPING    GA + PING

21  CRANE    RAN inside CE

 

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Private Eye/Cyclops 363 - Taboo

Posted by beermagnet on 28th April 2008

beermagnet.

Last time I wondered if C had gone a step too far with his capitalisation.
This time I wonder if he has gone a C too far.

Across
9 PITCH INTO PITCH (NIT)* 0
10 CRUDE C-RUDE
11 TIMES “X” Who owns the Times? The “Dirty Digger” does:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch#Criticism_and_controversy
12 GROVELLER (LEG OVER L R)*
13 PUB GRUB (UP)< B[i]G RUB The answer is “Local dish”. I always associate “Pub grub” with pies and pickled eggs, but there is some surprisingly good nosh in pubs these days as they try to keep afloat in the face of the general decline in pub attendance following the smoking ban.
16 SPY RING SP([Hillar]Y)RING  Ref: This “lot” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Five 
17 CAMPAIGN FUNDS CAMP A then FUN D inside (SIGN)* One of Cyclops’ long clues. It is only apocryphal that MPs are “coy” about revealing all their income - they have to, by law, so of course they do.
21 BESPEAK (BSE)* PEAK I’m still not sure of this definition: “Evidence (of)”
22 EXCRETE EX CRETE
24 REDUNDANT DUN inside (RANTED)*  Was this clue a bit obvious in its construction, or was it thus misleading?  Full clue:
Ranted about Brown getting in: “Not working” (9)
26 UNCUT [s]U[n] then CUNT with the N (for name) moved “two (to) the left”.  Clever use of “taboo word” when an anagram of good old King Cnut might have been just too obvious. Does Cyclops have to be careful about these things? (Certainly not) Is the Eye Crossy syndicated elsewhere or something? (I don’t know)  I must stop answering my own questions.  I suspect there is a misprint in the clue though - surely it should be “two to the left”.  Full clue:
Middle of Sun has taboo word: name moved two the left, so not censored (5)
28 ELFIN (LIFE)* [Gordo]N  That sort of slight
29 EJACULATE E (point) J[ack] (ACTUAL)* [sleaz]E
 
Down
1 EPITAPH PIT inside (APE)* H[ard]
2 ITEM IT ‘EM “The ones” is “Them” vulgarly “‘em”
3 CHASER CHAS (Brian = Prince Charle PAG Windsor) ER (Brenda = TQ)
4 SNOG Hidden in “haS NO Goolies”
5 NO NONSENSE DD
6 SCREW YOU SCREWY OU “Piss off” in the sense of “go away please”
7 BULL FIDDLE Last I put in.  I only got this from the checking letters and have only understood the construction as I type this. It is a “big instrument”. Bull is “Balls” and Fiddle from doctor as in “doctoring the accounts”  Full clue:
Balls placed over doctor’s big instrument (4,6)
8 PEERAGE CD and a nice one. It is rare that I appreciate Cryptic Definitions, but this one gets the favourite clue award:
Maybe a baron’s “bought it” (7)
14 BRASSED OFF  S[un] ED[itor] inside BRAS OFF Brassed off means “pissed” in the American sense Full clue:
Sixties feminists’ suggestion to their sisters, on catching Sun editor pissed? (7,3)
15 BRICKLAYER BRICK LAYER “Brick” is upper class(?) slang for a “good bloke”, but you must be careful to enunciate when calling someone a brick to their face - they may not think it is a compliment
18 PREGNANT DD
19 ABORTED (TOR[y])* inside ABED (”in the sack”)
20 HEATHEN HEATH E[liminate] N[egative] This one took me a stupidly long time to get - I mentally ran through a host of “Ex-PMs” but must’ve skipped The Grocer the first time
23 CAUCUS Homophone CORK US
27/25 CLAPTRAP CLAP (VD) TRAP (gin)

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