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Archive for June 2nd, 2008

Independent Crossword 6748 by Nimrod

Posted by NealH on 2nd June 2008

NealH.

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed

I was too stingy to buy the paper this morning, but I had a quick glance at the newsagents to find out who the compiler was. I believe it was Nimrod, but apologies if I’ve misremembered that. At any rate, it was a decent puzzle for a Monday morning - a good mixture of clues and not too difficult.

Across
1 Speak of the devil: Cryptic def. I’m not sure if Dickens was actually on old name for the devil or it’s just referring its use in exclamations (what the dickens ? what the devil ?).
9 Large port: o[pene]r in (leg trap)*.
10 Canal: I believe this is hidden in “American always”, although the wordplay doesn’t easily suggest that meaning to me.
11 Niagara: Again< + RA. Fairly standard clue for Niagara.
12 Arapaho: (Rap in AA + h) + o.
13 Take into account: Sort of double definition, but again I wasn’t completely convinced by the wording.
16 Electronegative: (entitle coverage)* + &lit (I think).
19 Triumph: double definition.
21 Taffeta: Fat< + feta.
22 Erica: Hidden in clerical.
23 In general: double definition (soldiers place trust in a general or any more senior officer).
24 Tom, Dick and Harry: Cryptic definition.
Down
1 Silent treatment: (me instant letter)*.
2 Earmark: arm in E ark.
3 Keep a list: double defintion (Pisa’s tower leans or lists).
4 Fiona: F + Iona.
5 Hit parade: (apartheid)*.
6 Dicta: DA around I ct.
7 Vanuatu: Van + UU around a t.
8 Lily of the Valley: (They all + lovely if)*.
14 Toothpick: Too thick around p + excellent cryptic definition.
15 Chaffinch: Chaff + inch.
17 Elitism: Not totally sure how to intepret this one - “The manufacture of cream”. There doesn’t seem to be any wordplay, so it must be cryptic. Is elitism the process by which the cream (elite) is made ?
18 In error: In [t]error.
20 Miami: MI + a + MI.
21 Tigon: (No git)<. A tigon is a tiger/lion hybrid.

Posted in Independent | 7 Comments »

Guardian 24,404 / Rufus

Posted by manehi on 2nd June 2008

manehi.

Apologies, but I have to rush off now, so just a quick post today. Nothing too difficult from Rufus, but still a few neat clues in here.

Across
1 COURTING DISASTER
10 EX,ONE,RATE
13 IMPARTIAL PART,I in (mail)*
14 VIOLETS (solveit)*
16 DECOCTS DECember, OCTober and Summer
18 RANK,LES
20 BOLSTER (lobster)*
21 ECCENTRIC double def, unless I’m missing something better
23 LUCRE LURE around C = a hundred
24 LICHI (chilli minus one l)*
25 NELL GWYNN not the strongest cryptic def.
26 GENERALISSIMO (realisingsome)*
Down
2 ON ONE’S OWN
3 REELS
4 DIARIES rev(I’d), ARIES = sign
6 SATIRICAL (racialist)* - not sure of “broadcast” as an anagrind.
7 ENNUI EN = in, NUI[t] = night, ENNUI = boredom, all in French
8 HEAD OVER HEELS
9 DRILL SERGEANT DRILL SERGE+ANT. Serge is a material, ANT is a worker, and, interestingly, DRILL can be either another material, or be classed as a “material worker”.
17 CATACLYSM C[ats] (staycalm)*
19 SYRINGA N+G in SYRIA
20 BACILLI BILL around AC, I - not sure how AC = (one) bill
22 CACHE sounds like “cash”

Posted in Guardian | 16 Comments »