Posted by NealH on 9th June 2008
*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed
I haven’t done a lot of Monk puzzles but those I have done I found relatively straightforward. This was no exception and I completed it fairly quickly (about half an hour, which is quick for me). There was only one (13 across) which I could’t quite follow.
| Across |
| 1 |
Legal aid: E gala in Lid. |
| 5 |
Tarmac: T + CAMRA< (CAMRA being the Campaign for Real Ale). |
| 9 |
Crows foot: (Cow sort of)* |
| 11 |
Dylan: Hidden in body language. |
| 12 |
Tapioca: i[nt]o + CA on tap. The purists might argue with the indirect clueing of “on tap” as “readily available”, but it’s very clever. |
| 13 |
Armoire: Didn’t really follow this - “Cabinet minutes pinched by girl dropped into river”. Looks like m inside a girl’s name inside a river, but I can’t work out the components. |
| 14 |
Butterfingers: B + utter + fingers (handles as a verb rather than a noun). One of the better disguised clues. |
| 16 |
Introspective: (priv[a]te section)*. |
| 20 |
Shallow: hall in sow. |
| 21 |
Sustain: US in stain. Another well-disguised clue. |
| 23 |
Ibiza: Ibi[s] + ZA. South Africa is usually SA, so I was tempted to put Ibisa as a possible alternative spelling. However, ZA is also allowed (stands for Zuid Afrika). |
| 24 |
Small beer: double definition. |
| 25 |
Kennel: Ken + Len<. Man’s best friend = dog. |
| 26 |
I dare say: Ares in I day. |
| Down |
| 1 |
Locate: Double def. Although locate was the obvious answer, I had some doubts until I checked the dictionary definition to find it can mean to place someone. |
| 2 |
Gloop: G + loop. |
| 3 |
Lash out: La shout. Miles Kington would have been proud. |
| 4 |
Isolated pawns: (L antipodes saw)* |
| 6 |
Abdomen: (bemoan)* around d. |
| 7 |
Millipede: cryptic (pins = legs). |
| 8 |
Contessa: Cryptic. Took me a while to figure this one out (early = like an Earl). |
| 10 |
Traffic island: Traffic + island. The “dodgy” looked a bit, well, dodgy since it isn’t really needed, but the dictionary does give “illegal or dishonest trading” as a definition. |
| 14 |
Battalion: TA in bat + lion. |
| 15 |
Lipstick: cryptic def (trap = mouth). |
| 17 |
Oil cake: O I + c in lake. |
| 18 |
Insular: (urinals)*. |
| 19 |
Energy: (y green)* + &lit. |
| 22 |
Avers: [R]avers. |
Posted in Independent | 8 Comments »
Posted by Uncle Yap on 9th June 2008
Common abbreviations used
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
* = anagram
An easy start to the week on a day when stress should be avoided. Do you know that more people report sick and see a physician on a Monday than any other day of the week? Rufus, it’s not your fault, really.
Across
1 THREE-QUARTER dd a rugby player
8 ELASTIC cd somehow I think material would make a better first word as describing elastic as a commodity is a bit of a stretch (sorry, I could not resist that :-)
9 USING UP I have my misgiving about this clue. If the answer were used up, then Fully deployed an umbrella, for example? (4,2) would have been perfect. Nevertheless, a fun clue
11 ILL FAME I take issue with the definition; can ill fame be enjoyed? Infamy or notoriety of a sick star (3,4) would have bought it for me
12 PASTEUR A glorious &lit *(a purest) of Dr Louis Pasteur (1822–1895)
13 RIDGE (part) ridge
14 UP THE POLE Very punny
16 CAFETERIA *(tea if care)
19 FACET Ins of E (point) in FACT. The beauty of this clue is that it is &lit but it is too easy to solve as 80% of the answer is revealed in one word in the clue
21 TURNING dd
23 ECLIPSE Ins of CLIPS (prunes the hedge?) in EE (points repeated)
Another instance of repeating the same device (point for East or E) in the same puzzle (see 19A) Tuttut
24 DESPITE Ins of SPIT (sandbank) in River DEE
25 MUFFLES dd
26 TWELFTH NIGHT If music be the food of love, play on.
A most delightful (but very easy) clue
Down
1 TRAILED dd
2 RAT RACE Cha of RAT (desert) RACE (people)
3 EXCHEQUER Homophone of ex-checker (former supermarket cashier)
4 USURP cd A successful pretender to the throne must be an usurper
5 RE-ISSUE *(U series)
6 EL GRECO Cha of EL (this or the in Spanish) GRECO (Greek or Attic)
7 RECIPROCATED *(I accept order)
10 PERFECT TENSE Cha of PERFECT (ideal) TENSE (drawn)
15 TRADESMAN *(master in)
17 FORESAW *(was foes)
18 TRIVIAL Ins of IV (four) in TRIAL (test)
19 FULL FIG Cha of FULL (mature) FIG (fruit) Not a very common term (not in Chambers and One-Look does not even feature it) “En grande tenue. ” Probably “fig” is the contraction of figure in books and journals of fashion, and full fig. would mean the height of fashion. It is outrageous to refer the phrase to the fig-leaves used by Adam and Eve, by way of aprons
20 CAPULET Excellent cd. Luckily I know my Romeo & Juliet with the warring Montague and Capulet houses. See, taking all those yoghurt did help … I am definitely more cultured now.
22 GUEST With G?E?T, there are only great, greet and guest. If I have to guess, I will opt for GUEST but I have absolutely no idea how to explain this one-word clue. Any thoughts? Post-script : Apparently the clue should be Thought I heard a visitor (5) in which case the answer GUEST is a homophone for guessed.
Posted in Guardian | 14 Comments »
Posted by beermagnet on 9th June 2008
Solving time : 3 pints
Blogging time: 1 pint (just to make up the half, like)
Currently drinking: Marston’s Pedigree
| Across |
| 1 |
BUSH BABY Yo Pres! Did Telly Savalas ever meet GWB or his pa? |
| 5 |
FETISH (HE’S FIT)* Nice anagram |
| 11 |
RE-ELECTED (LET DECREE)* Hold on - was he elected the first time? Full clue:
Brown would like to be let off with decree (2-7) |
| 12 |
RUTLAND RUT LAND Does “Get off!” give “land”? Get down might |
| 14 |
PLACEBO PLACE B.O. We’ve seen BO occasionally in the Eye Crossy (and lucky if you only see it given the current weather, espec. on the tube) |
| 15 |
GAGGING FOR IT DD I think. Not sure about the first definition or wordplay: “Supporting computers, etc.” I suppose computers is I.T. but “supporting” is a bit loose for “gagging for”. What am I missing? |
| 18 |
GLUE SNIFFING CD |
| 21 |
ORGANIC ORGAN [b]IC Sweet clue:
Penis possibly extended by capless biro - it’s grown, naturally (7) |
| 23 |
TANGIER [b]ANG (shag without boyfriend’s head) inside TIER (line) Tricky clue this:
African place forms line, pressing to shag boyfriend’s head off (7) |
| 24 |
SKEW-WHIFF S KEW WHIFF |
| 26 |
IRONY IRON [tor]Y “Like coppery only with iron” (c) 1917 Pte Baldrick |
| 27 |
SEPOYS (YES-S PO)* Hmm, my spillchucker wants to change this to “sexpots” |
| 28 |
EYELINER EYE LINER |
| |
| Down |
| 1 |
BICARB BIC (BRA)* |
| 2 |
SNOTTY DD or one straight def. Take your pick |
| 3 |
BETRAYALS (YATES LAB R)* Rather obvious anagram indicator I thought - “Dicky”. It might mislead if there existed someone well-known as “Dicky Yates” but I can’t find one |
| 4/25 |
BARFLY BARF L[a]Y This had me scratching my head for a while. I only cracked it after considering how words that extend over two lights always seem to be real (in this case for instance 3-letter) words in their own right, despite the whole is one word letter count (6) |
| 6 |
ENEMA E (AMEN)< |
| 7 |
IN THEORY (TORY IN EH)* (Another really obvious anag indic) |
| 8 |
HIDEOUT HIDE OUT Favourite clue award here. Dennis Skinner may be known as a number of things, top parliamentary attendee, (affectionately) “The Beast of Bolsover”, but he’s not known publicly as “Den”. If I’d realised that I might have got it sooner:
Den Skinner’s thing (openly gay) (7) |
| 9 |
KEEPING FIT (PEE)< inside KING; FIT |
| 13 |
DOG BISCUIT CD |
| 16/10 |
FINANCIAL CLOUT FIN (CALCULATION)* |
| 17 |
DUNG-HEAP DUN; HE inside GAP |
| 18 |
GROUSES G (force) ROUSES (knocks up) This had me convinced for a long time there was a reverse in the wordplay. Tricky:
Force knocks up bitches (7) |
| 19 |
DISOWN DI’S OWN |
| 20 |
PRAYER R inside PAYER |
| 22 |
NEWLY NELLY change an L to a W Is it really old-fashioned to be called a Nelly? About the same as “berk” I would’ve thought. (Later after consulting dictionary) Blimey. I had no idea it not only means “twit”, or “foolish person” as the Chambers entry would have it, but is also, and perhaps primarily, rhyming slang “Used as a disparaging term for an effeminate homosexual man” from Nelly Duff / Puff. Though thankfully, “Not on your Nelly” (which is how I’m wont to use the word) gets its own separate entry where Nelly = “life”.
Here endeth today’s slang lesson. |
Posted in Private Eye/Cyclops | 3 Comments »