Posted by smiffy on 26th June 2008
In the interests of timely publication, I’ve kept annotations to a minimum today. Nothing too untoward here, although the repeated use of “shock”=hair seems a touch gratuitous, and a couple of the single letter/abbreviation indicators are in questionable territory.
Across
1 BO(TT)LE
5 SCHOONER - double def’n, although I tend to think of a schooner glass rather than bottle.
9 OPERETTA - (a tree top)*
10 BEAK,ER
12 PHYSIC[-s],A,L
14 HAIR OF THE DOG - “setter” and “shock” are both stalwart cryptic indicators, and probably instantly familiar to seasoned solvers.
18 C,LOSING TIMES - “Copyright”=c is my bone of contention here. Isn’t that the slippery slope towards “Dollar”=$=s or “At”=@=a…?
22 WASHED UP - literally and figuratively.
25 BRA,N(D)Y
26 GO,B,LET
27 TUMB(L)ERS - (best rum)*. Again “port”=left=L strikes me as tenuous. Although, maybe no more so than the more readily accepted “student”=L in 12Ac?
28 EGG TIMER - (get grime)* and an &lit, thanks to the phrasing as a question.
Down
2 OP,POSE
3 TAR, NISHES - (shines)*
5 SHAM,POO - cryptic def’n, albeit telegraphed by “shock”.
6 HOB,B[-adl]Y
7 OK,A,PI
8 ELEVATOR - (leaver to)*. A seamless join between anagrind and anagram fodder.
15 TIME BOMBS
16 EN,SNARLED
19 I(C)E - a nice idea, but probably not quite an &lit this time.
21A,D,ORES
23 HE,LOT
24 DA(T.U.)M
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Posted by John on 26th June 2008
My goodness me. What a mountain to climb. Well, at least I’ve filled everything in, but one or two I don’t quite understand; when they are explained no doubt I’ll be full of admiration, but in some cases I think I do understand and am a bit sceptical.
| Across |
| 1 |
POINT OF NO RETURN - not sure: it seems to be something about ‘no’ being returned to make ‘on’ - the definition seems to be ‘You must go on [=continue] here’, and ‘on FO’ returned is ‘of no’, but I sense I’m missing something |
| 9 |
concerT ETC On - hidden rev. Since ‘on’ is part of the wordplay, the reversal has to be indicated merely by ‘comeback’, despite the temptation to read it as ‘on comeback’; and this is barely OK in my opinion |
| 10 |
IMPRUDENT - probably very clever, but I don’t see this |
| 11 |
INSURANCE - very difficult, but just about OK I think: the def. is ‘Cover’; the anagram indicator is ‘hurriedly’; it’s the reverse of (ran c(astle)) around [walls] (in use)*, in other words (in use)* around (ran c(astle)) |
| 12 |
VI DEO |
| 13 |
ALIMONIES - (semolina)* around i. I don’t quite understand the def. |
| 16 |
COCO A |
| 18 |
EMEND - I think this is a cryptic way of saying ‘me, in the end’. Excellent |
| 19 |
CARTLOADS - lo in (c art ads) |
| 20 |
TIDAL - (l adit)rev. - ‘full back’ means ‘all of it back’ |
| 22 |
BA(ROME)TER - ‘bated breath’ - this isn’t the only time in this crossword that the question mark really refers to a word earlier in the clue |
| 25 |
ULTIMATUM - (mutual)* around tim |
| 26 |
ALI BI (I am the greatest - Muhammad Ali) |
| 27 |
INDUSTRIAL WASTE - CD |
| |
| Down |
| 1 |
PROXIMA CENTAURI - (Puerto Rican)* around (x I’m a) - ’On the cover of’ indicates the containment - good clue |
| 2 |
INTESTINE I think, but I don’t see this. ‘Test’ is the international perhaps, but … |
| 3 |
TUT OR |
| 4 |
FEIGN - GI rev, in fen, although ‘Cambridgeshire’ seems a bit loose, despite the question mark |
| 5 |
OPPRESSOR - poor* around press |
| 6 |
E QU IV 0 CA L |
| 7 |
UPEND - n dupe, with ‘upe’ cycling to the front |
| 8 |
NATIONAL SERVICE - nice around (Slovenia art)* |
| 14 |
OLD FLAMES - (molls fade)*, &lit. |
| 15 |
IN CUB ATOR - I can’t understand the ‘ator’ - surely not ‘a tor’, tors being particularly found in Devon? |
| 17 |
COA(TT A 1)LS |
| 21 |
DATED - does this quite work? ‘Dated’ means ‘Went out’ and also ‘went out years ago’, but it doesn’t mean ‘Went out’ and ‘years ago’, and in the lovers’ meeting sense it doesn’t mean ‘went out years ago’ so it isn’t an &lit. |
| 23 |
RUM BA(BA) |
| 24 |
M(1 A)OW |
Posted in Independent | 7 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on 26th June 2008
Fairly straightforward puzzle, I thought - solving time, 16 mins
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
5 LIBE (RA) L
7 RO UGH OR<
9 M (INNESOT) AN (tension)*
10 GO (S) H hog<
11 DYNAMO (Monday)*
13 R HE TOR IC
14 HER TFORDHSIRE (hero drifts)*
16 CANNIBAL cf Hannibal
18 E (NG) ELS
20 GILL Double definition - not sure if drink is still sold in that measure.
21 CONS PIRACY
22 GEN I.E.
24 H US BAND
DOWN
1 OB A N
2 B (RUSH) O F F
3 O RANGE
4 BUR (GEO) NING (ego)*
5 LA (IT) Y
6 LITERARY LUNCH Cryptic definition - hoping this is right and am fairly confident it is but it’s not in my dicts as a phrase.
8 HO STILE
12 A (DR ENA) LINE
14 HE A RING
15 SHE E PISH Rider Haggard’s novel, well known to solvers.
17 B(l)ACKER Take out the l = left
19 L U CID
20 R O AM
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Posted by diagacht on 26th June 2008
Apologies for a rather brief blog today.
| Across |
| 1 |
DEVILS ADVOCATE: DEVIATE around anagram of CALVADOS (without an ‘A’) |
| 9 |
UKRAINIAN: UK RAIN + IAN |
| 10 |
PROMO: PRO + MO |
| 13 |
DIASTOLE: AID (reversed) + STOLE (liturgical garment) |
| 14 |
CAVEAT: AVE in CAT |
| 19,12 |
CABERNET SAUVIGNON: anagram of SOT CRAVING BEAUNE + N (drop of Niersteiner) |
| 22 |
UPPERMOST: PERM in anagram of POUTS |
| 25 |
CALVE: L in CAVE |
| 26 |
BASTINADO: T (turnip top) in BASIN + ADO |
| 27 |
O TEMPORA O MORES: anagram of ROOM ROOM (double room) A STEEP. A quotation from Cicero’s First Speech against Catiline. It means ‘Oh what a time! Oh what customs!’ |
|
| Down |
| 1 |
DOUBLE DECLUTCH: DOUBLE DUTCH around CE (backwards) + L |
| 2 |
VERBENA: VERA around BEN |
| 3 |
LEICESTER: ICE in LESTER |
| 4 |
ACID SALT: anagram of CAST LAID |
| 6 |
CAPRI: half CAPRIcious |
| 8 |
GOING TO THE DOGS: &Lit |
| 15 |
AVERROISM: AVER + IS in ROM. Reference is to the 12C philosopher Ibn Rushd |
| 16 |
FANTASIA: U in CAPLET. Reference to Romeo and Juliet |
| 18 |
CAPULET: A DIG in PARM(a) (Italian city lacking a) |
| 20 |
NOT FAIR: IR (one river) + AFTON (Scottish river) all reversed |
| 21 |
BOOBOO: BOO BOO (repeatedly voice disapproval) |
| 24 |
RHEUM: HE (explosives) in RUM |
Posted in Guardian | 9 Comments »
Posted by Pete Maclean on 26th June 2008
So, I am getting to know Falcon now. This was a little more difficult than the few of his I have done before. Clue 5A in particular took me a while.
Across
1. CHRONIC - CHRONIC[le]
5. CABOOSE - B + OO (ducks) in CASE (situation). I know “caboose” in the American sense of a guard’s van. I had no idea until I solved this clue that it could mean a galley.
9. TACIT - I (one) in TACT (discretion)
10. ALDERSHOT - ALDERS (trees) + HOT (all the rage)
11. AT PRESENT - anagram of TAP + ENTER + S (son)
12. EERIE - [gr]E[at] in ERIE (lake)
13. LEIGH - s[LEIGH]t. A reference to Vivien Leigh.
15,18. JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON - JUMP ON (attack) + THEBAN (old Greek) + WAG (comedian) + ON
19. ALEPH - anagram of A HELP
21. AMISH - [h]AMISH
23. CHARACTER - double definition
25. CHAIRLIFT - cryptic definition
26. ALERT - R (first of riders) in A (a) + LET (lease)
27. BOOZE UP - BOOZE (audible cries) + UP (at college)
28. NON-STOP - N (an indefinite number) + ON (on) + ST (street) + OP (work)
Down
1. CATCALL - CA (about) + T (time) + CALL (telephone)
2. RECEPTION - double definition
3. NOTKE - anagram of TENKO. I don’t think I had ever heard of him before but Bernt Notke was the most important German painter and sculptor in his times (the late 1400s).
4. CLARET JUG - T (top of table) in CLARE (girl) + JUG (pitcher). The Claret Jug is a golf trophy.
5. CADET - anagram of ACTED
6. BARCELONA - anagram of REAL BACON. Must remember this the next time I am in Spain!
7. OTHER - [m]OTHER
8. EXTREME - double definition
14. HAWTHORNE - anagram of WHO RAN THE
16. MANHATTAN - MAN (fellow) + anagram of THAT + AN (an)
17. TREATMENT - anagram of MATE in TRENT (river)
18. BEAR CUB - BEAR (bring) + CUB (cheeky young boy)
20. HARDTOP - HARD (durable) + TOP (something made for many a spin)
22. IDAHO - I[llinois] D[eny] A[nybody] H[as] O[ne]
23. CHIMP - CH (church) + IMP (devil)
24. AGAIN - A (a) + GAIN (growth)
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