Common abbreviations used
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
*(fodder) = anagram

Any Cinephile puzzle is always worth tackling and this one with a smokey theme is no exception. The Master was as devious as ever and I still do not understand certain wordplay below. But thanks to Geoff, I have since become wiser and have incorporated his contributions below …..

ACROSS
1 SKIPJACK Simple cha - jackfish is a fish and so is jack (any of various tropical and subtropical carangid fishes)
5 SPAVIN Ins of H in SPAIN. Spavin is a disease of the hock joint of horses, resulting from inflammation
9 LESBIANS Not a very cd
10 CLERIC *(circle)

12 FORETOOTH Ins of E Too (English also) in FORTH13 SNOUT dd Prison slang for tobacco/cigarette. Nose is snout and Tom Snout is a tinker character from A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream

14 QUID dd Chewing tobacco
16 GLISTEN G (good) LISTEN (audience do)
19 TWO-STEP The wordplay escapes me but Geoff said ” From a game played with young children “round and round the garden like a teddy bear, one step, two steps, tickle you under there”.
21 WEED Cha of WEE (little) D (duchess) The good Reverend is getting naughty and may be invited by Cyclops to compile a PE puzzle. Weed is of course slang for tobacco product
24 CIGAR Ins of I G (one end of pluG) in CAR for another smokey thing
25 PROSTRATE aIns of ROSTRA (platforms) in PTE *(pet)
27 POISON PO (petty officer or NCO) IS ON (performing)
28 ACTIVATE ACT (a parliamentary bill that has been passed) + ins of VAT (tax) in IE (that is)
29 TO DATE TOD (fox) ATE (had meal)
30 STATUARY dd

DOWN
1 SPLIFF SP (Spanish) L (learner/student) IF (providing) F (note)
A spliff is a West Indian slang for a joint of marijuana
2 INSURE *(I nurse)
3 JOINT dd for another marijuana smoke
4 CONCORD Ins of NCO in CORD
6 PALESTINE Ins of LEST (in case) in PAINE (libertarian)
7 VERMOUTH (ri) vermouth It is abbreviation for Italian vermouth and estuary is rivermouth
8 NICOTINE Ins of I COT (single bed) in NINE
11 SHAG dd for a kind of tobacco cut into shreds
15 UTTERMOST A punny way of saying utter the most
17 STOCKPOT Stock (have ) POT (starred item is anything that is smoked and in this case, pot or cannabis)
18 SONGBIRD Song *(little expense as in He acquired the painting for a song) + jail BIRD
20 PIPE dd for another smokey thing
21 WOODCUT This is a picture and court is woo; so how does the rest of the clue work? Thanks to Geoff, we now know this is a cha of woo + dc + ut
dc is an abbreviation for ‘da capo’ a musical term meaning ‘return to the beginning’
ut is an old name for the first note of the musical scale (now replaced with doh)
22 HAVANA HAV (e) AN A (article) for another smokey thing from Cuba
23 MERELY Me + rely (trust)
26 TWIST dd for a roll of tobacco

The Ft upload for today has not arrived on my computer, so If anyone has it and would like to go ahead, please do so.

Usual excellent puzzle from Monk with inventive treatments - solving time 27 mins.

* = anagram < = reversal

ACROSS

1 UNNATURAL (U-turn Alan)* This was clever because you were not sure which end was the definition and which was the anagram indicator.

6 MO SES Three points of the compass

9 DIS TURB (brut Sid)< Again good misdirection as containment was suggested

10 BIT TERN

11 RE (L) IC(h)

12 IMPORTUNE (merino tup)*

14 NOD Final letters

15 EMPIRE STATE This refers to the ‘King Kong’ film which ended with the ape falling off the Empire State Building. The clue reflects this cryptically (r = king, ape meets it - i.e. with the s falling off)*

17 W OMEN I N LOVE Women’s Insitute (WI) = organised ladies (novel)* = novel novel - third novel is definition - book by DH Lawrence

19 WAS First letters

20 PU (BL I) SHER From ‘publish and be damned’ BL = capsule of butanol, outside letters, I think.

22 PIT TA (at tip)<

21 P (OTTER) Y Good misdirection again - crossword convention allows the false capital in China

26 AVOCETS (Caves to)*

27 R URAL Did not confirm, but guess the River Ural flows through K.

28 SPEED BUMP Cryptic definition Jaguars = cars going faster after going over this.

DOWN

1 (j)UDDER lower = one who lows = cow

2 NE (S-T L) ED

3 TRUNCHEON (c on the run)* c = caught (cricket)

4 RABBIT PUNCH The individual parts separately defined in the wordplay

5 LOB Cryptic definition (from tennis)

6 MATER (mother in Latin) -thanks, Richard Palmer, for explaining this = mater (agent noun, one who mates).

7 SPECULA (capsule)* plural of speculum

8 SENSELESS Every letter except the L is a direction

13 PARLOUR GAME (Reap glamour)*

14 NEWS PAPER More points of the compass. Daily Express and in theory = on paper which describes this cryptically (down clue)

16 SHE EP F OLD

18 MOBSTER hidden reversal

19 WATT EAU (water for Monet i.e. in French)

21 IDEA L

23 AES OP sea< Aesop’s fables

25 (No)YES The poet Noyes.

After yesterday’s walk in the park with Logodaedalus I was braced for a tough challenge today, and it was a delight to get this celebration of Araucaria’s 50th anniversary (even though I didn’t even notice the rubric until after solving a few clues). Obviously getting 12ac/19dn is essential to solving the puzzle, and Araucaria kindly provides an easy clue for the thematic answer. But there were still plenty of other meaty clues to enjoy, though there were a couple where I couldn’t see the wordplay - suggestions welcome.

Happy “birthday” Araucaria, and many happy returns.

Key:
dd = double definition
* = anagram
< = reverse

Some less familiar words this week, solving time, 25 mins

* = anagram < = reversed

ACROSS

1 TA R (AD) IDDLE

9 S (L) INGER This was my last - I thought the Spice Girl was going to be Ginger but it turned out to be singer. Refers to David and Goliath from the Old Testament.

10 A CAD E (first in English) ME HE in clue = Higher Education

11 A GO NISED (Denis)*

12 ICIER “I see ‘er”

13 BUD DHA (had)*

14 I R (RIT) ATE rit = abbrev for musical direction to slow down

15 CE (RE) MENT One of the unfamiliar words, but wordplay was straightforward

18 I’M PORT (left - at sea for example)

20 LET IN = Admit (allow to enter) Both the names in the clue contain ‘let’

21 TE (LE CA) ST International = test (match) (cricket)

24 SE (RIEM) A (mire)*

25 GET DOWN = duck (vb)

26 BLACK S HEEP Uriah Heep from Dickens

DOWN

1 T(he) USK Took me a while to see this

2 RAIN-GOD go in (Indra)* Collins confirms that Indra dispenses rain

3 DO G IN THE MANGER do = party (men gathering)*

4 D OR IS Day film star, actress and singer, happily still around

5 L (E) ANDER e = energy From Greek mythology, lover of Hero who drowned

6 BASIDIOMYCETES (Daisy it becomes)* Took me a while to work this out.

7 MEDINA (maiden)* Mahomed is buried there

8 WE A R (I) EST

13 BACK LASH cf lack bash

16 RE (TAR) D

17 NET BALL

19 ON (S HO R) E

22 LO GIC cig<

23 SNAP pans<