Guardian 24,452 - Arachne
Posted by Uncle Yap on 28th July 2008
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram
I have just been told that this is my blog. Better late than never.
Quite an easy start to the week
ACROSS
9 MACMILLAN *(Camilla M for married N for name) Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC (1894–1986) was a British Conservative politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963. Well known in Malaysia as he presided at UK Premier when Malaya became independent and Malaysia was formed.
10 SHEBA
11 GRAVE dd
12 ISHERWOOD Antony Sher, British actor
Sir Henry Joseph Wood, English conductor,
Christopher Isherwood (1904—1986), Anglo-American novelist
13 THEATRE *(at three)
14 ASHTRAY *(a trashy)
17 RIPON Rip off? no, rip on
19 BEE 3/9 or one third of the letters of Beethoven
20 ULTRA ha
21 THOREAU au-thor Take the au to the back and insert e (last letter of the)
22 THEBANS the bans (curses)
24 BREAKFAST *(baker) fast (cracking)
26 ASSES (m) asses
28 ASSET tv set
29 LARCENIST Ins of CEN in *(trials)
DOWN
1 SMUG rev gums
2 SCRAPE scrap + E
3 DILETTANTE Ins of L (student) in DIET (slim) TANTE (French for aunt)
4 PLAICE sounds like place (rank)
5 INCHOATE *(on the cia)
6 USER ha
7 DEMOCRAT De (Delaware) Mo (Missouri) C (circa or about) RAT (desert)
8 BAND B (black) and ; I do not like this kind of clue where 75% of the answer is given by the fodder. Oops, forgot to mention Blue are an English pop boy band consisting of four members: Lee Ryan, Duncan James, Antony Costa, and Simon Webbe. Together the band sold over 3.7 million records.
13 TAROT Ins of O (over) in tart (sharp)
15 HOUSEMATES simple cha
16 YEARS Ins of AR (a king) in yes
18 PROTEASE proteas (plants) E (first letter of excrete)
19 BRUTALLY Ins of RUT (sex) in BALLY, a euphemism for bloody, but almost meaningless.
22 TATARS *(start a)
23 ABSEIL Ins of BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy aka mad cow disease) in AIL
24 BEAR dd
25 KOTO Removal of Y (unknown) from KYOTO ; a Japanese musical instrument consisting of a long box with thirteen silk strings.
27 SATI *(its a) more familiarly “suttee”, an Indian widow who burned herself on her husband’s funeral pyre; the Hindu custom of so doing.
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