A fine crossword from Neo.
This was a classic Neo puzzle, full of erudition and fun, with a little general knowledge required to complete the grid, but everything clued in such a way that even if you hadn’t heard of say O’BRIEN or ASTARTE, the wordplay and crossers left you in little doubt as to what the answer is. Someone will no doubt point out that the NATO phonetic letter for J is Juliett (with two Ts), but Juliet is prevalent in internet searches, so fair game in Crosswordland.
Thanks, Neo.
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | ABERDONIAN |
Old Nandi bear mauled Granite Citizen (10)
|
| *(o nandi bear) [anag:mauled] where O = old
Aberdeen is known as the Granite City because many of its buildings are made from granite, and the Nandi bear is a legendary Kenyan animal. |
||
| 9 | BALI |
Indonesian location covered in cruciverbalists (4)
|
| Hidden in [covered by] “cruciverBALIsts” | ||
| 10 | KITCHENS |
Galleys long about which 8 knows? (8)
|
| ITCH (“long”), about which KENS (“knows” in Scots, so to an ABERDONIAN (answer to 8 ac)) | ||
| 11 | EUCLID |
Suggestion backed top mathematician (6)
|
| <=CUE (“suggestion”, backed) + LID (“top”) | ||
| 12 | OAR |
Maybe stroke acceleration among men (3)
|
| A (acceleration) among OR (other ranks, so “men”) | ||
| 13 | UNCLE SAM |
Pawnbroker finally makes a million in America (5,3)
|
| UNCLE (slang for a “pawnbroker”) + [finally] (make)S + A + M (milllion) | ||
| 15 | RUBRIC |
Massage deep — not hard instructions (6)
|
| RUB (“massage”) + RIC(h) (“deep”, not H (hard)) | ||
| 16 | TEA TRAY |
A treaty in motion that carries (3,4)
|
| *(a treaty) [anag:in motion] | ||
| 18 | AGAINST |
Not wanting a good person to invest profit (7)
|
| A + St. (saint, so “good person”) to invest GAIN (“profit”) | ||
| 21 | ANIMAL |
Savage mania uncontrolled — lithium used initially (6)
|
| *(mania) [anag:uncontrolled] + L(ithium) [used initially] | ||
| 22 | SPANIARD |
Spring tax returns for Nadal? (8)
|
| SPA (“spring”) + <=DRAIN (“tax”, returns) | ||
| 24 | SAT |
Lucifer leaving article on chair (3)
|
| SAT(an) (“Lucifer”) leaving AN (“article”) | ||
| 25 | OPEN UP |
Publisher engaging writer to speak freely (4,2)
|
| OUP (Oxford Univeristy Press) engaging PEN (“writer”) | ||
| 26 | ARACHNID |
A Hindu queen died bearing child — mite, say (8)
|
| A + RANI (“Hindu queen”) + D (died) bearing Ch. (child) | ||
| 28 | NAIF |
Green enthusiast sent west across island (4)
|
| <=FAN (“enthusist”, sent west) across I (island) | ||
| 29 | COTTAGE PIE |
Perhaps sheltered pig ate nuts for meal (7,3)
|
| *(pig ate) [anag:nuts] in COTE (“shelter”, as in dovecote) so “perhaps sheltered” | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | O’BRIEN |
Novelist in advance consuming cheese (6)
|
| ON (“advance”) consuming BRIE (“cheese”)
Edna O’Brien, who died two years ago, was an Irish novelist, playwright and poet. |
||
| 2 | BRACELET |
Pair suffer in charmed circle? (8)
|
| BRACE (“pair”) + LET (“suffer”) | ||
| 3 | TOPE |
Finest European booze (4)
|
| TOP (“finest”) + E (European) | ||
| 4 | WINSOME |
Enchanting pair happen to disavow origins (7)
|
| ((t)WINS (“pair”) + (c)OME (“happen”)) [to disavow origins (i.e. initial letters)] | ||
| 5 | INTERREGNA |
Bury hot displeasure rising in periods without leader (10)
|
| INTER (“bury”) + <=ANGER (“hot displeasure”, rising) | ||
| 6 | CAULDRON |
Scam involves old Scots river vessel (8)
|
| CON (“scam”) involves AULD (“old” in “Scots”) + R (river) | ||
| 7 | VINDICATED |
Rude sign shown to be justified (10)
|
| V (“rude sign”) + INDICATED (“shown”) | ||
| 13 | ULTRASOUND |
Extremely safe medical scan (10)
|
| ULTRA (“extremely”) + SOUND (“safe”) | ||
| 14 | SNAIL’S PACE |
In slow motion bring pins down into room (6,4)
|
| NAILS (“pins down”) into SPACE (“room”) | ||
| 17 | AS I SEE IT |
In my view unchanged, heartless Irish fool (2,1,3,2)
|
| AS IS (“unchanged”) + [heartless] EE(j)IT (“Irish” idiot or “fool”) | ||
| 19 | IRISH SEA |
Man’s situation is as heir ruined (5,3)
|
| *(is as heir) [anag:ruined]
The Isle of Man is situated in the Irish Sea. |
||
| 20 | ASTARTE |
Ancient deity (answer beginning with E) (7)
|
| A (answer, as in Q&A) + START (“beginning”) with E
Astarte was a Middle Eastern fertility goddess. |
||
| 23 | RAISIN |
Fruit is eaten by cats and dogs? (6)
|
| IS eaten by RAIN (“cats and dogs”) | ||
| 27 | AJAX |
Juliet in sober group with kiss for hero (4)
|
| J (Juliet, in the NATO phonetc alphabet) in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) (“sober group”) with X (kiss) |
The publisher in 25ac is surely Oxford University Press – full disclosure; I used to work there!
Steven @ 1 – of course it is, now edited. I’m currently working in the Higher Education sector, so an unforgivable typo on my part.
Learnt some more things British — the Irish idiot and Granite City, for example. Other than a couple of synonyms that had me scratching my head, this was good fun.
Liked UNCLE SAM, SPANIARD, COTTAGE PIE (liked ‘sheltered’ for ‘in COTE),
WINSOME and IRISH SEA.
KITCHENS
Is the cryptic grammar all right?
ITCH about which KENS
OBRIEN
Should we consider ‘in advance’ as ON?
Thanks loonapick and Neo.