The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/30066.
Here Tramp gives us principally simple clue structures, with a remarkable anagram at 1, 9A FERMAT’S LAST THEOREM. I think that the definition of 15D TIRAMISU scarcely suggests a dessert, yet alone a particular one.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1, 9 | FERMAT’S LAST THEOREM |
Scientific fact maybe lacking substance – flat-earthers most stupid (7,4,7)
|
| An anagram (‘stupid’) of ME (‘MaybE lacking substance’) plus ‘flat earthers most’. | ||
| 9 |
See 1
|
|
| 10 | COLOGNE |
Pass person inhaling good scent (7)
|
| An envelope (‘inhaling’) of G (‘good’) in COL (mountain ‘pass’) plus ONE (‘person’). | ||
| 11 | FECUNDATE |
Withdraw sheath for contraceptive during enjoyable time to get pregnant (9)
|
| An envelope (‘during’) of EC, a reversal (‘withdraw’) of CE (‘sheath for ContraceptivE‘) in FUN DATE (‘enjoyable time’). | ||
| 12 | CUT UP |
Focus for rescuing sheep in distress (3,2)
|
| A charade of CU (‘focus for resCUing’) plus TUP (‘sheep’). | ||
| 13 | EXPO |
Sexpot stripped for show (4)
|
| Just what it says: ‘[s]expo[t]’ minus its outer letters (‘stripped’). | ||
| 14 | STAY-AT-HOME |
Intimate squeezing partner’s core, relaxed in armchair? (4-2-4)
|
| A charade of STAY, an envelope (‘squeezing’) of T (‘parTner’s core’) in SAY (‘intimate’); plus AT HOME (‘in’). ‘Armchair’ as an adjective. | ||
| 16 | CULMINATES |
Destroying climate, sun reaches highest point (10)
|
| An anagram (‘destroying’) of ‘climate sun’. | ||
| 19 | BEAT |
Risk money accepting a flutter (4)
|
| An envelope (‘accepting’) of ‘a’ in BET (‘risk money’). | ||
| 21 | MANGA |
Form of comic, Mark, with one short joke (5)
|
| A charade of M (‘Mark’) plus AN (‘one’) plus GA[g] (‘joke’) minus its last letter (‘short’). | ||
| 22 | REPROBATE |
Rake with money returned to pick up sex worker (9)
|
| An envelope (‘to pick up’) of PRO (‘sex worker’) in REBATE (‘money returned’). | ||
| 24 | ROSSINI |
He scored from ball into box, missing header during international (7)
|
| A charade of [c]ROSS (‘ball into box’) minus the first letter (‘missing header’) plus IN (‘during’) plus I (‘international’). | ||
| 25 | WRECKED |
Drunk with wine drinking fizzy stuff out of round (7)
|
| An envelope (‘drinking’) of C[o]KE (‘fizzy stuff’) minus the O (‘out of round’) in W (‘with’) plus RED (‘wine’). | ||
| 26 | ADULTERATOR |
Polluter to run after dirty river checked by Environment Agency (11)
|
| A charade of ADULTER, an envelope (‘checked by’) of E (‘Environment’) in ADULT (‘dirty’) plus R (‘river’); plus A (‘Agency’) plus ‘to’ plus R (‘run’). EA is given in Chambers as an abbreviation foe Environment Agrency, but I am not happy with treating the two letters independently. An alternative might be to treat ‘river checked by Environment Agency’ as an envelope of R in EA, but I think that ‘Environment Agency checked by river’ would be the way to do that job. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FRENCH POLYNESIA |
Foreign land line scary: phone mobile connected with female (6,9)
|
| A charade of F (‘female’) plus RENCHPOLYNESIA, an anagram (‘mobile’) of ‘line scary phone’. | ||
| 2 | RERUN |
Once more broadcast concerning series (5)
|
| A charade of RE (‘concerning’) plus RUN (‘series’). | ||
| 3 | ARMY ANT |
Host, part of TV duo, is a crawler (4,3)
|
| A charade of ARMY (‘host’) plus ANT (& Dec, ‘part of TV duo’). | ||
| 4 | SOCIETY |
Club foot out of sock that is tiny without padding (7)
|
| A charade of ‘soc[k]’ minus its last letter (‘foot out of’) plus I.E. (‘that is’) plus ‘t[in]y’ minus its internal letters (‘without padding’). | ||
| 5 | ALLOCATE |
Order at local store, ultimately to get deal (8)
|
| An anagram (‘order’) of ‘at local’ plus E (‘storE ultimately’). | ||
| 6 | TIGHTROPE WALKER |
Act in theatre work: PG film essentially getting released (9,6)
|
| An anagram (‘getting released’) of ‘theatre work PG plus IL (‘fILm essentially’). | ||
| 7 | STIFLE |
Squash flies all over the place with end of swat (6)
|
| An anagram (‘all over the place’) of ‘flies’ plus T (‘end of swaT‘). | ||
| 8 | WEEPIE |
Small place cleared to screen one sad film (6)
|
| An envelope (‘to screen’) of I (‘one’) in WEE (‘small’) plus PE (‘PlacE cleared’). | ||
| 15 | TIRAMISU |
I squeeze into casual suit that could be taken in when not satisfied? (8)
|
| An envelope (‘into’) of ‘I’ plus RAM (‘squeeze’?) in TISU, an anagram (‘casual’) of ‘suit’. I am not happy with ‘squeeze for RAM, but the definition part of the clue is tenuous to the point of non-existence. | ||
| 16 | CAMERA |
Apple device set up date feature on smartphone (6)
|
| A charade of CAM, a reversal (‘set up’ in a down light) of MAC (‘Apple device’) plus ERA (‘date’). | ||
| 17 | AIRLIFT |
Rescue from island – lifeboat team wanting number in back of boat (7)
|
| An envelope (‘in’) of I (‘island’) plus R[n]LI (Royal National Lifeboat Institute, ‘lifeboat team’) minus the N (‘wanting number’) in AFT (‘back of boat’). | ||
| 18 | EMPOWER |
Give authority? Those people might (7)
|
| A charade of ‘EM (them, ‘those people’) plus POWER (‘might’). | ||
| 20 | TRENDY |
Stylish attempt to cover butt (6)
|
| An envelope (‘to cover’) of END (‘butt’) in TRY (‘attempt’). | ||
| 23 | OVERT |
Visible hole on green (5)
|
| A charade of O (‘hole’) plus VERT (‘green’). |
