It’s Tuesday and we have a Mog to solve and blog.
Well, we managed to solve the puzzle although we needed to check 25ac which took a while to parse and 24d which we think must be a clue as definition.
However, we then were very puzzled. It’s Tuesday and it is usually theme day. We did however have a Dalibor puzzle recently on a Tuesday which did not have a theme so perhaps today is the same. It’s Joyce compiling the blog today and I can’t help but think that 27/28 gives us a hint to a possible theme. However, an ‘investigoogle’ into chess openings revealed nothing of any value.
We hope that someone out there can help.
TERN (bird) inside (‘swallowed by’) MAmmAL missing the middle letters (‘heart’)
CU (copper) SHY (retiring)
L (learner) RID (freed) after U (university)
An anagram (‘work’) of ON SPIKE IN
E (last letter of hare) LOPED (sprang)
R (Republican) EVE (first lady) REND (to rip into)
BOARD (get on) SHOTS (photos) around (‘securing’) R (right)
MACe (club) missing last letter (‘losing backing’)
fERAl (wild) missing first and last letters (‘unclothed’)
An anagram (‘spread’) of IF MELTING + ON (over)
CA (about) + OP inside (‘boring’) ALLIEs (friends) missing last letter (‘endlessly’)
A reversal (‘back’) of ELK (deer) NARk (grass) missing last letter (‘cut’)
ERIE (Pennsylvanian city) after (‘pursuing’) an anagram (‘absurd’) of N (new) and MEGA
Double definition
C H E S (first letters or ‘starters’ of certain horizontal entries seven) SOS (help) around PENnING (enclosing) missing (‘striking’) the middle letter (‘centre’)
E (English) and a reversal (‘up’) of ELBA (isle) after (‘supporting’ in a down clue) MALL (shopping centre)
TURBOt (‘swimmer’) missing last letter (‘clipped’)
RE (soldiers) DEAD (finished) around (‘eating’) H (hot) – apparently an alternative name for a pochard
A (alto) LPS (records)
CO (company) NESS (head) around (‘squeezed’) F (first letter or ‘head’ of finance)
An anagram (‘in kerfuffle’) of MIRED inside (‘punching’) SPAN (cross)
gYm missing first and last letters (‘stripping’) wIELD (to exercise) missing first letter (‘topless’)
UN (French word – ‘in Nice’ – for a) and an anagram (‘dilapidated’) of RENTAL
A TAG (children’s game) LANCE (run through)
HE (fellow) mainLIning (middle or ‘essential’ letters only) PORT (wine)
CONS (scams) EN (nurse) SUS (suspicious)
F (loud) RING (band) ES (first and last letters or ‘extremes’ of egregious)
I (current) and an anagram (‘translation’) of NARNIA
CO-MIC could fancifully describe someone who is sharing a microphone (‘amplifier’) with another presenter
KN (first two letters or ‘pair’ of knickers) OWN (to have)
PEE (wee) P (first letter or ‘introduction’ to partridge). We guessed this from the parsing and can only think that it is a clue as definition with a bird such as a partridge making a ‘peeping’ sound – Chambers has one definition of ‘peep’ as ‘to cheep like a chicken’. Can anyone think of a better explanation?
The exhibition’s not open yet but I can give you a quick peep/introduction …? Hmm, bit of a stretch, and double duty …
Good puzzle. 27/28 provide the theme.. seven horizontal entries starting with chess related words:
MATE
PIN
BOARD
RANK
FILE
ELO
MEN
I wondered if CHESS was the theme. Obv the word itself is there, along with OPENINGS and there is MATE and BOARD. And then I ran out of themers so suspect that’s not it. If there are the names of chess openings hidden somewhere, then that’s too obscure for this solver. nho BOARD SHORTS and only knew ERIE as a city because of another puzzle by a US setter that featured it recently. I feel the definition for HELIPORT is a tough one: I wonder how many folk asked to name a base would come up with that? PINK NOISE is nicely done, along with AT A GLANCE and FRINGES.
Thanks both
[I see JP has posted whilst I was writing. I have played chess but am not familiar with ELO in a chess context. PIN – I suppose so. A lightish theme although very nice to see how the setter has alluded to it in the keystone clue.]
OK. Just went over and Googled ELO which turns out to be a rating for chess players. Didn’t know that.