The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/30043.
I found this on the gentle side for a Pangakupu (which suits me fine). The grid contains two New Zealand rivers, the Okarito (with a noteable Lagoon) in column 2 and the Tuapeka (associated with a gold rush – is this Pangakupu’s 49th Guardian?) in column 14.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BASS CLARINET |
Bans recitals – where this is played? (4,8)
|
| An anagram (‘played’) of ‘bans recitals’, with an extended definition, although a bass clarinet recital would be something of a rarity. | ||
| 9 | POLKA |
Old President leading America a dance (5)
|
| A charade of POLK (James ‘old President’ of the USA, 1845-1849) plus (‘leading’) A (‘America’). | ||
| 10 | ASTRONAUT |
Australian working with Australian in support for Nasa employee (9)
|
| A charade of A (‘Australian’) plus STRONAT, an envelope (‘in’) of ON (‘working’) plus A (‘Australian’) in STRUT (‘support’). | ||
| 11 | SKID LID |
Went down the Cresta carrying child’s protective headgear? (4,3)
|
| An envelope (‘carrying’) of KID (‘child’) in SLID (‘went down the Cresta’). | ||
| 12 | CHILEAN |
South American or Greek character offering little of profit (7)
|
| A charade of CHI (‘Greek character’) plus LEAN (‘offering little of profit’). | ||
| 13 | SASH WINDOW |
Source of light remains current in plant (4,6)
|
| An envelope (‘in’) of ASH (‘remains’) plus WIND (air ‘current’) in SOW (‘plant’, verb, although I would use SOW to refer to seeds but ‘plant’ to seedlings or larger). Of course, the actual source of light is outside the window, but the window introduced the illumination into a room. | ||
| 15 | RIPE |
Ready to complain after leader’s ousted (4)
|
| A subtraction: [g]RIPE (‘complain’) minus its first letter (‘after leader’s ousted’). | ||
| 18 | TRAY |
Go to bring in a salver (4)
|
| An envelope (‘to bring in’) of ‘a’ in TRY (‘go’). | ||
| 19 | COME-HITHER |
Alluring? Happen to have success with leading man (not love) (4-6)
|
| A charade of COME (‘happen’) plus HIT (‘success’) plus HER[o] (‘leading man’) minus the O (‘not love’). | ||
| 22 | SILVERY |
A lot of mud, intensely gleaming (7)
|
| A charade of SIL[t] (‘mud’) cut short (‘a lot of’); plus VERY (‘intensely’). | ||
| 24 | UNCORKS |
No longer suppresses scorn – UK’s struggling (7)
|
| An anagram (‘struggling’) of ‘scorn UK’. | ||
| 25 | ATROPHIED |
Moved fast after active harbour regressed, becoming degenerate (9)
|
| A charade of A (‘active’) plus TROP, a reversal (‘regressed’) of PORT (‘harbour’) plus HIED (‘moved fast’). | ||
| 26 | NATAL |
Describing birth name in any way? Not entirely (5)
|
| A charade of N (‘name’) plus AT AL[l] (or ATALL; ‘in any way’) cut short (‘not entirely’). | ||
| 27 | OCKHAM’S RAZOR |
Wild shamrock Portuguese islands twice cut down, reducing unnecessary quantities (7,5)
|
| A charade of OCKHAMSR, an anagram (‘wild’) of ‘shamrock’; plus AZOR[es] (‘Portugese islands’) minus the last two letters (‘trice cut down’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BALTIC SEA |
Basalt cracked with ice in chilly water (6,3)
|
| An anagram (‘cracked’) of ‘basalt’ plus ‘ice’. | ||
| 2 | SHALLOWS |
Mum permits paddling here? (8)
|
| A charade of SH (‘mum’) plus ALLOWS (‘permits’) – and why not acknowledge an exrended definition. | ||
| 3 | CHARD |
Vegetable, cold, resistant to the bite (5)
|
| A charade of C (‘cold’) plus HARD (‘resistant to the bite’). | ||
| 4 | ARTICHOKE |
Vegetable skill – I fail at a crucial moment (9)
|
| A charae of ART (‘skill’) plus I CHOKE (‘I fail at a crucial moment’). | ||
| 5 | ICONIC |
Admired pair about to study carbon (6)
|
| A charade of ICONI, an envelope (‘about’) of CON (‘study’) in II (Roman numeral 2, ‘pair’); plus C (chemical symbol, ‘carbon’). | ||
| 6 | ERASE |
Delete Times article finally (5)
|
| A charade of ERAS (‘times’) plus E (‘articlE finally’). | ||
| 7 | OPUSES |
Applications supporting section of stage work (6)
|
| A charade of OP (theatrical; an initialism of opposite prompt, stage right ‘section of stage’) plus USES (‘applications’). ‘Work’ as body of work justifies the plural answer. | ||
| 8 | AT ONCE |
Immediately agreeing to bring in Conservative (2,4)
|
| An envelope (‘to bring in’) of C (‘Conservative’) in AT ONE (‘agreeing’). | ||
| 14 | NEODYMIUM |
Metal? You mined rocks, gaining mass (9)
|
| An anagram (‘rocks’) of ‘you mined’ plus M (‘mass’). | ||
| 16 | INHERITOR |
I note that woman with sex-appeal and gold – recipient of legacy? (9)
|
| A charade of ‘I’ plus N (‘note’) plus HER (‘that woman’) plus IT (‘sex-appeal’) plus OR (‘gold’). | ||
| 17 | PINCE-NEZ |
They help one view fix over Church elevating Eastern philosophy (5-3)
|
| A charade of PIN (‘fix’) plus CE (‘Church’) plus NEZ, a reversal (‘elevating’ in a down light) of ZEN (‘Eastern philosophy’). | ||
| 18 | TUSCAN |
Parts swapped in Latin song from part of Italy (6)
|
| CANTUS (‘Latin song’) with ‘parts’ CAN and TUS ‘swapped’. | ||
| 20 | RESULT |
Concerned with Muslim leader rejecting an outcome (6)
|
| A charade of RE (‘concerned with’) plus SULT[an] (‘Muslim leader’) minus AN (‘rejecting an’). | ||
| 21 | TEMPEH |
Beautiful spot to get hot Japanese food (6)
|
| A charade of TEMPE (a gorge in Greece, noted for its rugged beauty, ‘beautiful spot’. My memory of it is in the morning following a violent thunderstorm overnight, with the cliffs shrouded in cloud and water gushing out of every low spot) plus H (‘hot’). Tempeh is primarily an Indonesian food – Javanese rather than Japanese. | ||
| 23 | LYRIC |
Only rich seen around this theatre? (5)
|
| A hidden answer (‘seen around this’) in ‘onLY RICh’, for the name of various theatres, including one in London’s West End. | ||
| 24 | UNDER |
No place to steal from subordinate (5)
|
| A subtraction: [pl]UNDER (‘steal’) minus PL (‘no place’). |
