Imogen has set this morning’s puzzle.
It’s been a few weeks since an Imogen puzzle has graced the pages of the Guardian, but this was worth the weight. Some clever definitions and smooth surfaces and a bit of general knowledge, but nothing terribly obscure, so something for everyone.
Thanks, Imogen.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HIGH FIVES |
Congratulations, having lofted sixes, almost? (4,5)
|
| HIGH (“lofted”) + FIVES (“sixes. almost”) | ||
| 6 | CHAFF |
Tease bird a small distance off (5)
|
| CHAFF(inch) (“bird”) with INCH (“a small distance”) off | ||
| 9 | BRUIN |
Disaster, going after black bear (5)
|
| RUIN (“disaster”) going after B (black) | ||
| 10 | GERMANDER |
Manipulate voting arrangement, cancelling all-out rally in plant (9)
|
| GER(ry)MANDER (“manipulate voting arrangement”) cancelling [ALL-out] R(all)Y | ||
| 11 | IDA |
Princess on stage may sound like a duck (3)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [may sound like] EIDER (“a duck”)
Princess Ida is a Gilbert & Sullivan opera. |
||
| 12 | TRISYLLABLE |
Unfortunately still barely functioning as an example (11)
|
| *(still barely) [anag:unfortunately] | ||
| 14 | SCHLOSS |
Academy halved deficit in grand house (7)
|
| SCH(ool) (“academy”, halved) + LOSS (“deficit”)
Schloss is the German word for castle. |
||
| 15 | DISTEND |
Detectives are liable to exaggerate (7)
|
| DIs (“Detective” Inspectors) + TEND (“are liable”) | ||
| 16 | STARKER |
More grim to be nearly naked (7)
|
| [nearly] STARKER(s) (“naked”) | ||
| 19 | INNARDS |
Youngster with Guardian wanting whiskey in pubs shows guts (7)
|
| (w)ARD (“youngster with guardian”) wanting (i.e. missing) W (whiskey, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) in INNS (“pubs”) | ||
| 22 | EVELYN WAUGH |
Bizarrely we envy almost all that’s horrible in author (6,5)
|
| *(we envy al) [anag:bizarrely] where AL is [almost] AL(l) + UGH (“that’s horrible”) | ||
| 23 | VAR |
One checks whistleblower in French department (3)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | PLAYHOUSE |
Wendy’s theatre? (9)
|
| A Wendy house is a small house used as a toy, so a PLAY HOUSE | ||
| 26 | AFOOT |
Under way a short distance (5)
|
| A + FOOT (“short distance”) | ||
| 27 | RHOMB |
Foreign character doctor found in shape (5)
|
| RHO (Greek letter, so “foreign character”) + MB (Bachelor of Medicine, so “doctor”) | ||
| 28 | DROITWICH |
Opposite of gauche, that missing husband in spa town (9)
|
| DROIT (“opposite of gauche”) + W(h)ICH (“that”, missing H (husband)) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HOBBITS |
Ferret wounded small creatures in a hole (7)
|
| HOB (male “ferret”) + BIT (“wounded”) + S (small) | ||
| 2 | GOULASH |
Try united batter and stew (7)
|
| GO (“try”) + U (united) + LASH (“batter”) | ||
| 3 | FUNCTION KEY |
Social gathering vital for one usually on laptop (8,3)
|
| FUNCTION (“social gathering”) + KEY (“vital”) | ||
| 4 | VEGGIES |
Selective eaters may have struggles to eat this protein? (7)
|
| VIES (“struggles”) to eat EGG (“this protein?”) | ||
| 5 | STRAYED |
Had accommodation across river, then wandered off (7)
|
| STAYED (“had accommodation”) across R (river) | ||
| 6 | CIA |
Agency’s brief goodbye (3)
|
| [brief] CIA(o) (“goodbye”) | ||
| 7 | AUDIBLE |
Bail due to be reviewed in hearing (7)
|
| *(bail due) [anag:to be reviewed] | ||
| 8 | FOR DEAD |
Having crossed river, shot by arrow in the head, and left like this? (3,4)
|
| FORDED (“crossed river”) shot by A(rrow) [in the head] | ||
| 13 | LOSING HEART |
Despairing, how ‘miserable’ becomes me (6,5)
|
| M(iserabl)E becomes ME by LOSING its HEART | ||
| 16 | SLEEPER |
Spy’s simple earring (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 17 | AGES AGO |
Way back, wise guy’s first to drop a board game (4,3)
|
| (s)AGE’S (“wise guy’s” with its first (letter) to drop) + A + GO (“board game”) | ||
| 18 | REWOUND |
Turned back, taking opposite directions in circle (7)
|
| E + W (east and west, so “opposite directions”) in ROUND (“circle”) | ||
| 19 | IN UTERO |
Happening before delivery to change routine (2,5)
|
| *(routine) [anag:to change] | ||
| 20 | RAVIOLI |
Run a brief fiddle making pasta (7)
|
| R (run) + A + [brief] VIOLI(n) (“fiddle”) | ||
| 21 | STRETCH |
A way to heave and strain (7)
|
| St. (street, so “a way”) + RETCH (“to heave”) | ||
| 25 | HUB |
Partner dropping by in centre of activity (3)
|
| HUB(by) (“partner”, dropping BY) |
Good to see Imogen again – tricky in places, as always. A fair amount of foreign words in this crossword: ciao, ravioli, rho, schloss. However, the opposite of ‘gauche’ is ‘droite’ not ‘droit’. Droit can mean right but only in the sense of to be right/ correct or have the right/permission. In neither case is ‘gauche’ the opposite. Thanks to Imogen and loonapick.
Apologies for my error in comment one. I was thinking of the noun – ‘droit’ can be, of course, the opposite of ‘gauche’ as a masculine adjective. Mea culpa!
Thanks Imogen and loonapick! Some great clues here (like LOSING HEART or TRISYLLABLE) but also lots of words I NHO. I needed help with quite some parsing; failed on IDA, which I’ve put in as Iwa, thinking that it resembles a quacking sound…