An amusing diversion from Fieldfare.
The preamble informs that the title suggests the theme. I saw a few themed answers first, especially the Muses, and that led to me to “morning exercise” being a cryptic clue for AMUSE (a.m. + USE). Four of the answers are definitions of “amuse” and four others are the names of A Muse. All of the clues were fair and there were only a few obscure words, so this was on the easier side of the Spectator spectrum.
Thanks Fieldfare.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | JOSEPH |
Carpenter John almost taking a month (6)
|
| JOH(n) [almost] takes Sep. (September, so “a month”) | ||
| 7 | DIVERT |
Amuse
|
| 12 | ENTERTAIN |
Amuse
|
| 13 | DINAR |
In record book shortly note Arab’s money (5)
|
| N (note) in DIAR(y) (“record book”, shortly) | ||
| 15 | OSCILLATE |
Swing at new local site (9)
|
| *(local site) [anag:new] | ||
| 16 | PUNCTA |
A number of points in witticism caught with cheers (6)
|
| PUN (“witticism”) + C (caught, in cricket) with TA (“cheers”) | ||
| 20 | A CHEVAL |
Account to halve roughly and put on two cards (1,6)
|
| Ac. (account) + *(halve) [anag:roughly]
In gambling, a bet laid on two adjacent numbers or cards. |
||
| 21 | HANTLE |
A good many manage to have time for daughter (6)
|
| HAN(D)LE (“manage”) having T (time) for (i.e. instead of) D (daughter) becomes HAN(T)LE | ||
| 22 | URANIA |
A Muse
|
| 24 | REASSIGN |
Transfer idiot that breaks rule (8)
|
| ASS (“idiot”) that breaks REIGN (“rule”) | ||
| 26 | CLIO |
A Muse
|
| 27 | NIT |
Back in front of theatre for lousy production (3)
|
| [back] <=IN + [front of] T(heater) | ||
| 28 | BOA |
It squeezes out of cupboard (3)
|
| Hidden in [out of] “cupBOArd” | ||
| 29 | URUS |
Square up regularly around old ox (4)
|
| <=(S(q)U(a)R(e) U(p), regularly around)
URUS is another word for the aurochs. |
||
| 32 | CRUMBLED |
Low noise interrupting disc fell away (8)
|
| RUMBLE (“low noise”) interrupting CD (compact “disc”) | ||
| 34 | AWAKES |
Comes to a king in wonder and bows at the back (6)
|
| A + K (king) in AWE (“wonder”) and (bow)S [at the back] | ||
| 35 | RAN OUT |
Was exhausted, so dismissed (3,3)
|
| Double definition, the second referring to dismissal in cricket. | ||
| 37 | NAME TAG |
ID in magenta – odd (4,3)
|
| *(magenta) [anag:odd] | ||
| 39 | EREBUS |
Last to solve word puzzle: hell! (6)
|
| [last to] (solv)E + REBUS (“word puzzle”) | ||
| 42 | MELPOMENE |
A Muse
|
| 43 | BROWN |
Toast chocolate cake that is off (5)
|
| BROWN(ie) (“chocolate cake”) with i.e. (that is) off | ||
| 44 | PRUDENTLY |
With caution, quietly and discourteously seizing books … (9)
|
| P (piano in music) and RUDELY (“discourteously”) seizing NT (New Testament, so “books”) | ||
| 45 | OTALGY |
… books to Swinburne familiarly, a pain (6)
|
| OT (Old Testament, so “books”) to ALGY (Swinburne, familiarly)
Algernon Swinburne was a Pre-Raphaelite poet and dramatist. |
||
| 46 | EDDOES |
Extremely excited, cooks edible roots (6)
|
| [extremely] E(xcite)D + DOES (“cooks”) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | JEEP |
Tours I record in vehicle (4)
|
| JE (“I” in Tours, a city in France) + EP (extended play “record”) | ||
| 2 | ON GUARD |
Wary of danger of running aground (2,5)
|
| *(aground) [anag:running] | ||
| 3 | STUN |
Shock, suggesting temperature out of the shade? (4)
|
| T (temperature) in SUN (i.e. “out of the shade”) | ||
| 4 | PROTEIN |
Meat, say, in habitual procedure held by skewer (7)
|
| ROTE (“habitual procedure”) held by PIN (“skewer”) | ||
| 5 | DASTARDS |
Parents crush top performer, the old cowards (8)
|
| DADS (“parents”) crush STAR (“top performer”) | ||
| 6 | TICKLE |
Amuse
|
| 8 | IDLE |
Lazy fish circling lake (4)
|
| IDE (“fish”) circling L (lake) | ||
| 9 | ENACTING |
Performing is demanding when unknown becomes name (8)
|
| E(x)ACTING (“demanding”) when X (unknown, in mathematics) becomes N (name) is E(N)ACTING | ||
| 10 | RATEL |
Have high opinion of large mustelid (5)
|
| RATE (“have a high opinion of”) + L (large) | ||
| 11 | TRECENTIST |
Giotto, say, first to turn modern-ist? (10)
|
| [first to] T(urn) + RECENT + IST | ||
| 14 | ICHNEUMON |
Fly generating nice hum? No (9)
|
| *(nice him no) [anag:generating] | ||
| 17 | THALIA |
A Muse
|
| 18 | INSOLATED |
Exposed to sun, alone, receiving tan at last (9)
|
| ISOLATED (“alone”) receiving (ta)N [at last] | ||
| 19 | DUMB CRAMBO |
Stupid to crowd box office for rhyming game (4,6)
|
| DUMB (“stupid”) + CRAM (“to crowd”) + BO (box office) | ||
| 23 | ADULTS |
No children last month used in commercials (6)
|
| Ult. (last month) used in ADS (“commercials”) | ||
| 25 | MAUNA LOA |
Ordered manual on approval initially: it may go up (5,3)
|
| *(manual) [anag:ordered] + O(n) A(pproval) [initially]
Mauna Loa is a volcano in Hawaii. |
||
| 26 | CEDAR-NUT |
Poor cat under something dropped from tree (5-3)
|
| *(cat under) [anag:poor] | ||
| 30 | SWERVED |
Delivered wicket-taking ball that deviated (7)
|
| SERVED (“delivered”) taking W (wicket-taking ball, on a cricket scorecard) | ||
| 31 | BEGUILE |
Amuse
|
| 33 | ENTERA |
The guts to walk into America (6)
|
| ENTER (“to walk into”) + A (America) | ||
| 36 | AVERT |
Head off from a skateboard ramp (5)
|
| A + VERT (vertical extension to a “skateboard ramp”) | ||
| 38 | BONG |
Crack pipe, making reverberant sound (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 40 | BITO |
Piece of Scottish tree yielding oil (4)
|
| BIT (“piece”) + O’ (“Scottish contraction of “of”) | ||
| 41 | SAYS |
Comes out with crack troops to surround yard (4)
|
| SAS (Special Air Service, so “crack troops”) to surround Y (yard) |
Good fun I thought. Nice to see Fieldfare (known to Guardian solvers as Imogen/Vulcan) again; and a gentler affair than his Dante’s Hell puzzle.
I made one note which was to query the absence of a Scots indicator for HANTLE as indicated in Chambers, but perhaps it’s more widely used?
If you missed it, Doc popped into last week’s “750” blog by Prospero.
Thanks to Fieldfare and loonapick.