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Gozo presents us with some tricky clues today.
I think that the convolutions in the clues are in the service of a theme, which appears to be AMERICAN STATES, and specifically, the US Postal Service abbreviations for the states, which most of the solutions include. I managed to spot eighteen in the solutions: AL, AR, CA, CT, DE, ID, IL, LA, MA, ME, MI, MO, MS, ND, OR, RI, SC, and VA, and there are even more if we include reversed/inverted solutions (including IN and WA). Also, every clue includes at least one of the state abbreviations somewhere. I suppose that this is in recognition of the frequent use of these abbreviations in cryptic wordplay.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SAMOSA |
Pastry first seen in Polynesian island group (6)
|
| First [letter of] S[EEN] inside (in) SAMOA (Polynesian island group) | ||
| 4 | DRUG USER |
He may get high on his horse (4,4)
|
| Cryptic definition, “horse” here referring to heroin | ||
| 9 | RELICT |
Widow having keepsake close to heart (6)
|
| RELIC (keepsake) + last letter of (close to) [HEAR]T. Chambers indicates this usage as “archaic.” | ||
| 10 | LA-LA LAND |
State three times and another — places remote from reality (2-2,4)
|
| LA (state) repeated three times + ND (another [state]) | ||
| 11 | EDDIES |
Some poured diesel on troubled waters (6)
|
| Hidden in (some) [POUR]ED DIES[EL] | ||
| 12 | AMERICAN |
Hank or Chuck, say, turning round in camera (8)
|
| Anagram of (turning round) IN CAMERA. I am not sure I quite understand this clue, unless the implication is that these nicknames are stereotypically American (for Henry and Charles, respectively). | ||
| 13 | ITS |
Indication of ownership during Whitsuntide (3)
|
| Hidden in (during) [WH]ITS[UNTIDE], i.e., a possessive pronoun | ||
| 14 | NICKEL |
Steal the Spanish metal (6)
|
| NICK (steal) + EL (the [in] Spanish) | ||
| 17 | DIVORCE |
End of the match? (7)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 21 | ESTATE |
House and grounds from Eastern Maine, say (6)
|
| E (Eastern) + STATE (Maine, say) | ||
| 25 | BOB |
It’s 5p now to bounce gently up and down (3)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | AIR MILES |
Israeli male ordered travellers’ rewards (3,5)
|
| Anagram of (ordered) {ISRAELI + M (male)} | ||
| 27 | MARKET |
Mum rearranged trek to bazaar (6)
|
| MA (mum) + anagram of (rearranged) TREK | ||
| 28 | CROMARTY |
About to marry anew in sea area (8)
|
| C (about) + anagram of (anew) {TO MARRY}, referring to The Shipping Forecast | ||
| 29 | TOMATO |
Salad ingredient also covered coaster (6)
|
| TOO (also) around (covered) MAT (coaster) | ||
| 30 | STANSTED |
Turning northeastwards, missing out Harrow and airport (8)
|
| Anagram of (turning) N[OR]T[H]E[A]ST[W]A[R]DS minus (missing out) HARROW | ||
| 31 | LENSES |
Contacts the French about three points (6)
|
| LES (the [in] French) around (about) {N + S + E} (three points [of the compass]) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SERGEANT |
Rank material on one set of books (8)
|
| SERGE (material) + A (one) + NT (set of books) | ||
| 2 | MALEDICT |
Utter a curse to Frenchman about citadel (8)
|
| M (Frenchman, i.e., Monsieur) + anagram of (about) CITADEL | ||
| 3 | SECRETED |
Hid on isle in south-east Germany (8)
|
| CRETE (isle) inside (in) {SE (south-east) + D (Germany)} | ||
| 5 | REALMS |
Genuine manuscript showing spheres of activity (6)
|
| REAL (genuine) + MS (manuscript) | ||
| 6 | GHARRY |
Indian horse-drawn vehicle will worry German first (6)
|
| G (German) + HARRY (worry), with “first” indicating the order of the wordplay | ||
| 7 | SÉANCE |
O’Casey at church meeting (6)
|
| SEÁN (O’Casey) + CE (church) | ||
| 8 | RODENT |
Creature’s home covered in rubbish (6)
|
| DEN (home) inside (covered in) ROT (rubbish) | ||
| 12 | ATROPOS |
A leading tutor with terribly poor student to start with — that’s fate! (7)
|
| A + first letter of (leading) T[UTOR] + anagram of (terribly) POOR + first letter of (to start with) S[TUDENT] | ||
| 15 | LID |
Some sliding top (3)
|
| Hidden in (some) [S]LID[ING] | ||
| 16 | ACE |
At cards, one is very good (3)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 18 | ESCALOPE |
Cut of meat, peas and cole served (8)
|
| Anagram of (served) {PEAS + COLE} | ||
| 19 | JACKDAWS |
Deadpan comedian, we hear, saw off birds (8)
|
| Homophone of (we hear) JACK DEE (deadpan comedian) + anagram of (off) SAW | ||
| 20 | DESTROYS |
Ruins of Dorset, scattered heartlessly — yes! (8)
|
| Anagram of (scattered) DORSET + Y[E]S minus middle letter (heartlessly) | ||
| 22 | DANCES |
They could be square or round balls (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | AREOLA |
Dared cold gal to take off clothing and nipple ring (6)
|
| [D]ARE[D] + [C]OL[D] + [G]A[L] minus outside letters (to take off clothing) | ||
| 24 | DIVANS |
Just over five hundred vehicles in Beds? (6)
|
| DI (just over five hundred, i.e., 501 in Roman numerals) + VANS (vehicles), with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 25 | BEETLE |
Just the VW car for a drive! (6)
|
| Double definition, in the second sense, “a heavy wooden mallet used for driving wedges,” according to Chambers |
I hardly ever see themes, and I sometime feel a bit silly, but I don’t this time. I wouldn’t have thought of “American states” in a fit.
Rather a lot of hurdles for non-UK people today, alas. I’d not heard of Jack Dee or Sean O’Casey, and had to reveal CROMARTY. But at least I managed STANSTED.
GHARRY and AREOLA were unkown to me, but I got them eventually.
What GDU@1 said.
Thanks Gozo and Cineraria