Solving time : 46 minutes
I made a quick start on the SE corner and then pretty steady progress. they were quite a few straightforward clues to make this accessible to beginners. There were a couple of phrases I didn’t know, but with well-placed checking letters it wasn’t too bad. 15D was a tricky one, making use of ‘wordplay in the clue.’
I made a quick start on the SE corner and then pretty steady progress. they were quite a few straightforward clues to make this accessible to beginners. There were a couple of phrases I didn’t know, but with well-placed checking letters it wasn’t too bad. 15D was a tricky one, making use of ‘wordplay in the clue.’
A few words that came quickly to mind now I’ve been doing crosswords for a while:
test=MOT
Scot=IAN
revolutionary=CHE
murderer=CAIN
Across
| 1 | MO(MEN)T |
| 4 | EMACI(=’I came’ reversed)ATE(=devoured) – got 8d pretty quickly and was pretty sure this would end -ATE |
| 9 | SHIMMER – hidden word. Had to be, really – I couldn’t make any other sense of the clue. |
| 13 | KNOCK-DOWN – double-meaning: a very low price or to demolish a building (or floor an opponent in a fight) |
| 14 | BUCKET SHOP – a new phrase to me, apparently a travel agency that deals in discount tickets |
| 19 | E,SPY – Mata Hari was (alleged to have been) a spy during World War 1 |
| 22 | HYD(RANG)E,A – evil man refers to RL Stephenson’s Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde |
| 25 | SUBSID[is]E – didn’t think about the wordplay til doing the write-up – it’s quite neat |
| 26 | SUN=newspaper,DIAL=try to contact |
| 28 | BE,LONG – I like simple little clues like this! |
Down
| 1 | MISERABLE=downcast – anagram of mirabelles minus one L |
| 2 | MAINS – I wrote this in from the first definition – I didn’t know that a main was also a cockfighting contest. |
| 5 | MAID OF ORLEANS – anagram of ‘for Asian model’ – I spotted this quite early, helping me get a good start. Some anagram clues read better than others – I think the setter showed his brilliance more in this one than 20A. I was reminded of the following joke: “What’s the difference between a rowing boat and Joan of Arc? One is made of wood and the other is Maid of Orleans.” |
| 7 | AMAZ[e],ON,IAN |
| 8 | [t]END ON – tendon was the first synonym for sinew that I thought of! |
| 10 | RAKE’S PROGRESS – I knew the paintings but don’t think I knew they were by Hogarth. Collins English Dictionary refers to A Rake’s Progress, as does Wikipedia – but it’s still a decent clue. |
| 15 | CUPID’S BOW – the only phrase that would fit in. I think this is an example of ‘wordplay in the clue’: drunk=’in cups’ so we have I’D=’I would’ in CUPS and BOW=incline giving CUP(ID)S BOW, as defined by Collins: “a shape of the upper lip considered to resemble Cupid’s double-curved bow” |
| 18 | PITT,ANCE(stry) – fortunately Pitt was the first PM to come to mind after I had discounted the crossword favourite North! |
| 22 | HO[r]SE,D |
| 24 | AM I NO(t) |
This is the third or fourth time in less than a week that Dr Jeckyll or Mr Hyde has featured in a crossword puzzle.