Sunday Times 4316
This should probably have been a sub-5 minute puzzle for me, as there were plenty of easy clues. But I made a poor start by guessing at SIEVER for 1A. I didn’t write it in, but it stopped a quick write-in of 2D FOX, which might well have made 10A a first-time answer.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | SIFTER – 2 cryptic def., a riddle being a sieve |
| 4 | TOLERANT = (lot aren’t)* – a pretty obvious anagram |
| 10 | SAXIF=(fax is)*,RAGE=fury – saxifrages are alpine plants, of which the best known is probably London Pride |
| 11 | E,N=points,SUE=girl – another pretty transparent clue |
| 12 | ENSILED = linseed* – trickier vocab but easy enough when you remember silos |
| 14 | RETURNS – 2 defs |
| 15 | THREE BLIND MICE – cryptic def. punning on ‘trio’ and “de-tail”. A prime contender for a (5,5,4) answer. |
| 18 | MISTRANSLATION = (Latin so rants I’m)* – another clear anag. |
| 22 | ALLUVIA = (A,U=”classy”,VILLA)* – “improving” isn’t the greatest anag indicator for me, but my geography schooling had kept alluvia in my memory |
| 24 | OF FENCE = “committed by receiver” |
| 25 | PEC=cep rev.,A,N=number. |
| 26 | DECLINING – 2 defs |
| 28 | SEDIMENT=(ten dimes)* |
| 29 | EST=set*,ATE=devoured – easy enough, but a good surface reading |
| Down | |
| 1 | S(US,P)ECTS |
| 2 | F=”find first”,OX=beast – “earth-dweller” is the def., based on foxes living in earths |
| 3 | E,F,FUL=flu*,GENT |
| 5 | OVER,RUN |
| 6 | EVEN,T |
| 7 | ABSTRACTION – 2 defs |
| 8 | TSETSE=set*, twice – another well-used wordplay |
| 9 | HANDEL = “handle” – one of the oldest composer puns in the book |
| 13 | STRAIT-LACED = (A strict lead)* – not sure where the anagrind is, but the fodder was still pretty obvious |
| 16 | MEAT,FLIES – new word, but couldn’t really be anything else – they’re blow-flies or “flesh-flies”, apparently |
| 17 | INVEIGLE = (in evil e.g.)*, after you’ve converted example to e.g. |
| 19 | A,BAD,DON=fellow=academic – Abaddon is “angel of the bottomless pit” in the book of Revelation. An old xwd favourite like the fateful day of “arm aged Don” |
| 20 | SCORCH – cryptic def. |
| 21 | CAMPUS = (sup,Mac) rev. |
| 23 | VENOM – nicely hidden in “Have no mercy” |
| 27 | I,DA(ta) |
http://store.acousticsounds.com/search_results.cfm?labelid=458
I also don’t get the Three Blind Mice / Japanese Jazz Label allusion. As my interest in Jazz is smaller than my knowledge of the Book of Revelations I may not even click on that link.