ST 4278 (Sun 25 May) – Doctor, doctor

Author   talbinhoPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time: 11:06, one mistake (2dn)

Reasonably accurate clues this week, once you ignore the multitude of superfluous words and dubious link phrases. Some of the clues are a bit strange, though (e.g. 22ac), and I don’t understand the definition for 7dn.

* = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’.

Across
1 PRONOUNCED (double definition)
7 MARS (double definition)
9 AMORETTI; (ROME + A TIT)*
11 BUTE + N + E – where would crosswords be without Scottish islands?
13 FAR + THING
14 PANTECHNICON; (CAN’T ONE PINCH)* – one of a pair of long anagrams. I got this one quickly…
17 BLANDISHMENT; (BLINDS THE MAN)* – …but this took much longer.
20 ART + IS + TRY
21 BUNKER (double definition)
22 FAT + HEN – a plant also known as ‘lamb’s quarter’ in America. Rather strange that ‘hen’ should appear in the clue as well as the answer, and what is ‘occupies’ doing?
23 IRRIGATE; (GERIATI[c])*
26 DEERHOUNDS; (UNDER SHED)* around O – an unsatisfactory definition (‘Tracking the game they’re…’).
Down
2 RAMBUTAN; RA + (AUNT) around MB – I took an incorrect 50/50 guess that ‘doctor’ was MO, giving ‘ramoutan’. This is a ramboutan.
3 NUR; rev. of RUN [corrected – see comments]
4 UN + TIE – using ‘knot’ for TIE in the wordplay is very weak.
5 CHIFFON; (INCH OFF)*
6 DIS TRACTS – Dis being the Underworld.
7 MER(CHANT)MAN – why is this a ‘passer-by’?
8 RAV(IN)E
12 ESTABLISHED; (IS BAD HE’S LET)* – an obvious anagram but the definition (‘now settled here’) was unhelpful.
15 CHASTENED; (TEENS)* in CHAD – why ‘After’?
18 DRY + W(IN)E – ‘out, conversely’ gives IN.
19 GREASE; “GREECE”
21 BIRCH – a pun on ‘to beat’ = ‘cane’.
24 GNU; rev. of [h]UNG

3 comments on “ST 4278 (Sun 25 May) – Doctor, doctor”

  1. 22 Baffled as you are.
    7 Ships that pass in the night?
    3 Do you have this is the wrong way round? It’s NUR, I think. I was still completely baffled by this as COED and Collins don’t list NUR other than with reference to the rail union. But I just checked again and found that Chambers has it as an alternative to KNUR defined as a hard ball.
    1. 3dn: Yes, I do – now corrected above, thanks. NUR does seem rather obscure, although I’ve come across it in barred puzzles like the Listener. Looking again, I don’t like this clue at all – ‘X upsetting’ is questionable for ‘X upwards’, and why is ‘hoped’ in the past tense?
  2. No problem with “passer-by” for ship or MERCHANTMAN at 7d but I have no idea about 22a. It had to be FAT HEN but as HEN is in the clue it could not be surely? An unknown US plant name for me. Yes, what is “occupies” doing in the clue?

    Just the 3 “easies” not in the blog:

    10a (Hovers)* around on a Tuesday (6)
    SHROVE

    25a The chief owned about a quarter (4)
    H E AD. Quarter as in E, W, N & S.

    16d Introduced exotic (resident)* (8)
    INSERTED

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