ST 4232 (Sun 8 Jul) – Ruse contre ruse

Author   talbinhoPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time: 9:39

Some nice clues in this (17ac and 23dn are my favourites), and the usual couple of mistakes – wordplay in 26ac and enumeration at 21ac.

* = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’.

Across
1 PIANOLA; (A LIP ON A) – I don’t think I’ve seen this word before but should still have guessed it much faster.
9 GAM(BOG)E – spent a while looking for alternatives for ‘swamp’ = ?O?. Gamboge is apparently a yellow gum resin used as a pigment and in medicine.
10 E-MAILED; (LE + MEDIA)*
11 ANTHROPOLOGICAL; (TO HARP ON)* + LOGICAL
12 THAT (= ‘as indicated’) + CH
14 ASHTRAYS (cryptic definition)
17 EYEBROWS (cryptic definition) – very good (“Arches either side of a bridge”).
18 ONEGIN; (NINE GO)* – Eugene Onegin was an opera by Tchaikovsky based on the book by Pushkin.
21 MARKETGARDENING; (TREND-MAKING GEAR) – no hyphen?
24 ROSETTE – not sure if this is a double definition or a cryptic definition.
25 F(OR)EVER
26 EN (= ‘measure’) + SURES (= RUSES*) – the clue reads “Warrant measures involving 22dn (RUSES)”, but I think it should be “Warrants measure…”. Please shout if you disagree.
27 ECHIDNA; (CAN HIDE)*
Down
1 P(AGE)ANT
2 ARMS TRADE; (SMART)* + (READ)*
3 O + DOUR
4 ALE + PPO (= POP*)
5 NEE + D + LESS
6 ORANG-UTAN; (AUNT GROAN) – unusual indication of the anagram.
8 S(ADDLE)S
15 AGGRIEVED; (EGG VARIED)* – refers to the famous Punch cartoon.
16 SWAGGERS – this must refer to a ‘swagger cane’, but I can’t really make sense of the wordplay.
17 ELM TREE; EL + (METRE)* – why ‘version’?
19 NIGERIA; (GRAIN + I.E.)* – like 10ac, a slightly indirect anagram.
20 TRIFLE (double definition)
22 R + USES
23 EARTH; (HEART)* – ‘terminal’ as in the end of an electrical circuit.

3 comments on “ST 4232 (Sun 8 Jul) – Ruse contre ruse”

  1. 7:27 for me. I came to the same conclusion as you about 26ac (it should read “Warrants measure …”). In 16dn I think “bearing” = “compass bearing” = S, so SWAGGER (as in ~ cane or ~ stick, as you say) + S. On the other hand I don’t really understand the definition part of 11ac (ANTHROPOLOGICAL).
    1. Ah yes, ‘bearing’ = ‘S’ – thanks, I missed that. “Just the man” does seem a curious ‘definition’ of ANTHROPOLOGICAL, but it’s closer than some in the ST!
  2. Wow – a top notch ST with only 3 “easies” omitted from the blog. Like our esteemed Blogmeister and TS above I did wonder at the definition part of 11a but managed to work out the correct answer anyway. It could not be anything else with all the checkers. Also the enigmatic definition does have “man” in it. My LOI was 17a EYEBROWS – couldn’t see it for ages until the penny dropped. I agree – an excellent clue.

    The “easy” trio:

    5a (Sold one)* damaged to some fools (7)
    NOODLES

    7d Ring up about one, for the tree (5)
    L 1 LAC. That is CALL upside down with a 1 (= I) inserted.

    11d Craftsman made fish come inside (9)
    CARP ENTER

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