ST 4219 (Sun 8 Apr) – The Confetti Incident

Author   talbinhoPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time: 16-ish minutes, one missing (21dn)

The less said about my effort on this, the better. 21dn was understandable, but I don’t know what I was playing at on 5ac, 10ac and 7dn.

* = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’.

Across
5 RAN CID – a perfectly good clue but I stupidly inked in -ED, expecting a past tense, and so took ages to get this.
10 MAGNUM; (NAG)* in MUM – easy. Why couldn’t I get this?
12 WEE + VIL[e]
13 ENGINEER (double definition)
15 SINGLE-SEATER (cryptic definition)
18 RECEPTIONIST; (SO I INTERCEPT)* – slightly vague definition, but probably sufficient for an &lit.
23 MAR(MOSE[s])T
26 TA(I.P.A.)N – didn’t know this and had written in T(ALE)AN before getting 17dn.
27 PALL MALL (double definition) – the game seems similar to croquet.
29 MORTUARY (cryptic definition)
Down
1 SHREW (= Kate, in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’) + D
2 CO(P)PER – I liked this clue.
6 A + V(A + R)ICE – not sure this &lit really works (‘…a first hint of richness’?).
7 CONFETTI (cryptic definition) – easy again, but this took me forever as well. I think I’ve seen a more or less identical clue before, but concentrated on ‘litter’ in the ‘children’ sense. Especially thick as I had actually been to a wedding on the day of publication, though not mine (phew).
11 INFER + NO
19 PRO + PANE
21 CI(CAD)A – had to look up ‘bounder’ to get this.
25 FAR + O – I remember being stranded at the airport here as a young and awkward child.

One comment on “ST 4219 (Sun 8 Apr) – The Confetti Incident”

  1. I also pencilled in T ALE AN for 26a before getting 17d. I didn’t know a TA IPA N was a snake but I have read James Clavell’s Tai-Pan and I also like the odd glass of India Pale Ale.

    Plenty of “easies” for the bunnies:

    1a (Ray comes)* around tree (8)
    SYCAMORE

    9a Journo scribbled note by beer (8)
    RE PORTER. Quite like a glass of Guinness or Murphy’s too. (Other Porters are available).

    24a Artist good with queen’s sword (6)
    RA PI ER. Not sure queen with a small q is allowable here? Elizabeth Regina, whether I or II, should surely have a Q?

    28a Risk using tip of dirty needle (6)
    D ANGER

    3d Dean’s one for a tipple (7)
    MARTIN 1

    4d Oliver perhaps ashamed about “More”, in the end (4)
    RE E D

    8d Sugar (made rare)* by modification (8)
    DEMERARA

    14d Fired for (editing)* badly (7)
    IGNITED

    16d Advanced (torpedo)* exploded round front of monitor (8)
    PRO M OTED

    17d Stars name a creature (8)
    SCORPIO N. A bit of a weak clue there as SCORPIO is a SCORPION in the night sky.

    20d Weal allowed to become red (7)
    SCAR LET

    22d Attempt to hide one pound in a hat (6)
    TR 1 LB Y

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