The usual monthly delight of entertaining words from the dark corners of the dictionary and inventive wordplay. This one took me 1hr 44 minutes finishing with BORREL. PANOMPHAEAN and ZBUD are my joint words of the month. Wordplay of the month goes to ORZO for the unusual placing of the definition in the middle of the clue, although I also quite enjoyed the nuclear physicist’s egg cookery experiment, the commotion of hooters and the orbiting planet. Thank-you clever setter.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Panic about cat fight earlier (8) |
| SCARMOGE – SCARE (panic) about MOG (cat) | |
| 5 | When returning, book hotel area in coastal plain (6) |
| SABKHA – AS (when) returning -> SA, BK (book) H (hotel in the phonetic alphabet) A (area). | |
| 9 | With no envelope, letter to Hebrews is bound for some places (3) |
| LEP – {a}LEP{h} (Hebrew letter) without its outside letters. | |
| 10 | Heat your egg, adapting a particular quantum idea (5,6) |
| GAUGE THEORY -(Heat your egg)* [adapting]. | |
| 12 | During collapse, I dislike spike on a cell (10) |
| FILOPODIUM – I in FLOP (collapse), ODIUM (dislike). | |
| 13 | Oath forsaken for one nameless and both in Germany (4) |
| ZBUD – ZB (zum beispiel; for one in German) U{n}D (and in German) without the N (name). Lovely word. I must try and use it. My very rusty ‘O’ level German eventually found me the ZB. | |
| 15 | Aged rustic reddish-brown horse’s head turns to black (6) |
| BORREL – SORREL (reddish brown horse) changing the first letter to B -> BORREL. | |
| 16 | Hunters closing in can start to cause endless havoc (7) |
| TINCHEL – TIN (can), first letter of Cause, HEL{l} (havoc) without the last letter. Havoc is definition no 9 in Chambers for HELL. | |
| 18 | Trier’s quick check with note to stop deception (7) |
| SCHNELL – CH (check) N (note) in SELL (deception). Trier being a city in Germany hence we need another German word. | |
| 20 | Deep gully in golf course’s longer grass (6) |
| GROUGH – G (golf in the NATO alphabet) ROUGH (course’s longer grass). | |
| 23 | Chestnut and last of chilli in this rice substitute would make a spicy sausage (4) |
| ORZO – CH (chestnut), I in ORZO -> CHORIZO (spicy sausage). | |
| 24 | Apparatus for drilling, whenever beset by commotion of hooters (10) |
| STRIGIFORM – RIG (apparatus for drilling) IF (whenever) in STORM (commotion). Of the order comprising the owls (hooters). | |
| 26 | Universally appreciated god with mantra and hymn capturing hearts (11) |
| PANOMPHAEAN – PAN (god) OM (mantra) and H (hearts) in PAEAN (hymn). Another great word. | |
| 27 | Occupants of shack fermenting brew (3) |
| CHA – Without its outside letters ({s}hac{k})* [fermenting] | |
| 28 | Poet’s brand of leather stuff (6) |
| LAMPAD –LAM (hit; leather) PAD (stuff). A lamp, candlestick or torch. | |
| 29 | Clandestine case of note penned by satirical author’s husband (8) |
| SNEAKISH – Outside letters of NotE in SAKI’S (satirical author’s) H (husband). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Duff note loudly interrupting charity for children (6) |
| SCLAFF – LA (note) F (forte; loudly) in SCF (Save the Children Fund; charity for children) | |
| 2 | Cutting out European, request a decision from monopoly (7) |
| APPALTO – APP{e}AL TO (request a decision) without the E (European). | |
| 3 | Planet orbiting Leo’s inner space on edges of ecliptic, a very long way out? (10) |
| MEGAPARSEC -{l}E{o} [‘s inner] GAP (space), in MARS (planet), outer letters of E{clipti}C. | |
| 4 | Giant farmer’s daughter, I hesitate to say, dressed up large in minor mishap (13) |
| GLUMDALCLITCH – UM (I hesitate to say) CLAD (dressed) [up] -> DALC, L (large), in GLITCH (minor mishap). A character in Gulliver’s Travels. | |
| 6 | Keen to skip gym class, suffering its effects? (4) |
| ACHY – {pe}ACHY (keen) without the PE (gym class). | |
| 7 | What underlies High Court division hosting fiery Friday sermon? (7) |
| KHOTBEH – HOT (fiery) in KB (King’s Bench; High Court division) EH (what?). | |
| 8 | Emitting sulphur everywhere, like soft mud rising through unchanged volcanic cavity (8) |
| AMYGDULE – {s}LUDGY (lie soft mud) [rising] -> YGDUL, in {s}AME (unchanged), losing the S (chemical symbol for sulphur) in both words. | |
| 11 | W African range of notes originally used in possibly hack article (13) |
| EQUATOGUINEAN – A TO G (range of notes), first letter of U{sed} in EQUINE (possibly hack), AN (article). | |
| 14 | Spanish colonial estate’s appearance in middle of merengue music’s ending (10) |
| ENCOMIENDA – MIEN (appearance), in merENgue CODA (music’s ending). | |
| 17 | Untrustworthy person crossing street opposite a legal bar (8) |
| ESTOPPEL – ST (street) OPP (opposite) in EEL (untrustworthy person) | |
| 19 | Synagogue cantors mostly vague on the soul, without foundation (7) |
| HAZANIM – HAZ{y} (vague) [mostly] ANIM{a} (soul) without the last latter. | |
| 21 | US soldier welcomes new officer commanding chapter for doughboys (7) |
| GNOCCHI – N (new) OC (officer in command) CH (chapter), all in GI (US soldier). | |
| 22 | Shaking my head, about to tuck into local duck (6) |
| SMEATH – EAT (tuck into) in SMH (informal abbreviation for Shaking My Head). | |
| 25 | Journey taken by Qatar Muslims to the north (or WSW) (4) |
| UMRA – Hidden in QatAR MUslims reversed [to the north] -> UMRA. A pilgrimage to Mecca which is WSW of Qatar. Oo that’s neat. | |
I went well over the hour on this one, despite several words I knew, even (approximately) the Brobdingnagian. TINCHEL proved the worth of Listeners: it was a key word in a circular one majoring on herding deer, and stuck in the memory.
Much time was lost trying to recall or discover West African mountain ranges: I’m still pretty sure EQUATOGUINEAN was made up especially for this crossword and sneaked into Chambers overnight.
Your right, ZBUD is a fine word, expressive without being recognisably rude.
I have monthly special 277 in my app so something weird here
Hi Cathy. As the MCS is a prize puzzle the blog is not published until the competition is closed at the end of the month so this is the blog for the puzzle published on 1st July. The blog for 277 will be posted on 1st September.
Thanks.