Another monthly dose of interesting words and entertaining wordplay. I had all but the SE corner done in an hour and then took 16 minutes more to finish. Favourite word this month was KOLKHOZ and favourite wordplay that for GRANOPHYRIC. Thank-you clever setter!
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Ability to decide if rib is broken inside body cavity (9) |
| ARBITRIUM – (rib)* [broken] in ATRIUM (body cavity). | |
| 6 | Respected Muslim woman to have an adhesive effect? (5) |
| BEGUM – BE GUM (have an adhesive effect). | |
| 9 | Scottish rogue’s year away from largest Inner Hebridean isles, one of them to the west (7) |
| SKELLUM – SK{y}E without the Y (year), MULL (another Hebridean island) reversed ->LLUM. | |
| 10 | Backgrounds of lacemakers bringing Marine uniform into King (7) |
| RESEAUX – SEA (marine) U (uniform in the phonetic alphabet) in REX (King). | |
| 11 | Pan for preparing balti somewhat lackadaisically (5) |
| KADAI – Hidden in lacKADAIsically. | |
| 13 | Special layer completed elliptical auditorium (9) |
| SPHENDONE –SP (special) HEN (layer of eggs) DONE (completed). | |
| 14 | Adoration of serpents or pike put back in fancy tanks (5,4) |
| SNAKE CULT – LUCE (pike) reversed -> ECUL in [fancy] (tanks)* | |
| 16 | Barrel-shaped drum to carry with the backpiece foremost (4) |
| DHOL – HOLD (carry) moving the last letter to the front -> DHOL. | |
| 18 | Showy young man seen in skinsuits oddly cut (4) |
| KNUT – Alternate letters of sKiNsUiTs. | |
| 19 | Males harbouring a younger love for Western cowboys (9) |
| BUCKAYROS – A YR (younger) O (round letter, 0, love) in BUCKS (males). | |
| 22 | Huge number of rupees for some, one individual’s number in coffers (9) |
| LACUNARIA – LAC (large number of rupees) UN (one individual in dialect, for some) ARIA (operatic number). | |
| 24 | Elaborate fugue without care for instrument in Tanglewood’s kitchen section? (5) |
| RICER – Cheeky definition making me think of a percussion instrument. It’s RICER{care} (elaborate fugue) without the care. | |
| 25 | Wingers from Arsenal Football Club advanced, following behind Henry in preparation for a softer kick? (4-3) |
| HALF-CAF – Outside letters of ArsenaL FC (football club) A (advanced) F (following) all after H (Henry). | |
| 26 | Become almost sinless in the morning tower before temple (7) |
| GOPURAM – GO (become) [almost] PUR{e} (sinless) AM (in the morning). | |
| 28 | Centred slices from razor get pen nice and sharp (5) |
| ZESTY – Middle letters of of raZor and gEt, STY (pig pen). | |
| 29 | Quickness of Spenser’s finish for Epithalamion: one’s damned short (9) |
| NIMBLESSE – Last letter of EpithalamioN, I’M (one’s) BLESSE{d} (damned) without the final letter. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | More than one clover leaf ultimately detached from breast pads worn by Kelvin (7) |
| ALSIKES – {f}ALSIES (breast pads) without the last letter of leaf, outside K (Kelvin). | |
| 2 | The people addressed in dialect to support British subsidiary (3) |
| BYE – YE (the people, in dialect) under B (British) | |
| 3 | Type of net containing one live Canadian lake fish (8) |
| TULLIBEE – I (one) BE (live), in TULLE (type of net). | |
| 4 | A flat piece cut from young sheep’s feet (5) |
| IAMBS – LAMB’S (young sheep’s) losing the flat piece from the L to make an I. | |
| 5 | Commend hot seaside walk northward to do with a dreamy god? (9) |
| MORPHETIC – CITE (commend) H (hot) PROM all going upwards. | |
| 6 | Not quite reasonable to stop Cricket Club festival in Pakistan (6) |
| BASANT – SAN{e} (reasonable) [not quite] in BAT (cricket club). | |
| 7 | Relating to fine-grained rock, right to replace both uranium in fertiliser and sulphur in medicine (11) |
| GRANOPHYRIC – GAUNO replacing the U (Uranium) with an R -> GRANO, and PHYSIC (medicine) replacing the S (Sulphur) with an R -> PHYRIC. | |
| 8 | Magnetic unit is the greatest thing by a considerable margin (7) |
| MAXWELL – MAX (greatest thing) WELL (by a considerable margin). | |
| 12 | Parasitic worm has topsy-turvy eccentric, complete drunkard, losing both feet (11) |
| DRACUNCULUS – CARD (eccentric) upside down -> DRAC, UNCU{t) (complete) LUS{h} without their final letters. | |
| 15 | University and Bern, somehow united with Slough, touch wood in Thuringia (9) |
| UNBERUFEN – U (University) (Bern)* [somehow] U (united) FEN (Slough). | |
| 17 | When to turn and drive on slimy sediment (8) |
| SAPROPEL – AS (when) reversed -> SA, PROPEL (drive on). | |
| 18 | Finisher left Kath unoccupied on Australian co-operative farm (7) |
| KOLKHOZ – KO (knock-out, finisher) L (left), outside letters of KatH, OZ (Australian). | |
| 20 | Uptake of light food brought about peculiar swellings (7) |
| STRUMAE – RUM (odd) in EATS (light food) taken up. | |
| 21 | Cunning old senior barrister retained by American being sent up (6) |
| KNACKY – KC (senior barrister) in YANK (American) all sent up. | |
| 23 | A large eucalyptus perhaps, or red sandalwood probably (5) |
| ALGUM – A L (large) GUM (eucalyptus, perhaps). | |
| 27 | Notes about singular legal matter (3) |
| RES – Triple definition, the second RE (about) S (singular). | |
Thanks for the blog. Presume my answers, which concur with yours, are correct. When I try to check, it only tells me that my entry has been sent, which it was a couple of weeks ago.
Curious. When I click “Review” it shows me all green… but thank-you for reminding me to check I hadn’t got any answers wrong.
I had the same thing with the last Mephisto – no green, just the message.
I use the Crossword Club website. Maybe it depends on where you did it?
Seems to have sorted itself out – all green now.