This went quickly, until I hit traffic with the last two clues, both involving church matters. Does that mean something? Meanwhile, a special mention to the arithmetic lesson! Thanks, setter. How did you all do?
Note for newcomers: The Times offers prizes for Saturday Cryptic Crosswords. This blog is for last week’s puzzle, posted after the competition closes. So, please don’t comment here on this week’s Saturday Cryptic.
Definitions are in bold and underlined. With the luxury of a week to do the blog, I can expand on the wordplay:
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- synonyms and the like appear in [square brackets]
- wordplay instructions appear thus
- anagram fodder is (THUS)*, with the anagram indicator in italics
- a ⁁ symbol indicates where text is to be inserted.
| Across | |
| 1 | Traditional support for female team has finally become muddled (4-6) |
| SIDE SADDLE – SIDE [team] + S [haS, finally] + ADDLE. | |
| 6 | Block group of pipes in lodge (4) |
| STOP – three (!) meanings. Learn something new every time: a stop can be a group of organ pipes. Read about them here. |
|
| 9 | Scholarship abandoned by Republican tendency (7) |
| LEANING – LEARNING abandoned by R. | |
| 10 | Work in sonar converting higher-frequency emitter (7) |
| SOPRANO – OP [work] in S⁁RANO = (SONAR)*, converting. | |
| 12 | Some men from Asia possibly embracing golf (10) |
| CONTINGENT – CONTIN⁁ENT [Asia, possibly] embracing G [golf, in the phonetic alphabet]. | |
| 13 | A husband getting answer that’s surprising (3) |
| AHA – A + H + A. | |
| 15 | One trying to get copper coin from the past (6) |
| TANNER – sunbathing hint. A tanner was sixpence before decimal currency. | |
| 16 | On which bishop sits in cape sporting a red hat (8) |
| CATHEDRA – C [cape] + (A RED HAT)*, sporting. One of my problem clues. I didn’t remember the name of the bishop’s seat, although I’m sure we’ve seen it before. |
|
| 18 | Begin to understand polar explorer not starting working forwards (6,2) |
| COTTON ON – SCOTT [Robert Scott, not starting] + ON [working] + ON [forwards, as in “press on”]. Neat clue, giving us “on” in two distinct ways. |
|
| 20 | Perhaps Elgar’s Enigma’s beginning with D minor? (6) |
| EDWARD – E [Enigma’s beginning] + D + WARD [minor]. | |
| 23 | What’s two-thirds nine? (3) |
| SIX – either just simple arithmetic, or I’ve missed something! Usually, it’s the second of those. Aha … IX [Roman numeral 9] is two-thirds of SIX. Brilliant. | |
| 24 | What can improve smile a test photo misrepresented (10) |
| TOOTHPASTE – (A TEST PHOTO)*, misrepresented. | |
| 26 | Very small kangaroo uncovered inside the womb (2,5) |
| IN UTERO – MINUTE ROO, uncovered. | |
| 27 | The very thing involving new and improper trespass (7) |
| INTRUDE – I⁁T [the very thing!] involving N + RUDE. | |
| 28 | Left EU, taking up current place (4) |
| LIEU – L [left] + I [electrical current] + EU. | |
| 29 | Clergyman replacing verse with frequency. I’m hesitating, it’s a big ask! (10) |
| REFERENDUM – REVEREND replacing V with F + UM [I’m hesitating]. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Half of capital raised without assistance (4) |
| SOLO – OSLO, with half the letters backwards (raised). | |
| 2 | Go slowly guarding old cavalryman (7) |
| DRAGOON – DRAG ⁁ ON [go slowly] guarding O. | |
| 3 | Woman drinking beer with resolve in party game (4,3,6) |
| SPIN THE BOTTLE – S⁁HE [woman] drinking PINT [beer] + BOTTLE [resolve]. | |
| 4 | Water creature gun dog disturbed (6) |
| DUGONG – (GUN DOG)*, disturbed. | |
| 5 | Where one might bet star wants girl around (3,5) |
| LAS VEGAS – LAS⁁S [girl] around VEGA. | |
| 7 | Expensive article, it is elevated in the Pope’s headdress (7) |
| TIARAED – DEAR [expensive] + A + IT elevated. One of my last two in. I had no idea Popes wore a tiara. Apparently they don’t these days; see here. |
|
| 8 | Prompt to include godless American biased information (10) |
| PROPAGANDA – PRO⁁D [prompt] to include PAGAN [godless] + A [American]. | |
| 11 | Pact held with Tibet mobilising for violent conflict (7,6) |
| PITCHED BATTLE – (PACT HELD TIBET)*, mobilising. | |
| 14 | Shop merchandise even now not moving (5-5) |
| STOCK STILL – STOCK [stock merchandise] + STILL [even now]. | |
| 17 | Second to none, but strangely unvarying (8) |
| MONOTONE – MO [second] + (TO NONE)*, strangely. | |
| 19 | Send a message on river quality (7) |
| TEXTURE – TEXT [send a message] + URE. | |
| 21 | Stagger about with stone for top of rampart (7) |
| ASTOUND – AROUND with ST for R. Same trick as 29ac. | |
| 22 | King entering Polish site for pilgrims (6) |
| SHRINE – R entering SH⁁INE. | |
| 25 | Steering wheel of hard wood (4) |
| HELM – H + ELM. | |