Solving Time: As quite often happens I found this easy to start but hard to finish, with several knotty ones, one of which (8dn) is still not satisfactorily parsed. All good stuff but one of us was a bit below par and I suspect it was me
When this is published I will be in deepest Wales (ie nowhere near Neath!) but if you have a query ask away and I’m sure someone will answer..
cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, anagrams are *(–), homophones indicated in “”
ODO means the Oxford Dictionaries Online, OED = Oxford English Dictionary, etc.
|
Across |
| 1. Metal oxide that Eastern European would keep in tin (5) erbia – ( |
| 4. Hospital vagueness in half of English reformer’s bruising treatment (4-5) wych-hazel – H(ospital) + HAZE (vagueness) in WYCL( |
| 9. Revolting Argentinian tea as for newcomer to Alaska (9) chechaqua – CHE (revolting Argentinian; a correct description in every way) + CHA (tea) + QUA (as) |
| 10. Russian car carrying British or Greek character (5) labda – B( |
| 11. Scots busy? It’s obvious, but not very (6) eident – E( |
| 12. Tenure in Dartmoor of new country house, not finished in angled shape (8) venville – N( |
| 14. Supreme power Zeus exercised to fall outside of Troy (10) suzerainty – *(ZEUS) + RAIN (to fall) + T( |
| 16. On old space station, see nuclear warhead (4) mirv – MIR (old space station) + V (see, short for videlicet, as in QV.) Mirv = “multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle” |
| 19. Many a sparrow is too much for abandoned baby hawk (4) nyas – hidden in maNY A Sparrow. There is a wonderful and extensive vocabulary attached to hawking, examples of which crop up here from time to time |
| 20. Drinking heavily, I knocked back about five doubles, responsible for burning? (10) ignipotent – TEN (five doubles) in TOPING (drinking heavily) + I both rev. |
| 22. Excitement before one enters club, stirring attraction? (8) buzzbait – BUZZ (excitement) + I in BAT (club). It’s a kind of fishing lure apparently |
| 23. Even elements among Zulus welcome push for humanity in South Africa (6) ubuntu – BUNT (push) in zUlUs. Ubuntu is a Bantu philosophy though better known hereabouts as a Linux OS |
| 26. Has a duty outdated anything at all? (5) ought – a fairly rare (for the club monthly) simple dd |
| 27. Florid air I put in Italian opera (1,8) I Puritani – *(AIR I PUT IN). An opera by Bellini that I know of solely because it turns up in crosswords now and then |
| 28. Consonance that’s uncommon, short and hard in brusque demand for money? (9) pararhyme – RAR( |
| 29. Ruffian that’s striking supportive voter, contrarily (5) yahoo – OOH (as in “Ooh!”) + AY (supportive voter) both rev. |
| Down |
| 1. Gutless Englishman, taking time out, is unfaithful to Spenser’s cause (9) encheason – E( |
| 2. Offer to include centre for homeless in Glaswegian shelter (5) bield – homELess in BID (offer) |
| 3. Barbarian stops raging once starved (2-6) an-hungry – HUN (barbarian) in ANGRY (raging) |
| 4. One becoming Queen makes homeless person a charitable donation (4) waqf – WAIF (homeless person) with the I changed to a Q. The main souq in Doha, where my daughter lives, is called Souq Waqif |
| 5. Melon and bits of cha classified by whether or not found in tea? (10) Charentais – Hmm.. I see the word we are looking for has *(IN TEA) in CHARS.. is that it? Don’t see how.. I also see that CH aren’t A, which could be classifying thebits of cha.. Oh, OK, I’ve got it now, I think it is “CH aren’t, A is” – in tea, that is. Very clever, too clever for me as it turns out |
| 6. French composer’s verse penned by rock-and-roll pioneer (6) Halevy – V( |
| 7. Fur Elise initially introduced by unknown composer of 27, moving finale to the start (9) zibelline – Z (unknown) + BELLINI, with the I moved to the front, + E( |
| 8. To this forest climber going up is something hard on a digit (5) liane – dang, another tricky one.. I thought it was LIANA to start with, until I got 12ac. I see NAIL going up, that is something hard on a digit.. but how does the e appear, and what is the “To this” for? Can “is” = “e?” Suggestions welcomed … |
| 13. Fashionable Scot’s good with shame about fattiness (10) pinguidity – IN (fashionable) + GUID (Scot’s good) in PITY (shame). Certainly the amount of pinguidity about these days is a shame/pity |
| 15. Austrian shopkeepers used to accept such razzing, we worried (9) zwanziger – *(RAZZING WE). a write-in, partly because I’d heard of the coin and partly because “razzing” is a highly suspicious word |
| 17. Italian cabbie’s ban covering his northern city (9) vetturino – TURIN (Northern city) in VETO (ban) |
| 18. Vulgar, grand bit of regalia with a sticky coating (8) gorblimy – ORB (bit of regalia) in G(rand) + LIMY (sticky). a word best known from this famous ditty |
| 21. German finals slightly unfair, outwardly (6) abitur – A BIT (slightly) + U( |
| 22. Effect of a howler in audio book: repeated lines of code (5) bloop – B(ook) + LOOP (repeated lines of code) |
| 24. Well-organised hotel in Welsh industrial town (5) Neath – NEAT (well organised) + H( |
| 25. Without ado, I’m not moving a man, a sweetie from Auckland (4) jube – another tricky one.. it is J’ADOUBE, a chessic word that allows you to adjust a man without being made to move it, without the ADO. The OED says nothing about NZ and gives three English usage examples. Chambers says Australian informal … but Collins says “Aus & NZ slang.” Short for jujubes, which I vaguely remember from my distant youth |
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