A fairly gentle opening to 2015 with a pleasant if undemanding puzzle
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | EARD – (h)EARD; see yird in C – to plant in Perth; |
| 4 | MESOCARP – (some)*-CARP; a layer of cells within a fruit; |
| 9 | FLARE-UPS – FLA(R-EU)PS; |
| 11 | LACERTILIA – L(ACE)RT-ILIA; lizards; |
| 12 | RAINCOAT – (r-action)* surrounds A from A(pple); “police” is anagrind; r=take; Mac is definition; |
| 15 | DERIG – (girdle – l)*; kit as in equipment; |
| 16 | YILL – Y-ILL; ale in Aberdeen; |
| 17 | MANTEGNA – MAN-(A-N-GET all reversed); painter Andrea Mantegna 1431-1506; |
| 18 | AMARANTH – (b)A(MA-RAN)TH; slip=run; type of cereal; |
| 20 | HIGH – two meanings 1=sort of camp 2=full (as in “high season”); |
| 22 | NETES – (SET-EN all reversed); highest string notes; |
| 25 | BARRATOR – reporter=narrator then change n=new to b=book; one causing litigation; |
| 26 | TRAVERTINE – TR(A-VERT)INE; go=TRINE; rock is definition; |
| 27 | HORTENSE – HO-R-TENSE; possibly Hortense Bonaparte 1783-1837 married to Naploeon’s brother Louis Bonaparte; |
| 28 | CREDENDA – C(RED-END)A; |
| 29 | HOER – HO(op)ER; |
| Down | |
| 1 | EFFRAY – EFF-RAY; old word (forgotten) for affray; |
| 2 | ALKALIMETRY – (materially + k=potassium)*; measuring the concentration of alkalis; |
| 3 | DRANT – D-RANT; departs=D; |
| 4 | MECCA – ME-CC-A; |
| 5 | SPRAINTS – SPRA(IN)TS; otter’s dung seen increasingly around the Dorset Stour and tributaries; |
| 6 | CHINEE – CHINE-(chor)E; old word for Chinese; |
| 7 | ALLERGIST – (great ills)*; |
| 8 | PA’ANGA – P-AA-N-(AG reversed); rock=AA; |
| 10 | TIRING-HOUSE – (re)TIRING-HOUSE; theatre changing room; |
| 13 | ILL,AT,EASE – ILL-A-TEASE; answer=A; |
| 14 | FANFARON – FAN-F-A(a)RON; Ed Balls perhaps (can’t go more than two weeks without some reference to him here); |
| 18 | ANETIC – A(gressio)N-(CITE reversed); soothing; |
| 19 | REVVED – REV-VED; Vehicle Excise Duty=VED; |
| 21 | HARPER – HAR(d)-PER; severely=hard; a=PER; a cherub perhaps; |
| 23 | ARITA – ARI(T)A; T from T(his); Japenese jasper; |
| 24 | KANEH – KANE-H; reference iconic 1941 film Citizen Kane; 6 cubits; |
Thanks for the blog: I needed it to sort a few out. I was puzzled that I couldn’t find the bones TILIA in 11ac, for instance: those pesky abbreviations again!
I was also puzzled by 12ac where I didn’t see ‘police’ as the anagrind: bit of a strange one that. Fortunately take=r has become automatic.
Slight typo at 28 Jimbo: CREDANDA. Which reminds me to fix the one you pointed out in my blog earlier!
I think “police” used as a verb is one of a number of anagrinds that are used in bar crosswords but not in the daily cryptics. Like “r” after a while you just see them – you’ll spot police next time it crops up I’m quite sure