Author: branch

There was much biffing and grinding in this one.

So, how many are into non-alcoholic drinks, I wonder? (We may not believe 15ac.) Clever wordplay, without esoterica – my kind of thing!

I struggled with the answer at 22dn, partly for reasons of grammar; and even more with the (very) foreign answer at 21 across, clued as an anagram.

Generally I don’t like cross-references to other clues, but the word play in 15ac was nice enough to make up for that. I liked the literal definition at 21ac too.

As the northern hemisphere gets scorched, here down under we are enjoying winter days up to 10ºC above normal. Happy to report I’m posting this blog from a coastal resort. Very pleasant, for now!

Apparently, when dancing a salsa, the tempo is quick quick slow, quick quick slow. This puzzle was a bit like that for me.

I was struck by how compact the clues were in this puzzle. It reminded me of the Sunday Cryptics! And, all very gettable.

The north-west corner gave the most opposition. In contrast, the other long clue at 7dn was clear from the helpers, but needed time to decipher the wordplay. I had to consult my brains trust about 24ac!

I thought this puzzle was easy, until I went to prepare the blog and found two clues yet to do!