Solving Time: about 50 minutes, ie just a fraction quicker than average for me. This blog is a bit later than usual, because entries have to be in by the last Thursday of the month, ie yesterday. So rather unusually, we already have another club monthly, out today! Why do we need to have a “crossword of the month” competition, when we have these? 🙂
cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as *(–)
Across | |
---|---|
1 | can of worms – *(FOR WOMAN) in civil service = CS |
6 |
dsos – D |
9 | sheriffdom – very loudly = FF + party = DO in female border = SHE RIM |
10 |
aqua – |
12 | agalmatolite – A GAL + O LIT. in china = MATE. The word itself being various materials from which chinese figurines were carved, before they all moved on to producing cheap electrical tat |
15 | wheelback – with = W, + CABLE + EH? both rev., + K = king |
17 |
laari – L + A + ARI |
18 |
reiki – |
19 | ultra-high – hard = H in *(U + HAT GIRL) |
20 | Jordan almond – *(OLD MAJOR + N + AND) |
24 | syce – unknown = Y in S{PA}CE |
25 |
lofexidine – see = LO + F |
26 |
swad – directions = SW + |
27 |
genethliac – L + I, in GENET + HAC |
Down | |
1 | cusp – second = S in CUP |
2 |
nief – |
3 |
fringillidae – band = RING in plug = FILL, + papers = ID + |
4 |
offal – poorly = OFF + AL |
5 |
Mao jacket – *(OATCAKE + J |
7 |
saquinavir – I can’t quite get this one. St Thomas evidently = AQUINAS. Perhaps the “cycling” is intended to indicate that the S is to be moved from the back to the front? And then followed by VI |
8 | stage right – “gathering of just men” = STAG NIGHT, with the N replaced by our own dear queen, ER. |
11 | pollyannaish – election year = POLL + Y, + back to back articles = AN NA, + one = I + peace = SH. “Pollyannaish” really means nothing more than looking on the bright side of things, but it seems there is hardly a word that someone can’t make pejorative. The original novel from which the term originates is a classic of children’s literature, albeit more for its content than its literary style. You can read it here |
13 | swarajists – clash = JAR rev. in middle section = WAIST. All inside vessel = SS. So, S(WA(RAJ)IST)S |
14 | peritricha – one agent = I REP rev., + T + loaded = RICH + A = blood type. Peritricha are cheerful looking protozoa. |
16 | a cut above – this seems to be *(ABOUT + V) in ACE, which is a one and may be a club, hence the question mark.. but the surface would make no more or less sense if the word club were omitted. |
21 | mneme – Parisian’s missus = MME, containing NE which is the French word for in = EN, rev. |
22 |
ziti – I + TIZ |
23 | aesc – the first letters of Another’s Embrace So Cosy |
Edited at 2013-02-02 10:56 am (UTC)