Club Monthly 20157 October 2013 – Only Connect…

Solving Time: Not too bad, about 1hr 15mins but with one wrong which I can’t currently spot. Hopefully writing the blog may uncover it. (it did. See 23dn).. This crossword is noteworthy for the unusual number of references to other clues.. my son is getting married tomorrow (Saturday), so apologies if this blog is a little sketchy; if you have any questions though, do please ask

cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as *(–)

Across
1	speed-up – Scottish river = DEE, in litter = PUPS, all reversed, the reversal indicator being “western.”
5	roque – Question in d.o.m = ROUE
9	adieu – coin stamper = DIE in gold = AU. The sort of clue I like – simple, elegant, straightforward, once you’ve solved it
10	voyeurism – all rev: manuscript = MS + I RUE + Year Old Volume
11	euripus – small drink = SUP + I RUE, a repeat of 10ac. The Euripus is a strait in Greece between Boeotia and Euboea, and hence extended to other ditches and narrow channels, including, ac cording to the OED, “The euripus, or canal, made by order of Julius Cæsar to contain crocodiles and other aquatick animals which were killed occasionally.”
12	amildar – A MILD + AiR
13	adminicles – AD + MINI + CLuES.
15	otic – note = TI in retrOChoir, the def. being “of an organ”
18	toze – little weight = OZ in “that note,” ie presumably the one in 15ac = TE,
20	dhimmitude – Died + HIM + *(TEDIUM)
23	tide rip – reportedly connected = “TIED” = TIDE + RIP, the middle of 11ac.
24	viduity – tape = VID + frUITY
25	quandangs  – jam = QUANDAry + NG + Small
26	bahai – a reference to a BAd HAIr day..
27	Egypt – say = EG + Your + ParT
28	mylodon – MY LOnDON
Down
1	shiurim – I in SH + U + RIM
2	erumpent – sERUM + PENT
3	dives – dd, Dives being a rich man in a christian parable, the motto of which would appear to be “revenge is sweet.”
4	prytaneum – *(A RUN + EMPTY)
5	raucid – skinless duck = dUCk in attack = RAID
6	quiddit – QUIDDITch, a fictional game that surely needs no further explanation.. never read a Harry Potter book, never seen a film, but still I’ve heard of it
7	emmer – both emmer and spelt are primitive wheat forms, much in vogue amongst the breadmaking community (inc. me). RE MME, rev.
8	jazerant – JAZzER + ANT
14	cohyponym – horse – PONY in CO + HYMn
16	cresylic – hidden, rev. in siCILY SERCo
17	zindabad – IND in AZ rev., + BAD
19	zedoary – ultimate, in a literary sense = ZED, + OARY, like an oar…
21	ulichon – shape of horseshoue = U, + Lake + I + C, + sweet = HONey
22	credit – press boss = ED in review = CRITicism
23	tuque – .. and not toque, as I very carelessly wrote. It is just TU + QUE, but because toque was a much more familiar word to me, somewhere between the brain and the pen, it changed..
24	vasal – *(LAVAS). vasal as in (for example) the vas deferens