Solving time (estimate): about 30 mins
Failed to keep my original copy of this so I’ve just done a re-solve, which suggests that the first go must have taken a fair while, and that quite a few clues need explaining.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 15 | EM=(printer’s) unit,MEN=blokes,THALER=old German coin – from which the word ‘dollar’ comes |
| 16 | RIO,J,A – ‘cards’ seems an under-used indicator |
| 19 | RIGIDLY – G.I. in Ridl(e)y – one of the bishops killed on the orders of ‘Bloody’ Mary, I think. |
| 20 | POSTM(ILLENARI=(rail line)*)AN – Pat = Postman from Postman Pat, the children’s book/TV character |
| 22 | SUP(p)ER,DUPER = fraud – in my mind, this phrase was “super dooper” – wrongly, it seems |
| 25 | AU,TO(p) |
| 30 | UNICYCLE = “Eunice, Ike ‘ll” for “woman president will” – outrageous, but it works for me |
| 39 | W1=Mayfair(RETAP=pater rev.),PER = by |
| 43 | PLAIN,SOFA,BRAH(A)M(s) – vaguely familiar as a place-name, possibly from reading about General Wolfe. |
| 47 | CHILDLESS – C.D. referring to Rachel in the O.T. |
| 52 | MOLLY=female,CODDLE=cook – still fresh in the mind from the championship final where it was a Spoonerised ideal dog. |
| Down | |
| 2 | THO’,ROUGH,P.I.N.=identification – inflammation of the hock joint, apparently |
| 7 | OVERCOM(PEN,SAT)E |
| 10 | CO-HOS(t) – there’s a Pacific salmon called coho or cohoe which quite often gets setters out of a tricky corner |
| 11 | H,ELLEN,IS,TIC=”tick” |
| 13 | BORE – 2 defs |
| 21 | A JAC(C.I.)O(b) – Jacob = type of sheep |
| 22 | S(AM.)ARA – a port on the River Volga, known as Kubyshev in the Soviet Era. Apparently has the largest town square in Europe (it was chosen as a possible substitute capital city in WWII in case Moscow fell, and then used as a centre for huge parades afterwards) |
| 24 | NON-(GOVERN=”Govan” (district of Glasgow))MENTAL – a non-rhotic homophone to drive our Scots solvers mental, I should think |
| 26 | UNMAN(N.E.,R)LINESS – camp = unmanliness – a Times xwd first? |
| 29 | END,OGEN=gone*. Botany time – lilies are monocotyledons and monocotyledons are endogens. Both news to me … |
| 36 | AMBASSADOR – &lit. based on “In capitals he” = H.E. = His Excellency |
| 40 | ABSTAINER – (seat in bar)* &lit. |
| 44 | OPE,ROSE – operose = busy, ope = poetic ‘open’ |
| 46 | T(HO.,UGH!)T – 40 = ABSTAINER = TT. Made a tad more puzzling in the on-line version, where the number 40 was converted to “fourty”. |
Therefore, would the clue “Like Rachel ultimately, having no issue to raise” make more sense if it read “Unlike Rachel ultimately,…”?
Alternatively, if I have missed the blindingly obvious and the clue as published is valid, then what purpose does “ultimately” serve?
Bill