The second puzzle in a row to be on the hard side of average without being fiendish. I thoroughly enjoyed wrestling with it. Oddly I was off to a good start with the first three across clues going straight in but thereafter it slowed down considerably with the eastern half proving more elusive than the west.
Across | |
---|---|
1 | CHINWAGS – CHIN(W)A(G)S; women=W; start to gas=G; cockney mates=CHINAS; rabbit, rabbit, rabbit; |
7 | GLEI – hidden reversed (ar)IEL G(azelles); sticky clay; |
10 | ISRAELI – IS-(LEAR reversed)-I; ref Edward Lear 1812-1888; |
12 | SAIVA – SAI-V-A; capuchin=SAI; against=V; Hindu sect of the Saiva Siddhanta Church; |
13 | INCASED – INCAS-ED; |
15 | PONTIE – P-ON-TIE; penny=P; close to=ON; couple=TIE; see punty; an implement used in glass blowing; |
16 | EREWHON – (WE’RE reversed)-HON(ey); doll=term of endearment=honey=HON; imaginary country invented by Samual Butler. An anagram of “nowhere” but actually a satirical commentary on Victorian England; |
17 | DOOCE – DO-O-CE; tidy=DO; old=O; finance chancellor (of the Exchequer)=CE; to be fired as a result of the content of ones own website. A term devised by Heather Armstrong who was penalised in this way; |
19 | TADPOLE – TA(pod)*LE; |
20 | CABARET -CA(BARE)T; |
23 | BAYOU – BA(d)-YOU; the reader=YOU; attractive=BAD (slang); who can forget Roy Orbison and Blue Bayou released when I had just turned 21 in 1963; |
25 | GOA,BEAN – GO-A-BEAN; pass over=die=GO; loaf=head=BEAN; |
27 | SIPPLE – (lies)* around PP=parish priest; |
29 | SEA,LORD – two meanings 1=book by Bernard Cornwell 2=highest rank in navy; we’ll have one per ship soon; |
30 | ATRIA – A-TRIA(l); hint of lewdness=L; French tenor with comedic aptitude=(Antoine) TRIAL 1736-1795 (see C). He compensated for a reedy, nasal voice by acting the fool. Over commited himself to Robespierre and ended up commiting suicide; |
31 | MONIALS – MON(om)IALS; one-word names=monomials; Hindu syllable=mo; mullions; |
32 | SOSS – SO-S(o)-S; tolerable=SO-SO so barely tolerable=SO-S; second=S; Glaswegian gruel; |
33 | GIGAFLOP – engagement=GIG; Australian=A; head south=droop=FLOP; no, not Microsoft Bob but rather a computer processing speed of one billion instructions per second; |
Down | |
1 | CISTED – C-IS-TED; charlie=C (phonetic alphabet); unruly girl=TED; a tomb consisting of a covered stone box; |
2 | IRIS – IR-IS; infared=IR; lamp=eye; |
3 | NAVEW – NA-V-(th)E-(sno)W; not available=NA; see=V; a neep to be eaten mashed with haggis and a dram; |
4 | WEATHER,ALONG – (the role anag + w=with)*; |
5 | ALIYOT – ALI(ce)-(TOY reversed); play=TOY; all about kibbutz settlements; |
6 | SECOND,BANANA – SECOND-BAN-ANA; stage=SECOND; boycott=BAN; anecdote=ANA; Bud Abbott; George Burns; Dean Martin; |
7 | GRANDPA – GR-AND-PA; grey=GR; as well as=AND; past=PA; your blogger; |
8 | LOST,TO – LO(S)TTO; son=S; bingo=LOTTO; |
9 | INDENE – IN-DENE; valley=DENE; sand dune=DENE; benzocyclopentadiene; |
11 | KEITLOAS – (eat kilos)*; the two-horned, black, rhinocerous; |
14 | CROAKIER – sounds like CROW-KEA; |
18 | CAMPLES – CAMP-LES; to wrangle; |
20 | CISSUS – CISS(y)-US; the kangaroo vine; |
21 | BYPASS – BY-P(ratt’s)-ASS; via=BY; bottom=arse=ASS; the third battle of Newbury occurred in 1996 (the first two were in 1643 and 1644); |
22 | TOP,DOG – (POT reversed)-DO-G(uide); can=POT; party=DO; |
24 | UNHASP – UN-H-ASP; locally one=UN; husband=H; |
26 | BUT,IF – BUT-I-F(log); cask=BUT; record=log so flog without record=F; |
28 | ORAL – (m)ORAL; master=m; |
Enjoyed this very much – even though I failed by a long long way. Good blog – thanks
Chris