Another in a growing line of good quality puzzles of average difficulty. If one could devise a level of difficulty index its standard deviation over recent weeks would be very small. There are no queries, just good solid stuff that’s a pleasure to solve.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | MOROSE – MO(R)OSE; secret frat man=MOOSE (James Davis’ mutual benefit society); right=R; think Gordon Brown; |
| 6 | UJAMAA – U-JAM-A-A; fix=JAM; academy=A; U(gand)A’s borders=UA; a Tanzanian community based on collective ownership; |
| 10 | STUFF,GOWN – STUFF-GO-W-N; crowd=STUFF; ready=GO; with=W; name=N; a non-silk gown worn by a junior barrister; |
| 11 | GRUB – BURG(er) reversed; without hesitation=remove “er”; I like the “among others” to avoid DBE; |
| 12 | SONANCE – SON-ANCE; native=SON; formely=once=(Scots word)=ANCE; |
| 13 | SEE,A,WOLF – SE(E)A-WOLF; bass=sea wolf then “double up second bit”=add another E; The phrase expresses the old belief that if a man saw a wolf before the wolf saw him, the man would temporarily lose the power of speech; |
| 15 | HWYLS – H-(SLY-W all reversed); husband=H; wife=W; Welsh for divine inspiration in oratory; Lloyd George; Aneurin Bevan, Michael Heseltine; etc; |
| 17 | MAILE – MAILE(d); (old) penny=D; a spot (stain) in Scotland=mail-5; mail-4=MAILE=old half-penny; |
| 19 | ARGONAUT – ARGO(N-AU)T; and=N; gold=AU; slang=ARGOT (from the French, à ma connaissance); |
| 22 | TRIETHYL – TRIE-THY-L; your=THY; league=L; prove=try=(old word) TRIE; a compound with three ethyl groups; |
| 23 | ADEPT – A-DEP-T; before=A; deacon=ADEPT in Scotland; |
| 25 | PEEPE – P(EE)PE; OU degree=PPE; Early English=EE; peep-3=PEEPE=pip-4=a star (of rank); |
| 26 | OBLIGATE – OB-L-I-GATE; I keep in=I GATE; old boy=OB; Latin=L; |
| 28 | ACARIDA – A-C-A(R)ID-A; are=A; coloured=C; answer=A; insect family that includes ticks; |
| 29 | ICED – ICE-D; diamonds=ICE (criminal slang); diamonds (playing cards)=D; took out=Al Capone slang for killed=ICED; |
| 30 | SEND,ROUND – SEN-D-(g)ROUND; without=SEN; daughter=D; sufficient reason=ground; |
| 31 | SHTUMM – (must + h=hour)*-M(uzziness); the opposite of spiel; |
| 32 | TONITE – TO-NIT-E; NIT-5=lookout in Launceston; a form of guncotton; |
| Down | |
| 1 | MUGSHOT – MUG’S-HOT; exam=MUG-4; recently bagged(=stolen)=HOT; |
| 2 | OWREWORDS – (sorrow we’d)*; see “overword” in Chambers; |
| 3 | ROUE – (t)ROU(bl)E; distress=trouble then remove t=time and bl=bale; Don Juan no doubt; |
| 4 | STOWS – SWOTS reversed=crams up; then two meanings STOW-1=store, STOW-2=to crop in Coatbridge; |
| 5 | EUSOL – (SUE reversed)-O-L(isterine); court=woo=SUE; over=O; an antiseptic; |
| 6 | UFOLOGY – U-FOL-(Y-GO reversed); followed=FOL; deal=GO; the study of flying saucers; |
| 7 | AGACANTE – AGA-CANTE(en); (enrolled) nurse=EN; (army) mess=canteen; stove=AGA; think Mata Hari; |
| 8 | MONDIAL – M-ON-DIAL; |
| 9 | ANELE – hidden (Christi)AN ELE(gantly); administer extreme unction; |
| 14 | SLUMP,TEST – (spelt must)*; a test to measure the consistency of concrete or Nick Clegg; |
| 16 | LIE,PERDU – LIE-PER-D-U; tell a porky (pie)=LIE (rhyming slang); a=PER; day=D; for all to see=U (film ratings); lie doggo; |
| 18 | HIELANT – HI(E-L)ANT; gaping=HIANT; English=E; left=L; of the NW of Scotland; |
| 20 | RHABDOM – (hard mob)*; a rod in the eye of an arthropod; |
| 21 | TWEEDLE – jibberish=twaddle then change “ad”=advantage to “ee” centre of (b)ee(f); swindles; |
| 23 | AMASS – AM-AS-S; Sabbath=S; |
| 24 | CLAUT – C(LA)UT; behold=LA; cross=CUT; scratch; |
| 25 | PIANO – P(IAN)O; shipping company=PO; Scots chap=IAN; soft (musical term); |
| 27 | ACAI – A-C-A-I; one=A; cloudy=C; afternoon=A; I’ll=I; tree with purple fruit; |
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