A straightforward puzzle that shouldn’t present any problems to seasoned campaigners whilst being a reasonable test for new solvers. I have one query at 13A.
There are no minor sporting personalities, such as cricketer Marcus Trescothic seen a couple of weeks ago, so champions like Larry “horsemeat” Kahn must continue to wait their turn.
Our thanks for all their work during the year go to Editor Peter Biddlecombe and his team of setters Don Manley, Paul McKenna and Tim Moorey. Finally, may I wish compliments of the season to all lovers of bar crosswords.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | OSMATE – OS-MATE; OS=Ordinary Seaman=salt; MATE=ship’s officer=salt; the (hypothetical) salt of osmic acid; |
| 5 | SHACKO – S(HACK)O; journalist=HACK; plumed ceremonial military style hat; |
| 9 | BUSK – two meanings 1=prepare 2=raise money by making music in the street as per Benjamin Franklin and my daughter when at the RCM; |
| 10 | INTERMIT – IN-TERM-IT; computing=information technology=IT; |
| 11 | VOMERS – V-(h)OMERS; a bone in your nose; |
| 13 | EGEST – (devote)E-GEST; old word for romance=GEST; there may be a better explanation than “devotee” any thoughts; |
| 15 | PREASSE – (s)PRE(ASS)E; sun=s; old word for press (“squeeze old” is definition); |
| 16 | RITALIN – (trial)*-IN; methylphenidate, controversial treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; |
| 18 | STAKEHOLDER – S(TAKE)H-OLDER; mum=quiet=SH; |
| 20 | RIFACIMENTO – (income if art)*; the adaption of a work of art to fit modern circumstance; |
| 24 | AMERCES – A-MERCE(r)-S; shilling=S; discretionary fines; |
| 27 | SNIRTLE – (listner – e=English)*; to giggle in Glasgow; |
| 28 | UREIC – (cure + I=institute)*; |
| 29 | MILAGE – M(I-L)AGE; litre=L; priest=MAGE; |
| 30 | GIRNIEST – (TSE-IN-RIG) all reversed; TSE=T S Elliot; most peevish is definition; |
| 31 | IDEE – I-DEE(m); French for idea as in idee fixe; |
| 32 | AGHAST – (st)AG-HAST(e); |
| 33 | DECERN – DE(C-ER)N; to judge in Jedburgh; |
| Down | |
| 1 | OBVERSE – OB-VERSE; OB=Old Boy (of a school); |
| 2 | SUOMI – SU(OM)I; of itself=SUI; order=OM (Order of Merit); Finnish; |
| 3 | AKELA – hidden L(AKELA)nd; name taken from Kipling’s Jungle Book – dib,dib,dib; |
| 4 | TIROLEAN – TIRO-LEAN; |
| 5 | STERNO – STERN-O; egg=O; alcohol jelly used as cooking fuel in camping stoves; |
| 6 | ARGAND – (DN-AGRA) all reversed; outskirts of D(ickensia)N=DN; old French lamp; |
| 7 | KISSER – hidden (par)K IS SER(ious); |
| 8 | OTTER – (p)OTTER; |
| 12 | METAIRIE – MET-A-IR-IE; area=A; cultivated ground in New Orleans, presumably; |
| 14 | ESSENCIA – ESSEN-CIA; the richest and rarest Hungarian Tokaji wine; |
| 17 | ILMENITE – (timeline)*; black mineral titanium oxide; |
| 19 | POSTEEN – POST-E’EN; POST=after; E’EN=evening (poetic); after evening=night; an Afgahni greatcoat; |
| 20 | RUNRIG – R-UNRIG; strip=undress=UNRIG; form of land tenure or Celtic rock group; |
| 21 | FARINA – FARIN(g)-A; ground corn, meal; |
| 22 | CALLET – CALL-ET; reference the film character ET; a call girl; |
| 23 | TSUGA – (A-GUST) all reversed; the hemlock spruce genus; |
| 25 | RELIC – RELI(geon)-C(hurch); |
| 26 | EGGER – anxious=eager then swap “a” for “g” to give EGGER; |
For 13ac I think “old lover” is EX and “sign of love” is X (a kiss).
Thanks as ever for the blog.