What do AZED 2065, Mephisto 2698 and this puzzle have in common? They all contain that well known family of beetles “dermestidae” as an answer. As the odds of this happening by chance are infinitely small, what is going on here – I think we should be told!
What is different about this puzzle? It’s far too easy with many answers solved immediately from simple cryptics.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | STRIP,SEARCH – S(TRIPS)E-ARCH; standard revenge tactic employed by customs on stroppy passengers; |
| 11 | AVOURE – AV-O-URE; AV=Authorised Version; old=O; use=URE; old word for avowal; |
| 12 | HOOR – HO-OR; OR=Ordinary Ranks=men; The Tart With The Cart, some say; |
| 13 | IDIOM – IDI-OM; reference Uganda’s Idi Amin; |
| 14 | MAREMMA – MAR-EMMA; Italian guard dog against 21D; |
| 16 | POLYPE – POLY-PE; HE=Higher Education where POLY=polytechnic; a French octopus; |
| 17 | ERICA – A-CIRE reversed; highly glazed finish=CIRE; posh name for heather; |
| 19 | RHEMIST – (hermits)*; RC translator of bible based at Reims College 1582; |
| 20 | SONANCE – SO-NAN-CE; |
| 25 | AMBROSE – A-(romes)* surrounds B=bishop (chess notation); reference St Ambrose, bishop of Milan; |
| 26 | ARMBAND – A-RM-BAND; jolly=Royal Marine=RM; |
| 29 | ROLES – (p)ROLES; |
| 30 | MEROPS – SPORE-M(igrate) reversed; the bee-eater; |
| 32 | PEPTIDE – PEP-TIDE; |
| 33 | ALBEE – two meanings 1=Edward Albee, Americam playwrite 2=old word for albeit; |
| 34 | LILO – O(L)IL reversed; grockle’s device used to launch the Poole lifeboat; |
| 35 | SANCAI – (a can is)*; Chinese ceramics; |
| 36 | DERMESTIDAE – (set admired e)*; e from e(verything); it’s those beetles again; |
| Down | |
| 2 | TODO – (g)ODOT reversed; |
| 3 | RAILING – R(ust)-AILING; |
| 4 | POMPANO – P(O-M-PAN)O; old=O; maid=M; (to) cake=PAN; river=PO; mackerel like fish; |
| 5 | ERATHEM – (earth)*-(ME reversed); less than an eon but more than an epoch; |
| 6 | AERIE – (b)A(b)E(s)-R(a)I(s)E(d); |
| 7 | RHEUMY – sounds like roomy; |
| 8 | COMBI – COMB-I; any multi-purpose device; |
| 9 | TRAITRESSES – TRAI(n)-TRESSES; very few British examples and no modern ones (Anne Bolyne; Catherine Howard; Mary Queen of Scots); |
| 10 | PIPE-STAPPLE – PI-PEST-APPLE; thin stem of a tobacco pipe; |
| 15 | MISUSE – MIS(US)E; layout of cards=MISE; |
| 18 | ROARIE – R(OAR)IE; river=R; that is=IE; ear-splitting in Edinburgh; |
| 21 | CANIDAE – CAN(IDA)E; Greek mythological sacred mountain=IDA; wolves; |
| 22 | ABREACT – (cabaret)*; curing neurosis by reviving suppressed memories – sounds dangerous!; |
| 23 | COLOBID – CO(LOBI)D; lobus (plural LOBI) = lobe= bit of a leaf; a monkey; |
| 24 | ABATOR – A-B-A(c)TOR; a grabber of freehold land; |
| 27 | MAPLE – MA(P)LE; priest=P; Waggledagger for father=MALE; |
| 28 | APISM – A(P)I(S)M; end=AIM; Police Sergeant=PS; |
| 31 | PELA – hidden (la)PEL-A(nnoying); wax from 36A perhaps; |
I guess we know by now what word to look for over the next couple of months, right?