I enjoyed this puzzle which I thought a reasonable and fair test. Whilst solving I thought it was going to be a pangram – but I can’t find a “v”.
I have a problem parsing 10D so all offers of help gratefully received.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | IDDY-UMPTY – I-(ruddy without “r”)*-(e)MPTY; lovely WW2 slang for morse code (iddy=dot, umpty=dash); my father was an RAF wireless operator in WW2 so I had heard the phrase before; .-./../.–./ Dad; |
| 11 | PRIMPS – P(RIM)PS; of the many meanings of PPS, I think Tim is after either Paranoid Personality Disorder or Parliamentary Private Secretary – take your pick; |
| 12 | APOLLO – trouble=ADO then change D=Democrat to POLL=vote to give APOLLO; Greek mythology; |
| 13 | SO-SO – OS=outsize reversed twice; |
| 14 | SILKY,OAK – (okays)* surrounds ILK; Australian tree used to make fence posts; |
| 15 | PUBLIC – (re)PUBLIC(an); US politics; |
| 16 | BOWNE – replace “lu” in “blue” by “own”=have; to dress in ones Sam Browne presumably; |
| 17 | BOREENS – B(righton)-(ones)* surrounds RE=about; the potheen trail; |
| 19 | LASSOCK – L(ASS)OCK; natural=old word for idiot=ASS; a little girl; Shirley Temple in the 1930s; |
| 24 | HALLALI – H(ALL)AL-I; “charge”; |
| 25 | SIMULAR – R(ugby)-(maul)*-IS all reversed; |
| 28 | ALATE – (p)ALATE; old word for lately; |
| 30 | SUCCAH – SUC(CA)H; cases=CA; temporary Jewish religious hut or booth; |
| 31 | DISCLOST – DISC-LOST; old poetic word for disclosed; |
| 32 | AHEM – A-HEM; device used by those more polite than me; |
| 33 | EATHLY – EA(r)THLY; rule=r; old word for simply; |
| 34 | HEPARS – (perhaps without “p”=pressure)*; liver coloured compounds of sulphur; |
| 35 | AQUARELLE – A(cid)-Q(ueen)-(allure)*-E; painting in transparent water colours in the manner of the genius Turner; |
| Down | |
| 2 | DROUK – DR-OUK; drive=DR; a week in Oban=OUK; soak in Stirling; |
| 3 | DISBOSOM – DI’S-BOSOM; I shall resist all temptation and say nothing; |
| 4 | YMOLT – (mostly without “s”=end of “lights”); old word for melt; |
| 5 | UPSILON – UPS-I-LO(a)N; electrical current=I; good topical clue; |
| 6 | PALOOKA – P(A-LOOK)A; |
| 7 | YO-YOED – (Ma)YO-YO-ED; reference Ma Yo Yo, cellist; |
| 8 | ALOW – A-LO(t)-W; on fire; |
| 9 | FLANNEL – passage=channel then replace ch=church by fl=floor; |
| 10 | JOKESMITH – J(ester)-OK-(“his time” without one “i”)* but no indication of removal of “i” that I can find; reference Spike “Eccles” Milligan eccentric genius who reportedly wrote the Goon Show and died; |
| 15 | PALISADED – sounds like “palace aided”; |
| 18 | EXARCHAL – EX-ARCH-A-L; active=A; Byzantine Governor or bishop ranked lower than patriarch but higher than metropolitan; |
| 20 | AZILIAN – (br)AZILIAN; bronze=br; transitory period 12,000 years ago after the Ice Age; |
| 21 | CHANOYU – CHA-(japa)N-(you)*; term=end of; Japanese Tea Ceremony involving matcha; |
| 22 | PLOUTER – P(LOUT)ER; person=PER; old word for bow=LOUT; to potter around in Victorian times; |
| 23 | CUTCHA – C-(h)UTCH-A; Bangladeshi mud hut; |
| 26 | SCAPE – S-CAPE; |
| 27 | MAERL – REAM reversed-L; very old and slow growing; |
| 29 | ASTI – hidden (enthusi)ASTI(c); sweet sparkling wine from Piedmont produced by Charmont method (Barolo is much better); |
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