Made a pretty quick start on this but slowed down considerably near the end, though I do think it was all solved in one session, maybe 30-40 minutes with the dictionaries handy. One or two wordplays I’m not 100% on but fingers crossed I’ll work them out as I write up the blog.
When I saw an early Z, Y, V and B in the grid I thought there may have been a pangram, but wasn’t the case.
Away we go…
Across | |
---|---|
1 | FOR,B: odd word, any herb that is not grassy |
4 | AR,CLAMPS |
10 | OTORRHOEA: (A,HOOTER,OR)* |
11 | REWARD: WAR in RED |
12 | POET: 0 in PET |
14 |
|
15 | BIEN: double definition |
17 | E,NOS(votes),IS |
20 | ENVISAGE: got this from the wordplay – is it I,SAG(flag) inside (EVEN)* with “military club” as a strange anagram indicator? |
22 | EBENEZER: E then N in BEEZER(Scots excellent) |
24 | ROUCOU: from the definition, but I can’t see the wordplay here – R is take… ummm… |
25 | RUNE: the middle of PRUNES |
26 | BUTTER UP: BUTT (head, though I know many buttheads), then PURE reversed |
29 | AZAN: hidden |
31 | BIER RIGHT: ERR, I in BIGHT (knew the bay definition of BIGHT, didn’t know this one) |
32 | TEREFA: REF in TEA – not kosher |
33 | P,ARE (though you may be able to make the case for P,ANE) |
Down | |
1 | FORE(warning),BEAR(rough person) |
2 | ROWT: W in ROT |
3 | BRAINIAC: IN(thought) in (ARABIC)* |
4 | A,R,ROWS |
5 | COL,LEGER |
6 | LEVY: V in LEY |
7 | MAOISM: (AMMO,IS)* |
8 | PRESIDENT: SIDE in PRENT |
9 | SIT,H |
13 | RING OUZEL: UZ(Uzbekistan) in (REGION)*, L |
16 | FABURDEN: UR(word to fill in a gap) in FAB DEN |
18 | OVERT, R.I.P. |
19 | SERENATE: ER in SENATE |
21 | BUT AND: TA in BUND – Merkel being the German Chancellor |
23 | NAPERY: PER(a) in NAY(yet more) |
26 | BABA: ABBA with the A moved down |
27 | EMIR: RIME reversed |
28 | VEGA: EG in the Victoria and Albert museum |
It’s puzzle number 2747
I was hoping you could explain 20A and 24A!! I had 20A as you but also had my doubts about “military club”. Only such clubs I know of are The Army and Navy and The Royal Air Force.
I took 24A to be a word for “WI grub” removed from a word for “coloured” to leave ROUCOU – a tree; but when I couldn’t see it reasonably quickly decided life’s too short to go hunting around when George will surely know it – sorry.
At 24A, the West Indian grub (=food) is cou-cou, with the initial c=coloured removed.
At 11A, I think the intended def at desert(3) was “anything deserved”
Ditto 8 & 23 so thanks for explaining those.
Didn’t get a proper solving session on this so solved in dribs and drabs over the week.