Standard middle of the road puzzle with no queries or hold-ups or (amazingly) Scottish words
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | CHAMB – CH-A-MB; check=CH (chess); abbreviation of Chamberlain; |
| 5 | FI,DONC – FI-DON-C; cocaine=C; Latin tag for “shame”; |
| 11 | HAANEPOOT – (onto a heap)*; a grape from SA; |
| 12 | RASTRUM – hidden (orchest)RA’S-TRUM(peter); |
| 13 | FRET – two meanings 1=ridge on guitar neck 2=worry; |
| 14 | BIREME – BI(g)-REME; |
| 15 | STYRE – S-TYRE; old word for “stir”; |
| 16 | HADARIM – HAD-A-RIM; religious schools (see cheder in C); |
| 17 | ARIMASP – (pairs)* surrounds MA; mythical one-eyed people who had lots of fights over gold; |
| 21 | PERTUSE – PER(T)USE; boxing=containment indicator; punched; |
| 23 | SNORKEL – (onlookers – o-o)*; |
| 24 | AESIR – RISE-A(delphi); Norse gods; |
| 26 | ODD-MAN – O(D-D)MAN; Man Friday; |
| 27 | SHOE – sounds like “shoo”; |
| 29 | THEBANS – THE-BAN(n)S; |
| 30 | IN,SPECIAL – (a nice slip)*; old phrase for particularly (see “special” in C); |
| 31 | GESTES – GE-S(i)TES; GE=General Electric; old word for exploits; |
| 32 | RANDY – (affai)R-ANDY; |
| Down | |
| 1 | CORF – COR-F(ish); my!=COR; a cage for fish; |
| 2 | HEARTRENDING – HEAR(TREND)ING; |
| 3 | ABSEY – A-B(S)EY; children’s book (see ABC in C); |
| 4 | BARBE – BARBE(d); French religious teacher; |
| 5 | FAUGHS – FA-UGHS; expressions of disgust=UGHS and FAUGHS; |
| 6 | DECIDER – DE(CID)ER; |
| 7 | OPERANT – OPERA-N(o)T; “not” after vacation=NT; |
| 8 | NOTERS – (tenor + s)*; s=soprano; |
| 9 | COMMISSIONED – CO(M-MISSION)ED; M from (ter)M; |
| 10 | ATTEMPER – ATTEMP(t)-ER; moderate; |
| 15 | SASSOLIN – SAS(SOL)IN; solution=SOL; Indian antelope=SASIN; an acid; |
| 18 | MORMOPS – MOR (sounds like “more”)-MOPS; shocks=hair=MOPS; bats; |
| 19 | ALKANET – (talk)* contains A-N-E; red dye; |
| 20 | NODOSE – NO(D)OSE; bit of D(ifficulty)=D; having nodes; |
| 22 | ELCHIS – (chile)*-S; Sweden=S; ambassadors; |
| 24 | ANEAR – AN-EAR; |
| 25 | SHARN – cut=shorn then change “o” to “a”; mucker’s business=cow dung=SHARN; |
| 28 | ESKY – (p)ESKY; |
It is a challenge, though, and I am starting to prefer it to the regular puzzles. Last night, I had Saturday, Sunday, and Mephisto to do, and tackled Mephisto.