Greetings all, I hope you are staying safe and sane!
Tricky workout this time around from Paul McKenna (I don’t know enough Latin to do the O Tempora crossword but I see it was his last week as well).
Paul McKenna usually treats us to a pun in the top row, and this time around it is FIRST ROUND.
Since definitions (underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers, I will focus on the wordplay in this report.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | It’s prickly and lords and ladies wear them, as the saying goes (5) |
| FURZE – sounds like FURS(what lords and ladies would wear). Not sure if there is a specific saying in mind here. | |
| 5 | Drummer conceded being thoroughly wet through? (7) |
| DROWNED – DR(drummer), OWNED(conceded) | |
| 10 | Pacific campaigner is possibly right say to embrace America and Australia (10) |
| SATYAGRAHI – anagram of RIGHT,SAY containing an A(America) and another A(Australia) | |
| 11 | Gardener who sows grass, I guess, shrugging off new legislator (8) |
| LAWMAKER – the gardener could be a LAWN MAKER, remove N(new) | |
| 13 | Force in sweet that’s been set aside resulting in dramatic oath (5) |
| S’FOOT – F(force) in SOOT(obsolete term for sweet) | |
| 14 | And amongst foreigners wobbly chins dated gentiles (7) |
| ETHNICS – ET(“and” in French) and an anagram of CHINS | |
| 16 | Dual screen on a couple of mobiles makes you cross (5) |
| DSOMO – DS(dual screen), O(on), and the first two letters of MObiles | |
| 17 | Token date that’s important close to girl (7) |
| TESSERA – ERA(date that’s important) beside TESS(a girl) | |
| 19 | Monkeys with spirit (5) |
| MONAS – double definition, though the spirit is found in Chambers under MONAD | |
| 22 | Upcycle duddy clothes once dressed (5) |
| YCLED – hidden in upcYCLE Duddy | |
| 23 | Macron’s forward Mrs could be the making of manservant (7, two words) |
| EN AVANT – anagram of MANSERVANT minus MRS | |
| 24 | Street tree provides hiding-place (5) |
| STASH – ST(street), ASH(tree) | |
| 28 | Guy is attached to such red cask (7, two words) |
| TENT PIN – TENT(red wine), and PIN(pin can mean a quantity of drink, hence a cask) | |
| 29 | Old smoking gun? Before, whenever (5) |
| PREIF – PRE(before), IF(whenve | |
| 30 | Anonymous take in bogus cover (8, two words) |
| SPAN ROOF – AN(anonymous), R(recipe, take) inside SPOOF(bogus) | |
| 31 | According to nature with ease, we hear, watered helenium (10) |
| SNEEZEWEED – SN(secundum naturam, according to nature) then EEZE(sounds like ease), WEED(watered) | |
| 32 | Better make a noise while chugging, line’s to go behind (7) |
| SURPASS – SLURP(make a noise while chugging) missing L(line), ASS(behind) | |
| 33 | A considerable call to quit (5) |
| AVAST – A, VAST(considerable) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Unfortunately it’s a fly, dirty trick (7) |
| FALSITY – anagram of IT’S,A,FLY | |
| 2 | Real vulgar among upper-class chose to drop first couple (10) |
| UNAFFECTED – NAFF(vulgar) inside U(upper-class) and ELECTED(chose) missing the first two letters | |
| 3 | Horned beast that IDs cars in Durban? Timid sort (7) |
| ZAMOUSE – ZA(IVR code for South Africa), MOUSE(timid sort) | |
| 4 | Earl touches ranks around Verdun (5) |
| ETATS – E(earl), TATS(touches) | |
| 5 | I’ll ditch colourist accepting a thousand (5) |
| DYKER – DYER(colourist), surrounding K(a thousand) | |
| 6 | Provincial Roman, flighty Nazarite, escaping zone (7) |
| RAETIAN – anagram of NAZARITE missing Z(zone) | |
| 7 | Troglodytes with guns abandoned by British (5) |
| WRENS – W(with) then BRENS(guns) missing B(British) | |
| 8 | Note new Laotian general (8) |
| NATIONAL – N(note) then an anagram of LAOTIAN | |
| 9 | ____ sinks offie’s prime offering (5) |
| DIPSO – DIPS(sinks), and the first letter of Offie | |
| 12 | Money casino’s wasted, and millions note, in tasteless gaffs (10) |
| MCMANSIONS – M(money) and an anagram of CASINO’S, containing M(Millions), and N(note) | |
| 15 | Polynesian perhaps is left with shelter, son expressed (8) |
| ISLANDER – IS, L(left) then an ANDERSON shelter missing SON | |
| 18 | These are pretty precise on ground spice (7) |
| RECIPES – two wordplays – anagram of PRECISE and RE(on) then an anagram of SPICE | |
| 20 | Do please now reply with revision — go with too much gas (7) |
| OVERREV – OVER(radio cue for a reply), then REV(revision) | |
| 21 | Up in Scotland drink renders powerless — what the hell!? (7, two words) |
| STUFF IT – TIFF(sip, drink in Scots), then PUTS(renders) missing P(power), all reversed | |
| 24 | The upstream side soaks up sun (5) |
| STOSS – reversal of SOTS(soaks) then S(sun) | |
| 25 | This potential source of pneumonia upset petulant people (5) |
| STREP – PERTS(petulant people) reversed | |
| 26 | Grand and stately feature of the Thames going upstream worries (5) |
| GNAWS – G(grand) and then SWAN(stately feature of the Thames) reversed | |
| 27 | Apparently almost close to stopping breathing in US (5) |
| APNEA – AP(apparently) and NEAR(close to) missing the last letter | |
Sneezeweed, what a fine word that is .. “Get out of my sight, you filthy sneezeweed!”
SNEEZEWEED is indeed a great word!