A step up in difficulty this week, it took me two sessions to put everything together. The pun in the top row was helpful (especially so since one of the words is not in Chambers), but there’s some trips to the lesser known regions of the dictionary in this puzzle.
I hope this finds everyone being safe and sane. I’m still living in a covid-19 hotspot, three days in a row my state and county had record growth in number of cases. I’m living like a hermit, only leading my apartment heavily masked to get groceries or beer. Meanwhile, as I am writing this, a whole bachelorette party just walked by togther outside my window, unmasked.
Since definitions (the first of which is underlined) can be confirmed in Chambers, this report will focus on wordplay.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Vacuous cove with valet eagerly pursues soak westwards (7) |
| WOOSTER – WOOS(eagerly pursues), then RET(soak) reversed, reference to the P.G. Wodehouse character | |
| 6 | Downright eccentricity (5) |
| SHEER – double definition, the second referring to geometric deviation | |
| 10 | Well, I’m struggling with a lot — it’s as bad as it gets (10, two words) |
| ALL TIME LOW – anagram of WELL,I’M,A,LOT | |
| 11 | Find tomb by taking little edition out of trunks (5) |
| SPEOS – remove ED(edition) from SPEEDOS(swimming trunks) | |
| 13 | Daughter sliced bread getting into fold like the upper class do (6) |
| POSHLY – remove D(daughter) from DOSH(money, bread), and insert into PLY(fold) | |
| 14 | Inkling to oust Earl and clear a lounge in the Athenaeum, say (8) |
| CLUB ROOM – CLUE(inkling) missing E(early) then BROOM(clear) | |
| 15 | Novice being unable to save most important board man? (6) |
| INMATE – if you are unable to save the king you are IN MATE. The novice of a religious house | |
| 17 | American spots fine vino but not dry sherry (4) |
| NEVI – remove FINO(dry sherry) from FINE VINO | |
| 18 | Hold down hospital in order to take over in emergency (8) |
| PINCH-HIT – PIN(hold down) then H(hospital) in CHIT(order) | |
| 19 | Wine grape behind spending apparently (8) |
| GRENACHE – GRAPE and NACHE(behind) missing AP(apparently) | |
| 21 | Surprised shriek over officer’s decoration (4) |
| ODSO – O(over), DSO(Companion of the Distinguished Service Order) | |
| 23 | Mean point that’s not used now in curt speech (6) |
| SORDID – ORD(point) inside SIDE(theatrcical speech used for auditions or rehearal) missing the last letter | |
| 25 | Who goes downhill? Birthday dancer accepting end of trial run (8) |
| SLALOMER – the dancer is SALOME containing the last letter of triaL, then R(run). This clue gave me a giggle. | |
| 26 | Bucks? Losers possibly (6) |
| SORELS – anagram of LOSERS | |
| 27 | Bleat about no good comic (5) |
| MANGA – MAA(bleat of a goat) surrounding NG(no good). There was a short-lived comic BANGA in the 70s, but I think this is what was mean | |
| 28 | Soldier I praise to cope with trial stoically (10, three words) |
| SWEAT IT OUT – SWEAT(soldier) I, TOUT(praise) | |
| 29 | Annoy Republican departing with so much levy (5) |
| TYTHE – TRY(annoy) missing the R(Republican), then THE(so much) | |
| 30 | In contact with parish church’s chap in charge (7) |
| TOPARCH – TO(in contact with), PAR(Parish), CH(Church) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | You can’t replace this wife since a setting’s set (12, two words) |
| WASTING ASSET – W(wife), AS(since) then an anagram of A,SETTING’S | |
| 2 | Solution which damages floor surface, three top bits scratched (5) |
| OLEUM – LINOLEUM(floor surface) missing the first three letters | |
| 3 | Scots stew containing their own cocaine stand-by (8) |
| STOVAINE – Scots terms for stew – STOVE and own AIN. Insert one in the other | |
| 4 | Zola, for example, in English middle-distance race (5) |
| EMILE – E(English), MILE(middle-distance race, though I’d be hard pressed to run one these days) | |
| 5 | Dramatically oppose old fox in early run (6) |
| REPUGN – PUG(fox) in REN(run) | |
| 6 | Sludgy and cold brash old boy tucking into rasher (7, two words) |
| SLOB ICE – OB(old boy) inside SLICE(rasher) | |
| 7 | We must look up that expression of regret used by Rab C (5) |
| EWHOW – WE revsered then HOW(that) | |
| 8 | Crude oil is gunge — it gets you making plugs (10) |
| EULOGISING – anagram os OIL,IS,GUNGE | |
| 9 | Dashed mad theory involving the plague? (12, three words) |
| RHYME TO DEATH – an all-in-one, wordpay is an anagram of MAD,THEORY and THE | |
| 12 | Quiet drink? Duck into misplaced glory for creed of sin (10) |
| PONEROLOGY – P(quiet), ONE(drink) then O(duck) inside an anagram of GLORY | |
| 16 | Beastly group limited truck info (8) |
| CHORDATA – CHORE(truck – second noun meaning in Chambers) missing the last letter, then DATA(info) | |
| 18 | I’m free! Triumphant expression in dock (7) |
| PAROLEE – OLE(triumphant expression) inside PARE(cut, dock) | |
| 20 | It receives and relays, eg, radio comedy bore (6) |
| COMSAT – COM(comedy), SAT(from sit, bear) | |
| 22 | Rule in the Orient, formerly but not now (5) |
| EARST – R(rule) isnside the EAST(Orient) | |
| 23 | Brush totes vigorously (5, two words) |
| SET TO – anagram of TOTES | |
| 24 | Get into what introduces synonym for benefactor (5) |
| DONOR – DON(get into) and OR could introduce a synonym | |
Isn’t RHYME TO DEATH from Waggle-dagger?
The US does seem to be making something of a pigs ear of fighting this virus. There have been some extraordinary interviews on UK TV George of Americans boasting of their constitutional right to ignore all restrictions and advice!
Edited at 2020-07-12 09:54 am (UTC)