Greetings, barred-grid fans!
With the generous anagram in the top row I thought this was going to be a very quick solve, but I was slowed down a lot by the tricky wordplay in the middle, a few of which I have to think more about as I write this up.
I had a lot of fun with the terms in the grid that look like they should have a completely different definition than the one in Chambers. Speaking of which, complaints about definitions should be taken up with Chambers Dictionary, Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ. Send them a Christmas card!
Away we go…
Across | |
1 | You’ll be reckoning with this dancing I’m no Mata Hari! (12) |
ARITHMOMANIA – anagram of I’M,NO,MATA,HARI | |
9 | Self-catering place cut provisions (5) |
SCRAN – S/C(self-catering), then RANK(place for taxis) missing the last letter | |
11 | American might love Aussie sport (6) |
VIGORO – VIGOR(US spelling of VIGOUR, might), O(love). I remember seeing this played in Tasmania in the early 90s, it looks like cricket with a broom for a bat. | |
13 | Poodle departs after dip in soft wet place (8, two words) |
SHOCK DOG – D(departs) after HOCK(pawn, dip) inside SOG(soft wet place) | |
14 | Grunts getting on with tattoos (5) |
OINKS – O(on) and INKS(tattoos) | |
15 | See 26 (7) |
PURSUIT – I’ll explain this one later | |
17 | Some look at an ancient samurai sword (6) |
KATANA – hidden inside looK AT AN Ancient | |
18 | Tipped to begin to make more decorative (6, two words) |
TART UP – remove the first letter from START UP(begin) | |
19 | Johnny Rotten faces getting caught out (4) |
SAFE – anagram of FACES minus C(caught). SAFE can mean a condom, and the fun clue references the lead scowler of the Sex Pistols | |
20 | Be governed by old, old governor (4) |
OBEY – O(old), then BEY(old governor) | |
21 | Fix group of huts front to back … (6) |
ANCHOR – RANCHO(group of huts) with the R moved to the end | |
23 | … becoming simple once securing money (6) |
SEEMLY – SEELY(simple) containing M(money) | |
26 | & 15: Game opponent capturing one pawn after time expressing hesitation with action (7) |
TRIVIAL PURSUIT – RIVAL(oppoinent) containing I(one), then P(pawn) all after T(time). Next comes UR(sounds like ER, hesitation), and SUIT(action) | |
28 | Bound to press one evasive about flood? (5) |
BLEED – BD(bound) containing EEL(one evasive) reversed. FLOOD can mean to bleed profusely. | |
29 | Futility of Spenser bust in V&A’s actual existence (8) |
VAINESSE – anagram of IN,V&A, then ESSE(actual existence) | |
30 | Send back box containing the old little lamp? (6) |
EYELET – TELE(box) reversed containing YE(the old) | |
31 | Agreement to release rascal from freedom of punishment (5) |
UNITY – remove IMP(rascal) from IMPUNITY(freedom of punishment) | |
32 | Usurer consumed with greed adopts a little extortion strategy (12, three words) |
RUSE DE GUERRE – anagram of USURER and GREED containing the first letter of Extortion |
Down | |
1 | Old fool’s right in class (6) |
ASSORT – ASSOT(old fool) containing R(right) | |
2 | Hard year to follow smoother (5) |
IRONY – Y(year) after IRON(hard) | |
3 | Hobnailed boot ultimately noisy? Take off (7) |
TACKETY – last letter of booT, then RACKETY(noisy?) minus R(recipe, take) | |
4 | Dump waste — head off fish and salamander (8) |
MUDPUPPY – anagram of DUMP, then remove the first letter from GUPPY(fish) | |
5 | I’m in rage suffering severe pain (8) |
MIGRAINE – anagram of I’M IN RAGE | |
6 | Accepted point to charge with public burden (5) |
AGIST – A(accepted), GIST(point) | |
7 | Fred compared to Freud? That’s not acceptable (4) |
NON-U – FREUD becomes FRED when it is NON U | |
8 | Regularly aboard trade vessels (6) |
AORTAE – alternating letters in AbOaRd TrAdE | |
10 | Start to incise nick in fruit tree (10) |
CHINABERRY – first letter of Incise, NAB(nick) inside CHERRY(fruit) | |
12 | In a pickle after source of steam iron? Amazon has one (10) |
RAINFOREST – anagram of AFTER, the first letter of Steam and IRON | |
16 | Survived Mephisto’s latest as fighting spirit returned (8) |
OUTLIVED – last letter of mephistO, UT(as), then DEVIL(fighting spirit) reversed | |
17 | Fencing almost landed in whale carcass (8) |
KRAALING – ALIT(landed) minus the last letter inside KRANG(whale carcass) | |
19 | A line in picture indicating muscle (7) |
SCALENE – A, L(line) inside SCENE(picture) | |
20 | Let horse loose? Not he (6) |
OSTLER – anagram of LET,HORSE minus HE | |
22 | Age-old advice to desire short overnight flight (6) |
RED-EYE – REDE(old form of READ, advice) then YEN(desire) minus the last letter | |
24 | Cross canary circling very large tree (5) |
MVULE – MULE(a cross between a canary and a finch) surrounding V(very) | |
25 | Raise false gods (5) |
AESIR – anagram of RAISE | |
27 | Fish that is tailless (4) |
IDES – ID EST(that is) minus the last letter |
Call me butter, because I’m on a roll!
Five in a row… I did this in a few engrossing sessions, was almost sorry when it was finished midweek. Very satisfying, as I got to the bottom of everything, both NHO answers and unexpected definitions for words in the clues.
My copy is complete and correct, but I have no recollection of Trivial Pursuit being an answer. I don’t remember mvule, either. I do remember struggling with arithmomania before finally trying a vowel at the beginning. The only one I had any doubt about is bleed, but that proved correct.
The only clue I couldn’t parse correctly was TACKETY. I kept trying to work in YACKETY as the noisy element, with the last of boot and noisy being respectively added and subtracted. I knew the correct reading would be simpler and so it is – thanks for the blog.
DNF the left side was too complex for me. I should have got SCRAN , which was one of my Dad’s South Yorkshire words.
Very smooth surfaces, hiding complex wordplay.
Thanks George and Robert
Not too tricky. I had to come here for the explanation of TACKETY, so thanks for that George.