Greetings, barred-grid fans.
I made a pretty good jump on this one and finished in one fairly short session. The wordplay is generous for the obscure answers, though there are a few deep dives in Chambers.
How did you get along?
| Across | |
| 1 | One keen on shooting spy’s device on screen (10) |
| SHUTTERBUG – BUG (spy’s device) on SHUTTER (screen) | |
| 11 | Daisy’s part in male spy coming back (7) |
| CYPSELA – hidden reversed in mALE SPY Coming | |
| 12 | Timber tree area queen once opened (5) |
| ARGAN – A (area), R (queen), then GAN (archaic form began, found as the fifth definition of GIN in Chambers) | |
| 14 | Candida’s killer hiding over in Grand Central? (8) |
| NYSTATIN – remove O (over) from NY STATION (Grand Central is a station in Manhattan) | |
| 15 | Thor’s reed boat sounded dangerous without a keel (6) |
| RATITE – RA (Thor Heyerdahl’s reed boat) then TITE (sounds like TIGHT, dangerous situation) | |
| 16 | Pass the last of the cabbage (4) |
| COLE – COL (pass) then the last letter of thE | |
| 17 | Test executed in the morning (4) |
| EXAM – EX (executed), AM (in the morning) | |
| 19 | Armpit cut badly by one in Texas (6) |
| AXILLA – AX (cut, American), ILL (badly), A (one) | |
| 21 | Wicker basket appeared full of holes (8) |
| CRIBROSE – CRIB (wicker basket), ROSE (appeared) | |
| 24 | Give decoration to idiot people in part (8) |
| PASSMENT – ASS (idiot), MEN (people) inside PT (part) | |
| 26 | Numbers rise going without hot substantial meal (6) |
| NOSH-UP – NOS (numbers) and UP (rise) surrounding H (hot) | |
| 27 | Cool box weather after the end of June (4) |
| ESKY – SKY (weather) after the last letter of JunE | |
| 29 | Make legal claim about quiet actor staying silent (4) |
| SUPE – SUE (make legal claim) surrounding P (quiet) | |
| 31 | Light biscuits mostly used to line dessert (6) |
| KISSEL – KISSES (melt-in-the-mouth biscuits) missing the last letter next to L (line) | |
| 33 | Wearing a thick coat resulted in chaos (8) |
| ULSTERED – anagram of RESULTED | |
| 34 | Monkey I had kept in house in Provence (5) |
| MIDAS – I’D (I had) inside MAS (house in Provence) | |
| 35 | As dictated by the case before National Academy (7, three words) |
| E RE NATA – ERE (before), NAT (national) A (academy) | |
| 36 | Order for poppies? Here’s a load sent out (10) |
| RHOEADALES – anagram of HERE’S A LOAD | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Vocal greeting stresses what looks like a guinea pig (5) |
| HYRAX – sounds like HI (vocal greeting), RACKS (stresses) | |
| 3 | Raises rents declared in the higher flats? (8) |
| UPSTAIRS – UPS (raises) then sounds like TEARS (rents) | |
| 4 | Ghanaian garment’s not right (4) |
| TSHI – T-SHIRT (garment) minus RT (right) | |
| 5 | Hook ingoing in play following Tinkerbell’s lead (6) |
| TENTER – ENTER (ingoing in play) after the first letter in Tinkerbell | |
| 6 | Venomous fish scares as swimming (8) |
| RASCASSE – anagram of SCARES, AS | |
| 7 | Some felt the French missed out in conflict (4) |
| BATT – remove LE (the in French) from BATTLE (conflict) | |
| 8 | Doomed flier going up with tail gone left base for life (6) |
| URACIL – ICARUS (doomed flyer) minus the last letter reversed, then L (left) | |
| 9 | What enameller inlays worked all round pin (7) |
| PAILLON – anagram of ALL, O(round), PIN | |
| 10 | With a square of columns seen neatly arranged (10) |
| ENNEASTYLE – anagram of SEEN,NEATLY | |
| 13 | Use up earlier price green menus being revised (10) |
| PRECONSUME – PR (price), ECO (green) then an anagram of MENUS | |
| 18 | Rail about suitable plant producing detergent (8, two words) |
| SOAP TREE – SOREE (rail bird) surrounding APT (suitable) | |
| 20 | Adores Scots part of earth’s crust of loamy deposits (8) |
| LOESSIAL – LOES (adores, Scots), SIAL (part of earth’s crust) | |
| 22 | Row over Julia removing Japanese plant (7) |
| RAOULIA – OAR (row reversed), then JULIA minus J (Japanese) | |
| 23 | Child with hostility for climbing cat (6) |
| CHETAH – CH (child) then HATE (hostility) reversed | |
| 25 | March locally in South Dakota went smoothly in the past (6) |
| SLIDED – LIDE (the month of March) inside SD (South Dakota) | |
| 28 | Silk fabric formerly known to English (5) |
| KENTE – KENT (formerly known) next to E (English) | |
| 30 | Reported wages — note foreign currency (4) |
| PESO – homophone of PAY (wages), then SO (musical note) | |
| 32 | Navy where it should be army (4) |
| SENA – N (Navy) in the SEA (where it should be) | |
Thanks for the blog George. On quick reading seems to agree with my notes. One thing I query in the clueing is why ‘formerly known’ in 28d. Chambers doesn’t mark KENT as archaic or obsolete in the sense of ‘know’, just chiefly Scottish pap. of KEN — unless formerly indicates position in the word play? There is an archaic use of KEN, which is to see at a distance, but then the pap. would surely have been clued as ‘formerly seen’?
As you point out lots to enjoy here. Esky was unknown to me. I’d forgotten about Thor Heyerdahl’s boats — that was one of the last bits of wordplay to sort out.
Interesting point! I think you’re right.
The definition for KISS in Chambers is very odd: ‘a melt-in-the-mouth biscuit, etc’. Etc?!
ENTER is specifically defined as a Shakespearean noun meaning ‘ingoing’. Neat!
Agree on KENT. Still very much current Scots: ‘Ah kent his faither.’ Well done to anyone who knew KISS as a light biscuit, or KISSEL as a Russian pudding. Otherwise unsolvable without some kind of aid?
I’ve seen “kiss” mentioned in the name of some biscuits (or chocolates – maybe Chambers’ etc?) and KISSEL seemed vaguely familiar, although I couldn’t have defined it.
I agree about KENT. Most Scottish words used in crosswords appear only in the dictionary, but that is definitely in common use.
I was thinking “enter” and “ingoing” were different parts of speech until I looked up enter and found the definition keriothe mentions!
My problem with this one is that I don’t have a sweet tooth. While you lot are getting tore in to the sweet biscuits and puddings, I’m looking for oatcakes and cheese.
I don’t have a sweet tooth either – just a memory for unusual words!
Thanks George and Setter. I struggled with this, but enjoyed it very much. Did not see kissel at all, and sena also eluded me but liked the clue.
When I got ill from drinking water in Gdansk (should have stuck to the vodka!) the Polish version of KISSEL was my lifeline, sustaining me until I was up and about again.