Greetings, barred-grid fans
I hope this one is going to make sense. Due to some circumstances that I should have controlled better, I am without my laptop, without my copy of Chambers and still on painkillers from a medical procedure last week. I waited to make sure my grid showed up all green before starting this blog, now let’s see if I can unravel what it was I did?
I think I got most of it – the wordplay is a lot of little chunks and I could confirm most of the obscure stuff in Collins. Please feel free to let me know what I’m missing. Next time I should be reunited with laptop and Chambers.
Away we go…
| Across | |
| 1 | Second time senior grabs European lottery win? (6) |
| MOTSER – this is an Aussie term I’m familiar with! MO (second), T (time), then SR (senior) containing E (English) | |
| 6 | Number in church left after pleasant Sunday afternoon Mass (5) |
| PSALM – L (left) after PSA (pleasant Sunday Afternoon) then M (mass) | |
| 10 | As a high priest deployed oil and arcana (9) |
| AARONICAL – anagram of OIL and ARCANA | |
| 11 | Medium small nag about one animal hunter (12, two words) |
| SPIRIT RAPPER – I think this is S (small) then RIP (nag) reversed, I (one), TRAPPER (animal hunter) | |
| 13 | Condition in convent beginning to niggle — move out of place? (7) |
| NUNSHIP – first letter of Niggle, then UNSHIP (move out of place) | |
| 14 | Martial art youngster breaking into a triumphant cry (6) |
| AIKIDO – KID (youngster) inside A, IO (triumphant cry) | |
| 16 | At home during quiet function (4) |
| SINH – IN (at home) inside SH (quiet) | |
| 17 | Edible Aralia — national dish of Japan (4) |
| UDON – UDO (aralia cordata with edible shoots), then N (national) | |
| 18 | Constellation endlessly absorbing independent physicist (5) |
| DIRAC – the constellation DRACO minus the last letter containing I (independent). Did I just hear Jimbo rolling in his grave? | |
| 21 | One foolish foreign knight avoiding active duty (5) |
| GALAH – more Strine! The knight GALAHAD minus AD (active duty) | |
| 23 | Objection to a new port (4) |
| OBAN – OB (objection) next to A, N (new) | |
| 24 | Way of dying, beheaded easily in Tudor times (4) |
| EATH – DEATH (way of dying) minus the first letter | |
| 25 | A good nursemaid protecting Latin goddess (6) |
| AGLAIA – A, G (good), AIA (nursemaid) containing L (Latin) | |
| 27 | Plagiarise cutting wit, mostly of writers (7) |
| SCRIBAL – CRIB (plagiarise) inside SALT (wit) minus the last letter | |
| 30 | In the past, applaud and exaggerate sweet spirit (12, two words) |
| CHERRY BOUNCE – I think this is CHERRY (obsolete form of cheer, applaud and BOUNCE (exaggerate) but I can’t 100% confirm | |
| 31 | Larvae all over warm and dry land area in Ecuador (9) |
| CERCARIAE – a reversal of AIR (warm and dry), ACRE (land) inside EC (Ecuador) | |
| 32 | Tall and thin papilionaceous plant rush mostly concealed (5) |
| LATHY – LATHYRUS (papilionaceous plant) minus most of RUSh | |
| 33 | Element isolated from strongly colloidal compound (6) |
| GLYCOL – hidden inside stronGLY COLloidal | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Owner in Florida raising plantation crop (5) |
| MASSA – ASSAM (plantation crop) reversed | |
| 2 | Cry for sweet trike tractor mangled (12, three words) |
| TRICK OR TREAT – anagram of TRIKE, TRACTOR | |
| 3 | Caught leaving, scoffing at gatecrashing (7) |
| SORNING – remove C (caught) from SCORNING (scoffing at) | |
| 4 | Tip about independent girl (4) |
| ENID – END (tip) surrounding I (independent) | |
| 5 | Mix of white and brown filling the cruet (4) |
| ECRU – hidden inside thE CRUet | |
| 6 | With knife around, are ready in Tonga (6) |
| PA’ANGA – PANGA (African knife) containing A (are) | |
| 7 | European in bad cabin mishap heading each way? (12) |
| AMPHISBAENIC – E (European) inside an anagram of CABIN, MISHAP | |
| 8 | Don’t get up with sloth — tons hide until spring? (9, three words) |
| LIE IN WAIT – LIE IN (don’t get up), W (with), AI (sloth), T (tons) | |
| 9 | Malay tribesman collecting wings of pinkish butterfly (6) |
| MORPHO – MORO (Malay tribesmen) containing the external letters of PinkisH | |
| 12 | Cheated grasping landlord out of new money once (9) |
| DIDRACHMA – DID (cheated) then RACHMAN (grasping landlord) minus N (new) | |
| 13 | Inner parts of nose lacking straight bits of hair (5) |
| NOILS – NOSTRILS (inner parts of nose) minus STR (straight) | |
| 15 | Bird soaring around a village (5) |
| KRAAL – LARK (bird) reversed surrounding A | |
| 19 | Gaudy South African bird eating contents of gourd (7) |
| COLOURY – COLY (South African bird) containing the interior letters of gOURd | |
| 20 | Camel’s wild spirit (6) |
| MESCAL – anagram of CAMEL’S. I recommend trying this. | |
| 22 | Antiquarian ignoring Roman figure in reconstruction of Avebury (6) |
| AUBREY – remove V (Roman figure) from an anagram of AVEBURY | |
| 26 | A western fish well known up north (5) |
| AWEEL – A, W (western), EEL (fish) | |
| 28 | Poet’s short song (4) |
| AYRE – Pam AYRES (a still alive poet) minus the last letter | |
| 29 | Galatians importing old Roman pillar (4) |
| GOAL – GAL (the book of Galatians) containing O (old) | |
Can confirm that Chambers verifies your (and my) parsing of CHERRY BOUNCE.
Commiserations with your travails, George. Hope you feel much better soon.
This one took me a few sessions!
I found this rather easy for a Grimshaw, with a number of words I actually know. Motser was my first one in – didn’t even look it up, that must be it. Assam – what I drink in the winter, John Aubrey – a colorful character if there ever was one, Oban, the only port in Scotland as far as crossword setters are concerned. I was left with a few difficult ones, but the large number of crossing letters allowed me to finish.