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.
I wouldn’t have said that easy, but very rewarding. The John Aubery clue was very neatly put together. There were a couple of references to butterflies – one explicit, the other in passing (32a). Probably a coincidence. I was puzzled by the parsing of PSALM – and that was because PSA as an initialism was unknown to me and I didn’t suspect it. There was enough in the wordplay to get me there. Thanks for that George.
PSA was the name given to a punishment at my prep school – sarcastically, of course! It took place on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and the unfortunate child was given some kind of community service (but not particularly pleasant!) task.
and all along they were catering for you future pastime as a cruciverbalist.
Little did I know!! :0
I found this pretty tricky, and wouldn’t have had a hope without Chambers!
Not sure whether timing these things is of any significance, since look-up time is almost always a factor, but an average 50 minute run on this one.
Of course, I knew MOTSER from Friday evening prayers:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְ‑יָ אֱ‑לֹהֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם הַמּוֹצִי לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ “Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who brings forth bread from the earth” – the Hamotzi Blessing.