It’s that time of the month again when the answers to the Monthly Club Special are unveiled and a new challenge is provided…. although I create and publish this blog before I get to see the answers, so I hope I haven’t embarrassed myself by getting something wrong! As ever we got some wonderfully exotic vocabulary (17A was my favourite) and devilish wordplay. It took me just over 2 hours (I think – I don’t time myself) completing the bottom first and finishing in the NE corner with 8D. As usual, I was slow to start but then then speeded up once I got a few checkers. Some lovely PDMs(!) and a great feeling of achievement to finish. Thank-you clever setter. How did you all get on?
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Emerging in arms of kid clutching small article (7) |
| JESSANT -A heraldic term (hence “in arms”) – JEST (kid) [clutching] S (small) AN (article). | |
| 5 | Chicory bark catches frightfully regularly (7) |
| WITLOOF – WOOF (bark) [catches] frIghTfuLly [regularly]. | |
| 9 | This side’s passed on gold rings as symbol of eternity (9) |
| OUROBOROS – OUR (this side’s) OB (obiter; passed on) OR (gold) OS (o’s; rings). | |
| 10 | Gets absolutely revolting short stocking mask finally (5) |
| GROKS – GROS{s} (absolutely revolting) [short], outside, [stocking], masK [finally]. | |
| 11 | Note to decline when turning down supplier? (5) |
| EIDER – RE (note) DIE (decline) reversed -> EIDER. Nicely disguised definition. | |
| 12 | Sign of hesitation in principle marks haughtiness (9) |
| BASHAWISM – HAW (sign of hesitation, as in humming and hawing) in BASIS (principle), M (marks). | |
| 14 | List associated with diet? (10-4) |
| PARLIAMENT-HEEL – Cryptic definition. Nothing to do with a weight-watcher’s shopping list (of course). The slight careening or heel (list) of a ship, with diet referring to a national or federal parliament. | |
| 17 | Images recalled welcome buzz about returning boxer’s muscle (14) |
| XIPHIHUMERALIS – PIX (images) [returned] -> XIP, HI (welcome), HUM (buzz), RE (about) [returning] -> ER, ALI’S (Muhammed Ali’s; boxer’s). Great word and a masterfully baroque wordplay to go with it. | |
| 21 | One revealingly dropping clanger speaking in cheap theatre (5-4) |
| PENNY-GAFF – PENNY (one revealingly dropping), GAFF, sounds like GAFFE (clanger) [speaking]. I had to laugh when, after being stuck for a while on this, I had a Penny-Drop Moment when the PENNY dropped! | |
| 23 | Round buildings all the same: then there’s large one (5) |
| THOLI – THO‘ (all the same) L (large) I (one). | |
| 24 | Time for high speed’s going to end after Scot’s ever further from Highlands (5) |
| AYONT – A word from the Highlands for further. The high speed is a TON. Move the T (time) to the end -> ONT and put it after AY (Scot’s ever). | |
| 25 | Uniform on private in Polish-British hospital getting blade pulled from leg? (5-4) |
| SGIAN-DUBH – GI (private) [in] SAND (polish), U (uniform) B (british) H (hospital). I remember when, as an usher at my renowned uncle’s wedding in Inverness in full highland dress, being told it had been agreed we wouldn’t wear them and was then a little nervous when I saw the bride’s family all had them in their socks. Fortunately it was an entirely amicable affair. | |
| 26 | Ridge has lighter side crossing a thoroughfare (7) |
| YARDANG – YANG (lighter side of Ying and Yang) [crossing] A RD (road). | |
| 27 | Changes to coastline around US, as yet to be revised (7) |
| EUSTASY – (as yet)* [to be revised] [around] US. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Did duck for Glaswegian his sweetheart approved of (6) |
| JOOKED – JO (Scottish word for sweetheart) OKED (approved of). This reminded me of the famous Rabbie Burns song, “John Anderson my Jo” – hear it here sung by Eddi Reader. | |
| 2 | Wound charity up, finding simple means to regenerate (7) |
| SOREDIA – SORE (wound), AID (charity) [up] -> DIA. | |
| 3 | Jars of weedkiller ablaze — not all going up (9) |
| ALBARELLI – Reverse hidden, [not all going up], in weedkILLER ABLAze. | |
| 4 | Marine life form that’s rare — but late in development (11) |
| TEREBRATULA – (rare but late)* [in development]. “Terebratula is a modern genus of brachiopods with a fossil record dating back to the Late Devonian. These brachiopods are stationary epifaunal suspension feeders and have a worldwide distribution.” | |
| 5 | Tips on how you address pal in Gwent (3) |
| WUS -Lasts letters, [tips on], of hoW yoU addresS. Not to be confused with the American slang word WUSS for weakling. | |
| 6 | Pull top drawer to find sultan’s letters put together? (5) |
| TUGRA – TUG (pull) R.A. (Royal Academician; top “drawer”). Ho ho. | |
| 7 | Preparation of old work otherwise evidently delayed? (7) |
| OPORICE – OP (work) OR (otherwise) on ICE (evidently delayed). Innovative piece of wordplay deriving the positional indicator on from part of the synonym of the wordplay element. | |
| 8 | Measurement of hand of hooker ultimately leaving initial scrum short (8) |
| FISTMELE – hookeR (ultimately) [leaving] FI{r}ST (initial), MELEe (scrum) [short]. Tricky! | |
| 13 | Dramatic climax as a new ceasefire is arranged (5,1,5) |
| SCENE A FAIRE – (A new ceasefire)* [arranged]. | |
| 15 | Over month one close to wastebasket can empty ginormous wax pens (9) |
| TJANTINGS – [close to] wastebaskeT, JAN (month one) TIN (can) [empty] G{inourmou}S. Another great word with precise wordplay. | |
| 16 | Former husband into yoga quietly somehow avoiding family at dinner (8) |
| EXOPHAGY – EX (former), (h (husband) yoga p (piano; quietly))* [somehow]. Cannibals have morals too. | |
| 18 | Robber of ferry company, spelling it out before jury drops case (7) |
| PANDOUR – P AND O (P&O) (ferry company) [spelled out], {j}UR{y} [drops outside letters; case]. | |
| 19 | Popular part of computer firm turning up possible antivirus materials (7) |
| INOCULA – IN (popular), ALU (Arithmetical Logic Unit, part of computer) CO (company; firm) [turning up] -> OCULA. | |
| 20 | Local shed hot tears left at home, indeed (6) |
| LINHAY – H (hot) inside, [tears], L (left) IN (at home) AY (indeed). | |
| 22 | After raising yen, busy with some light religious procession (5) |
| YATRA –AT (busy) RAY (some light), raising the Y (yen) to the top -> YATRA. | |
| 25 | Sneakily make sales puff up, briefly (3) |
| SUG – GUS{t} (puff) [briefly], [up] -> SUG. | |
I’d parse 15d’s JAN as ‘month one’ (on the calendar). This was my LOI, and there was a lot to ponder before that. (Although being Scottish does help with advanced puzzles – FOI was JOOKED.)
Yes. You are right. I had a letter too many. Thanks. Amended.