It’s that time of the month again – the usual entertaining dive into remote corners of the dictionary and inventive wordplay that is the magic of the Monthly Club Special. I took me just over 1 1/4 hours to complete the collection of eventual penny drop moments. I loved the clever arithmetic 17A, but my word of the month goes to the unlikely looking 9D. “Moi the pretentious artist” gave me the biggest chuckle. 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 | Simple life forms in endless danger with measure of acidity and variable weight (10) |
| PERIPHYTON – PERI{l} (danger) [endless], PH (measure of acidity) Y (variable) TON (weight). | |
| 6 | Mountain agents blowing cover of doctor? (4) |
| OSSA – {m}OSSA{d} (Israeli secret service; agents) losing the outside letters MD (doctor). | |
| 10 | Having no issue with answer, fine to interrupt as far as we’re concerned (7) |
| ATOKOUS – A (answer), OK (fine) in TO US (as far as we’re concerned). | |
| 11 | Note from Donbas personnel, five years back (New York area) (7) |
| HRYVNYA – HR (personnel), V (five) Y (years) [back] -> YV, NY (New York) A (area). The standard currency of Ukraine. | |
| 12 | Story maker’s motto ruined with hype (9) |
| MYTHOPOET – (motto + hype)* [ruined]. | |
| 13 | Grasses turning in sleazy rozzers (5) |
| ORYZA -Reverse hidden in sleAZY ROzzers. | |
| 14 | Fossil fuel to be found around wide swamp down under (5) |
| COWAL – COAL (fossil fuel) around W (wide). | |
| 15 | Clip, if cross, around the ear finally: papa stops mum flipping! (9) |
| EXCERPTUM – X (cross) C (circa; around) thE eaR [finally] P (papa in the NATO alphabet), all in MUTE (mum) [flipping] -> ETUM. Positively Ikean! | |
| 17 | Six lots of this vital acid, including extra tablet, found in 1854 (9) |
| THREONINE – With an extra table, E, THRE{e} O NINE, 309, times 6 = 1854. Very clever. | |
| 20 | Fruit from tropical tree, one planted by designer of London park (5) |
| NASHI – NASH (John Nash, designer of Regent’s Park) I (one). The Asian pear. | |
| 21 | Daily papers returning leaves from a ballot box? (5) |
| URNAL – {di}URNAL without the ID (papers) [returning] [leaves]. | |
| 23 | Activities of Greek brigands, a thousand, with pronounced socialist principles? (9) |
| KLEPHTISM – K (a thousand), LEPHTISM, sounds like, [pronounced] LEFTISM (socialist principles). | |
| 25 | Waterlilies after November died — hybrid going west (7) |
| NELUMBO –N (November), OB (obit; died) MULE (hybrid), all reversed -> ELUMBO. | |
| 26 | Half of farmland cold and mostly dry, landing fruit-eater with massive bill (7) |
| ARACARI – [Half of] ARA{ble} (farmland) C (cold), [most of] ARI{d} (dry). A small sort of toucan. | |
| 27 | Head cut deal perhaps involving primary requirement for kindergarten (4) |
| SKAW – K{indergarten} [first letter of; primary requirement for] in SAW (cut deal perhaps). Head as in headland or cape. | |
| 28 | Indian town turned poster out: “A dance ending early (at five)” (10) |
| VIJAYAWADA – AD (poster) AWAY (out) A JIV{e} (dance) [ending early at the V, five] all turned. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Lighter article being transported with baby, perhaps (5) |
| PRAAM – A (article) in PRAM (being transported with baby). | |
| 2 | Part of church constructed to order without elevated blocks (4-5) |
| ROOD-TOWER – (to order)* [constructed] outside WO (without) [elevated] -> OW. | |
| 3 | Light source left hood of palmtop damaged (10,4) |
| PHOTOFLOOD LAMP – (L{eft} hood of palmtop)* [damaged]. | |
| 4 | Jade completely, at last appearing at station with energy falling (2-5) |
| YU-STONE – CompletetelY [at last], EUSTON (station) moving the E to the end [with energy falling] -> USTONE. | |
| 5 | Image capturing strike beneath circle of snake admirers (7) |
| OPHITIC – O (circle), PIC (image) [capturing] HIT (strike). | |
| 7 | Son wanting someone else’s mustard now unused (5) |
| SENVY – S (son) ENVY (wanting someone else’s). An obsolete term for mustard. | |
| 8 | War cries prepared with one inside? Man’s upset (9) |
| ALALAGMOI – A LA (prepared with or in the manner of) LAG (convict; one inside), IOM (Isle of Man) [upset] -> MOI. | |
| 9 | Poland’s ready to axe its airline travel department: airlines collectively “spineless creatures” (14) |
| ZYGOBRANCHIATA – Z{lot}Y (Poland’s currency; ready) without LOT (Polish airline), GO (travel) BRANCH (department) IATA (International Air Transport Association; airline collectively). My word of the month, and great wordplay too. | |
| 14 | Injured cycling in company with students, one went on foot (9) |
| COTHURNUS – HURT (injured) [cycling] -> THUR, in CO (company) NUS (National Union of Students). A sort of boot worn in ancient Greek tragedy. | |
| 16 | High priest thanks Muslims for securing flight (5,4) |
| TASHI LAMA – TA (thanks) SHIA (Muslims), [securing] LAM (flight). | |
| 18 | Clan leader’s tattoo I note when rising (7) |
| INKHOSI – INK (tattoo), I SOH (note after FAH) [rising] -> HOSI. | |
| 19 | Top off evening tune, as the case demands (1,2,4) |
| E RE NATA – {Top off] {s}ERENATA (evening tune). | |
| 22 | Gorge on maple loaf, leaving odd pieces (5) |
| NALLA – Every other letter [leaving odd pieces] oN mApLeLoAf. Hmm. you have to read that as “odd pieces leaving” to leave the right letters. | |
| 24 | Fate which is often said to accompany pretentious artist (5) |
| MOIRA – What “MOI” pretentious? RA (artist). Lol. | |
Very straightforward, except when it wasn’t. The IKEA analogy is spot on: just follow the instructions, and you’ll get there.
Thanks for commenting. I was beginning to think the tumbleweeds would just roll on by. Yes straightforward, except when it wasn’t is an accurate description. Now for this month’s.
Test to display countdown clock