Another great monthly treat of curious words and clever wordplay. It took me about an average time of 1hr 15 minutes to complete. Some great candidates for word of the month but I choose MBUJIMAYI as being the most unlikely looking one. As for best wordplay, it was the “base of this column” that bamboozled me the most. Thank-you clever setter!
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Extremely cheery stuff then ultimate in misery with me? (10) |
| CYCLOTHYME – Outside letters of CheerY, CLOTH (stuff), Last letter of miserY, ME. A great &lit to start with. | |
| 6 | Shady mountainside capital of Caribbean country is seen last (4) |
| UBAC – CUBA (Caribbean country) moving the first letter (capital) to the end -> UBAC. | |
| 9 | Meadow flower in goblet with its rim covered by dry Bacardi, say (10) |
| THALICTRUM – {c}HALIC{e} (goblet) replacing the outer letters (rim) with TT (teetotaller; dry), RUM (Bacardi, perhaps). | |
| 10 | Ceremonial exchange of gifts, several given away in the middle of Kumbh Mela (4) |
| KULA – KUmbh meLA, with several letters in the middle “given away”. | |
| 12 | Limits of short part of arm holding back Shankar’s string instrument (12) |
| STRADIVARIUS – Outside letters of ShorT and RADIUS (short part of arm) with RAVI (Shankar) reversed inside. It took me a while to abandon the idea that it would be SITAR that was reversed inside something with “Limits” being the definition. | |
| 15 | The reason a single mother (not wife) makes sponge (9) |
| HYALONEMA – {w}HY (the reason) A LONE (single) MA (mother) without the W (wide). | |
| 17 | Supplier of grapes with mouldiness (5) |
| VINEW – VINE (supplier of grapes) W (with). | |
| 18 | Measure of infectiousness not advanced in level or receding (1-4) |
| R ZERO – R{a}ZE (level) without the A (advanced), OR [receding] -> RO. | |
| 19 | Half of clan wearing fashion designer’s tinsel (9) |
| CLINQUANT – Half of CL{an} IN (wearing) QUANT (Mary; fashion designer). | |
| 20 | East Londoner’s sweet bun satisfied judge that is swallowing outsized seed capsule (12) |
| MOSBOLLETJIE – OS (outsized) BOLL (seed capsule) in MET (satisfied), J (judge) I.E. (that is). No aitches dropped here – the East London referred to is in South Africa. | |
| 24 | Questionable circles spurning duke affected upper-class people (4) |
| YAHS – SHA{d}Y (questionable) without the D (duke) reversed [circles]. | |
| 25 | Historically, stocks let it out, breaking occupier’s contract (6-4) |
| LITTLE EASE – (let it)* [out] in LEASE (occupier’s contract). | |
| 26 | Aftermath of knight fighting in retreat (4) |
| RAWN – N (knight in chess notation) WAR (fighting) all reversed. | |
| 27 | I’m doubtful terror turned calm, except for case occurring in a building (10) |
| UMBRATICAL – UM (I’m doubtful) BRAT (terror) {p}LACI{d} (calm) without its outside letters reversed -> ICAL. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Quickly America becomes tense in farewell to some Europeans (4) |
| CITO – CIAC (farewell to some Europeans) with the A (America) becoming T (tense) -> CITO. | |
| 2 | A quid to duplicate the base of this column? (4) |
| CHAW – My last one. It took me a while to spot how this works… “base of this column” refers to the last four letters in this column in the grid – i.e. the end of wapensCHAW. | |
| 3 | Work on island, however serve short periods in rear part of temple (12) |
| OPISTHODOMOS – OP (opus; work) IS (island) THO’ (however) DO (serve) MOS (moments; short periods). | |
| 4 | Tapir touchy about seeing only every other animal in Central America (5) |
| HUTIA – Every other letter in the reverse of Tapir touchy -> yHcUoT rIpAt. | |
| 5 | Congolese city’s openings for merchant banking upped jobs in start of fifth month? (9) |
| MBUJIMAYI – Initial letters of Merchant Banking Upped Jobs In, MAY I (start of fifth month). | |
| 7 | French market town and grandmother each sheltering one with inner religiosity? (10) |
| BOURIGNIAN – I (one) on both of BOURG (French market town) and NAN (grandmother) -> BOURIG NIAN. | |
| 8 | Possible proviso in treaty before intelligence on direction of third Axis military strategist (10) |
| CLAUSEWITZ – CLAUSE (possible proviso in treaty) WIT (intelligence) Z (third axis in 3-D geometry). | |
| 11 | Cause of melanoma on arm during day since rising state of panic (5,3,4) |
| SAUVE QUI PEUT – UV (cause of melanoma) EQUIP (arm), in TUES (day) [rising] -> SEUT. | |
| 13 | Hot lift of pickle among more modest fruit (10) |
| CHERIMOYER – H (hot) MIRE (pickle) [lifted] -> ERIM, in COYER (more modest). | |
| 14 | Hand over the four points, taking tea in S African shooting competition (10) |
| WAPENSCHAW – PAW (hand) [over] -> WAP, CHA (tea) in ENSW (the four points of the compass). Tea with some MOSBOLLETJIEs, perhaps? | |
| 16 | Maybe a pectoral cross’s enclosure left in religion for Masses? (9) |
| ENCOLPIUM – ENC (enclosure), L (left) in OPIUM (religion for the Masses). Hmm. The Karl Marx quote is “religion is the opium of the people” rather than the other way round, but I’m not going to quibble. | |
| 21 | Perhaps an early visitor to London galleries, conceivably (5) |
| TATER – Double definition, the second a whimsical cryptic hint. | |
| 22 | Mediterranean boat espionage organisation’s capsized (4) |
| SAIC – CIA’S (espionage organisation’s) [capsized]. | |
| 23 | Location of gardens large and marvellous (4) |
| KEWL – KEW (location of gardens) L (large). | |
Nho SAUVE QUI PEUT, I’m more of a gardez votre sang froid sort of person ..
Curious, that an old Scots word meaning a gathering should re-emerge as a S African shooting competition. Common dutch root, i imagine.