October 2016 Club Monthly Special – 20193

Solving Time: This took me a little over an hour in two sessions, so a bit longer than usual, for no obvious reason that I can see. For the second consecutive month the mighty Magoo got one wrong.. though it did not seem to affect his majestic performance at the Championships last weekend – for which many congratulations to him, and to all the finalists.

cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, anagrams are *(–), homophones indicated in “”

Dictionaries: The Club Monthly uses several dictionaries as sources, and why not? The main ones are the Concise Oxford Dictionary (COD), Collins, and Chambers. I can’t afford all those, so I use Chambers, the online Collins dictionary and the ODO (Oxford Dictionary Online), and occasionally the full OED.

Across
1. Dying tissue effectively consumes radius (7)
infarct – R (radius) in IN FACT (effectively) – though in fact, I have a little trouble thinking of a sentence where effectively could substitute
5. Critically alter modern concert repertoire, consistently cutting finishing time (7)
recense – RECEN(t) (modern) + SE(t) (concert repertoire)
9. Nothing in old physics represented astrology etc (9)
sciosophy – O in *(O PHYSICS). What I would call pseudoscience, of which there seems to be more every day
10. Bound to receive superior instrument in view of fine work (5)
loupe – U (superior) in LOPE (bound)
11. Maybe Guy’s Hospital in backing for Greek legal administrator (5)
ephor – H (hospital) in ROPE (maybe guy, ie guyline) rev.
12. Sovereign is pallidly, somewhat contrarily, gliding in (9)
illapsing – hidden, rev., in sovereiGN IS PALLIdly
13. Women’s walk cut short for some suffering indigestion? (6-7)
wamble-cropped – W (women’s) + AMBLE (walk) + CROPPED (cut short). What a wonderful word!
17. Updating past to include private embellishment (13)
aggiornamento – GI (private) + ORNAMENT (embellishment) in AGO (past)
21. Variable height on both sides of English, French or Chinese city (9)
Zhengzhou – Z (variable) + H(eight) on both sides of ENG(lish) + OU, French for or. Not an easy word to clue!
24. On the evidence of affluent travellers, judge struck back (5)
teste – (J)ET SET, (affluent travellers) rev.
25. Australian native returning in the role of oil producer (5)
roosa – ROO (Australian native) + AS (in the role of) rev. Roosa, or rosha, is a type of grass
26. Firing chamber shortened before clash, which is useful for preservation (6,3)
kilner jar – KILN (firing chamber) + ER(e) (before) + JAR (clash)
27. Turkish chief about to yield to king in a lot of paying stuff? (7)
mukhtar – MUCH TAR, with the C changed to K(ing). From Collins: “Pay: (nautical) to caulk (the seams of a wooden vessel) with pitch or tar”
28. Sailing vessel with fortune reversed where one pays for US passage (7)
tollway – YAWL (sailing vessel) + LOT (fortune), all rev.
  
Down
1. Dutch river needing not so much sail trimmed, hoisted? (6)
Ijssel – LESS JI(B) (not so much sail), rev. I had not heard of the river, but the Ijsselmeer, into which it flows, I did know.. it used to be the Zuider Zee, until the Dutch reclaimed most of it
2. Female name overlooked in conservative shock of shocks? (6,3)
fright wig – F(emale) + RIGHT WI(n)G (conservative)
3. Head of Rolling Stone welcoming a funny staff writer (7)
rastrum – A in R(olling) + ST(one) + RUM (odd). A rastrum is a neat type of pen that draws five lines at once to make a musical stave or staff.
4. Slips with religious texts mostly working round NT book (9)
tephillin – hmm, I think this is EPH (Epistle to the Ephesians, an NT book) in TILLIN(g) (working, mostly)
5. Splendid non-professional people without commission turned up (5)
royal – LAY (non-professional) + OR (other ranks, ie people without commission), both rev.
6. Fantastic cosplay as character from Odyssey (7)
Calypso – *(COSPLAY). A nymph, daughter of Atlas. According to Homer she kept Odysseus prisoner for seven years, though he did get nookie..
7. Nickel-plated iron supplying people of southern Africa (5)
Nguni – GUN (iron, a slang word for gun) in NI (Ni, nickel)
8. Radical redesign for cell units (8)
energids – *(REDESIGN)
14. University’s river and the one it joins, not SE London’s old one, short of English mine (9)
camouflet – CAM, the river of Cambridge, + OU(SE) + FLE(E)T.. three rivers in one clue! The Fleet still runs, from Hampstead Heath down to the Thames, though little of it is visible and most of it is now used for sewerage purposes.
15. Ruffling waspy Josh, a matchmaker’s occupational hazard? (6,3)
phossy jaw – *(WASPY JOSH)
16. Illegitimate Jews married in confusion, on edge (8)
mamzerim – M (married) in MAZE (confusion) + RIM (edge)
18. Party animal also known as the wrong Pole aboard Jumbo? (7)
org iast – OR (also known as) + GIANT (jumbo) with the N changed to S..
19. Gluten-free powder in fruitcake, a serving of food (7)
nutmeal – NUT (fruitcake) + MEAL (serving of food)
20. Reveal antique lacework after lifting beam (6)
bewray – WEB (antique lacework) rev., + RAY (beam)
22. Raised floor decoration that needs a special viewer (1-4)
e-book – KO (floor) + OBE (decoration, order of the British empire), both rev.
23. Who’s struck roadside, shifting feet? (5)
hiker – HI(t) (struck) + KER(b) (roadside). An &lit.