A fairly straightforward puzzle for my first blog of the year. And maybe it’s just a one-off, but the URL numbering was just one greater than for last Friday’s puzzle, meaning it was easy to locate in advance. I hope jackkt has similar good luck next Monday. Best wishes, crosswording and otherwise, to all for 2016.
The crossword can be found here if the usual channels are unavailable: http://feeds.thetimes.co.uk/puzzles/crossword/20160104/12132/
Definitions are underlined.
| Across |
| 1 |
Phone somewhere in Alabama (6) |
|
MOBILE – double definition, the second a city famed for … being the birthplace of Tim Cook (any better offers?) The city is apparently pronounced “mo-beel”, which would have been probably my fourth guess. |
| 4 |
King of Rome heard in ruins (6) |
|
WRECKS – homophone (heard in) of REX (King of Rome, i.e. the Latin word for “king”) |
| 9 |
Small fib about hard stunt by cyclist (7) |
|
WHEELIE – WEE (Small) + LIE (fib) about H (hard) |
| 10 |
Superior meal with no starter (5) |
|
UPPER – {s}UPPER (meal with no starter, i.e. the word “supper” without its first letter) |
| 11 |
Reports from all quarters (4) |
|
NEWS – N (north) + E (east) + W (west) + S (south) are the four quarters, with an argument to be made that it’s an extended definition |
| 12 |
Stick found by National Trust supporter (8) |
|
ADHERENT – ADHERE (Stick) + NT (National Trust) |
| 14 |
Former scheme a politician is clarifying (11) |
|
EXPLANATORY – EX (Former) + PLAN (scheme) + A + TORY (politician) |
| 18 |
I’m laid back in easily managed home (8) |
|
DOMICILE – reversal (laid back) of I’M in DOCILE (easily managed) |
| 20 |
First murder victim in Lincoln and first in Leicester (4) |
|
ABEL – ABE (Lincoln, i.e. the 16th US President) + L (first in Leicester, i.e. the first letter of the word “Leicester”) |
| 22 |
Serious plot in churchyard (5) |
|
GRAVE – double definition |
| 23 |
Dutch capital and London area doing business (7) |
|
DEALING – D (Dutch capital, i.e. the capital letter of the word “Dutch”) + EALING (London area) |
| 24 |
Animals prepared to rest (6) |
|
OTTERS – anagram (prepared) of TO REST
|
| 25 |
Who cares if pig has cover for head? (2,4) |
|
SO WHAT – SOW (pig) + HAT (cover for head) |
| Down |
| 1 |
Male due for lawn maintenance (6) |
|
MOWING – M (Male) + OWING (due) |
| 2 |
Polish worker’s increase (7) |
|
BEESWAX – BEE’S (worker’s) + WAX (increase, as opposed to wane) |
| 3 |
Girl likely to lose heart (4) |
|
LILY – LI{ke}LY (likely to lose heart, i.e. the word “likely” without its middle letters) |
| 5 |
Game allowed to block road (8) |
|
ROULETTE – LET (allowed) inside (to block) ROUTE (road) |
| 6 |
Manage to enclose small group of trees (5) |
|
COPSE – COPE (Manage) around (to enclose) S (small) |
| 7 |
Muddled priest showing little spirit (6) |
|
SPRITE – anagram (Muddled) of PRIEST
|
| 8 |
Playing Lydia, Glenda is a star (7,4) |
|
LEADING LADY – anagram (Playing) of LYDIA GLENDA
|
| 13 |
Everyone understood air raid warden’s signal (3,5) |
|
ALL CLEAR – ALL (Everyone) + CLEAR (understood) |
| 15 |
Massage required by bishop having no work? What rot! (7) |
|
RUBBISH – RUB (Massage) + BISH{op} (bishop having no work, i.e. the word “bishop” without “op”, the usual abbreviation for work)
|
| 16 |
Slow movement of a soldier gatecrashing a party (6) |
|
ADAGIO – A + GI (soldier), inside (gatecrashing) A + DO (party) |
| 17 |
Insult hardly worth mentioning (6) |
|
SLIGHT – double definition |
| 19 |
Average temperature, as intended (5) |
|
MEANT – MEAN (Average) + T (temperature) |
| 21 |
Headlight, as it were, forming part of such a lorry (4) |
|
HALO – hidden in (forming part of) sucH A LOrry. The “as it were” tells us that “headlight” is a slightly oblique definition of the answer. |
EDIT – 25a is a repeat from Mara’s latest offering. Grumble.
Edited at 2016-01-04 01:00 pm (UTC)
Particularly enjoyed 4 and 11a.