Firstly, thanks to jackkt for covering last Thursday. Having moved house recently I have hospital appointments under a new regime and where I had things off pat with my former hospital, the new one is much slower and insistent on additional x-rays and scans that hold me up.
Anyway, back to today. Unless I am feeling a bit dull this morning, I found this rather hard for a quickie. Hadn’t heard of the expression at 8 across, which threw me. So, I struggled to get a foothold in the puzzle for a while, but then sailed through the second half of the puzzle. Let me know how you felt.
ACROSS
1 MAHARAJA Hidden answer to start with, but it’s reversed. Reversed inside (put back contents) of COCOA JAR, A HAMPER is a word for a prince.
5 SWIM The definition is Be deep in water (is that a good definition?). W (which, initially) inside SIM (card that works a mobile phone).
8 GET ONE’S HAND IN Hadn’t heard of this expression. Apparently, it means to become better. If you buy a short drink you would GET ONE SHAND(Y) IN. The short drink means it’s missing its last letter.
10 YAHOO A double definition. The name of a brutish creature from Gulliver’s Travels is also a cry of victory (and an internet company!).
11 POT-SHOT If a drug was stolen, then pot may be said to be hot, and a pot-shot is a casual hit by a gun.
12 SUNLIT An anagram (indicated by drinken) of INSULT gives a word meaning in broad daylight.
13 PROPER Genuine is the definition. PROP (support) + ER (The Queen, one of the few living people allowed into the Times crosswords).
16 SUBLIME Truly outstanding is the definition. SUB (Substitute) + LIME (fruit).
18 AGAIN Once more is the definition, AGAINST minus ST (street).
20 INSIGNIFICANT Hardly noticeable is the definition. An anagram (terribly) of FAINT INCISING.
21 NICE Double definition, often seen round these parts. Pleasant and a resort in the south of French.
22 BRUNETTE – Nice clue. Terrible man BRUTE with NET (bag) inside gives a lady who may be said to be not fair.
DOWN
1 MUGGY – Attack and rob (MUG) + GY (guy, heartlessly, minus U), Such an unpleasant climate is the definition.
2 HITCHIN – Town in Hertfordshire is the definition. HITCH (hold up) + IN.
3 RANDOMISING – Causing complete disorder is the definition. An anagram (in the wars) of MINING ROADS.
4 JOSEPH – Singer in musical is the definition, i.e. the dreamcoat owner. JOSH (banter) with EP (record) inside.
6 WIDTH – WITH (having) with D (depth) inside. Measurement across is the definition.
7 MONITOR – Double definition. Keep tabs on is one definition and computer screen the other.
9 ALTERNATION – ‘Just one thing, then another’ is the definition. ALTER (change) + NATION (country).
12 SESSION – Time spent recording is the definition and S (small) + an anagram of NOISES.
14 PLAY ACT – Pretend is the definition. PLAY (participate in game) + A + CT (court).
15 DENIER – Definition is one gainsaying. DEER (stags and does) with NI (Northern ireland) inside.
17 BASIC – Cardinal is the definition. IS inside CAB (taxi) all reversed.
19 NITRE – NIT (twit) with RE (Royal Engineers) afterwards (chasing) and the definition is an ingredient of gunpowder.
See you next week.
I’d have written POT-SHOT too but the enumeration (7) is sanctioned in the SOED, I haven’t checked elsewhere. There’s typo at HITCHIN, macavity, and also Joseph had a ‘dreamcoat’ not a ‘dreamboat’ – at least as far as we know!
Edited at 2015-11-19 11:47 am (UTC)
Edited at 2015-11-19 11:50 am (UTC)
After my first session I had most of it done but nothing in the NW quadrant. Getting 1d was my breakthrough as that indicated the hidden answer in 1a (missed as usual).Last in Joseph.
There were no obscurities to me and an excellent puzzle I thought. David