Excellent offering from Joker today, I thought. At the easier end of the scale (but no pushover) it includes a wide range of different clue types, and a number of Crosswordland “conventions” – commonly used initials (from words such as clubs, river, time), the “heart” of words (middle letters), “in” (meaning at home), and so on.
A couple of relative obscurities (at least for me) – the antelope, and 15 dn, but both were largely obtainable from a combination of definition, cross checkers and wordplay, enabling you to take a stab with a pretty high level of confidence and then validate.
Thanks to the setter.
Across |
1 |
BUSY – Crowded is the definition. Answer also derived from BUS (“public transport”) with Y (“day’s end” – i.e. last letter of day) |
3 |
EXCITED – intoxicated is the definition. Answer also from the wordplay EXITED (“went out”) with C in it (“taking in clubs” – C being standard definition of the card suit) |
8 |
UNIMAGINATIVE – somewhat dull is our definition. Answer also constructed from the combination of UNI (“abbreviation of “University”), MAGI (“wise men”) and NATIVE (“local”) |
9 |
EEL – Fish is our definition. The answer is also hidden in (signalled by “hold in”) crEELs. And for good measure, our setter also alludes to the slippery nature of said fish with “hard to hold” |
10 |
ELAND – Antelope is our definition: the Eland is, so I learned, a rather majestic looking kind of oryx. Answer also (mercifully) can be derived from E (abbreviation of “Eastern”) and LAND (“country”). Bit obscure for me – but pleased to have made the acquaintance now of this fine beast. My last one in, and only got it from the combination of the checkers and wordplay |
12 |
ELEGIAC – rather sad is the definition. The answer is also an anagram (signalled by “bad conjunction”) of ICE and GALE |
14 |
SEAPORT – Liverpool is our definition / exemplar (that we are looking for something of which Liverpool is an example is signalled by “possibly”). The answer is also an anagram (signalled by “in the right form”) of ARE TOPS. Nice surface, unless you are an Everton supporter, I guess |
16 |
BEGIN – Start is the definition. Answer also constructed from BEG (“ask for money”) and IN (“at home”) |
17 |
ADO – Trouble is the definition (as in “much ado”). The answer is also found when RADON is “uncovered”(i.e. loses its front and end letters) |
20 |
PROVING GROUND – Test area is the definition. The answer is also assembled from PRO (“for” – in favour of), VIN (“French wine”), G (abbreviation of “good”) and GROUND (“soil”). Bit of work to do there! |
21 |
MR RIGHT – An ideal partner is the definition. Answer also derived from the wordplay MIGHT (“strength”) including (“capture”) RR (“Myrrha’s heart”) |
22 |
WAGE – regular income is the definition. Answer also built from WAG (“Joker”) with E (“finish to puzzle” – i.e. last letter of puzzle) |
Down |
1 |
BRUSSELS – Capital is the definition / exemplar. Another hidden clue, this time in reverse (signalled by “reflection”) – NEEDS LESS URBANISATION |
2 |
SNIP – Cut is the definition. Answer also derived from SNIPE (“game bird, but not the tail” – i.e. without the last letter) |
3 |
EDIBLE – good to eat is the definition. Answer is an anagram (signalled by “dealing with”) BE and DELI. Bit clunky, I thought |
4 |
CLAPPERBOARD – filming equipment is the definition (the gloriously low tech wooden item that comes into play when someone shouts “take 23 – action!” or something like that). The answer is nicely constructed from CLAPPER (“one applauding”) and BOARD (“heads of company”) |
5 |
TWINNING – linking with another is our definition. Answer also derived from T (“Town’s leader” – i.e. first letter) with WINNING (“being successful”). The clue also has a nice touch of additional symmetry as the Town reference at the beginning is particularly apposite with regard to the “twin town” concept |
6 |
DREW – Sketched is the definition. Answer also from DEW (“morning dampness”) with an R in it (abbreviation of “river”) |
7 |
NAME DROPPING – Trying to impress is the definition. The answer is also an anagram (signalled by “arrangement”) of PENDING PRO-AM |
11 |
ABATTOIR – slaughterhouse is our definition. The wordplay also giving the answer is A BAT (“a mammal in flight”) with RIOT (“public disturbance”) backwards (“raised”) |
13 |
CANOODLE – Spoon is the definition. The wordplay is CAT (“most of cat”) with NOODLE (“food made of pasta”). Must admit I thought this was a tad racy for The Times when I first got it, as when I was a lad in Somerset, spooning was a relatively advanced (and specific) form of canoodling – and those that engaged in it were wisely warned that spooning leads to… well, another cutlery based gerund. But enough – we are moving into Private Eye crossword territory. To spoon is, apparently, a traditional term covering canoodling generally |
15 |
TAUGHT – imparted at school is our definition. The wordplay is T (abbreviation of “time”) with AUGHT (a somewhat archaic word for “anything at all”). |
18 |
SPAM – Unwanted emails is our definition. The answer is also derived from SPA (“well”) and M (“maybe at first”) |
19 |
TUNA – fish good to eat is our definition (although the good to eat is arguably somewhat superfluous). The answer is also from the wordplay NUT (of the Brazilian variety) “turned up” – i.e. reversed – with A |
Edited at 2014-06-18 11:19 am (UTC)
A story with an Australian angle: Regarding Mr Right, I once read an item in Column 8 in the Sydney Morning Herald of a female limousine driver seen at one of the domestic terminals at Sydney Airport holding up a sign that stated she was waiting for…boom, boom…Mr Wright!
Finally, I’m still racking my brains for that ‘cutlery based gerund’. Another M.L.R. perhaps
*Momentary Lapse of Reason.
PS…But I think it may be “all over” for Australia, even after such a good performance against Holland.
Edited at 2014-06-18 06:01 pm (UTC)
Remember the ELAND: a regular visitor. It’s also worth remembering that ‘antelope’ in the clue will often give something ending in BOK: springbok of course but also gemsbok, reebok and several others.
1dn seems to be an error.