Solving time : 11:23 – and I have a feeling I was the target audience for this puzzle, there is some smashing wordplay, and even a rare cryptic definition that I can tolerate. A few obscure words with strong wordplay making them accessible.
I wondered if we were heading to a pangram, and the thought of unused letters helped me see the entry at 25 down which was one of my last in, but there are a few letters missing.
This is another evening where I will be disappearing for several hours after putting up the blog, so check the comments if you have a query or quibble, and I’ll check back in when morning breaks.
Away we go…
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | AISLE: sounds like I’LL |
| 4 |
CAFETERIA: C |
| 9 | ENRAPTURE: anagram of PARENT, then the river URE |
| 10 | ROMEO: NATO alphabet for R, the middle of TURIN |
| 11 | PAELLA: PA(father), then the singer ELLA Fitzgerald |
| 12 | STIRRING: the prison gang could be a STIR RING |
| 14 | GILBERTIAN: anagram of LIBERATING – Ralph Rickstraw is a character in HMS Pinafore |
| 16 | LIMB: LIMBO without 0 |
| 19 |
SUMO: O |
| 20 | MAKEWEIGHT: sounds like MAKE WAIT – got this one from wordplay |
| 22 |
AQUATINT: A QUAINT(whimsical) containing T |
| 23 | SCYTHE: SC(scilicet, to wit), Y(variable), THE(article) |
| 26 | PRIDE: sounds like PRIED |
| 27 | BRIC-A-BRAC: I inside an anagram of two CRABs |
| 28 |
ACETYLENE: anagram of ETC, then Y(unknown), LEN(man) inside A and E |
| 29 | TON-UP: NOT reversed, then UP(happy) |
| Down | |
| 1 | AREOPAGUS: A, then SUGAR(sweetener) containing POE all reversed – clever wordplay for a word that I did not recognize, Edit: apologies – I had na extra A in the wordplay when I first posted |
| 2 | SURGE: SURGERY missing RY |
| 3 | ESPALIER: A,L with ESPIER surrounding |
| 4 | CLUB: double definition – playing card and a club for killing fish. Take that, bream! |
| 5 | FREE TRADER: FREE(deliver) then RED,ART all reversed |
| 6 | TORERO: TOO(as well) containing R and ER |
| 7 |
REMAINING: RE(on), MAIN(sea), IN, |
| 8 |
AMONG: AG(silver) containing MON |
| 13 | ATTAINABLE: A, IN inside AT TABLE(where we eat) |
| 15 | LIMOUSINE: cryptic definition, based on STRETCH LIMO |
| 17 |
BUTTERCUP: C |
| 18 | MERCHANT: MEANT(intended) containing RICH without I – and just savor that surface a moment – my pick for best clue |
| 21 |
STEELY: |
| 22 | APLHA: ALP(mountain), H(hotel), A |
| 24 |
TURIN: TURN(stroll) containing I |
| 25 | KITE: KIT(tools), and E |
So quite quick at 22 mins, even recognising that areopagus was a word I didn’t know but that I knew it had appeared before, if that makes sense.
Today, of course, I walked down Bristol harbourside on a route I’ve trod dozens of times before, and realised I was walking past multiple giant espaliered trees, which I’d previously just thought of as “that weird structural planting near the ugly modern flats”, if I’d noticed them at all…