Solving time 45 minutes
I’m standing in for Jerry, who is mountain walking (and cheese and wine sampling possibly)
Another very high standard puzzle that was a real pleasure to solve. An exercise in precise wordplay used to derive the answer that is verified from the definition. It is, of course, a pangram. Thank you setter.
If you want to develop your skills beyond the daily cryptic these and the Mephistos are the way to do it.
Across | |
---|---|
1 | RORIC – OR reversed-RIC(h); men=ordinary ranks=OR; rolling in it=RIC(h); dewy; |
4 | MUDEJARES – MUD-SEE reversed contains JAR; spot=SEE; to the west=reversal indicator; Moors who remained in Spain after the Christian Reconquista but kept their Moslem faith. An example of their architecture can be seen at Casa de Pilatos in Seville; |
9 | DOLI,CAPAX – DO-L(I-CAP)AX; best=CAP; legal jargon used to describe politicians; |
10 | GUQIN – GU(QI)N; piece=slang for GUN; Chinese zither; |
11 | LAHARS – LA-H-A-R’S; note after so=LA; hugely destructive hot mud flows from a volcano; |
12 | TROUVEUR – T(OUR)*V-RUE reversed; box=slang for TV; old French poet; |
14 | MAORITANGA – I-ROAM reversed-GNAT reversed-A=area; the Maori way of life; |
16 | JOSS – JOS(he)S; kid=josh; kharma; |
19 | NEET – TEEN(ager) reversed; N(ot) in E(ducation) E(mployment) or T(raining); |
20 | CZAREVITCH – mania=CRAZE then switch even letters=CZARE; V=very; ITCH=long; eldest son of a Russian Czar; |
22 | WAGTAILS – (vie)WA(ble)-(gaslit)*; |
23 | STUNS’L – S(TUNS)L; SL from S(pecia)L; a studding sail; |
26 | OHONE – O-(s)HONE; s=saint; waesucks in Wexford; |
27 | AKATHISIA – AKA-THIS-I-A(grees); alias=AKA; not that=THIS; inability to be still; |
28 | ZAMBOORAK – ZAMB(O-OR)A-K; O-OR replaces I in Zambia; kilometer=K; a cannon on a camel; |
29 | DRANT – DR-ANT(is); save=removal indicator; to speak in a tiresome whine; |
Down | |
1 | RADDLEMEN – RA-(mended)* contains L=left; artist=RA; a man who marks things red; |
2 | RALPH – first letters R(oguery)-A(t)-L(ocal)-P(rinting)-H(ouse) |
3 | CUCURBIT – CU-CUR-BIT; a plant like a marrow; |
4 | MOPY – MOP-(derr)Y; shock=hair=MOP; |
5 | DEXTROGYRE – D(EXT)OG-YR-(nos)E; EXT=extra=type of run such as a wide (cricket); turn to the right; |
6 | JUG-JUG – stir=prison=JUG; the nightingale (old song and excellent foxtrot As we kissed, and said goodnight, a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square); |
7 | ROQUEFORT – sounds like “rock four”; |
8 | SANER – (earns)*; reference “mad as a hatter” from the tea party in Alice in Wonderland; |
13 | RANZELLAAR – (arran)* contains ALLEZ reversed; Scott’s Ranzelman – a searcher for stolen goods in Orkney; |
15 | OVERGLOOM – O-VERG(e)-LOOM; |
17 | SCHOLIAST – (this also)* contains C(ricket); Greek annotator; |
18 | KVETCHED – (the deck)* contains V(essel); Yenta drant; |
21 | SAPEGO – SAP-EGO; Waggledagger for skin disease; |
22 | WOOTZ – W-OZ contains TO reversed; wicket=W; very old steel from Tamils of Southern India; |
24 | NYSSA – hidden reversed (christm)ASSY-N(ativity); tupelo tree or Dr Who’s squeeze; |
25 | JARK – yank=JERK then change E from (alpin)E to A from A(lpine); a pass; |
Agreed another top class effort. I hadn’t noticed the pangram; my only other comment is that “jug-jug” seems wholly inadequate, as a description of a nightingale’s song
On edit: turns out (on Googling) that Lyly also has:
“Jug, jug, jug, jug—tereu—she cries” for the nightingale in The Songs of Birds.
Edited at 2013-07-27 05:27 am (UTC)