After the first three puzzles this week were pretty easy, I figured I was going to get the stinker. What I didn’t expect was that the link from the Crossword Club did not go to the puzzle!
I managed to get to the puzzle using the puzzles page, so I was not solving using the usual nifty bells and whistles you get from the Crossword Club page. You never appreciate what you have until it is gone, right? Having to scroll down to see the clues, and having to type over the letters already entered.
I’m afraid that meant I did not enjoy the puzzle as much as I should have – it is definitely a step up in difficulty from the other offerings this week! Now that I am writing the blog it is a merry romp of science, politics and lots of maths.
Did you persevere?
| Across | |
| 1 | Mostly useless runner failing to finish in twilight (4) |
| DUSK – DUD(useless) minus the last letter and SKI(runner) minus the last letter | |
| 3 | After delaying line, worth digesting Dickens play (10) |
| VAUDEVILLE – move the L(line) along in VALUE(worth) and insert DEVIL(Dickens). Collins confirms this can mean a comic theatrical piece as well as the style of show. | |
| 10 | Maybe Lynn pots mountain plant (7) |
| VERBENA – VERA Lynn (singer, We’ll Meet Again) containing BEN(mountain) | |
| 11 | Back in flat, select instrument (7) |
| CELESTA – hidden reversed in flAT SELECt | |
| 12 | Proserpine, frantic with lust, beds a group containing Mars? (8,7) |
| SUPERIOR PLANETS – anagram of PROSPERINE with LUST containing A. A new term to me, it means the planets whose orbits are outside the Earth | |
| 13 | Enjoy and let go, ignoring trendy question (6) |
| RELISH – RELINQUISH(let go) minus IN(trendy) and QU(question). I liked this clue a lot | |
| 14 | Fragrant vapour having appeared intermittently outside (8) |
| PERFUMED – FUME(vapour) inside alternating letters in aPpEaReD | |
| 17 | Football team, one welcoming new scorer (8) |
| ALBINONI – ALBION(football team), and I(one) containing N(new) for the composer Tomaso | |
| 18 | Strict name indicator (6) |
| NARROW – N(name), ARROW(indicator) | |
| 21 | Leave little room for airport customs inspection? That’s easily decided (4-3-4,4) |
| OPEN-AND-SHUT CASE – titchy double definition | |
| 23 | Dupes four unclothed idiots (7) |
| OUTWITS – remove the external letters of fOUr, then TWITS(idiots) | |
| 24 | Enormous belt snaps on 37.5 per cent of trousers (7) |
| TROPICS – PICS(snaps) after the first 3/8ths of TROusers. Maths part 1! | |
| 25 | Criminal resorted to the obvious way out? (6,4) |
| STREET DOOR – anagram of RESORTED TO | |
| 26 | Hack stone (4) |
| JADE – double definition, the first being an overworked horse | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Factor is contributing to separation abandoned by church (7) |
| DIVISOR – IS inside DIVORCE(separation) minus CE(church). Maths part 2!. | |
| 2 | No ultimate sign of wear in this small travel iron? (5,4) |
| STRIP CLUB – S(small), TRIP(travel), CLUB(iron). I liked this clue a lot too. | |
| 4 | Long distance runner, one in old women’s race (6) |
| AMAZON – double definition | |
| 5 | Make out first of month by going around husband (8) |
| DECIPHER – the first of the month could be DEC 1, then PER(by) surrounding H(husband) | |
| 6 | Frugal vicar not working 24/7, possibly (6,8) |
| VULGAR FRACTION – anagram of FRUGAL, VICAR, NOT. Maths part 3! | |
| 7 | Thread through northern town missing vehicle (5) |
| LISLE – CARLISLE(northern town) minus CAR(vehicle) | |
| 8 | Doctor pleased to have passed (7) |
| ELAPSED – anagram of PLEASED | |
| 9 | Typical delegate (14) |
| REPRESENTATIVE – double definition | |
| 15 | Drink raised pulse on a girl (9) |
| MARGARITA – GRAM(chickpea, pulse) reversed, then A, RITA(girl) | |
| 16 | Protectively coated adenoids malfunctioning (8) |
| ANODISED – anagram of ADENOIDS | |
| 17 | Loving Muslim Filipino embraced by two kinds of American (7) |
| AMOROUS – MORO(Muslim Filipino) inside A and US(two kinds of American) | |
| 19 | The setter is cursed with old doctrine in Early English (3,2,2) |
| WOE IS ME – W(with), O(old) then ISM(doctrine) inside EE(Early English) | |
| 20 | Minor example of House and The Observer initially supporting British PM once (6) |
| BHUTTO – HUT(minor example of a house) and the first letters of The Observer underneath B for the former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir | |
| 22 | Penetrate heart of USA, not getting caught (5) |
| ENTER – CENTER(heart in USA) minus C(caught) | |
Definitely not elitist, as I managed most of it ( albeit in a long time)! But clues like BHUTTO, ANTONINO and JADE were too much for me. I really like STRIP CLUB, once the penny dropped, and VERBENA, which I know well. Tough workout, but fair and engrossing.