Solving Time: Once again I won’t say, but this was very easy and should not be taken as a guide to what will be offered on finals day. I have again been unable to extract useful text from the .pdf which is all I have for this crossword, so can’t include the clues in the blog, sorry. Nor do I have access to the solution, but if I have any wrong, I expect someone will point it out soon enough. I haven’t elaborated unduly on most of the clues, but if anything is unclear please ask.
cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, anagrams are *(–), homophones indicated in “”
ODO means the Oxford Dictionaries Online
Across |
|
---|---|
1 | indoor – IN + DO + OR (ordinary ranks, ie men) |
4 |
scrag-end – SCR + AGEND( |
10 | cover note – superfluous = OVER + NOT in church (of England) = CE |
11 |
fluke – F( |
12 | passing the buck – well, PASSING, + THE BUCK, really. If there was anything to explain, I would |
14 |
catch – CAT + CH( |
16 | trade name – *(TRADE MEANT) |
18 | tormentor – soldiers = MEN between TORs |
20 |
credo – embarrassed = RED in CO( |
21 | decommissioned – *(MOODS MEDICINES). Does “uncontrollable” really work as an anagram indicator? My view: no |
25 | agony – match = GO (do these go? Yes dear, you look divine etc etc.) in some = ANY. Never entirely sure how they substitute each other, though |
26 |
inventive – abuse = INVECTIVE, with the C replaced by an N( |
27 | preceded – P + RECEDED |
28 | infant – enthusiast = FAN in I + books = NT |
Down |
|
1 | incapacity – old man = PA in Quito c. ago = INCA CITY |
2 | dives – dd, one referring to the parable of Dives and Lazarus from the gospel according to part of 11ac., which is a rather vengeful and unpleasant take on what supposedly happens to you if you aren’t nice to people less well off than yourself.. note that Lazarus is not the one that was resurrected, and Dives is not a name at all, just Latin for “rich man.” |
3 |
oarfish – R( |
5 | Czech – sounds like “check,” a control |
6 |
affable – F( |
7 | enunciate – sister = NUN in EC, + I + ATE. Why does trouble-maker = ATE, I ask myself? But I don’t know.. a trouble may eat away at one I suppose, but I can’t make that fit the clue. Must be missing something. |
8 | deem – ME + ED, rev. |
9 | bought it – part of tree = BOUGH + TIT, a bird without which, this would be a much more difficult phrase to clue |
13 | second-best – *(DECENT BOSS) |
15 | threesome – *(HEROES MET) |
17 | abrasive – garment = BRA in when = AS, + I’VE |
19 | ecotype – a dd. An ecotype is (Collins): “a group of organisms within a species that is adapted to particular environmental conditions” |
20 |
chignon – G( |
22 | maize – sounds like “MAY’S,” may being hawthorn, and what the adage “Ne’er cast a clout til t’may is out” is referring to. Clouts, we had best not go into here |
23 | naira – Nigerian currency hidden, rev., in vegetARIANs |
24 | vamp – VA + MP |
Agreed, rather naughty of The Times. Money-raising I imagine. I remember when the qualifier used to be quite remarkably difficult.