This puzzle featured a lot of wordplay components involving taking either the first or last letters of a word or words.
I came to this puzzle after several busy days without any crosswords. Perhaps it was a bit hard, or perhaps I was just rusty. How did you all do? Thank you, setter.
Note for newcomers: The Times offers prizes for Saturday Cryptic Crosswords. This blog is for last week’s puzzle, posted after the competition closes. So, please don’t comment here on this week’s Saturday Cryptic.
Definitions are in bold and underlined. With the luxury of a week to do the blog, I can expand on the wordplay:
-
- synonyms and the like appear in [square brackets]
- wordplay instructions appear thus
- anagram fodder is (THUS)*, with the anagram indicator following
- a ⁁ symbol indicates where text is to be inserted.
| Across | |
| 1 | Altered borders ultimately all will be disputed (10) |
| CHALLENGED – CHA⁁NGED borders LLE [ultimately, alL wilL bE]. | |
| 7 | Some people have returned to lend a hand (4) |
| HELP – reverse (returned), hidden (some). | |
| 9 | Talk continuously, except about potentially boring thing taking place (6,2) |
| RABBIT ON – RAB [bar=except, about] + BIT [potentially boring thing] + ON [taking place]. | |
| 10 | Private areas in clubs hosted by one who’s big at present time? (6) |
| SANCTA – C hosted by SAN⁁TA [the big man at present time, meaning Christmas. Ho ho!] | |
| 11 | Particular house in comfortable surroundings (6) |
| CHOOSY – HO in C⁁OSY. | |
| 13 | Angry snitch admitting what the Mafia disaffirm in the end (8) |
| STEAMING – S⁁ING [to snitch] admitting TEAM [whaT thE mafiA disaffirM, in the end] | |
| 14 | Trained seals swimming somewhere in the Pacific (6,6) |
| EASTER ISLAND – (TRAINED SEALS)*, swimming. | |
| 17 | Ostentatious, pro-conflict Democrat giving glimpse of what’s to come (12) |
| FLASHFORWARD – FLASH + FOR WAR + D. | |
| 20 | Got reminder to take medicine? (8) |
| PROCURED – PRO⁁D to take CURE. | |
| 21 | Stop initially doing everything slowly — it’s so thoughtless (6) |
| DESIST – initially, Doing Everything Slowly Its So Thoughtless. | |
| 22 | Possible problem for low-level member of British workers’ collective (6) |
| BUNION – B + UNION. | |
| 23 | Clothing company always primarily protected by patent (8) |
| OVERCOAT – CO + A [Always, primarily] protected by OVER⁁T. | |
| 25 | Weak article reduced in length (4) |
| THIN – THING, reduced in length. | |
| 26 | Increase introduced by key power business (10) |
| ENTERPRISE – ENTER [key] + P + RISE. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | I approve this location for those attending more than once (4,4) |
| HEAR HEAR – HEAR [sounds like HERE (for those attending)], twice. | |
| 3 | Pound sheltering a dog (3) |
| LAB – L⁁B [pound weight] sheltering A. | |
| 4 | Guard at gate failing to open gate, perhaps (5) |
| ENTRY – SENTRY [guard at gate, failing to open]. | |
| 5 | Book group? (7) |
| GENESIS – two meanings: the Old Testament book, or the rock group. | |
| 6 | In France, some bother nabbing a reckless criminal (9) |
| DESPERADO – DES [some, in France] + PER [a, as in ten pounds per unit] + ADO. | |
| 7 | Odd demand shown for used gear (4-2-5) |
| HAND ME DOWNS – (DEMAND SHOWN)*, odd. | |
| 8 | Reduced stuff written on some dull list (6) |
| LITANY – LIT. [stuff written: literature] + ANY [some]. | |
| 12 | Regular contributors to robust old group currently not working (3,2,6) |
| OUT OF ACTION – OUT [regular contributors to rObUsT] + O [old] + FACTION. | |
| 15 | Switch behind large stove (9) |
| REARRANGE – REAR [behind] + RANGE [large stove]. | |
| 16 | Illegally enter resort breaking lock (8) |
| TRESPASS – SPA breaking TRE⁁SS. | |
| 18 | Important suspect picked up somewhere secret (7) |
| HIDEOUT – sounds like (picked up) HIGH DOUBT. | |
| 19 | Where animals may eat, close to verdant part of golf course (6) |
| TROUGH – T [close to verdanT] + ROUGH [an area some golfers know too well]. | |
| 21 | Gloomy days are somehow beginning to recede (5) |
| DREAR – D + (ARE)*, somehow + R [beginning to Recede]. | |
| 24 | Vehicle in speed event almost overturned (3) |
| CAR – RACE almost, overturned. | |