DNF. I wish I had been a little more up for a challenge — I’ve been waiting for a puzzle like this for weeks. As it happened, I came to the puzzle quite late and quite discombobulated, and could only manage about 65% before I started looking up answers. Even then, I found myself surprised at the subtlety of the wordplay. Hopefully I’ll have another chance in a few weeks!
| Across | |
| 1 | In which rook may fly to mate? (5,5) |
| SPEED CHESS – cryptic definition
The reference was fairly obvious, but I assumed the answer would be some sort of obscure chess term I didn’t know. |
|
| 7 | One half of crime mystery (4) |
| UNIT – half of WHODUNIT (crime mystery)
Had to look this one up and it still took me ages to parse! |
|
| 9 | Communication device beginning to malfunction on clapped-out Citroën (8) |
| INTERCOM – first letter of MALFUNCTION next to (on) anagram of (clapped-out) CITROËN
One of the easier clues. |
|
| 10 | Exchange for notes and coins remains after banks in Elgin close as early as possible? (6) |
| ENCASH – ASH (remains) after first and last letters (banks) in ELGIN + first letter of (as early as possible?) CLOSE
I suspected this answer but couldn’t make heads or tails (no pun intended) of the clue. |
|
| 11 | Thick rod in which nothing leaves dent (6) |
| DIMPLE – DIM (thick) POLE (rod) – (in which … leaves) O (nothing) | |
| 13 | Repeatedly cut extra diamonds [for] vestment (8) |
| SURPLICE – SURPLUS (extra) with last two letters removed (repeatedly cut) + ICE (diamonds)
Another one that I was only able to parse after the fact. |
|
| 14 | Somehow he felt done in where going on would be futile (3,2,3,4) |
| END OF THE LINE – anagram of (somehow) HE FELT DONE IN | |
| 17 | Stage production of Dante’s Inferno maybe put oneself at risk (4,4,4) |
| PLAY WITH FIRE – double definition, one cryptic
Gosh this was so good, I’m embarrassed I wasn’t able to get it. |
|
| 20 | Classified ad covering second excursion that avoids island (8) |
| ASSORTED – AD around (covering) S (second) SORTIE (excursion) – (that avoids) I (island) | |
| 21 | Moved to act after sons welled up (6) |
| SURGED – URGED (moved to act) after S (sons) | |
| 22 | Old instrument with ridges mostly seen outside India (6) |
| RIBIBE – RIBBED (with ridges) without the last letter (mostly) around (seen outside) I (india) | |
| 23 | Cycling laden, runs into marsh creature (8) |
| BULLFROG – rotate the letters in (cycling) FULL (laden) + R (runs) in (into) BOG (marsh) | |
| 25 | Part of spectrum in glaze of certain pottery (4) |
| MING – hidden in (part of) SPECTRUM IN GLAZE | |
| 26 | Work unexpectedly on the sly secures one way to get a buzz? (10) |
| STYLOPHONE – (unexpectedly) ON THE SLY around (secures) OP (work)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stylophone. Looks cool! EDIT: I knew I’d seen this thing before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3p1Yxbp_y4 |
|
| Down | |
| 2 | Boarding houses confine children to keep quiet essentially (8) |
| PENSIONS – PEN (confine) SONS (children) around (to keep) middle letter of (essentially) QUIET | |
| 3 | Stopping for a smaller number of sheep (3) |
| EWE – middle letters of (stopping for) FEWER (a smaller number of) | |
| 4 | First hint of chest pain [in] store (5) |
| CACHE – first letter of (first hint of) CHEST + ACHE (pain) | |
| 5 | Turned out active men, working round ship in a group (2,5) |
| EN MASSE – first and last letters of (turned out) ACTIVE + MEN, anagrammed (working) around (round) SS (ship)
Is this what ‘turned out’ means? I guess like if you dump out a garbage can. |
|
| 6 | Herb succeeded by saving a great deal of money (9) |
| SPEARMINT – S (succeeded) PER (by) around (saving) A + MINT (great deal of money) | |
| 7 | Undesirable decision amended under FO checks (8-3) |
| UNCALLED-FOR – anagram of (amended) UNDER FO around (checks) CALL (decision) | |
| 8 | Wretched person belonging to religious faction (6) |
| INSECT – IN (belonging to) SECT (religious faction) | |
| 12 | Ridiculing band turning up repeatedly during middle of night (4-7) |
| POOH-POOHING – HOOP (band) reversed (turning up) twice (repeatedly) IN (during) middle letter of (middle of) NIGHT | |
| 15 | Betrayer[’s] characteristic concerning heads of Security Service (9) |
| TRAITRESS – TRAIT (characteristic) RE (concerning) first letters (heads) of SECURITY SERVICE | |
| 16 | Look of disapproval about withdrawn support capital (8) |
| FREETOWN – FROWN (look of disapproval) around (about) reversal of (withdrawn) TEE (support) | |
| 18 | Dodgy dealer[’s] extra float picked up (4,3) |
| WIDE BOY – WIDE (extra) homophone of (picked up) BUOY (float) | |
| 19 | Help mainly supported by one Umbrian town (6) |
| ASSISI – ASSIST (help) without the last letter (mainly) above (supported by) I (one) | |
| 21 | Eastern European getting tummy upset over outburst (5) |
| SALVO – SLAV (Eastern European) with middle letters switched (getting tummy upset) O (over) | |
| 24 | Note female that amazes me (3) |
| FAH – F (female) AH (that amazes me) | |
Had to cheat on RIBIBE, to my shame. So a technical DNF on 29’59”. Let’s hear it for Rory Gallagher’s Bullfrog Blues.
Of course I failed on RIBIBE, but add to that STYLOPHONE, ENCASH and UNCALLED FOR. So, not my best effort, but in my defence it was very strangely difficult . Very much liked PLAY WITH FIRE when I got it, and POOHPOOHING.