Solving time: 11 minutes
An enjoyable stroll. I haven’t found a lot to comment on today, but if there’s anything you’d like explained in more detail please feel free to ask.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Go quickly in second vehicle (7) |
| SCAMPER | |
| S (second), CAMPER (vehicle) | |
| 5 | Cry — “Sounds like bouncer!” (4) |
| BAWL | |
| Aural wordplay [sounds like]: “ball” (bouncer) | |
| 7 | Most important one holds paper sheets together (6) |
| STAPLE | |
| Two meanings | |
| 8 | One displaying bathroom feature (6) |
| SHOWER | |
| Two meanings | |
| 9 | Big beast with article? Force outside showing self-control (11) |
| FORBEARANCE | |
| FORCE contains [outside] BEAR (big beast) + AN (article) | |
| 10 | Everyone in Republican Party in speedy action (6) |
| GALLOP | |
| ALL (everyone) contained by GOP (Republican, Grand Old, Party) | |
| 12 | One bringing luck in racecourse, miles ahead (6) |
| MASCOT | |
| M (miles), ASCOT (racecourse) | |
| 14 | A raider came to rock friendly feeling (11) |
| CAMARADERIE | |
| Anagram [rock] of A RAIDER CAME | |
| 17 | Pay attention: deli’s tenant missing some letters outside (6) |
| LISTEN | |
| {de}LI’S TEN{ant} [missing some letters outside] | |
| 18 | Describing marrying girl, show anger, we hear (6) |
| BRIDAL | |
| Aural wordplay [we hear]: “bridle” (show anger). Describing girl who is marrying. | |
| 20 | Terrible place — greeting cut short (4) |
| HELL | |
| HELL{o} (greeting) [cut short] | |
| 21 | Flavouring aid, seen differently (7) |
| ANISEED | |
| Anagram [differently] of AID SEEN | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Determined to find some tennis (3) |
| SET | |
| Two meanings | |
| 2 | Shock to include extremely risible clothing (7) |
| APPAREL | |
| APPAL (shock) containing [to include] R{isibl}E [extremely] | |
| 3 | Scrap coin article (5) |
| PIECE | |
| Three meanings | |
| 4 | Platform, retro, empty on street — strange (7) |
| ROSTRUM | |
| R{etr}O [empty], ST (street), RUM (strange) | |
| 5 | Colour of summit, northern (5) |
| BROWN | |
| BROW (summit), N (northern) | |
| 6 | Gloomy, we ask person to include option upfront (9) |
| WOEBEGONE | |
| WE + BEG (ask) + ONE (person) containing [to include] O{ption}[upfront] | |
| 9 | Country fellow’s entering for right to vote (9) |
| FRANCHISE | |
| HIS (fellow’s) contained by [entering] FRANCE (country) | |
| 11 | Dangerous swimmer’s power country has cut (7) |
| PIRANHA | |
| P (power), IRAN (country), HA{s} [cut] | |
| 13 | Obsequious, wait with one learner inside (7) |
| SERVILE | |
| I (one) + L (learner) contained by [inside] SERVE (wait) | |
| 15 | Place to stay in Seattle tomorrow on way back (5) |
| MOTEL | |
| Hidden [in] {Seatt}LE TOM{orrow} reversed [on way back] | |
| 16 | Arab city call — excellent (5) |
| DUBAI | |
| DUB (call), A1 (excellent) | |
| 19 | Do some maths at first after dinner date (3) |
| ADD | |
| A{fter} + D{inner} + D{ate} [at first] | |
Started this in fits and starts at 00.25hrs but got stuck with 4 to go and eventually having the chance to thankfully hit the sack at 02.00hrs. Shame to have missed the unique opportunity for me to add a comment near the front of the queue rather than as a tail-ender. Woebegone unhappily not the same as the wonderful Lake Wobegon of Garrison Keiller fame. Got bogged down at 5a with Blub rather than Bawl – blaming that on the post-midnight hour! Also got stuck with 11d Piran(h)a despite the helpful clueing – again down to the early hours. Finished this off at midday waiting at the dentist but not able to comment until now…a long process today!
FOI 1a Scamper
LOI 11d Piranha
COD 10a Gallop – a real PDM.
19:21 with CAMERADERIE. Nice QC. Was pleased with myself for getting FORBEARANCE and WOEBEGONE, two words that I don’t suppose I’ve ever used. Might have to try. Thanks Hurley and Jack.
I’m disillusioned with this. I don’t know how to enjoy it and I can’t achieve a very simple target. Friday’s debacle had left deep scars and I had no confidence or self-belief today.
Another week totally blown. 24 minute DNF as I put SCARPER. Embarrassing as it obviously doesn’t parse.
So much of the word play passes me by and I hate having to guess. Took forever to get SET, PIECE and ADD! That shows how bad I am and how little confidence I possess. Hopeless.
Thanks for the blog.
GaryA, I’d say don’t even think of times and targets.
Tackle puzzles for fun and you clearly are interested in them. Cryptic crosswords can take quite a bit of practice often over a long period. All can be explained with the help of blogs like this and dictionaries esp Collins available free to all online.
Also, I’d say, if completely stuck on a clue after a long period, try to look at the clue purely literally, completely ignoring the surface reading. Try to see where the division between definition and wordplay might be, which will not necessarily be obvious at first.
Thanks, I appreciate your kind advice. 😊
I was another to put SCARPER and never look again. Needed help to get WOEBEGONE and guesssed GALLOP – NHO Good Old Party at all. Thought a few of the clues a bit dodgy.
A late solve, but pleased to finish in 15:37. Marginally outside my target, but after a paltry success rate on my first pass through the acrosses, much better than I feared at first. Add me to the “smug face” gang for counting the letters for CAMARADERIE (which still looks wrong).
Thanks to Hurley and Jackkt.