It’s only three puzzles since we last heard from Joker! I forgot to note my starting time but I don’t think this delayed me longer than 10 minutes. I’m working under adverse conditions at the moment so I’ll get straight on with the blog.
Definitions {deletions} [indicators]
|
Across |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Best part of golf club: desserts and something to smoke (5,4) |
| SWEET SPOT – SWEETS (desserts), POT (something to smoke) | |
| 6 | Company beginning to deliver fish (3) |
| COD – CO (company), D{eliver} | |
| 8 | Zappa heartlessly rendered on big instrument is thin material (7) |
| ORGANZA – ORGAN (big instrument), Z{app}A | |
| 9 | Piece for nine? No, slightly more than that, on reflection (5) |
| NONET – TEN (slightly more than nine) + ON, all reversed | |
| 10 | Benefactor giving gold to college fellow (5) |
| DONOR – DON (College fellow), OR (gold) | |
| 12 | Move quickly to discipline killing leader (6) |
| HASTEN – {c}HASTEN (discipline) | |
| 14 | Wild ancestors rebuilt historic English stronghold (7,6) |
| WINDSOR CASTLE – Anagram [rebuilt] of WILD ANCESTORS | |
| 16 | So Mint has to move as close to the centre as possible (6) |
| INMOST – Anagram [move] of SO MINT | |
| 17 | Part of nice dark forest might contain this (5) |
| CEDAR – Hidden inside {ni}CE DAR{k} | |
| 19 | Spot something round in a glass of beer (5) |
| POINT – O (something round) inside PINT (glass of beer) | |
| 20 | Hailed deer get confused (7) |
| GREETED – Anagram [confused] of DEER GET | |
| 22 | What’s regularly present in greasy fish (3) |
| RAY – {g}R{e}A{s}Y | |
| 23 | Good reason to limit the supply of alcohol (9) |
| RATIONALE – RATION ALE (limit supply of alcohol) | |
|
Down |
|
| 1 | Final confrontation bringing theatrical production low (8) |
| SHOW DOWN – SHOW (theatrical production), DOWN (low) | |
| 2 | With which every goose generally starts (3) |
| EGG – E{very}, G{oose}, G{enerally} | |
| 3 | Male voice choir finally finishing off the empty number (5) |
| TENOR – T{h}E [empty], NO (number), {choi}R | |
| 4 | Act as if not interested in very abstruse drama? (4,4,2,3) |
| PLAY HARD TO GET – Two definitions, one straight, one cryptic | |
| 5 | Mediterranean country is one tucking into fish (7) |
| TUNISIA – IS + I (one) inside TUNA (fish) | |
| 6 | Happy with convict living under canvas (9) |
| CONTENTED – CON (convict), TENTED (living under canvas) | |
| 7 | Daughter consumed fruit (4) |
| DATE – D (daughter), ATE (consumed) | |
| 11 | Intent on working out Bletchley’s last cipher (9) |
| NONENTITY – Anagram [working out] of INTENT ON, {Bletchle}Y | |
| 13 | Resent, for example, being held by one like O. Twist or D. Copperfield (8) |
| BEGRUDGE – EG (for example) inside B. RUDGE (Barnaby Rudge cf O{liver} Twist and D{avid} Copperfield) | |
| 15 | Gunman beginning to spread alarm (7) |
| SHOOTER – S{pread}, HOOTER (alarm). Oh dear, an unfortunately topical clue and solution, and even more so in the same puzzle as 5dn. | |
| 17 | Company infiltrated by communist belief (5) |
| CREDO – RED (communist) inside CO (company) | |
| 18 | Knocks over in fight (4) |
| SPAR – RAPS (knocks) reversed | |
| 21 | Group of footballers, say, mostly drink (3) |
| TEA – TEA{m} (group of footballers, say) | |
Edited at 2015-06-29 02:10 am (UTC)
Only one not parsed was TENOR. Last in and favourite after seeing how it worked BEGRUDGE.
Brian
Edited at 2015-06-29 11:17 am (UTC)
Plymouthian.
RAPS backwards gives SPAR – to fight
However… I wrote in SPAT.
TAPS backwards gives SPAT – a petty fight