Lots to like today in a good quality puzzle from Felix. I was held up a bit at the end by not expecting a second “hidden” clue – it’s an unoffical rule to only appear once in a 15×15 but I forget if there are any such rules in the QC (apart from the non-living persons one). I’ll blame that for just missing out on my target, although it did generally feel a bit harder than average when solving. Much enjoyed – many thanks to Felix!
[Update March 2023 by Johninterred]. For the last umpteen crosswords by Felix there has been a theme or Nina, but the blog for this one never identified it. Can you spot it?
| Across | |
| 1 | In Peru, let hero, ostensibly, reign (4,3,5) |
| RULE THE ROOST – is “in” the letters of peRU LET HERO OSTensibly. Well hidden – I’d assumed it was going to be an anagram clued by “ostensibly” until a letter count eventually proved otherwise. | |
| 8 | Periodical by graduate is hot stuff! (5) |
| MAGMA – MAG (periodical) by MA (graduate) | |
| 9 | Reluctance to move one near it, somehow (7) |
| INERTIA – I (one) and an anagram (somehow) of NEAR IT | |
| 10 | Row initially about cuts as an alternative (3) |
| OAR – A (“initially” About) cuts/enters OR (as an alternative) | |
| 11 | Female relative invading pitch is showing off (9) |
| FLAUNTING – AUNT (female relative) invades FLING (pitch) | |
| 13 | Through which spirit is poured out of sight (5) |
| OPTIC – double definition | |
| 14 | Character waited for leave period (5) |
| GODOT – As in Waiting for Godot: GO (leave) DOT (period – I think as in American English for full stop). | |
| 16 | Call concerning result? (4,5) |
| COME ABOUT – COME (call – as in call/come round) ABOUT (concerning) | |
| 17 | Triumphant expression every second from rash lad (3) |
| AHA – “every second” letter from r A s H l A d | |
| 19 | Find lie’s upset non-believer (7) |
| INFIDEL – anagram (upset) of FIND LIE | |
| 21 | Knowing a king is held in great respect (5) |
| AWARE – A ; R (Rex = king) is held in AWE (great respect) | |
| 22 | Different strangers Des offended (12) |
| TRANSGRESSED – anagram (different) of STRANGERS DES. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Artist and doctor: old, aggressive male (5) |
| RAMBO – RA (artist) and MB (doctor) O(ld). After John Rambo in the 1972 book First Blood, I see, before which it known only as a type of apple. | |
| 2 | Exponent of record with a beat you can hear (9) |
| LOGARITHM – LOG (record) with what “you can hear” the same as A RHYTHM (a beat). | |
| 3 | Female getting wind after car abandoned outside? (7,6) |
| TRAFFIC WARDEN – an &lit clue (see glossary): F(emale) gets an anagram (abandoned) of WIND AFTER CAR outside it. The whole clue is a broad definition of an enthusiastic traffic warden. I think the “wind” here is equatable to “energy” (as in “second wind”) – it’s more plausible than the sense of “getting wind of”, or that she developed an unfortunate bout of enraged flatulence at the transgression. | |
| 4 | Robust defending judge, one revolutionary prophet (6) |
| ELIJAH – HALE (robust) defends/covers J(udge) I (one), revolutionary = reverse. | |
| 5 | Not a day patient’s bag? (9,4) |
| OVERNIGHT CASE – double definition, the first whimsical. | |
| 6 | Ready for some tennis (3) |
| SET – double definition. The setter had plenty of options, with “set” having the longest entry in the second edition of the OED, running to some 430 definitions and 60,000 words. (It’s neck and neck with “run”, with 396, but we’ll apparently have to wait until the third edition in 2037 to see if there’s a new winner.) Anyway, they should definitely sell The Oxford English Dictionary’s Complete Set as a book and market it as a great prize to disappoint the winner of a competition. | |
| 7 | Instructed in pronunciation of tense (6) |
| TAUGHT – pronounced the same as TAUT (tense) | |
| 12 | Locals embracing girl are natives of state (9) |
| INDIANANS – INNS (pubs/locals) embracing DIANA (girl). Odd looking word! | |
| 13 | Killer at sea concealed bloomer (6) |
| ORCHID – ORC (killer at sea – apparently a variant of the better-known ORCA) HID (concealed) | |
| 15 | Bend in centre of field: ogle girls (6) |
| DOGLEG – hidden slap bang in the centre of fielD OGLE Girls. Interestingly sinister surface. | |
| 18 | Each leading (5) |
| AHEAD – each = A HEAD. | |
| 20 | Pro might, abandoning civil engineer (3) |
| FOR – FORCE (might) losing CE (civil engineer) – as in to be pro/for something. | |
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