Friday, 10 February 2017
Good learning puzzle this, with lots of basic cluecraft involved. Possibly too many anagrams, which, once you spot them, are easily solvable. Last blog it was ANITA, this time it’s ROSE, DANIELLE and ESTHER, is this a code?
ACROSS
1.Remove tax (6)
EXCISE – as in Customs & Excise, double meaning
4. Mob I’ve trained for film (1-5)
B-MOVIE – an anagram (trained) of ‘Mob I’ve’. I do remember the days of such, where you could watch two different films, the volume was at a tolerable level and when cinemagoers generally behaved themselves. Oh, and of course the cloud of cigarette smoke drifting in the projector light.
9. Confidential chatter around Vi’s about-turn (7)
PRIVATE – PR{IV}ATE
10. Sense of place we hear (5)
SIGHT – the sense is SIGHT, a homophone (sounds the same) of ‘site’.
11. Flower increased in value (4)
ROSE – not a river, but a nice thing to have in the garden, double meaning.
12. Nigel avoiding girl initially in valley — this girl? (8)
DANIELLE – NIEL (Nigel without the g, avoiding girl initially) in DALE
14. Stain in bath upset residents (11)
INHABITANTS – an anagram (upset) of ‘Stain in bath’.
18. Welcome letter featuring this dish (8)
OMELETTE – hidden word.
20. Target papal document (4)
BULL – the centre of e.g. a dartboard, and a pronouncement by the Pope, double meaning.
22. Dazzle, regal, recollected (5)
GLARE – the noun, meaning dazzle. An anagram (recollected) of ‘regal’.
23. Not a member of dismissed team (7)
OUTSIDE – definition is ‘Not a member of’, OUT = ‘dismissed’ (cricket) + SIDE = team.
24.Again gave account about time from past (6)
RETOLD – RE (about) + T (time) + OLD (from past). To give account is to tell.
25. Lack of interest in a way, desultory in the end (6)
APATHY- A PATH Y, a path is a way, + desultory in the end, last letter Y
DOWN
1.Powerful organisation extremely effusive about politician, Irish (6)
EMPIRE – extremely effusive, i.e. the extremes EE about MP IR
2. Endless lawlessness: boy looking embarrassed? (7)
CRIMSON – you may go this when embarrassed, CRIM (endless lawlessness) + SON (boy).
3. Raised listening devices in quarrel (4)
SPAT – meaning a quarrel, TAPS (listening devices) raised (this is a Down clue).
5. Gosh, it’s heading north over California! Awe-inspiring! (8)
MYSTICAL – definition is ‘awe-inspiring’. MY (Gosh, exclamation) + STI (it’s heading north, reversed) + CAL (California).
6. First of all verify if guard is leading watch (5)
VIGIL – watch, the noun, first letters (first of all) of ‘verify if guard is leading’.
7. Woman, blest, heroine to some extent (6)
ESTHER – bl{EST HER}oine, the famous Jewish heroine as in the Hebrew Bible or Old Testament.
8. Rationale, it’s shaky — fighting back? (11)
RETALIATION – an anagram (shaky) of ‘Rationale it’s’.
13. Break down wall — free! Goodbye! (8)
FAREWELL – an anagram (Break down) of ‘wall – free’.
15. Ticket seller takes in upcoming teacher, one on holiday? (7)
TOURIST – definition is ‘one on holiday’, RIS (upcoming SIR) in TOUT.
16. Large feline company disturbed a rug (6)
COUGAR – mountain lion, puma, CO (company) + UGAR (anagram, ’disturbed’, of A RUG). The word has a contemporary meaning too.
17. Wanting to drop off agent, welcoming shelter (6)
SLEEPY – to ‘drop off’ is to fall asleep, SPY (agent) including (welcoming) LEE (shelter).
19. Give statutory effect to, at heart, penal court (5)
ENACT – ENA (middle letters, at heart, of ‘penal) + CT (short for ‘court’)
21. Sceptical originally, regularly attempt short distance (4)
STEP – definition is ‘short distance’. S (Sceptical first letter, originally) + TEP (regularly attempt. i.e. aTtEmPt)
Edited at 2017-02-10 02:12 am (UTC)
I didn’t enjoy this much at all like Vinyl I couldn’t get a grip on this one. 11.15. Bad!
COD 20ac BULL
WOD 13dn FAREWELL – Rob! Good luck, Sir!
Sorry to hear you’ll no longer be doing the Friday blogs Rob – they were always thorough and informative.
Neil
Last two were 1a and 1d.
Struggled at first but the long anagrams 14a and 8d helped a lot.
COD 18a really well hidden.