Hello everyone.
Time taken: medium
It’s that time of the week again and we have a lovely puzzle today which was a pleasure to solve. Think I can work out the identity of our setter from the elegance of the clue writing and the cracking hidden answer, which is one of the hallmarks of our tormentor in some of his other guises. I’m not going to out him but he’s certainly one of my favourites.
Across | |
1 | SCAREDY-CAT – We start with a cryptic definition. The name for someone who’s a bit of amouse but with feline tendencies. |
8 | GRENADE – Definition here is “explosive” and not just one anagram of ANGERED but also an anagram of ENRAGED! |
9 | OMANI – IN A MO (shortly, reversed) with the definition being one who lives in a sultanate. |
10 | SO-SO – A double definition, some thing that is said to be very average is also a way of expressing a superlative with another adjective. |
11 | CRACKPOT – Ludicrous is the definition. Take the slang name for two drugs CRACK + POT. |
13 | REALLY – Another double definition clue. A word that means indeed, and when used after a statement can mean ‘are you sure about that?’ |
14 | TOBAGO – Island is your definition. A word meaning also TOO with BAG (luggage) inside [confiscating]. |
17 | NUTHATCH – Hidden answer. Tucked inside “MENU THAT CHOICE” is the name of a bird. |
19 | ASIA – Another clever clue. The first letters, capitals, of the first four words give the location of the three named in the clue (+ first letter of ALL)! |
21 | MENSA – Definition is ‘for clever people’. Anagram (stupid) of NAMES. |
22 | RED ARMY – Russian fighters is your definition. RED (bloody) + an anagram (cocktail) of MARY |
23 | RETIREMENT – After R (last letter, end of CAREER) goes an anagram (recollection) of ENTER TIME. The whole clue provides a definition. |
Down | |
2 | CHELSEA – This was probably the hardest clue to work out today. CHA(S) [Man almost, ie.e without last letter] with ELSE [different] ‘adopted’, i.e. inside. As m’learned friend has suggested CHA(P) is probably the “man” in the clue. |
3 | REAR – Double definition. A word meaning to raise or bring up, means the same as the bottom of something! |
4 | DREARY – An anagram of READY with R (river) inside. The definition is ‘PEDESTRIAN’ or humdrum. |
5 | CHOO-CHOO – At first I entered CHOP-CHOP thinking we wanted a word meaning hurry or express. Couldn’t quite see what the ‘in childish language’ meant. Then realised it’s a cryptic definition referring to what a child may call an express! D’oh!! |
6 | TRAMP – Definition is ‘one on the street’. TRAM (vehicle) + P (parking) |
7 | DICTIONARY – An anagram (sorting letters) of INDICATORY gives the name of a reference book. |
8 | GASTRONOMY – Definition is ‘love of food’. G (beginning to, i.e. first letter of GROW) + ASTRONOMY (Following the stars). |
12 | PLEASANT – Definition is ‘fair’. L (conclusion, i.e. last letter of TRIAL) goes inside (welcomed by) PEASANT (Philistine). |
15 | ALSO RAN – ALSO (too) + RAN (hurried) = definition of ‘an unsuccessful competitor’. |
16 | SCORER – The name for someone who nets is revealed by taking the word for a quantity of twenty and adding R (runs) |
18 | TENOR – A homophone for a sum of money is also the name of someone who sings. |
20 | EDAM – Probably today’s gimme clue. MADE (manufactured), reversed gives a type of cheese. Have seen variations on this so many times before. |
Thanks to Mara for an elegant, amusing and enjoyable challenge. See you next week!
Edited at 2014-05-01 06:15 am (UTC)
17 minutes for this one because of a hold-up spotting 1ac and 2dn. Having eventually solved it as my LOI I thought “Feline mouse” was a first-rate clue.
Edited at 2014-05-01 06:40 am (UTC)
Crossword cheeses are usually Edam or Brie – wherefore art thou Gorgonzola?
Did it in 20, with slightly more Z8ery than I had needed for big brother.
Gloriously clear blog from Macavity many thanks.
COD 8ac – loved the double anagram 🙂
LOI 12dn just didn’t geddit for ages.
Good QC – mix of soft entry level clues and some quite tricky ones.
1) decent blog macavity, in an impressive half the time it took for me to get mine up. And
2) today might be a good day for those cutting their teeth on the Quickie to take a bite out of its senior partner. If you can do this, you’ve a reasonable shout on almost all the clues in the 15².
Edited at 2014-05-01 10:15 pm (UTC)
Edited at 2014-05-01 03:22 pm (UTC)
Lovely blog, thanks.
Nigel from Surrey