Guardian 24,742 (Brummie)
Posted by diagacht on July 3rd, 2009
Not having a lot of time this morning I was happy that this was rather straightforward. A few clues held me back, 17ac in particular. Also not entirely sure about 22ac.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 9 | PNEUMONIA: homophone of ‘new mown’+ I + A |
| 10 | INERT: IN + (p)ERT |
| 11 | MOTEL: MOTE + L |
| 12,19 | GREYHOUND BUS: GREYHOUND (sprinter) + BUS(t) |
| 13 | APRICOT: anagram of PAIR + COT |
| 14 | BRAN TUB: B + RAN + BUT (reversed) |
| 17 | LIMIT: LIM(b) (leg as example of a limb, without ‘b’, bowled out) |
| 20 | RELAX: RE + LAX |
| 21,24d | BULLDOG CLIP: BULL + DOG + CLIP |
| 22 | BRUISER: (c)RUISER with new prow (B); not sure where the B comes from, other than guessing (Thanks to Crypticnut – for explanation) |
| 24,2 | CROSSWORD SETTER: anagram of WORCEST(e)R and DORSET without an E (not east) |
| 26 | HOOCH: HO + OCH (Scottish term of suprise) |
| 28 | ITCHY: (b)ITCHY without the bishop (b) |
| 29 | TEA FOR TWO: T (centre of cloThes) + anagram of FOOTWEAR |
| Down | |
| 1 | SPAM: MAPS reversed |
| 3 | IMPLICATED: I + anagram of DECIMAL and PT (short point) |
| 4 | KNIGHT: K (last letter of soundtracK) + anagram of THING |
| 5 | WATER BUS: anagram of WASTE BUR(n) without ‘n’ (releasing nitrogen) |
| 6,27 | FISH HOOK: FISH + HO + OK |
| 7 | REBUTTAL: BUTT (cask) in REAL (concrete) |
| 8 | STUD: double definition |
| 13 | AD LIB: in gatesheAD LIBrary |
| 15 | AIR CUSHION: AIR (vent) + CUSHION (shield) |
| 16,23 | BOXER SHORTSR: BOXER (packer) + SHORTS (fails to complete circuit) |
| 18 | MALLORCA: LAM reversed + anagram of CORAL |
| 19 | BIGMOUTH: double definition |
| 22 | BEDPAN: B + ED + PAN |
| 25 | STYX: homophone of ‘sticks’ |
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:43 am
G’day diagacht. Thanks for the blog.
No mystery for 22a. B replaces C in CRUISER giving BRUISER (thug).
My problem was with 14a as I’d never heard of a Bran Tub. However found an explanation on Google. In Oz we call it a lucky dip!
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:51 am
Thanks for the blog. Just for completeness, 24,2 also includes S for South in the anagram.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
Quite right Neil. Had that on my bit of paper but didn’t include in blog. Thank you.
July 3rd, 2009 at 9:53 am
Really enjoyed this. Many Thanks, Brummie.
However, I hesitated over ‘Greyhound’ because those guys across the pond usually seem to think that ‘grey’ is spelt ‘gray’.
Why can’t we standardise/standardize?
Bryan
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Easier than the usual Brummie. 26ac puzzled me – I was convinced it must be HOOCH, but couldn’t see why; thanks for the explanation, but not a very satisfying clue. HOOCH, apparently, is also slang for a dwelling, especially a thatched hut in Vietnam.
July 3rd, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Thanks for the blog. I missed STYX. Homophones often catch me out! I wondered if there was any significance for all the B’s in the puzzle? Found this enjoyable, but didn’t like HO cropping up twice, or BUS twice.
July 3rd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
Bryan @ 4: Ah yes, but the ‘grey’ in greyhound is nothing to do with the colour (there are no grey greyhounds) but has a completely different etymology.
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:31 pm
I think the ‘A’ at the end of 9 is also part of the homophone – ‘new mown hay’, is it not? Though why it would then ‘precede one’, rather than be ‘around one’, I’m not sure. At least it reminded me of the Cockney alphabet: A for ‘orses, B for mutton, C for miles, D for dumb, etc …, which is always fun to try and remember! There seem to be various versions on the web – e.g. http://www.phespirit.info/cockney/alphabet.htm
July 3rd, 2009 at 2:56 pm
revj (8) – The homophone is “new mown” which “precedes one” (I) “getting an” (A) – definition “infection”
July 3rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
I was pleased to make quite good progress with this. I’ve been struggling a bit with them over the last couple of weeks!
July 3rd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Many thanks, Enitharmon
When you do these type of Crosswords you never stop learning.
Which is half the fun.
Bryan
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:56 pm
Cockney’s Alphabet seems to be a slightly different version of the Fools Alphabet (which, apropos of nothing, was a rather good book by Sebastian Faulks
Could be a whole theme for a xword no? Or has it been done already?
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:31 pm
As always, very helpful blog – thanks! Thanks to commenters too, of course.
I still haven’t managed to understand 22ac. Where does the ‘b’ come from? That is, what clues ‘b’ rather than some other letter?
July 3rd, 2009 at 11:40 pm
Thanks to enitharmon for the comment re the etymology of ‘greyhound’. I knew it was the correct spelling for the bus line, but was, like Bryan, puzzled as to why this was out of step with US ‘gray’ usage. I know now about the ‘grighund’ origin. Wonderful for learning things, crosswords….
July 4th, 2009 at 2:34 am
Re 12 from Phaedrus – yes it has, by Don Putnam (Logodaedalus), in Games & Puzzles about 30 years ago.