Apologies for the brief write-up today – am a bit pressed for time. A fine puzzle from Phi, with a few excellent clues.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 11 | AG,EG in GRATE – nice deceptive use of “jar”. |
| 13 | RUM,BA(r) – surely the crossword setter’s favourite dance. |
| 14 | P,ASS,A,N in (NET)* – lots of wordplay elements here, all blended into a smooth surface reading. |
| 15 | POP,THE,(SON QUITE)* |
| 18 | D, STRESS in (SAILING)* – another good surface reading. |
| 29 | I’M,PRIM,A,T(O)UR |
| Down | |
| 1 | BARG(E),RAP,H – very well done I thought. The definition is nicely hidden. |
| 2 | D in ROAM,PA (going up) |
| 3 | SYMPATHETIC INK – another name for invisible ink. “Heated words” is a reference to the fact that you have to apply heat to a piece of paper containing words written in invisible ink in order to make them appear visible. As a kid, with an interest in all things espionage, I thought that invisible ink was the most amazing thing ever. |
| 4 | (BEA)* in (SQUARE)* |
| 9 | BEDS,IT,TIN,GROOM – excellent. I spent far too long thinking that “the man to marry” was the defintion. |
| 16 | EAS(Y),TENDER – another top-notch clue. Very good surface reading. |