I think this is an easier crossword than Morph’s previous Independent crosswords, it’s certainly the quickest I’ve solved a Morph! That’s not a criticism though as it’s thoroughly fair and characteristically entertaining. Anyway, having blogged Friday’s Bannsider I was due a gentler one!
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4 | SMOCKING – S + MOCKING. I had to check that smocking was a type of needlework but I was pretty confident anyway | |
| 9 | GIBING – GI BING (Crosby) | |
| 12 | ESCHEWED – ES + CHEWED | |
| 13 | BROWSE – sounds like (eye)BROWS | |
| 15 | TELEPHONE BOX – TELEPHONE is ring and BOX is what you might do in a ring | |
| 18 | MORNING GLORY – Very concise clue resting on Am for morning | |
| 22 | COCA COLA – CO + CA and CO + LA. The definition of global liquid asset made me laugh | |
| 25 | BIKINI – Cryptic definition. | |
| 26 | NINETEEN – (TEN IN) <= + E(V)EN. I couldn’t make anything of this when I first looked, partly from trying to involve magnolia, but next time I looked I had all the letters so it was only a question of explanation! | |
| Down | ||
| 3 | CONTEMPT OF COURT – very entertaining again and a surface as true as Wimbledon’s finest | |
| 6 | CENTRE OF GRAVITY – V is the central letter of gravity and the base of a V shape would be it’s centre of gravity. At least that’s how I think it works although I’m surer about the first part than the second | |
| 7 | IN-LAWS – Hood being the most famous of outlaws | |
| 8 | GOATEE (TOE AGE)* | |
| 19 | MOTORIST – (IM SORT TO)* | |
| 19 | OPTION – POTION with PO turned | |
| 20 | GLUTEN – (H)UT in GLEN. Not a word I knew until a grandfather (but not the one I have in common with Morph!) was diagnosed as a coeliac | |
“CENTRE OF GRAVITY – V is the central letter of gravity and the base of a V shape would be it’s centre of gravity.”
…Its centre of gravity…
Hmm – as an erstwhile physicist I’m not sure that’s quite right! Enjoyed the puzzle though.