SOLVING TIME: 11 MINUTES
Normal Monday fare, a gentle warm-up in the cryptic company of Rufus with the usual large quantity of Cryptic definitions and anagrams to encourage solvers. Ideal for the new solvers and those wanting to make the leap across from the straightforward puzzles.
ACROSS
* = ANAGRAM cd = Cryptic Def DD = Double def R = Reversal
1 GRAND NATIONAL CD
10 DETONATES ETON inside DATES
11 TEASE T + EASE
12 EMCEE The abbreviation for Master of Ceremonies, a word in its own right.
13 HOUSEBOAT If you lived by the “bank” of a river, where would you live?
14 TENURES NET (R) + SURE*
16 STIFFEN TIFF inside SEN (Chinese currency)
18 STEPS UP DD “Up” often appears in crosswords defined as “at University”
20 SIERRAS RA inside RISES*
21 MEMORANDA ROMAN MADE*
23 MAYBE MAY + BE
24 NAOMI I + MAN with O inside
25 UNDERSHOT CD
26 BEATEN BY A HEAD Another CD
DOWN
2 RETICENCE My only tiny grumble. Do you have reticence? show reticence? Never heard it follow “have”
3 NONCE N + ONCE
4 NOTCHES ON CHEST*
5 TISSUES ITS USES*
6 ON THE LINE DD, one cryptic
7 ALAMO A LA MO (Doctor-style) Nice clue!
8 ADVERTISEMENT One of the most used words in blocked crosswords.
This was a nice CD clue for it! Adverts can be circulars / plugs
9 MEET ONES DEBTS DEEM NOTES BEST* Is “WAY” an anagram indicator?
15 RESTRAINT REST with TRAIN inside
17 FORSYTHIA SOFT HAIRY*
19 PENGUIN PEN + GUN with I inside
20 STAND BY Two defs
22 MOOSE MOO (Low, as in a cow’s noise) + S E
23 MARCH Two defs
It was the first puzzle I have managed to complete ‘help-free’ after 3 months of trying. The wife did blurt out one clue though so I can’t claim full bragging rights.
Didn’t like reticence either and had to look up a ‘proper’ definition of nonce.
Good puzzle – although I’d like to know in what way ‘way’ serves as anagind too (for my records, you understand)!
My original clue for MEET ONE’S DEBTS was “Deem notes best settlement” where “settlement” was the anagram indicator and the whole clue was the definition (&Lit). “Way to settle” was suggested by the editor and as I thought that this phrase did the same job – as both definition and anagram indicator – I agreed to the change.
As “reserve, restraint” are synonyms for “reticence” I think you can “have” reticence, although to “show” reticence is more elegant.