Solving time: 20 minutes
One of the easier Saturday Guardan puzzles, certainly an easier time than with Pasquale’s last week!
For those looking to spread their wings beyond a normal daily puzzle, these are often a good way to start the thinking processes that lead to the Elysian Fields of Azed, Inquisitors, Listeners, etc.
There is a very simple principle with these puzzles. Many of the clues need to be solved blind, and therefore the setter will often make them easier to get you into the puzzle.
With this one, if you look at the letter lengths, you’ll see that the four thirteen letter answers belong to J, Q, X and Y. The clues to at least two of these are fairly straightforward. Al so, if you look at the grid, there are two pairs of answers , at 16 ac and down and 23 ac and down which start with the same letters. Again solving these will give you good starting points, although with the two answers at 23, it transpires they both end with the same letter, so you could be in difficulty there.
ANSWERS * = ANAGRAM (CD) = CRYPTIC DEFINITION (R) = REVERSAL
A ATTIC SALT Not a phrase I had heard of before, although the two definitions combined are fairly easy to solve. ATTIC (ROOM) + SALT (SEASON)
B BOGUS BOG (standard) + US (American)
C CINCTURED CINC (Commander in chief) + TU (“half! turn) + RED (FOR DANGER)
D DIPHTHONG DIP (Pickpocket) +H + THONG – There’s a diphthong at the start of the answer to E, viz……
E EIDERDOWN EIDER (DUCK) + DOWN (tOWARDS THE FLOOR)
F FLORA FL = (a measure of) LIQUID + OR (GOLD) + A = Part of Alaska. For me, the FL def for Liquid is a bit loose.
G GIRTH Almost straight definition clue.
H HALLOWMAS LOW(base) inside HALMA’S (solitaire type board.games)
H HARVESTER VEST inside HARE + R
I IMPEARLED I’m reminded of a wedding I went to at the weekend, and you’ll have to mail me for details! IMP (Fiend) + EAR + LED
J JERRY-BUILDING LYRE, BIRD IN JUG*
K KEZIA K + (B)AIZE (R)
L LARGE ELGAR*
M MARMALADE MAR + MALADE (invalid over water!)
N NADIR Hidden answer
O OVERACT VERA (Girl) inside OCT (Month) HAM = definition
P POPEDOM MODE POP (R) In this sense POP is used as in VOX POP, ie short for POPULI.
Q QUALIFICATION Dbl defs
R RAISE Homophone for RAYS
S SCATTERER T-TERRACES*
T TOWN CLERK “CLOWN TURK” according to Spooner with the qualfication “if American”. Outrageously funny clue!
U UNDYING (L)UNDY (Island) + IN G – G being the IVR for Gabon
V VENUS (CD) “Our neighbour” in the solar system
VIALS VI (Little girl) + ALS(O) (As well without love)
X X MARKS THE SPOT X MARK (Decimal currency!!)+ ST H (St Hugh’s) + (D)ESPOT (Topped tyrant)
Y YESTERDAY’S MEN sEATS DRY* inside YEMEN
Z ZINGARO Hidden answer.
I found it easy to place the four long answers by using the second letters
and fitting the answers in.
We didn’t know who Kezia was, but had to google to find she is Job’s daughter.
Apparently Attic Salt means a form of wit used by Athenians (hence Attic) this was too obscure for us as well I’m afraid
Yes, this was easier than most alphabetical jigsaws, there is more work to do when the distribution of answer lengths is more uniform.
Surely KEZIA is more obscure than ATTIC SALT, except for readers of the Church Times?
Is the zephyr in HARVESTER really a vest? I suspected a misprint for the basic etymological meaning of West!
NADIR – sloppy – this clue seems to have two inclusion indicators, ‘of’ and ‘uses’, where only one is needed, and should lose one of them, e.g. “Bottom screen a director uses (5)”.
EIDERDOWN – not Araucaria most inspired clue ever.
Paul
Paul
Check “Zephyr” in Chambers. It gives ‘a shawl, jersey or similar garment made of light worsted / wool’.
I’d concede that to St A.
DT