Solving time: 26 minutes
Terrific fun today from Monk with some real laugh-aloud clues including 1 across and 13 down. Nina hunters (those little hidden messages in puzzles) will be delighted to see one in the puzzle as well.
ACROSS (*) = Anagram (CD) = Cryptic Definition (R) = Reversal
1 FRENCH KISS Witty (CD)
6 LIMB Limb(o)
9 GREEN ALGAE (NEAR GALE + EG)*
10 LION Alternate letters of ELVIS + ON
12 PREFERENTIAL PLANE + FIR TREE *
15 INTESTATE Interest Rate – err.
17 OILED IL (I left) inside O E D
18 EMEER REME (r) WITH E inside
20 ALPHABET SOUP (CD)
25 STRIPTEASE (CD)
26 TOGO As in “Food to go”
27 ICE DANCING (CD) Another witty definition
DOWN
1`FOGY FOG (Cloud) + Y (End of runway)
2 EVEN
3 CENTRE SPREAD Another clever CD
4 KALIF Not a spelling that I had heard of. I inside FLAK
5 SEA BREEZE (CD)
7 INITIALLED INLAID TILE*
8 BANGLA DESH BANG (a quick one!) + LAD + SHE*
11 SNOOZE BUTTON (c)
13 LIFE JACKET Another outrageous clue! Loved it!
14 ATTEMPTING TEMPT inside GIANT*
16 AUTHENTIC AU + THE + ENTIC(E)
21 SPIED I inside SPED
22 BALI Hidden answer
23 BERG GREBE (R)
Marvellous fun and thanks to Monk!!
You do not give a reason for the only clue I couldn’t do. Although Limbo is a bit far fetched as a prison. Obviously even numbers are divisable but what does “what’s left” mean.
This crossword is a bit saucy for the FT isn’t it?