A mixed bag for me today. A couple of non-dictionary phrases for a start, an answer I simply can’t get and some word play that I just don’t follow. There were some clever witty clues too!
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1,6,10 | WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE — double def? — I can see the main definition, is “…on D-Day!” a second definition relating to something said before the event? |
| 13 | LEPIDOPTERA — DIP< + OPTER in LEA — how is OPTER “my selection”? |
| 14 | DEMI-SEC — DEMISE+C — clever use of will = demise (as in to bequeath). |
| 20 | REMORSE — RE MORSE — Morse was the original tapper of code! |
| 23 | CONSERVATOR — (COVERS ON ART)* — semi-&lit |
| 24,12 | ALL-RED — cALL RE Diplomacy — what is now a fairly obscure term for British territory. |
| 25 | IN A MESS — I NAME SS — very clever. |
| 26,27,28 | THE THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE — (FED DOWN THE EIGHTEENTH)* — nicely worked anagram. |
| Down | |
| 4 | UNEXPECTED VISIT — (EXCEPT US INVITED)* — this is the first of the phrases not to appear in Chambers (maybe it is listed elsewhere) but what purpose does “Characters all” do here in the word play? |
| 5 | HEREDITARY TITLE — (DIRTY LEATHER TIE)* — good anagram but to another phrase not appearing in Chambers. |
| 7 | MOONEYE — (r)OONEY in ME? — this fits but as it is either an eye disease of horses or a North American fish I’m not sure what the definition is. If it was an eye disease of fish the “problem seeing line?” might work as a definition. |
| 8 | SINGAPORE SLING — GAP+O in SIN+RE(i)SLING — a cocktail. The use of Reisling here is very well seen. |
| 9 | STORE DETECTIVE — cryptic def. — busy here is slang for a detective. Not sure why Nimrod chose Primark as his example store. |
| 19 | ONESELF — (SEEN OF + L)* |
| 21 | ? — is this MARLENE? |
| 22 | ROAD HOG — (HAD)* in (GO+OR)< — ref. Mr Toad’s driving skills in Wind in the Willows. |
21 Down is MARLENE DIET-RICH, I think. A big mystified by D-Day but a push is a military offensive but a shove?
What’s the full clue for 1,6,10? Could D-Day perhaps be “WHEN PUSH COMES”?
I’d like to have a go at 4D if you could post the clue for that too.
1/6/10 Things get rather more pressing … on D-Day! (4,4,5,2,5)
4 Characters all except us invited to party? gatecrash! (10,5)
I’m most concerned about 7 for which I still fail to see an adequate definition:
7 No 1 saves header off England striker – problem seeing line? (7)
The published solution is MOONEYE, though all sources I have consulted list it as (4-3) rather than (7).