Following two Weekend FT puzzles that I fairly sailed through, Mudd gave me a bit of a challenge with this one. As usual, it was a satisfying challenge. I did however fail to understand one clue (14D) although I fancy I got the right answer for it.
Across
1. JARGON – JAR (drink) + GON[e]
4. LAMPPOST – “note” could be G or IOU but is LA, “member” could be ARM or LEG but is MP, “office” could be DUTY or possibly DEN but is POST, and setter could be MUDD but is a dog. (Unless of course, Mudd has habits we don’t know about!)
10. TEDDY BEAR – EDDY (boy) + B (band’s first) in TEAR (cry)
11. RIFLE – double definition
12. LOAF – double definition. (If you didn’t get this one then you weren’t using your ____!)
13. PAINKILLER – anagram of IN PERIL + [w]ALK. A little difficult but fortunately there’s not a huge number of medications one would expect to find in a crossword.
15. CAPITAL – double definition
16. MYSORE – MY (Mudd’s) + SORE (suffering). A city where I did the opposite of suffer!
19. STREAM – ST[reet] (the way) + REAM (papers)
21. REVENUE – EVEN (still) in RUE (French way)
23. LEFT-WINGER – cryptic definition
25. ARIA – A (a) + AIR (song) backwards
27. NADIR – hidden word
28. AGINCOURT – A (a) + GIN (trap) + COURT (invite). A lovely succinct clue.
29. KNEE-DEEP – NEED (requirement) in KEEP (castle)
30. BENDER – slightly cryptic double definition
Down
1. JET BLACK – anagram (new) of BELT in JACK (boy)
2. RED CARPET – RED (communist) + CARPET (reprimand)
3. ONYX – ON (touching) + Y and X (axes)
5. ACRONYM – A + CRONY (friend) + M[isconstrue]
6. PERMISSIVE – PER (for each) + MISSIVE (letter)
7. OFFAL – OFF (sour) + AL[e] (drink).
8. THEORY – HE (man) in TORY (blue)
9. DERAIL – anagram (perhaps) of REDIAL
14. OTHER WORLD – or is it? I am unsure about this one. “Elderly claiming the right” gives us ORLD but where does OTHERW come from and what has “queue” to do with it? Okay, we could get OTHER out of “for the” but I still cannot see the whole thing.
17. RUN-AROUND – double definition
18. DECANTER – CAN (some beer) in DETER (stop)
20. MANDATE – MAN (staff) + DATE (appointment)
21. RE-EDIT – REED (rush) + IT (it)
22. PLANCK – homophone for PLANK (wood)
24. FUDGE – double definition
26. ACHE – [c]ACHE (valuable collection)
Other world is right; elderly = old, the right = the r, queue up = wor (row backwards)
don’t know what the clue is for 22D but isn’t our friend Max pronounced to rhyme with PLUNK?
Magpie, thanks.
Hi Ilan, that’s an interesting question that I never thought about. I do not recall ever hearing any authoritative pronunciation of his name but my American Heritage Dictionary tells me the ‘a’ is pronounced as in father.