Lorraine: I got straight into this weeks puzzle, a couple had me beat for a while, 10 and 20 across were the last two I solved. Always nice to see my old favourite ‘redrum’ pop-up. Many thanks to Everyman.
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Legend to solution comments:
* = anagram.
< = word reversed.
| Across | |||
| 1. |
German city providing meat (and food generally, upon reflection) (7) | ||
| HAMBURG |
HAM+(GRUB<) | ||
| 5. |
Stake needed, unlimited (4) | ||
| ANTE |
(w)ANTE(d) | ||
| 9. |
Festoon of flowers for US actress and singer (7) | ||
| GARLAND |
dd | ||
| 10. |
Mishandle wages at university (5,2) | ||
| SCREW UP |
SCREW+UP SCREW=WAGES, apparently |
||
| 11. |
Warder, no vegetarian? (9) | ||
| BEEFEATER |
sort of cd | ||
| 12/13. |
Sort of insurance policy quite needed by school? (5,13) | ||
| FULLY COMPREHENSIVE |
cd | ||
| 16. |
Rare eagle on silver tree (7,6) | ||
| SEVILLE ORANGE |
(EAGLE ON SILVER)* | ||
| 19. |
Very bad, if legal, squandering capital (5) | ||
| AWFUL |
(l)AWFUL | ||
| 20. |
Jupiter, say, the king sheltering below (9) | ||
| THUNDERER |
UNDER in THE R Jupiter was the god of the sky and thunder |
||
| 22. |
Tutor is itinerant holidaymaker (7) | ||
| TOURIST |
(TUTOR IS)* | ||
| 23. |
Crow put him right off (7) | ||
| TRIUMPH |
(PUT HIM R)* crow = to boast, i.e. about winning, which TRIUMPH also means |
||
| 24. |
Monster consequently returned (4) | ||
| OGRE |
(ERGO)< | ||
| 25. |
Train staff (7) | ||
| RETINUE |
dd | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. |
Small house on top of Grasmoor’s second ridge (4-4) | ||
| HOGS BACK |
HO+G+S+BACK RIDGE seems to be doing double duty here? |
||
| 2. |
Film return of famous racehorse – extremely unpleasant (6,4,4) | ||
| MURDER MOST FOUL |
(REDRUM<)+MOST FOUL | ||
| 3. |
American needing time for practice (5) | ||
| USAGE |
US+AGE | ||
| 4. |
Travel with wife, pay half each (2,5) | ||
| GO DUTCH |
GO+DUTCH DUTCH is a contraction of duchess=wife |
||
| 5. |
Unplaced horse, a length ahead of second roan racing (4-3) | ||
| ALSO RAN |
A+L+S+(ROAN*) | ||
| 6. |
More frugal once their rift is sorted out (9) | ||
| THRIFTIER |
(THEIR RIFT)* | ||
| 7. |
Vandalised new gym, relevant in film (6,5,3) | ||
| TWELVE ANGRY MEN |
(NEW GYM RELEVANT)* | ||
| 8. |
Agile, agent crossing river (4) | ||
| SPRY |
(SPY around R) | ||
| 14. |
Disgusting rioting (9) | ||
| REVOLTING |
cdd | ||
| 15. |
I don’t know what a customs officer may do (6,2) | ||
| SEARCH ME |
cd | ||
| 17. |
Beatles record – odd title, extremely bizarre (3,2,2) | ||
| LET IT BE |
(TITLE*)+B(izarr)E | ||
| 18. |
What map line may show just short of lake and hill (7) | ||
| EQUATOR |
EQUA(l)+TOR | ||
| 19. |
Singer – all things considered, get her off! (4) | ||
| ALTO |
ALTO(get her) | ||
| 21. |
Current doctor, fit for a change! (5) | ||
| DRIFT |
DR+(FIT*) | ||
Excellent blog, Lorraine. I couldn’t see the wordplay for ANTE, ALTO and AWEFUL- all deletion clues, so I need to work on those, I guess.
For me 1d was the last to go in. I parsed it just as you have done above but I think ‘ridge’ is only the definition as wordplay stops with ‘second’, v., BACK.
1D [HOG’S BACK] Small house on top of Grasmoor’s second ridge
ho + G(rasmoor)’s + back (second), ridge = definition
Thanks, Lorraine. Lots to admire here: some clever anagrams and amusing cds as well as Everyman’s typically elegant surfaces. HOGS BACK was my last to go in as well, which I finally got from the wordplay and then had to verify. It’s written as HOG’S BACK outside crosswords. For non-UK solvers, it’s a ridge in the North Downs, chalk uplands in the SE of England, and gets its name from its resemblance to a pig’s back. I never knew that, but then there are myriad other things I don’t know as well … but I have learned a few things from crosswords, that’s for certain.
Excellent puzzle – this represents Everyman in top form.
Thanks to Lorraine for her usual top-notch review and thanks to Everyman for an enjoyable puzzle.
This Xword was published in the NZ Herald on Sat. 7 August ’10 (today)and like others my last in just before midday was 1d
I look forward to The Everyman in Saturday mornings paper and enjoy the battle