My brain isn’t working. Even the Guardian Quick – my customary waker-upper, while the coffee brews – was a struggle this morning. Still, I made it through this sound offering from Cinephile with only one or two stumbles. Not a bad puzzle, not an overwhelmingly exciting puzzle, and too many anagrams for an anagramophobe like me, but still, an enjoyable start to the day – so thank-you, [Chile Pine]*.
ACROSS
1. BEWITCH WE [West and East, partners in Bridge] within bitch [complain]
5. FODDER Odd [not even] within fer [‘in fer’]
8. OSTRACISE Anagram of coaster is
9. CYRUS Anagram of cry + US [America]
11. DROSS Os [bone] within Drs [doctors]
12. LOCKSMITH C [cold] within anagram of hot milk
13. PETITION Petit [little] + I [one] + on
15. QUARTZ Sounds like quarts [quantities of liquid]
17. CUCKOO Double definition
19. HANDICAP Hand [worker] + I [one] + cap [limitation]
22. RESONANCE Re(a)son [cause] + an + CE [Church of England, establishment]
23. MANOR Play on the phrase ‘Are you a MAN OR a mouse?’
24. MOIST Is [lives] within MOT [Ministry of Transport, test of roadworthiness]
25. PROUSTIAN Pro [expert] + (f)ustian [pompous writing]
26. ARDOUR A [first (letter)] + R [right] + do [ditto, same again] + Ur [old city]
27. RICOTTA R [recipe, take (of medicine)] + I [one] + cotta(ge) [small house]
DOWN
1. BROAD-SPECTRUM Double definition
2. See 5dn.
3. See 5dn.
4. HEIRLOOM Ir [Irish] + loo [privy] within hem [border]
5, 2, 3. FRENCH WITHOUT TEARS The English translation of the French sans larmes, and the title of a play by Terence Rattigan – tomorrow is the 35th anniversary of Rattigan’s death, though whether that alone justifies the omission of a definition here I’m not sure
6. DACHSHUND Dach(a) [country cottage] + shun [avoid] + d
7. EARLIER Earl [nobleman] + I [one, first] + ER [Elizabeth Regina, queen]
10. SCHIZOPHRENIA Anagram of cash prize in ho(use)
14, 16. TWO AND TWO MAKE FOUR Anagram of man out of work wa(i)ted
18. CASHIER Double definition
20. CONVICT Double definition, playing on the noun (‘an escaped convict‘) and the verb (‘we vote to convict the defendant’)
21. SNIPER Snip [certainty] + er [(noise of) hesitation]
23. MUSIC Sounds like mew [what cat said] + sick [not well]
I enjoyed it – perhaps I am a secret fan of anagrams 🙂 Thanks to Cinephile for a nice end to my lunchhour solving and to Ringo for the explanations
thanks Ringo and cinephile very enjoyable puzzle