I found this quite easy to solve yet very satisfying in the process. Loads of variety and interest and fresh ideas, how does he keep it up? I am continually astonished at Cinephile/Araucaria’s output.
I spent a while wrestling with the instructions: does OT not being the same wherever it occurs allow OT to be the same in some places it occurs? In the end I just gave up thinking about it and enjoyed the puzzle. Thank you Cinephile.
| Across | ||
| 1 | JEREMIAH | OT character before road accepted by most returning pilgrims (8) |
| ERE (before) MI (M1, a road) inside HAJi (pilgrims) unfinished (most of) and reversed (returning) – from the Old Testament | ||
| 6 | BLOTTO | Second group takes to getting drunk (6) |
| B (second) LOT (group) with TO | ||
| 9, 20 | ARTFUL DODGER | OT character made 7 guard fret (6,6) |
| anagram (made by) of OLD GUARD FRET – from Oliver Twist | ||
| 10 | IMMODEST | Boastful setter’s way on street (8) |
| I’M (setter is) MODE (way) on ST (street) | ||
| 11 | STUN | Lunatic’s turn to astonish (4) |
| NUTS (lunatic’s) reversed (turn) | ||
| 12 | SMALL ROYAL | Size of paper for princeling? (5,5) |
| double/cryptic definition – an old imperial paper size 24″x19″ | ||
| 14 | ASH BLOND | Has changed number held by fictional agent almost beyond the pale (3,5) |
| HAS* (changed=anagram) L (fifty, number) in (held by) James BOND (fictional agent) – a pale hair colour, that still counts as blond | ||
| 16 | ITEM | One or two? (4) |
| double definition – a romantic pairing | ||
| 18 | LEVI | OT character to rise at the Tate? (4) |
| LEVI + Tate = levitate (to rise) – Old Testament character | ||
| 19 | ANISETTE | I make crosswords before going round with liqueur (8) |
| ANTE (before) going round I SET (make crosswords) | ||
| 21 | HEAD-TO-HEAD | Competitive version of private conversation? (4-2-4) |
| double definition – I think ‘version’ might indicate that this is an alternative/translated version of tete-a-tete | ||
| 22 | TIFF | Meal missing in row (4) |
| TIFFin (meal) missing ‘in’ | ||
| 24 | CAMARGUE | Dispute following river to delta in France (8) |
| The River CAM then ARGUE (dispute) – a river Delta in southern France | ||
| 26 | O-RINGS | Sing or dance with seals (1-5) |
| (SING OR)* anagram=dance | ||
| 27 | REPAIR | Go and mend (6) |
| double definition – eg ‘the Ladies repair to the drawing room’ | ||
| 28 | LIGHTING | Visual aids obtained with few pounds in Gateshead (8) |
| LIGHT (a few pounds) IN G (first letter of gate) – definition is ‘visual aids’ | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | EGRET | Bird removed top of rue (5) |
| rEGRET (rue) with top removed | ||
| 3 | EFF AND BLIND | The badly fed, including supporter that isn’t perceptive, utter obscenities (3,3,5) |
| FAN (supporter) in FED* (badly=anagram) BLIND (isn’t perceptive) | ||
| 4 | ILLUSION | Mirage left America in Troy (8) |
| L (left) US (America) in Ilion (old name for Troy) | ||
| 5 | HAIL AND FAREWELL | Quick visit causes leaderless country to prosper (4,3,8) |
| tHAILAND (country) missing leading letter FARE WELL (prosper) – definition is ‘quick visit’ | ||
| 6 | BUMBLE | OT character with a buzz (6) |
| Mr Bumble from Oliver Twist and bumble bee | ||
| 7, 8 | OLD TESTAMENT | OT sprayed Dettol over part of fower (3,9) |
| DETTOL* (anagram=sprayed) including (going over) STAMEN (paort of flower) | ||
| 13 | OLIVER TWIST | Look up “green” (I knew about it) in OT (6,5) |
| LO (look) reversed (up) and then I WIST (knew) about VERT (green) | ||
| 15 | STEVENAGE | Flat held by coach of League One club (9) |
| EVEN (flat) in (held by) STAGE (coach) – Englisg League One football club | ||
| 17 | BIRDSONG | Airs from the air? (8) |
| cryptic definition | ||
| 20 | See 9 | |
| See 9 | ||
| 23 | FAGIN | OT character’s hard work at home (5) |
| FAG (hard work) IN (at home) – character from Oliver Twist | ||
| 25 | ASA | OT character of similes (3) |
| as something AS A something (found in similies) – character from the Old Testament, the third King of Judah | ||
*anagram
Many thanks PeeDee and Cinephile
This was a wonderful puzzle which was a joy to solve.
I loved the challenge of finding the alternative OT.
Thanks PeeDee.
I had great fun with this, too. I think the O-rings were responsible for the dreadful Space Shuttle explosion. I struggled with ASA and settled for ADA being half of ADAGES and misremembering Oliver’s mother’s name (she was Agnes – but her part is minuscule).