An sound puzzle from Mudd with an interesting grid. I would describe this as a run-of-the-mill puzzle from Mudd, but his talent shows that every-day fare not have to be dull fare. Thank you Mudd.
| Across | ||
| 1 | PHRASAL VERB | Hand over, say, a tray after hour dipped in lead (7,4) |
| A SALVER (tray) after HR (hour) in (dipped in) PB (lead, chem symbol) – words interpreted together as a verb which do not convey the meaning individually, ‘hand over’ for example | ||
| 7 | SEE | Watch the drink during conversation (3) |
| sounds like (in conversation) “sea” (the drink) | ||
| 9 | PACER | Horse given last of syrup (maple) (5) |
| P (last letter of of syrup) and ACER (the maple genus) – a horse that paces (lifts both left or right legs together) or a pace-setting horse | ||
| 10 | GRANDIOSE | Relative amount, one claimed, impressive (9) |
| GRAN (relative) DOSE (amount) containing (claiming) I (one) | ||
| 11 | NORTH WEST | In home, value’s heading to the bottom – that’s the point (5-4) |
| WORTH (value) with W (heading of) moving to the end in NEST (home) – point of the compass | ||
| 12 | ISSUE | One’s a woman? It’s debatable! (5) |
| I’S (one’s) SUE (a woman, example of) | ||
| 13 | AGELESS | Like Peter Pan found in stage lessons (7) |
| found in stAGE LESSons | ||
| 15 | CITE | Sound place to mention (4) |
| sounds like (to sound) site (place) – definition is ‘to mention’ | ||
| 18 | CRAM | Stuff remains at the vineyard to be knocked back (4) |
| MARC (grape solids after pressing) reversed (knocked back) | ||
| 20 | HORMONE | Doctor’s cutting instrument beginning to extract bodily substance (7) |
| MO (doctor) in (cutting) HORN (instrument) with E (beginning of extract) | ||
| 23 | LEASH | Lead short, short, 60% off lead (5) |
| LEAd (shortened) SHort (60% letters removed) – definition is lead, e.g. a dog’s lead | ||
| 24 | GENITALIA | Again I let out the privates (9) |
| (AGAIN I LET)* out=anagram | ||
| 26 | HARMONIUM | Instrument’s drone inspiring A minor fantasia (9) |
| HUM (drone) containing (inspiring, breathing in) A MINOR* fantasia=anagram | ||
| 27 | GHANA | Part through an African country (5) |
| part of throuGH AN African – definition is ‘country’ | ||
| 28 | TEN | Figure after tax returns (3) |
| NET (after tax) reversed (returns) – a figure is a number | ||
| 29 | MAGINOT LINE | French defence a long time in manoeuvres (7,4) |
| (A LONG TIME IN)* manoeuvres=anagram – a line of fortifications built by France following WWI | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | POPINJAY | Fop gets to drop by on bird (8) |
| POP IN (to drop by) on JAY (bird) – definition is ‘fop’ | ||
| 2 | RECORDER | It’s an instrument – that’s official (8) |
| double definition | ||
| 3 | SARAH | Girl owns up about artist (5) |
| HAS (owns) reversed (up) including (about) RA (artist) | ||
| 4 | LEGLESS | 25 as a 14? (7) |
| double definition | ||
| 5 | ELASTIC | Design of castile adaptable (7) |
| CASTILE* anagram=design of | ||
| 6 | BEDSITTER | Accommodation that’s little improved, housing daughter, is shown up (9) |
| BETTER (improved) containing (housing) D (daughter) IS reversed (shown up) – definition is ‘accomodation that’s little’ | ||
| 7 | SPOUSE | Partner puts first of pants in to soak (6) |
| P (first of pants) in SOUSE (to soak) | ||
| 8 | EYELET | Box you upended, opening for seamstress (6) |
| TELE (the box) YE (you) all reversed (upended) | ||
| 14 | EARTHWORM | Pink thing getting warmer, hot after a thrashing (9) |
| (WARMER HOT)* anagram=thrashing – definition is ‘a pink thing’ | ||
| 16 | KOHLRABI | Old chancellor and Jewish teacher deprived of a British vegetable (8) |
| Helmut KOHL (former chancellor of Germany) and RABbI missing B=British – a type of cabbage | ||
| 17 | DELAWARE | State of which East End boy has knowledge (8) |
| DEL (Del Boy, |
||
| 19 | MUGGING | Face trap, heading for gaol for criminal act (7) |
| MUG (face) GIN (trap) G (heading of gaol) | ||
| 20 | HANGMAN | Game where drawing may lead to suspension? (7) |
| cryptic definition – a scaffold is drawn | ||
| 21 | OLD HAT | Dahl novel among books, stale (3,3) |
| DAHL* anagram=novel in OT (books, of the Bible) | ||
| 22 | MATRON | Senior nurse takes temperature, feeding a month later (6) |
| T (temperature) inside (feeding) MAR (March, a month) ON (later) | ||
| 25 | TIGHT | Drunk in snug (5) |
| double definition | ||
*anagram
Is 18d DRUM or CRAM? That would make 4d tigt as a drum= leg less..?
Thanks Mudd for an enjoyable crossword and PeeDee for the blog.
11ac: Not sure about “to the bottom” as meaning move to the end in an across clue – I would have been completely happy with this if it were a down clue.
8dn: This held me up for a while – might it be kinder to the solver to say “you once” for YE?
16dn: Good indication of the need to remove only one of two Bs.
17dn: If this is meant to be a reference to the character from Only Fools and Horses, then “East End” will not do – Derek Trotter is from Peckham which is consistently described as “South London”. I think the clue works with Del as a more generic shortening of Derek.
Small typo in the blog: 24ac is GENITALIA (two Is, only one E).
A treat to have a midweek Mudd to hide under my work! Thanks to him for the fun and PeeDee for the explanations.
Hi Pelaham, I was wondering about Del and just took a punt on Derek Trotter because of ‘boy’.
Pushkala, DRUM reversed would be MURD, which isn’t going to work. It does make me think of ‘mud’ (spoken in a French accent) – which could be remains at a vineyard.
Of course, a beautiful eau de vie can be made from marc, so it isn’t just dregs. Some of it can be virtually firewater, but the best of it (a sample of which I am enjoying now) is heavenly.
Thanks, PeeDee & Mudd.
I enjoyed this, despite making it more difficult for myself than necessary. For one, I initially parsed 28a as a dd for NET: Figure after tax / returns. (But returns could be gross as well as net.) And I carelessly entered HARMONICA in 26a (which would have required HCA = drone).
PB @2: I had a different reaction to 16d. When I solved it, I felt “a” was unnecessary, as that portion of the clue could give R[ab]BI. But I see your point that omitting “a” might have suggested RA[bb]I. Perhaps “deprived of one British” would have been better?
As enjoyable as usual, Mudd. Thanks for making me laugh at 24ac.
I wasn’t able to finish without your blog, thanks PeeDee.Quite a challlenge, thanks, Mudd.