This is my first IoS blog and I have not seen Nitsy before. My summary would be: straightforward but difficult. I found the clue construction straightforward, but the cunning definitions and misleading surface meanings meant that finding the solutions was not an easy task at all.
Unfortunately, my misunderstanding of the when the IoS puzzle appears online meant that I had solved and blogged the previous week’s puzzle (by Poins) and only a couple of hours before the blog was due to go live realised my mistake. This meant that in the rush to get this post out I did not get to savour the puzzle as much as I would have liked. Thanks Nitsy.
I will be away from home all day, so will not be able to respond to comments until evening.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SASH | Somewhat takes a shine to dress with a scarf (4) |
| found inside takeS A SHine | ||
| 3 | AMNESIAC | Is mace ground with a bit of nutmeg? I can’t recall (8) |
| anagram (ground) of IS MACE with A and N (bit of nutmeg, first letter) | ||
| 10 | HALF-HEARTEDNESS | Ashes left-hander got out, exhibiting weakness (4-11) |
| (ASHES LEFT HANDER)* anagram=got out | ||
| 11 | ODD JOB MAN | Strange lady holding leads of broken mower – might he fix it? (3-3,3) |
| ODD (strange) JOAN (lady) holds BM (first letters of broken mower) | ||
| 12 | RARE | Resistance by nude? Topless is excellent (4) |
| R (resistance) by bARE (nude, topless) | ||
| 13 | ELATION | High spirits from daughter-in-law, say, after Queen departs (7) |
| rELATION (daughter-in-law, perhaps) missing R (regina, queen) | ||
| 15 | ENTRAP | Catch lover returning scratching bottom (6) |
| PARTNEr (lover) reversed (returning) missing (scratching) last letter (bottom) | ||
| 17 | DOGGED | Determined setter, perhaps, good with editor (6) |
| DOG (setter perhaps) G (good) with ED (editer) | ||
| 19 | PUTREFY | Corrupt place worried E Fry (7) |
| PUT (place) and (E FRY)* anagram=worried | ||
| 20 | TEXT | One from Dallas has time for an electronic message (4) |
| TEX (Texan, one from Dallas) has T (time) | ||
| 21 | SNOWSTORM | Bad news: motor’s lacking energy – that could cause drifts (9) |
| (NEWS MOTORS)* anagram=bad missing E=energy | ||
| 24 | WHATCHAMACALLIT | Annoyed with a cat – all about cold meat, whatever it is (15) |
| (WITH A CAT ALL)* anagram=annoyed containing (about) C (cold) HAM (meat) | ||
| 25 | END USERS | Rudeness irritated consumers (3,5) |
| RUDENESS* anagram=irritated | ||
| 26 | EDGY | Hendry regularly potting nothing, finally getting irritable (4) |
| hEnDrY (regular letters of) containing (potting) nothinG (final letter of) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SCHOONER | It’s suitable for the drink (8) |
| cryptic definition – both the boat and the glass are suitable for the drink (sea/beverage) | ||
| 2 | SOLID | Sound from one getting pushed around (5) |
| I (one) in SOLD (pushed) | ||
| 4 | MATINEE | Pal held in bondage finally for an early “performance” (7) |
| MATE (pal) contains (held) IN bondagE (final letter) | ||
| 5 | ELDER STATESMAN | Pants smelt – ran and teased John Major? (5,9) |
| anagram (pants) of SMELT RAN and TEASED | ||
| 6 | INEBRIATE | Possibly be irate in this drunken state (9) |
| (BE IRATE IN)*anagram=possibly | ||
| 7 | CASE | Time to leave order, for example (4) |
| CAStE (order) missing T=time – definition is ‘for example’ | ||
| 8 | SHOOTING STICKS | Remains after snapping spectators’ seats (8,6) |
| STICKS (remains) after SHOOTING (snapping, photography) | ||
| 9 | BARMAN | Outlaw grabbing weapon – he might be responsible for you getting shot (6) |
| BAN (outlaw) containing (grabbing) ARM (weapon) | ||
| 14 | AFORESAID | Ida’s upset after a shout from a driver earlier (9) |
| IDAS* anagram=upset following A FORE (shout from a driver, golf) | ||
| 16 | SYMMETRY | Strange mystery with Master put in proportion (8) |
| anagram (strange) of MYSTERY with M (master) put in | ||
| 18 | DESPAIR | Hopelessness from French couple (7) |
| DES (from, French) PAIR (couple) | ||
| 19 | PROZAC | Drug for unknown aches he’s left (6) |
| PRO (for) Z (unknown, maths) AChes missing HE’S | ||
| 22 | OILED | Tipsy old priest’s thrown up on daughter (5) |
| O (old) ELI (priest) reversed (thrown up) on D (daughter) | ||
| 23 | TWEE | Quaint sound of a bird with no tail (4) |
| TWEEt (sound of a bird) missing tail letter | ||
*anagram
Very nicely blogged under the circumstances PeeDee. Puzzle about right for a Sunday, I thought.
3A The word “a” in the clue is also needed for anagram fodder.
6D “Inebriate” as a noun/adj is archaic and would seldom, if ever, be heard today, but OK for a puzzle.
16D Nitpicking, From the wordplay, I thinks it’s strictly speaking an anagram of “mystery” with “M(aster)” stuck in.
Some nice clues, thanks to Nitsy and Peedee.
I thought this wasn’t going to be easy but once I solved a few clues the rest of them fell into place relatively quickly, and I’d summarise this puzzle as a pleasant Sunday morning solve. SHOOTING STICKS was my LOI after WATCHAMACALLIT.
Nitsy also flimsy i believe. Welcome to the Sunday rota PD.
Not as bad as Poins last week which took several goes.
Thanks all. I found this week’s Nitsy quite a bit harder than last week’s Poins. I think a lot of that must down to the differing circumstances under which I attempted them.