Gervase’s contribution to the Derby S & B event can be found here: Gervase @ Derby. If anyone who wasn’t there last Saturday still would like to solve this puzzle, then click on the link before looking any further.
Gervase produced a crossword which has a Nina around the perimeter to celebrate the occasion: Day in Derby with Peter and Eileen.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 8 | EUROZONE | Regret returning to the bracing atmosphere in financial company (8) |
| EUR (reversal of RUE (regret)) + OZONE (the bracing atmosphere) | ||
| 9 | NOSH-UP | A lack of quiet at College Feast (4-2) |
| NO (a lack of) + SH (quiet) + UP (at College) | ||
| 10 | DANK | Adept at karate’s beginning to get sweaty (4) |
| DAN (adept) + K[arate] | ||
| 11 | DITTO | Contracted to do the same again (5) |
| In contacted form DITTO would be ‘do’ | ||
| 12 | ROTE | Bible study, assimilating much of it through repetition (4) |
| RE (Bible study, religious education) around OT (Old Testament, much of it i.e. Bible study) | ||
| 13 | NOWHERES | Impossible places, like my location in a snowstorm (8) |
| HERE (my location) inside (SNOW)* | ||
| 16 | URGENT | Pressing Adam, or Abraham? (6) |
| Adam or Abraham may be seen as an UR GENT | ||
| 18 | ITCH | Hold-up in East London, causing complaint (4) |
| HITCH (hold-up) as East Londoners would pronounce it | ||
| 20 | ROUGH | Harsh noise made by bird (5) |
| Homophone (‘noise made by’) of: RUFF (bird) | ||
| 21 | APSE | A bit added on at the east of church structure (4) |
| A + PS (bit added on, post scriptum) + E (east) | ||
| 22 | YES-MEN | Obedient followers introduce the principle of sharia to Islamic state (3-3) |
| S[haria] inside YEMEN (Islamic state) | ||
| 23 | BOB MAJOR | PM to succeed Robert Peel is announced (3,5) |
| MAJOR (PM, prime minister) to come after BOB (Robert) – the definition is a term in bellringing | ||
| 26 | AMAH | Helper, primarily to a mother (4) |
| A + MA (mother) + H[elper] – clever &lit | ||
| 28 | FICHU | Cape provided to put round short friend (5) |
| FI (reversal (‘to put round’) of IF (provided)) + CHU[m] (friend, shortened) | ||
| 30 | SOFA | Furniture of a scale short in length (4) |
| SOL-FA (a scale, think music) minus L (length) | ||
| 31 | DODDLE | Ken finds Nancy’s the pushover (6) |
| DODD (Ken) + LE (Nancy’s the, i.e. the in French) | ||
| 32 | OVERTURN | Upset is evident at the ballot box (8) |
| OVERT (evident) + URN (ballot box) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | RUBATO | Beat tabour with irregular rhythm (6) |
| (TABOUR)* | ||
| 2 | BOOK | Surprise piece, a work of literature (4) |
| BOO (surprise) + K (piece, King at chess) | ||
| 3 | YONDER | That‘s ridiculous, Rodney! (6) |
| (RODNEY)* | ||
| 4 | WEST | Bearing south into the rain (4) |
| S (South) inside WET (the rain) | ||
| 5 | IN SO MUCH | I’m no such fool to that degree (8) |
| (I’M NO SUCH)* | ||
| 6 | TSAR | Ruler like Putin essentially is elevated to monarch (4) |
| [pu]T[in] + SAR (reversal (‘is elevated’) of RAS (monarch) | ||
| 7 | HUSTINGS | Electioneering in crumpled bathing suits – a bit weird (8) |
| (BATHING SUITS)* minus (spot the minus sign!) (A BIT)* | ||
| 14 | HO-HUM | Stop drone being boring (2-3) |
| HO (stop) + HUM (drone) | ||
| 15 | SQUIB | Satire is relative? Absorbing question (5) |
| SIB (relative) around QU (question) | ||
| 17 | GUAVA | Fruit girl from area of West Surrey? (5) |
| GU is the postcode around Guildford and AVA is a girl, so GU AVA may be a girl from West Surrey area | ||
| 19 | THERMION | Iron them out in emission from heated element (8) |
| (IRON THEM)* | ||
| 20 | RENT-FREE | No tears, as cost to stay at zero (4-4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | BRUNEI | They say tea’s almost ready; it usually contains sultanas (6) |
| Homophone (‘they say’) of: BREW (tea) + NIGH (almost ready) | ||
| 25 | OXFORD | Regressive party captures vote for the city (6) |
| OD (reversal (‘regressive’) of DO (party)) around {X(vote) + FOR} | ||
| 27 | HIDE | Skin secretion is produced here (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 29 | COOL | Indifferent about John’s promotion (4) |
| C (about) + OOL (reversal (‘about’) of LOO (John)) | ||
| 30 | SATE | Fill up with kebabs (4) |
| Double definition | ||