Windsurfer’s contribution to the Derby S & B event can be found here: Windsurfer @ 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.
Windsurfer’s crossword contains several topical solutions in the Across clues which are highlighted in the blog below.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | FAWNED | Admirer and publisher enthralled with being flattered (6) |
| {FAN (admirer) + ED (publisher)} around W (with) | ||
| 4 | GUARDIAN | Defender in the news? (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | CROSSWORD | This fight that second son fitfully abandons (9) |
| CROSS SWORDS (fight) with S (second) S (son) removed ‘fitfully’ (as there are four letters S here) | ||
| 11 | VIOLA | Instrument at the beginning of Verdi’s 1st oratorio lacked assuredness (5) |
| Starting letters (‘in the beginning’) of: V[erdi] I[st] O[ratorio] L[acked] A[ssuredness] | ||
| 12 | DERBY | Blunder by some – you put the boot in here! (5) |
| ‘Some’ of: [blun]DER BY | ||
| 13 | WATERFALL | Torrent after cracks in dam? (9) |
| (AFTER)* inside WALL (dyke) | ||
| 14/20 | FIFTEEN SQUARED | Queens differ at organising venue for 10 21s (7,7) |
| (QUEENS DIFFER AT)* | ||
| 16 | DARN | Patchwork needle? (4) |
| Double / Cryptic definition – one has to split ‘patchwork’ to get ‘patch’ & ‘work needle’ | ||
| 19 | ICES | Tasty treats when foremost of sins abandoned (4) |
| VICES (sins) minus its starting letter S | ||
| 21 | BLOGGER | Journalist in dunny left occupied (7) |
| One who visits a BOG (dunny) may be called a BOGGER – then: L (left) inside BOGGER | ||
| 24 | INSTITUTE | In place, note, where terrorists principally hiding and women gather perhaps (9) |
| {IN SITU (in place) + TE (note)} around T[errorists] | ||
| 25 | SCORN | Slight force spills half of whisky at first (5) |
| RN (force, Royal Navy) with first SCO[tch] (half of whisky spilled) | ||
| 26 | DRAMA | Play about in the morning before a small slip? (5) |
| Reversal (‘about’) of: AM (in the morning) + A + RD (slip, i.e slip road) | ||
| 27 | RE-EDUCATE | Grass consumed round University College School again (2-7) |
| {REED (grass) + ATE (consumed)} around UC (University College) | ||
| 28 | MIDLANDS | Beds can be found close to this central docks (8) |
| MID (central) + LANDS (docks) – Beds here is Bedfordshire | ||
| 29 | SETTER | Dog wandering about street (6) |
| (STREET)* | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | FACED OFF | Started play at front shed (5,3) |
| FACE (front) + DOFF (shed) | ||
| 2 | WOODRUFF | Plant bowl associated with Pope (8) |
| WOOD (bowl) + RUFF (pope, alternative name for this saltwater fish) | ||
| 3 | ESSAY | Two characters reported in trial (5) |
| Homophone (‘reported’) of: S, A (two characters) | ||
| 5 | UPDATED | This is how short detective poster is produced and corrected (7) |
| {DET (detective, shortened) + AD (poster)} is the reversal of DATED and therefore UP DATED indicates how ‘short detective poster’ is produced | ||
| 6 | RIVER ARNO | Italian flower discovered on rare virgin’s back (5,4) |
| Reversed hidden solution in: ON RARE VIR[gin’s] | ||
| 7 | ISOBAR | Windsurfer finally gets round obstruction in pressure line (6) |
| I (Windsurfer) + [find]S + O (round) + BAR (obstruction) | ||
| 8 | NEATLY | Fairly like a cow? (6) |
| Double / Cryptic definition | ||
| 9 | COLWYN | Garden City we left for firm in British bay (6) |
| WELWYN (Garden City) with WE replaced by CO (firm) | ||
| 15 | ENCHILADA | Big one in America possibly skipping first eggnog and a lichee cocktail (9) |
| (AND A LICHE[e])*, the deleted E being the first letter of ‘eggnog’ | ||
| 17 | IGNORANT | Unconscious Italian man beheaded by worker (8) |
| [s]IGNOR (Italian man, beheaded) + ANT (worker) | ||
| 18 | GRANDEUR | Majesty climbing French street after August (8) |
| EUR (reversal of RUE (French street)) after GRAND (august) | ||
| 20 | See 14 Across | |
| 21 | BREWER | British king eats mutton chops, mashes and stews – he does! (6) |
| {BR (British) + R (king, Rex)} around EWE (mutton) | ||
| 22 | WISDOM | Reason that old teenager’s getting up after long last regardless (6) |
| {WISH (long) minus the last letter (last regardless)} + DOM ( reversal of MOD (old teenager) | ||
| 23 | ISLAND | It’s large and found in the water (6) |
| IS + L (large) + AND | ||
| 25 | SAUCE | Dip in spring, say (5) |
| Homophone (‘say’) of: SOURCE (spring) | ||