[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
A pleasant serving from Mudd, thanks to whom for setting a grid which escaped qualification as neither a cakewalk nor a mind-bender. I got through the left half of the grid pretty quickly before losing momentum, thanks largely due to the SE corner (which in my opinion, would have been easy for most others).
Above average number of anagrams and double definitions. Thanks to Gaufrid for helping with some of the clues.
| Across | ||
| 1 | WAFFLE | Rabbit on cake for breakfast (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | RED GIANT | Star and tiger after a mauling (3,5) |
| Anagram of AND TIGER – type of star in late stage of stellar evolution. | ||
| 9 | SLOUGH | Shed in Berkshire town (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | AGNOSTIC | Sceptic acting so indecisively (8) |
| Anagram of ACTING SO | ||
| 12 | EINSTEIN | German figure set off, not out to become genius (8) |
| EIN (German for One, figure) STE (anagram of SET) IN (not out) | ||
| 13 | ENTREE | Plant on middle of French dish (6) |
| TREE (plant) on EN (middle of frENch) | ||
| 15 | IVES | Numbers needing no introduction for US composer (4) |
| fIVES (numbers, no introduction) – Reference to Charles Ives, American modernist composer. Wiki here. | ||
| 16 | EMPOWER | Permit male prisoner to enter always (7) |
| [M (male) POW (prisoner, of war)] in EER (always, e’er) | ||
| 20 | BLANKET | General risk to keep thin (7) |
| BET (risk) containing LANK (thin) | ||
| 21 | TOOL | Money brought over for organ (4) |
| LOOT (money, brought over – reversed). I wasnt entirely sure so looked it up on wiki just to be sure. Potential reference to the male appendage (slang). | ||
| 25 | BEACON | Light with which artist captures energy (6) |
| BACON (artist, Francis Bacon) captures E (energy) | ||
| 26 | COCK CROW | Dawn, bird after man (4-4) |
| CROW (bird) after COCK (man) | ||
| 28 | UNCLE SAM | America flexing muscle, and endlessly (5,3) |
| Anagram of MUSCLE ANd (endlessly) | ||
| 29 | BRIDGE | Something of a nose for a game (6) |
| Crytic clue, referring to the nasal bridge. | ||
| 30 | DINOSAUR | Beast long gone is around, surprisingly (8) |
| Anagram of IS AROUND | ||
| 31 | ENGELS | Political philosopher sticks by purpose, almost entirely (6) |
| GELS (sticks) by ENd (purpose, almost entirely) – 2nd time we are seeing a cameo from Engels in the past few days. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | WISTERIA | Plant exists in water, I suspect (8) |
| IS (exists) in anagram of WATER I (suspect – anagrind) | ||
| 2 | FLOUNDER | Struggle as a swimmer (8) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 3 | LEGATE | Supporter downed emissary (6) |
| LEG (supporter) ATE (downed) | ||
| 5 | EDGE | Skirt adopted by landed gentry (4) |
| Hidden in landED GEntry | ||
| 6 | GROUNDED | Underdog’s out – though shouldn’t be out? (8) |
| Anagram of UNDERDOG | ||
| 7 | AFTERS | Seven characters are so sweet (6) |
| Cryptic clue, there are seven characters in the Alphabet AFTER S (i.e. TUVWXYZ) | ||
| 8 | TICKER | “Heart” label, not “head” (6) |
| sTICKER (label, without head i.e. initial character) | ||
| 11 | DIAMOND | Sixtieth one of thirteen? (7) |
| Double definition – Anniversary reference, Playing cards | ||
| 14 | SOMEHOW | Pig maintaining messy home, one way or another (7) |
| SOW (pig) around (containing) MEHO (anagram of home) | ||
| 17 | BLOOMERS | Underwear left among explosives, might you say? (8) |
| L (left) among BOOMERS (explosives) | ||
| 18 | PORRIDGE | Time for some hot stuff? (8) |
| Double definition – Reference to prison sentence, and the breakfast item. | ||
| 19 | FLAWLESS | Perfect fraud, primarily, criminal (8) |
| F (Fraud, primarily) LAWLESS (criminal) | ||
| 22 | ABOUND | A certain flow (6) |
| A BOUND (certain) | ||
| 23 | CANCAN | Joining a similar partner, is able to dance (6) |
| CAN (able) – joining a similar partner i.e. another CAN | ||
| 24 | SKI RUN | Heater storing drink for cold course (3-3) |
| SUN (Heater) storing KIR (drink, named after Felix Kir. Wiki here) | ||
| 27 | BAKU | Taken by Arab, a Kurdish capital (4) |
| Hidden in arB A KUrdish capital, capital of Azerbaijan | ||
*anagram
For 21A, I was thinking of TOOL of the state being the same as ORGAN of the state
I agree with AID. Despite Turbolegs’ explanation, I still can’t parse 7dn. Mudd’s one of my favourite setters, but I wasn’t too keen on today’s grid — it was almost four separate puzzles. Anyway thanks, Mudd, for some witty clues and a good romp.
Hornbeam, you probably got it now (at this time of the day).
If not, it’s just like Turbolegs says: “Seven characters are so” – how are they? – they are AFTER S (in the alphabet).
I liked this crossword.
Even if Mudd comes nowhere near Paul, there’s still enough inventiveness to make one smile.
Wish he could reduce the number of double definitions to a minimum, though (well, it wasn’t that bad today but sometimes it is).
Okay, Sil, I give in. I still think it’s some distance from Mudd’s witty urbanity.