Monk has defeated me today, there are still three clues that I can’t explain. Any help appreciated.
Unexplained solutions are 7dn and 18dn.
I notice all the across solutions have a letter repeated three times.
Thanks again to Monk for another great puzzle.
| Across | ||
| 1 | POSTMISTRESS | She could control said male lover on the job (12) |
| MISTRESS (lover) on POST (job) she could control the mail (sounds like male) – a cryptic definition? | ||
| 8 | SURPASS | Almost certain to come through second best (7) |
| SURe (certain, almost) PASS (to come through) follows (second) | ||
| 9 | RADDLED | Father finally confused, showing signs of age (7) |
| fatheR (final letter of) and ADDLED (confused) | ||
| 11 | EREMITE | On about English child, a small one who’s on his tod? (7) |
| RE (regarding, on) reversed (about) E (English) MITE (small child) – a hermit | ||
| 12 | HOO-HAHS | Pair of back-to-back houses has collapsed, causing disturbances (3-4) |
| HO OH (house twice, back-to-back) and HAS* anagram=collapsed | ||
| 13 | PSSTS | Afterthought primarily said to subdue interjections (5) |
| PS (afterthought) Said To Subdue (primarily, first letters of) | ||
| 14 | IN-BETWEEN | Negotiator went in, having been cut badly (2-7) |
| anagram (badly) of WENT IN and BEEn (cut) | ||
| 16 | RESURRECT | Revive right to build housing for certain – not quite (9) |
| R (right) ERECT (to build) contains (housing) SURe (for cerrtain) unfinished (not quite) | ||
| 19 | EMCEE | Compère regularly managed by head of events? (5) |
| anagram (managed) of CoMpErE (regularly, every other letter) and Events (head, first letter of) – definition is &lit | ||
| 21 | STEEPED | Deepest liquid gets you wet (7) |
| DEEPEST* anagram=liquid | ||
| 23 | LOOK FOR | King John going ahead during search (4,3) |
| K (king) with LOO (john) before (ahead) FOR (during) | ||
| 24 | STATUTE | Law taking time to stop representation (7) |
| T (time) in STATUE (representation) | ||
| 25 | ADAMANT | Old punk musician’s set (7) |
| ADAM ANT (former punk musician) | ||
| 26 | NEVERTHELESS | Still revel excitedly about article seized by head (12) |
| REVEL* anagram=excitedly contains (about) THE (article) all in (seized by) NESS (head) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | PERSEUS | Press almost overwhelms Gaelic hero (7) |
| PUSh (press, almost) contains (overwhelms) ERSE (Gaelic) – greek hero | ||
| 2 | SCABIES | Scoundrel that is sure to initiate a rash complaint? (7) |
| SCAB (scoundrel) IE (that is) Sure (initial letter of) | ||
| 3 | MESMERISE | Fascinate setter, repeatedly catching small fly? (9) |
| ME ME (setter, repeatedly) containing (catching) S (small) rise (fly) | ||
| 4 | SYRAH | Do not open trashy bottled wine (5) |
| tRASHY* (not opening) anagram=bottled | ||
| 5 | REDCOAT | One employed to entertain old soldier (7) |
| double definition – reference to Butlins staff | ||
| 6 | SALVAGE | Rescue wild animal whose tail has been trapped (7) |
| SAVAGE (wild) containing (has been trapped) animaL (tail of) | ||
| 7 | OSTEOPOROSIS | Nasty condition persists painfully when oxygen is frequently administered (12) |
| PERSISTS* anagram=painfully contains (when administered) OOOO (oxygen, frequently) – definition is ‘nasty condition’. |
||
| 10 | DISINTEGRATE | Unexpectedly ingest dirt with crust of apple crumble (12) |
| anagram (unexpectedly) of INGEST DIRT and ApplE (crust of) | ||
| 15 | BATTLE AXE | British prime minister outside Number Ten holding a bill (6-3) |
| B (British) ATTLEE (former Prime Minister) containing X (number ten) all containing (again!) A | ||
| 17 | SEEPAGE | Leak instruction to look elsewhere? (7) |
| SEE PAGE… (instructions to look elsewhere) | ||
| 18 | RAPTURE | After a change of heart, underrate public transport (7) |
| anagram of the heart of undERRATE PUblic | ||
| 19 | EVOCATE | Call up European, about to divide opinion (7) |
| E (European) then CA (circa, about) in (to divide) VOTE (opinion) | ||
| 20 | CAFTANS | Long clothes cover behind in toilets (7) |
| AFT (behind) inside (covered in) CANS (toilets) | ||
| 22 | DWELT | Focused anxiously on opening of deep scar (5) |
| Deep (opening letter of) WELT (scar) | ||
*anagram
1ac. Said male is a homonym for mail, ie post, and mistress is a lover.
You said 7d, but have explained that perfectly.
18 down is rap tube, underrate public transport, with a change of heart, to produce rapture, ie transport.
More to the point where is the Nina? My professional Nina spotter can’t see one.
I’ve belatedly got two of the explanations. I think the remaining one may be a mistake.
Thanks Conrad, we crossed there.
Sorry PD, I typed too slowly. And thanks for solving my problem.
RE 7dn – My explanation has only one E, there are two Es in OSTEOPEROSIS. I wonder if this is a mistake on Monk’s part. Can anyone come up with a good solution?
Thanks PD (especially for explaining 18d) and Monk,
It is OSTEOPOROSIS.
Thanks muffy. My mistake not Monk’s. I somehow expected that was going to be the case! All sorted now.
I came to this after a considerable battle with Monk in the Telegraph Toughie so my poor old brain was pleased that this one was more user-friendly. I did enjoy myself here too – 13a made me smile the most.
Thanks to Monk and PeeDee.
Took longer than usual to get going as none in in first reading with this one but then it flowed quite nicely. Favourite was 3d.
Thanks PeeDee and Monk. A good challenge, where some of the parsings eluded me. My COD was 4d – very concise, good advice to an oenophile;-)
15d – The same British Prime Minister makes an appearance in today’s Guardian Cryptic (19d).
Is it a conspiracy or just coincidence?
Re Attlee, it’s all a conspiracy between us bloggers and the setters. We also are major share holders in tin hat manufacturing companies for conspiracy nuts worldwide 🙂