First up, a big “Thank you!” to Gaufrid, for covering for me these past few weeks when I was away on vacation.
Mudd’s puzzle today was a pleasant solve, themed around Scotland. The reason I suspect is Halloween (31st October) got its name from the Scottish song, “All Hallows’ Eve”, sometime around 1745.
A few clues did trouble me though, for which I had to get some help writing them in.
FF: 8 DD: 8
| Across | ||
| 1 | DASHED |
Self-confidence, for example, is shattered (6)
|
| 4 | DISCLAIM |
Renounce record mail shot (8)
DISC (record) LAIM (anagram of MAIL)
|
| 9 | WIDNES |
I return post passing west Cheshire town (6)
I DNES (post = send, return = reversed) after W (west)
|
| 10 | HARLOTRY |
Prince accepting fate as whoredom (8)
HARRY (prince) accepting LOT (fate)
|
| 12 | CUTE |
Score with sweetheart, cuddly (4)
CUT (score) E (swEet-heart)
|
| 13 | PERTH |
Scottish town with bold hearts (5)
PERT (bold) H (hearts)
|
| 14 | FIFE |
One’s played for Scottish kingdom (4)
Double def
|
| 17 | SHORT CIRCUIT |
Racetrac? (5,7)
cryptic clue; Circuit = Race track; (short of ‘k’)
|
| 20 | MAGIC LANTERN |
Projector forming alignment with car (5,7)
Anagram of ALIGNMENT CAR
|
| 23 | IONA |
Isle of Capri on alert (4)
Hidden in ‘caprI ON Alert’
|
| 24 | KNITS |
After recollection, hum links (5)
Reverse (recollection) of STINK (hum)
|
| 25 | FLOW |
Run, as philanderer comes back (4)
Reverse of WOLF (philanderer)
|
| 28 | SNAKE PIT |
Take pins out, causing scene of vicious disturbance (5-3)
Anagram of TAKE PINS
|
| 29 | OAFISH |
Stupid swimmer follows after middle of moat (6)
FISH (swimmer) after OA (middle of mOAt)
|
| 30 | SCRUBBER |
Filthy girl getting cleaner (8)
Double definition
|
| 31 | WHEEZE |
Cunning plan making one gasp? (6)
Double def
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | DOWNCAST |
County players dejected (8)
Charade of DOWN (county) CAST (players)
|
| 2 | SEDITION |
Primarily serious issue, subversion (8)
S (primarily Serious) EDITION (issue)
|
| 3 | EDEN |
PM finding place for original sin (4)
DD, Anthony Eden was a former PM of the UK.
|
| 5 | INARTICULATE |
Faltering Italian truce rewritten (12)
Anagram of ITALIAN TRUCE
|
| 6 | CALF |
State female showing bit of leg (4)
CAL (state – california) F (female)
|
| 7 | ALTAIR |
Star key, vital thing (6)
ALT (key) AIR (vital thing)
|
| 8 | MAYHEM |
Total disorder seen when trimming under tree (6)
HEM (trimming) under MAY (tree)
|
| 11 | MERIDIAN LINE |
Mudd’s touring Ireland, I gathered – north to south marker required (8,4)
MINE (Mudd’s) around anagram of IRELAND I
|
| 15 | STRAP |
Part of a bra goes vertically (5)
PARTS (goes, reversed)
|
| 16 | FIEND |
Devil providing heaven-bound, overcoming target (5)
FI (providing = IF, heaven-bound = reversed, for a down clue) overcoming END (target)
|
| 18 | MEALTIME |
When consuming silent entertainment, difficult tale to grasp (8)
MIME (silent entertainment) grasping anagram of TALE
|
| 19 | SNOWSHOE |
Present aboard ship, tool as Arctic trekker’s requirement (8)
[NOW (present) in SS (ship)] HOE (tool)
|
| 21 | MISSUS |
Fail to hear American Dutch (6)
MISS (fail to hear) US (American)
|
| 22 | UNFAIR |
Redhead and brunette so improper? (6)
Cryptic definition, double definition
|
| 26 | BEEB |
Auntie viewed up and down (4)
Cryptic reference to the BBC, up and down for palindrome.
|
| 27 | CASH |
Change Johnny when singing? (4)
Johnny Cash was a popular american singer in the ’50s.
|
*anagram
Thanks Turbolegs and Mudd,
I think 1 across relates to self-confidence containing a dash (-).
Thanks Prantles@1 . I thought I had fixed this before I posted, apparently not.
Cheers
TL
Dashed bad-form Turbolegs.
I am from 9.
It was fun learning new (to me) Briticisms: auntie, scrubber, wheeze…
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs
Very late to this one … for no good reason other than time. Found it very much at the difficult end of the JH spectrum with the central area being the last to fall – MERIDIAN LINE, KNITS and PERTH the last few in.
There was a lot of British-centric knowledge required which is probably one of the reasons for the struggle. A good variety of clues with HARLOTRY and MERIDIAN LINE my favourites.