Another terrific challenge from Wanderer, thanks to whom, for a pleasurable and delightfully interesting joust. Fantastically cryptic clues liberally sprinkled with a touch of commonplace door-openers as well.
FF: 10 DD: 9
| Across | ||
| 1, 4 | AS DEAD AS MUTTON |
Late enough for a shepherd’s pie (2,4,2,6)
cryptic clue |
| 9 | INGEST |
Swallow circling estate’s houses (6)
Hidden in “..circlING ESTate..” |
| 10 | BLUDGEON |
Initially game looks unlikely – dutifully bid one lousy club (8)
Anagram of GLUDB (starting characters of “..Game Looks Unlikely – Dutifully Bid) ONE |
| 12 | EVERMORE |
Always unequal, nevertheless? (8)
EVER (always) MORE (unequal) |
| 13 | ORIENT |
Get your bearings from where the sun rises (6)
double def |
| 15, 16 | FIRE STATION |
Extensive tree planting, with one in place of old emergency HQ (4,7)
FoRESTATION (extensive tree planting) with I (one) replacing O (old) |
| 20, 21 | CAESARS WIFE |
One who must be above suspicion, if car was seen almost out of control (7,4)
Anagram of IF CAR WAS SEEn (almost) |
| 25 | CLIMAX |
Come heading out of Charing Cross to tour the capital (6)
C (heading of Charing) X (cross) around LIMA (capital) – Funnily enough, I thought this clue was wickedly clever ! |
| 26 | TERRAPIN |
Bird circles pair turning turtle (8)
TERN (bird) around anagram of PAIR |
| 28 | INIMICAL |
“Unfriendly, Paris”, the singer interrupts in one line (8)
MICA (Paris, british singer) in IN I (one) L (line) |
| 29 | CLOSET |
Fool keeping endless sex secret (6)
CLOT (fool) keeping SE (endless SEx) |
| 30, 31 | PRUNELLA SCALES |
Production of P Sellars (UCLA) involving north-eastern English actress (8,6)
Anagram of P SELLARS UCLA containing NE (north-eastern) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | A MILE OFF |
Nowhere near email? (1,4,3)
EMAIL can be clued as A MILE OFF |
| 2 | DOGBERRY |
Policeman wrongly using words “bog off” in Irish city (8)
Anagram of BOG in DERRY (irish city) – Reference is Shakespeare / Much Ado About Nothing / Dogberryism = Malapropism |
| 3 | ASSUME |
It’s easy when wings clipped, flipping non-fliers suppose (6)
eASy (wings clipped) followed by EMUS (non-fliers) reversed |
| 5, 14 | SELF STARTER |
“Person with initiative and drive” – it could mean second son succeeded (4-7)
Cryptic clue – the starting letter of “SELF” is S – and this could, in a crossword clue mean any of second, son or succeeded. |
| 6 | UNDERTOW |
Current tune radio regularly plays at start of week (8)
Anagram of TUNE RDO (RaDiO regularly) followed by W (start of Week) |
| 7 | THE MED |
Chap crosses border to get to sea (3,3)
TED (chap) crosses HEM (border) |
| 8 | NONETS |
Time during church service for pieces of music (6)
T (time) in NONES (church service) |
| 11, 27 | BRITISH RAIL |
Transport system once briefly seen in Gibraltar (7,4)
Cryptic clue, hidden in “giBRaltar” is the brief form of the solution. |
| 14 |
See 5
|
|
| 17 | PARADISE |
Ideal state, as per roughly around year of Christ’s birth? (8)
Anagram of AS PER around ADI (read as AD 1, year of Christ’s birth) |
| 18 | DISPOSAL |
Getting rid of slops, I’d a little accident unfortunately (8)
Anagram of SLOPS ID A |
| 19 | KEYNOTES |
Lifted award related to the stage essential to search for musical dodo? (8)
TONY (award related to the stage) in (essential to) SEEK (search) reversed (lifted). Key-Notes is interpreted as musical do-do. Thanks to Geoff for helping with this!!
|
| 22 | SCRIMP |
Be niggardly with seafood caught for hotel (6)
ShRIMP (seafood) with C (caught) replacing H (hotel) |
| 23 | MILIEU |
Note on place setting (6)
MI (note) LIEU (place) |
| 24 | FROLIC |
Lark about in pencil or felt-tip (6)
Hidden reversed in “..penCIL OR Felt..” |
| 27 |
See 11
|
|
Very clever and for me a substantial challenge. Enjoyable nevertheless.
19d defeated me and several I just guessed.
Like peterj, I found this a challenge, but an enjoyable one at that. Thank you Wanderer & Turbolegs.
I got 1 down straight away, smiled, and thought I was going to enjoy this. How wrong I was!
Having never heard the expression ‘As dead as mutton’ and having never heard of ‘Dogberry’ or nones (a church service) this was never going to make my day.
No Leica
Thanks Wanderer and Turbolegs
18dn: I think the A in the anagram fodder is the opening letter (“a little”) of “accident”, leaving “unfortunately” as the anagram indicator. That is the only way I can account for all of the words in the clue.
Agree with DonnaW. Never heard of 1a and for me 1d.
Well I did enjoy this too, thanks Turbolegs and Wanderer. I failed on 19D but having put CLOSED for 29A (which is I think also a valid answer, CLOT -v- CLOD), I was never going to get it!
I think that there may be more going on in 12a.
I take the definition to be ‘always’ as evermore is not synonymous with nevertheless in my view.
An unequal nevertheless gives ever (the) more and hence evermore.
Thanks to Turbolegs (and Geoff) – I needed your blog to parse a few ie 5d &19d.
Thanks also to Wanderer for a crafty offering.
I thought the same way as ernie about nevermore. If something is “ever more” then it is always unequal and never less.
I didn’t like “musical dodo” as a definition, but all the rest was fab. Thanks turbolegs and Wanderer.
Thanks Wanderer and Turbolegs
Thoroughly enjoyed this – tough but very gettable. An excellent mix of clue devices throughout.
EVERMORE definitely means ‘always’ with the cryptic part ‘never the less’ equating to EVER MORE.
Had not heard of the phrase “CAESAR’S WIFE must be above suspicion” before. Also had not seen AS DEAD AS MUTTON previously and could only find it in the online Oxford.
Laughed at the effrontery of CLIMAX in this paper – wouldn’t have been so at the Guardian.
Finished in the NW corner with the clever A MILE OFF, the well hidden INGEST and DOGBERRY last in.
Thanks Turbolegs and Wanderer.
I failed on the SW corner missing INIMICAL, MILIEU and CLIMAX (nothing new there!)
I should have got all of these on reflection except for the MICA in 28ac – having not heard of that particular chantreuse.
I particularly commend FIRE STATION for its simple elegance.
Thanks again.