Well I never, it’s amazing what being stuck on train with nothing else to concentrate on can do.
This was my first unaided finish in quite some time, though I’ll admit there were numerous that I put in optimistically and made a note to check in Chambers later. They all seemed to be there, happily enough.
So many thanks to Beelzebub for making my otherwise uneventful train journey a great deal more enjoyable.
*=anagram, []=dropped, <=reversed. Hover to expand abbreviations.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | MONTREAL – (N in MOT) + REAL. |
| 7 | AHIGH – A + ((I + G[ame]) in (H + H)). |
| 11 | SURMISABLE – (RABIES + SLUM)*. |
| 13 | LADY BOUNTIFUL – (DOUBT IF ANY)* in LUL[l]. |
| 14 | TROY – O in TRY. |
| 16 | INSCRIBE – CRIB in IN SE. |
| 18 | BUTEO – BUT + E O, the latter being indeed a mid-18th century gambling game. |
| 19 | CEIBA – (IE in ABC)<. |
| 21 | PRONG – PRO + NG. |
| 22 | UTTER – [n]UTTER. |
| 24 | ADULATOR – A in (ADULT + OR. |
| 27 | LIRA – R in AIL<. |
| 29 | PRAIRIE TURNIP – (I RIP UP TERRAIN)*. |
| 30 | INDAGATORY – (GRAIN TODAY)*. |
| 31 | DENCH – D[r]ENCH. Interesting to see this in Chambers, as I’d previously assumed it to be a word used only by rappers and bone-headed footballers. I wonder if it really originates from Dame Judi? |
| 32 | RURALITY – R + [pl]URALTY. |
| Down | |
| 1 | MULTICUSPID – (U + DICTUM + LIPS)*. |
| 2 | OMAR – O + MAR. |
| 3 | NIDOSITE – (DO + SIT) in NIE. |
| 4 | RUBBRA – RUB + BAR*. Edmund of that ilk. |
| 5 | EROTICA – [h]OT in ERICA. |
| 6 | LINK – [c]LINK. |
| 7 | ASTI – [p]ASTI[s]. |
| 8 | HAIKU – HAIK[h] + U. |
| 9 | GLUTEN – GLUTE + N. |
| 10 | HELIOGRAPHY – (OPERA HIGHLY)*. |
| 12 | MUM-BUDGET – (M + BUDGE) in MUT[e]. Great word. |
| 15 | STOTINKI – (TIN in OK) in ITS<. A Bulgarian monetary unit, I learn. |
| 17 | EQUATOR – E + QUA[es]TOR. |
| 20 | ETERNE – E + TERNE. An alloy of lead and tin. |
| 21 | PLEURA – P[eritonea]L + RUE< + A. |
| 23 | ENIAC – (A in CINE)<. |
| 25 | ARGH – [particul]AR GH[ost]. |
| 26 | LIAR – RAIL<. |
| 28 | RIFT – [d]RIFT. |
As usual, I can remember almost nothing about doing this except that I have a completed grid. Looking at it now I find I can’t even remember finding the word INDAGATORY, but it’s there before so I must have entered it. I do recall also being surprised to find DENCH in Chambers.L
I’m impressed in your doing it unaided. Even when I was away two weeks ago, I had internet access. However, I think you have a mistake at 3dn. I can’t find NIDOSITE in Chambers. I had NODOSITY, noy being a Spenserian word for trouble.
You’re right. I found NIE as an obsolete of the verb “nigh” as in “to draw near, touch upon” which seemed about plausible.
This happened last time I claimed an unaided finish too, pride inevitably coming before a fall. Thanks for the correction.