Another top-notch puzzle form Monk, and easy on the grey matter for the post-Christmas period. Thank you Monk.
A crossword for all seasons.
| Across | ||
| 7 | AT ONCE |
Outstanding heavyweight entering now (2,4)
ACE (outstanding) contains (with…entering) TON (heavyweight) |
| 8 | BUNGALOW |
Plug a vulgar dwelling (8)
BUNG (plug) A LOW (vulgar) |
| 9 | UNIX |
Detach, having lost core operating system (4)
UNfIX (detach) missing middle letter (having lost core) |
| 10 | APACE |
Fast vehicle escaping from shell (5)
carAPACE (shell) missing CAR (vehicle) |
| 11 | FOCI |
Government department beginning to consider current points of interest (4)
FO (Foreign Office, government department) then Consider (first letter, beginning to) and I (current, electrical symbol) |
| 12 | TRAVERSE |
On banks of Tiber, reluctant to cross (8)
TibeR (banks, sides letters of) on AVERSE (reluctant) |
| 14 | GERMAN |
Briefly relevant to European (6)
GERMANe (relevant to, briefly) |
| 16 | WELL-PRESERVED |
Youthful revellers wiped out after dropping one (4-9)
anagram (out) of REVELLERS WiPED missing I (one) |
| 19 | USED-UP |
All-in wrestling pursued without resistance (4-2)
anagram (wrestling) of PUrSUED missing R (resistance) |
| 21 | WISH LIST |
One mum left in Westminster street wants to appear on this (4,4)
I (one) SH (mum) L (left) in WI (Westminster, W1 postcode) then ST (street) |
| 23 | MALT |
Minute example of key drink (4)
M (minute) and ALT (an example of a key on a computer) |
| 25 | SYRIA |
Songs circulating around unknown country (5)
AIRS (songs) reversed (circulating) containing Y (unknown, maths) |
| 26 | BASE |
Stand ground (4)
double definition |
| 27 | NUFFIELD |
Foundation following peacekeepers around battleground (8)
F (following) UN (peacekeepers) both reversed (around) then FIELD (battleground) – the Nuffield Foundation for education and research |
| 28 | OLIVER |
Old organ is musical (6)
O (old) and LIVER (organ) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | ST ANDREW |
Disciple along with king in difficult situation (2,6)
AND (along with) R (rex, king) in STEW (difficult situation) |
| 2 | PNYX |
Nothing said where ancient Greeks met (4)
sounds like “nix” (nothing) – a hill and meeting place in Athens |
| 3 | REPAIR |
Fix match yet again (6)
RE-PAIR (match yet again) |
| 4 | INVEIGLE |
Persuade last couple of people to prop up short rail (8)
peopLE (last couple of letters of) underneath (to prop up) INVEIGh (rail) |
| 5 | NAFF |
Poor admirer about to accept fine (4)
FAN (admirer) reversed (about) containing F (fine) |
| 6 | GOTCHA |
Took tea that you didn’t expect (6)
GOT (took) CHA (tea) |
| 8 | BRAVE NEW WORLD |
Getting overdrawn, blew out perfect society (5,3,5)
anagram (out) of OVERDRAWN BLEW |
| 13 | VALID |
Roman cardinals stifling a sound (5)
V, L. I and D (Roman numbers, cardinals) containing (stifling) A |
| 15 | RAVEL |
Entangle party line (5)
RAVE (party) and L (line) |
| 17 | PIPE-STEM |
Worth skipping second ecstasy following hit and draw on this? (4-4)
ESTeEM (worth) missing the second E (ecstacy) following PIP (hit) |
| 18 | DISASTER |
Trouble man to return flower (8)
SID (a man) reversed (to return) and ASTER (a flower) |
| 20 | STATUS |
Position of university when cutting maths subject (6)
U (university) inside (when cutting) STATS (maths subject) |
| 22 | SHALOM |
Some regularly accepting glory, giving peace to many? (6)
SoMe (regular selection from) contains HALO (glory) – shalom means peace in hebrew (to many, only in certain languages) |
| 24 | TOFU |
Having taken two starters each, too full for food (4)
TOo FUll (two starting letters from each) |
| 26 | BRIE |
Half of detailed instructions to make cheese (4)
BRIEf (instructions) missing last letter (detailed). I don’t know how ‘half of’ fits in. Maybe I have got this wrong. Half of BRIEfing (detailed instructions) – thanks to Gaufrid. |
definitions underlined
There’s no Monk without nina and spotting it early can help in the solving. He should be(or I hope he is) paid a bonus for these constructions.
Love your work, Monk.
Thanks PeeDee
I justified the ‘half of’ in 26dn by parsing it as BRIE[fing] with ‘detailed’ in its accurate rather than cryptic sense (ie not indicating the removal of the last letter).
gaufrid@2-same here.
Spotting the Nina early on (and who could miss it?) helped no end. At the easier end of the Monk spectrum – well I thought so – but as enjoyable as ever.
Thaks o Monk and PeeDee too
Monk started the year as the setter I dreaded most and ended as the setter I most look forward too. This was very entertaining and, by Monk’s standards, very easy. I was slightly disappointed by Pnyx. I thought the wordplay for this, to me, obscure word should have been less ambiguous. I went for Pnix.
Feeling spoiled by my second Monk of the week, however I didn’t think it was all that easy! Agree with Lenny about Pnyx – If you know it, simple, if not, well. The four seasons proved very helpful. Thanks Monk & PeeDee
As usual, didn’tt see the Nina! Had I done so I may have at least have had a lead into Pnyx, the only answer I couldn’t get.
That said, I found this an enjoyable challenge. Many thanks to Monk & PeeDee.
This was much harder for those of us who did not spot the nina.
Was wondering about the ‘to many’ in 22D.
Is it because most Jews would use the shortened form ‘shalom’ rather than the full expression
‘shalom aleichen’?
Thanks to PeeDee & Monk.
Thanks Monk and PeeDee
A recent backlog puzzle which I was able to complete in two short sessions. For once, I saw the nina early doors and that made life a whole lot easier – don’t know if I’d have ever seen PNYX without gaving the three letters – a tough homophone if a) you’ve never heard of the place and b) know how to pronounce it.
Lots of interesting clues throughout … and gee, having those initial letters makes a big difference. Needed the blog to see that it was BRIE(fing) and not an unsatisfactory BRIE(F) at 26d. Finished in the NE corner with APACE, INVEIGLE and the tricky GERMAN the last few in.
Thanks PeeDee and Monk.
When will I ever learn? – missed yet another Nina!
PNYX was my new word of the day. I worked out the NYX/NIX bit so it didn’t take too long to get there.