I find Redshank’s puzzles have an elegance to them. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is but there is a “just right” feel to them; neither too hard nor easy, neither too clever nor too hackneyed. Whatever it is and however you do it: thank you Redshank.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SICKLE | Harvester’s absence from work not welcome (6) |
| SICK LEave (absence from work) missing AVE (welcome) | ||
| 4 | OBSOLETE | Son tucked into mushroom after duck that’s out of date (8) |
| S (son) in BOLETE (mushroom) following O (duck, zero score at cricket) | ||
| 9 | LAUNCH | Throw a meal outdoors (6) |
| A inside (with…outdoors) LUNCH (a meal) | ||
| 10 | SWASTIKA | What used to be on special kit carried by Sturmabteilung (8) |
| WAS (used to be) on anagram (special) of KIT inside (carried by) SA (Sturmabteilung) – extended definition, to be read What… | ||
| 12 | FALSE DAWN | Crawl over dales, distraught when promise is unfulfilled (5,4) |
| FAWN (crawl) containing (going over) anagram (distraught) of DALES | ||
| 13 | BULGE | I’m involved with this battle site in Belgium (5) |
| an anagram (involved) of I’M and BULGE (this) gives BELGIUM | ||
| 14 | ASTROPHYSICIST | He looks heavenwards when cup is returned to box (14) |
| AS (when) TROPHY (cup) IS reversed (returned) to CIST (box) | ||
| 17 | PRISONERS OF WAR | Pens of warriors designed for them? (9,2,3) |
| anagram (designed) of PENS OF WARRIORS | ||
| 21 | LOTUS | Many cherish origin of Ulster lily (5) |
| LOTS (many) conatin (cherish) Ulster (origin, first letter of) | ||
| 22 | CUPIDS BOW | Source of love’s arrow that’s alluringly made up (6,3) |
| double definition. The aluringly made up definition is new to me, see Wikipedia. | ||
| 24 | TANGIERS | More pungent special port (8) |
| TANGIER (more pungent) and S (special). I came across this in a blog a few months ago and someone pointed out that this is an Anglicised version, the actual name of the port is TANGIER. This was something that until then I had not realised. I must have seen the correct name written on maps hundreds of times and mentally added the extra S without ever knowing. | ||
| 25 | ARNICA | Bruised crania? This is said to help (6) |
| anagram (bruised) of CRANIA – Arnica is reputed to cure bruising | ||
| 26 | NOSEGAYS | Posies one’s arranged? They’re not straight (8) |
| anagram (arranged) of ONE’S then GAYS (they are not straight) | ||
| 27 | IMPEDE | Limped everywhere, hiding shackle (6) |
| found inside (hidden by) lIMPED Everywhere | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SALT FLAT | Feature of Bonneville, where old sailor lives? (4,4) |
| double/cryptic definition | ||
| 2 | COUPLET | Item at end of sonnet (7) |
| COUPLE with (at) sonneT (end letter of) – definition is &lit | ||
| 3 | LUCRE | Clubs open attraction to make money (5) |
| C (clubs) inside (to open) LURE (attraction) | ||
| 5 | BOW AND SCRAPE | What poor strings do makes you cringe (3,3,6) |
| cryptic/double definition | ||
| 6 | OSSO BUCCO | Dish copper stud mounted in old firm (4,5) |
| CU (copper) BOSS (stud) reversed (mounted) in O (old) CO (company, firm) | ||
| 7 | EDIBLES | Food left beside battered cans (7) |
| L (left) inside (canned by) anagram (battered) of BESIDE | ||
| 8 | ENAMEL | Madrid article defends VIP as Crown Protector (6) |
| EL (the Spanish, as in Madrid) contains (defends) NAME (VIP) – protects the crowns of your teeth | ||
| 11 | CASH AND CARRY | Store keen to stock wood with vehicle (4-3-5) |
| CRY (keen) containing ASH (wood) with CAR (vehicle) | ||
| 15 | OBSESSING | Haunting old boy sings badly, swallowing tablets (9) |
| OB (old boy) then anagram (badly) of SINGS containing ES (ecstasy tablets) | ||
| 16 | BROWN ALE | Barn owl interpreted echo as something to drink (5,3) |
| anagram (interpreted) of BARN OWL then E (echo, phonetic alphabet) | ||
| 18 | RATINGS | Ordinary seamen viewing figures (7) |
| double definition | ||
| 19 | WEBSITE | Various bits occupying tiny pages here (7) |
| anagram (various) of BITS inside WEE (tiny) | ||
| 20 | GLUTEN | Protein surplus approaching European margins (6) |
| GLUT (surplus) with (approaching) EuropeaN (margins, outside letters of) | ||
| 23 | DURUM | Pasta ingredient university kept in barrel (5) |
| U (university) in DRUM (barrel) | ||
definitions are underlined
I write these posts to help people get started with cryptic crosswords. If there is something here you do not understand ask a question; there are probably others wondering the same thing.
Thanks for a great blog, PeeDee. I couldn’t agree more with your preamble to this puzzle by one of my favourite setters.
Several clever allusive, if not completely &lit, clues – I’m not sticking my neck out – in SWASTIKA, BULGE, ARNICA and PRISONERS OF WAR.
Other top favourites today were SICKLE, ASTROPHYSICIST, and EDIBLES.
Many thanks, as ever, Redshank – I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thank you to Eileen for saying everything I was going to and saving me extra typing
Thanks Redshank and PeeDee
There IS that special quality around the crosswords set by this fellow. I was a bit lucky as I also did a backlog Crucible today. Especially liked his use of the full clue for the definition that also included the word play in a couple of the clues today. Did miss the anagram in 17a though.
Finished with the very clever ENAMEL, COUPLET and the previously unknown ‘Bonneville SALT FLATs’
Great puzzle from Redshank and great blog, PeeDee-parsing of 1a and 13a particularly appreciated.
Agree with everybody on the excellence of this setter but have to admit I found this a lot harder than previous ones. Started in the bottom right and finished in the top left and failed to parse BULGE much to my embarrassment. Also didn’t know the second meaning of CUPID’S BOW, which was my first one in but only tentatively. A few words I didn’t know so had to check on Google: Bolete, Sturmabtellung, Bonneville Salt Flats and Osso Bucco. Arnica rang a vague bell but was the best guess given the crossers. I could only solve the top left by using a Thesaurus to find a 4 letter word for ‘attraction’ to get 3d and again to find a 4 letter word for ‘crawl’ to get 12a. Took way too long to get ASTROPHYSICIST but was well pleased when it finally came to me: cist for a box is a word I have met before but only in a crossword. Tricky writing that last sentence since autocorrect kept changing cist to list and then cost. Thanks to Redshank for challenge and to PeeDee for the excellent blog.
Excellent crossword apart from 22ac.
Thanks for the blog.