Some friendly bowling from Armonie today.
Nice puzzle with a bit of cricket tossed in, always welcome here. No googlies, everything on a line and length and safely blocked or despatched, I fancy. Played that man.
| Across | ||
| 1 | STRIP LIGHT | Stumble in feeble illumination (5,5) |
| TRIP (‘stumble’) in SLIGHT (‘feeble’). | ||
| 7 | BACH | Group hasn’t time for composer (4) |
| BAtCH (‘group’) without its T[ime]. | ||
| 9 | RACE | People hurry (4) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 10 | COVER POINT | Charlie finished feature on the cricket field (5,5) |
| C[harlie] + OVER (‘finished’) + POINT (‘feature’), for fielding position in cricket where poor batsmen (e.g. me) are most commonly caught. | ||
| 11 | CHILLY | Cuba’s mountainous and unwelcoming (6) |
| C[uba] + HILLY (‘mountainous’). | ||
| 12 | THIRD MAN | The way scholar is caught by feeble fielder (5,3) |
| RD (road, ‘way’) + MA (Master of Arts, ‘scholar’) surrounded (‘caught’) by THIN (‘feeble’). | ||
| 13 | INCREASE | Where the striker stands for more pay (8) |
| Almost DD. In cricket, a batsman (‘striker’) stands ‘IN (the) CREASE’. | ||
| 15 | HASP | Means of securing Hindu leader’s snake (4) |
| H[indu’s ‘leader] + ASP (‘snake’). | ||
| 17 | PEEP | Look both ways (4) |
| PEEP is reversible. | ||
| 19 | ADAPTIVE | Doctor paid a vet to be compliant (8) |
| Anagram (‘doctor’) of PAID A VET. | ||
| 22 | FOREGONE | Given up representing East German individua (8) |
| FOR (‘representing’, as in “I’m for peace, love and macrobiotic footwear”) +E[ast] + G[erman] + ONE (‘individual’). | ||
| 23 | MALICE | Married woman shows animosity (6) |
| M[arried] + ALICE (a ‘woman’). | ||
| 25 | EISENHOWER | Where noise disturbed general (10) |
| Anagram (‘disturbed’) of WHERE NOISE. | ||
| 26 | PLOT | Coppers share the action (4) |
| P[ence], (= ‘coppers’, small change) + LOT (a ‘share’). | ||
| 27 | FAST | Head of staff in large firm (4) |
| S (‘head’ letter of ‘Staff’) in FAT (‘large’, politely). | ||
| 28 | ROYAL FLUSH | A good hand for prince getting generous (5,5) |
| ROYAL (e.g. a ‘prince’) + FLUSH. H’mm, not sure about this. When buying a round I am of course always ‘generous’ but only if I’m ‘flush’ – ‘in the money’ – which isn’t the same thing. For ‘flush’, Chambers also gives ‘Overflowing, abounding’, neither of which I quite hear as ‘generous’. Discuss. | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | TEACH-IN | Nice hat designed in seminar (5-2) |
| Anagram (‘designed’) of NICE HAT. | ||
| 3 | IDEAL | Thought an apprentice most suitable (5) |
| IDEA (‘thought’) + L[earner], an ‘apprentice’. | ||
| 4 | LACRYMAL | Call Mary, troubled and weepy (8) |
| Anagram of CALL MARY. I’d always spelt it ‘lachrymal’ but Chambers is happy with this alternative. Looks a bit Yank to me. | ||
| 5 | GIVE THE GAME AWAY | Lose and squeal (4,3,4,4) |
| DD. | ||
| 6 | TORRID | Cliff’s free to be passionate (6) |
| TORR (with or without the second ‘R’ = ‘cliff’ it seems ) + RID (to ‘free’). | ||
| 7 | BLOODSHOT | Dashing young men, lustful and inflamed (9) |
| Young BLOODS + HOT (‘lustful’). | ||
| 8 | CANVASS | Drum up support for painting on Sunday (7) |
| CANVAS (a ‘painting’) + S[unday]. | ||
| 14 | REPRESENT | Agent has dislike of picture (9) |
| REP (‘agent’) + RESENT (‘dislike’). ‘Picture’ as verb. | ||
| 16 | BALMORAL | Something comforting uttered in royal retreat (8) |
| BALM + ORAL. | ||
| 18 | EROTICA | Irate CO replaced porn (7) |
| Anagram of IRATE CO. | ||
| 20 | VICIOUS | Clergyman promises to be cruel (7) |
| VIC[ar] + IOUS (= I-Owe-Yous, ‘promises’ to pay). | ||
| 21 | BOTHER | Trouble when relative runs away (6) |
| BrOTHER, lacking R[uns] (cricket, again). | ||
| 24 | LAPEL | Students keeping Primate in a flap (5) |
| L[earner], again, x2, surround APE (a ‘primate’). | ||
*anagram
I’m just wondering whether to recommend this nice straightforward crossword to a lady who ‘hates crickety clues’ 😉
I enjoyed it so thank you to Armonie and Grant
Cs@1, I wouldn’t, the crickety clues in nw were beyond me. Otherwise a delightfully breezy jaunt.
Many thanks Armonie and GB (especially for the cricket clues)
Do I miss something?
Where are all these cricket clues?
10ac and 13ac, that’s about it.
And to be fair to Armonie, the idea of INCREASE has been executed so many times that it’s hardly a cricket clue.
Agree with the previous speaker when he says “a delightfully breezy jaunt”.
Thanks Grant.
Thanks Armonie and Grant
Pretty straightforward but did fail with FOREGONE (had FOREDONE, and even found an archaic meaning of it that nearly passed muster).
The across clues certainly did have a cricket flavour to them and did also initially wonder about the tenuous link between generous and flush. Following up both words can mean ‘in abundance’ – as in a generous amount … or flush with. Armonie is usually quite precise with his synonymous words.
PLOT was my last in … and did have to search around to find the connection with ‘action’.
The other cricketing clue is at 12 across.