Another good straightforward puzzle form Chalmie. Very enjoyable, thank you Chalmie.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MONKEY | Primate’s satellite missing nothing important (6) |
| MOoN (satellite) missing O (zero, nothing) then KEY (important) | ||
| 4 | ASSISTED | Helped fool original journalist (8) |
| ASS (fool) IST (1st. original) ED (journalist) | ||
| 9 | NEATEN | Corbyn finally had to tidy up (6) |
| corbyN (final letter of) with EATEN (had) | ||
| 10 | STRANGER | Comparatively odd murderer drops pound (8) |
| STRANGLER (murderer) missing L (libra, pound) | ||
| 12 | WASH | Estuary with tree (4) |
| W (with) ASH (tree) | ||
| 13 | FLASH | Loud note gets quiet in an instant (5) |
| F (loud) LA (note) with SH (quiet) | ||
| 14 | FRED | Loud, colourful bloke (4) |
| F (forte, loud) RED (colourful) | ||
| 17 | A BROTH OF A BOY | Really great chap’s Irish cannibal dish? (1,5,2,1,3) |
| double/cryptic definition | ||
| 20 | PEANUT BUTTER | Spread out a tune while in lead, say (6,6) |
| anagram (out) of A TUNE) in PB (lead) then UTTER (say) | ||
| 23 | READ | American blocking communist study (4) |
| A (American) inside (blocking) RED (communist) | ||
| 24 | START | Opening, headline act drops container (5) |
| STAR Turn (headline act) missing URN (container) | ||
| 25 | SNAG | Catch small horse (4) |
| S(small) NAG (horse) | ||
| 28 | ZEPPELIN | Led, possibly, very quiet priest into Buddhist sect (8) |
| PP (pianissimo, very quiet) ELI (priest) inside ZEN (Buddhist sect) – rock band Led Zeppelin perhaps | ||
| 29 | MALICE | Liberal Independent enters club, causing ill-will (6) |
| L (liberal) I (independent) inside MACE (club) | ||
| 30 | LANDINGS | Flight ends with elected government coming in last, oddly (8) |
| AND (with) IN (elected) G (government) in LaSt (odd letters of) | ||
| 31 | PLIGHT | Difficult position short on pressure (6) |
| LIGHT (short) following (on) P (pressure) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MENSWEAR | Bishops possibly curse suits and ties? (8) |
| MEN (chess pieces, bishops perhaps) SWEAR (curse) | ||
| 2 | NOAH’S ARK | Island weighed down by drama about advanced flood protection system (5,3) |
| SARK (island, in Channel Isles) underneath (weighed down by) NOH (drama, Japanese theatre) containing (about) A (advanced) | ||
| 3 | EWES | Reportedly employ farm animals (4) |
| sounds like (reportedly) USE (employ) | ||
| 5 | SATISFACTORY | Adequate soldiers receive note on plant (12) |
| SAS (soldiers) contain TI (note, music) on FACTORY (plant) | ||
| 6 | IRAN | One managed what’s around Tehran (4) |
| I (one) RAN (managed) | ||
| 7 | TIGERS | Predators put a thousand dollars in banks (6) |
| G (grand, a thousand dollars) inside TIERS (banks) | ||
| 8 | DERIDE | Make fun – remove dodgems? (6) |
| I’m not sure about this. DE (remove, de- prefix) RIDE (dodgems perhaps, a fairground ride). I think the definition of “deride” has to be “make fun of”. To “make fun” is not the same thing. Perhaps I am barking up the wrong tree. | ||
| 11 | ALL-OR-NOTHING | Desperate effort – hang on or it’ll explode (3-2-7) |
| anagram (explode) of HANG ON OR IT’LL | ||
| 15 | OTHER | Different monk leaving Brazil (5) |
| brOTHER (different) missing (leaving) BR (Brazil) | ||
| 16 | FORUM | Discussion class welcomes you at last (5) |
| FORM (class) contains (welcomes) yoU (last letter of) | ||
| 18 | STANDING | Deputy has key right to sue (8) |
| STAND-IN (deputy) has G (key, music) | ||
| 19 | FRAGMENT | Make fun of people in newspaper piece (8) |
| RAG (male fun of) MEN (people) in FT (this newspaper) | ||
| 21 | BRAZIL | British artist meets Russian car nut (6) |
| B (British) RA (Royal Academician, artist) ZIL (Russian car) | ||
| 22 | DAMPEN | Make wet writer stop first (6) |
| PEN (writer) following (with…first) DAM (stop) | ||
| 26 | DELI | Shop in Adelaide licensed (4) |
| found inside adelaiDE LIcensed | ||
| 27 | RAIL | Wader right to be sick (4) |
| R (right) and AIL (to be sick) | ||
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.
Liked most of this. Didn’t care for 17a – easy if you’ve heard the phrase (I haven’t) and a stab in the dark if you haven’t. Parsed 8d as PeeDee, but didn’t consider a missing ‘of’. Perhaps the phrase ‘don’t make fun’ means ‘don’t deride’? Never heard of the Russian car ZIL but easy to guess. Not keen on using F for loud in 2 consecutive clues, 13a, 14a. My favourite clue was 19d. Thanks to S&B.
In 30 down, it works for both stairs and planes.
Thanks, PeeDee and commenters.
I came into this crossword late in the day and did complete it.
I regularly visit this site and for me one of its most pleasurable parts is when the setter makes some comment.
So thank you Chalmie and PeeDee.
Thanks Chalmie & PeeDee.
Always good to be able to complete the puzzle even if, as here, I need Fifteensquared to explain a few things!
PeeDee —
A quibble (but then isn’t that a solver’s prime motivation?): the explanation of 3d should underline “farm animals” rather than “reportedly” (no?)
Quite so Brian. I had the wrong end of the stick there.
Thanks Chalmie and PeeDee
Found this a bit harder than normal from Chalmie, but enjoyable all the same. Took a long time to get the last couple – STANDING and A BROTH OF A BOY (which I had never heard of).
Wasn’t able to see STAR T[URN] to parse 24a properly, although it had to be START.
Hadn’t heard of the ZIL car before – but as so often happens … it pops up in something else … was reading one of those old style espionage novels between the Russians and Americans … and yes there was one picking up the agent from Sheremetyevo Airport.