I enjoyed this. I would cite this is a great example of how to write a traditional puzzle yet keep it fresh and interesting. Thanks Flimsy.
| Across | ||
| 1 | REGISTER | Plumber, eg, is terrified to hold sink in (8) |
| found inside (is held by) plumbeR EG IS TERrified | ||
| 5 | CAMPER | Cold in the morning for each person in tent (6) |
| C (cold) AM (in the morning) PER (for each) | ||
| 9 | SEA OTTER | See a tot playing with river mammal that likes to swim (3,5) |
| anagram (playing) of SEE A TOT with R (river) | ||
| 10 | STONED | Son kept muscles firm on a trip (6) |
| S (son) TONED (kept muscles firm) | ||
| 12 | SKIMP | Skirts with 50% off – politician’s cut back (5) |
| SKIrts (missing 50%) then MP (politician) | ||
| 13 | EMPIRICAL | Strange mice pair – conclusion from pupil derived from observation (9) |
| anagram (strange) of MICE PAIR then pupiL (last letter, conclusion from) | ||
| 14 | ATTEST | A trial limits time to give evidence (6) |
| A TEST (trial) contains (limits) T (time) | ||
| 16 | TRAITOR | Mark by yellow snake in the grass (7) |
| TRAIT (mark) with OR (yellow) | ||
| 19 | AIRPORT | For a trip, flying, female leaves from here? (7) |
| anagram (flying) of fOR A TRIP missing F (female leaves) | ||
| 21 | CLEVER | Smart Conservative backed party (6) |
| C (Conservative) then REVEL (party) reversed (backed) | ||
| 23 | BOTTOMS UP | American can drink after this has been said? (7,2) |
| BOTTOM (can, N. American slang) SUP (drink) | ||
| 25 | LATCH | Toilet with child lock (5) |
| LAT (latrine, toilet) with CH (child) | ||
| 26 | RANCID | High rank was in charge of police department (6) |
| RAN (was in charge of) CID (police department) – two definitions | ||
| 27 | DAMPNESS | Mends spa to regenerate humidity (8) |
| anagram (to regenerate) of MENDS SPA | ||
| 28 | EARNED | Brought in sage – first leaves (6) |
| LEARNED (sage) missing first letter | ||
| 29 | UNSETTLE | A Parisian somewhere in North Yorkshire is upset (8) |
| UN (a in French, as poken in paris) then SETTLE (town, somewhere in North Yorkshire) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | RESIST | Weather is restricting holiday? On the contrary (6) |
| REST (holiday) contains (restricting) IS – well concealed definition | ||
| 2 | GLADIATOR | Wagging tail, a dog’s put on lead – in reality one’s a fierce fighter (9) |
| anagram (wagging) of TAIL A DOG then (is put on) Reality (leading letter of) | ||
| 3 | SET UP | Founded Times Educational Supplement? (3,2) |
| TES (Times Educational supplement) reversed (up) – nice surface reading | ||
| 4 | ELEMENT | Chaps in television rejected part (7) |
| MEN (chaps) in TELE (television) reversed (rejected) | ||
| 6 | ALTERNATE | These letters from Scot could be so different (9) |
| ALTERNATE letters form ScOt could be SO | ||
| 7 | PANIC | Criticise one about to worry (5) |
| PAN (criticise) I (one) C (circa, about) | ||
| 8 | RED ALERT | State of readiness for crisis, right after wine and beer (3,5) |
| RT (right) following RED (wine) and ALE (beer) | ||
| 11 | SPOT | Mark’s small belly (4) |
| S (small) POT (belly) | ||
| 15 | ECONOMISE | Euro’s beginning to affect income, so cut expenditure (9) |
| Euro (first letter, beginning of) then anagram (to affect) of INCOME SO | ||
| 17 | TREATMENT | Present a bit of money and hospital department provides medical care (9) |
| TREAT (present) Money (a bit of, first letter) then ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat hospital department) | ||
| 18 | JAMBOREE | Conserve energy after tedious person’s party (8) |
| JAM (conserve) then E (energy) following BORE (tedious person) | ||
| 20 | TASK | Labour leader in tremendous demand (4) |
| Tremendous (leading letter of) then ASK (demand) | ||
| 21 | CAPTAIN | Smack head? (7) |
| cryptic definition – a smack is a fishing boat | ||
| 22 | CHASTE | Criminal act? He’s free of sin! (6) |
| anagram (criminal) of ACT HE’S | ||
| 24 | TENOR | Singer’s note heard (5) |
| sounds like (heard) “tenner” (£10 note) | ||
| 25 | LAPSE | Left part of church to decay (5) |
| L (left) and APSE (part of church) | ||
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.
PeeDee’s prologue says it all.
Thanks to him and Flimsy too
Yes, PeeDee, I agree, this was quite an enjoyable experience.
That hasn’t always been the case for me, on Flimsy’s various past returns to the front after long gaps.
I was often expecting a bit more finesse with the setter having had so much time to polish his brainchild.
But, as I said, I liked this one very much.
All very precise, Ximenean, good surfaces, no nonsense.
Is that what you mean by a traditional crossword?
[I think most FT setters are relatively traditional, aren’t they?]
Highlights for me the hidden in 1ac and the clue at 1d, both with a definition nicely embedded in the surface.
In 20d I liked the ‘Labour leader’ not being L.
All not very difficult [although I didn’t see what happened in 6d] but elegantly clued.
Thanks Flimsy.
Thanks PeeDee.
[two typos in the blog, one not important (5ac), one that should be corrected (1ac)]
Sil – yes that is what I exactly meant by a traditional crossword. I generally try and avoid using the the X-word in my posts.
Thanks for pointing out the typos, I never see them myself.
Red alert as an answer was in yesterday’s puzzle. Enjoyed the puzzle although got stuck with captain which I couldn’t parse
Thanks Flimsy and PeeDee
Christmas party last night got in the way of posting earlier here. As has been said, an enjoyable puzzle with some neatly camouflaged definitions sprinkled in amongst the clues. Completely missed the proper parsing of BOTTOMS UP thinking that it was a long cryptic definition – hadn’t seen the term ‘can’ to mean the buttocks or bottom – very clever when it was pointed out.
Last couple in were the neat TASK and EARNED (yet another cleverly disguised definition).