Good stuff from Monk as usual, tricky but do-able. Thank you Monk.
I can see RULED across the middle of the grid, but ruled by what or by whom? Over to you…
UPDATE: look out for pairs of reversed words (revolutions) in the grid.
| Across | ||
| 7 | DIAPER | Traveller gets help about pad in US (6) |
| REP (traveller) and AID (help) all reversed (about) | ||
| 8 | DOG-EARED | A setter is normally this shabby (3-5) |
| double/cryptic definition – a setter is a dog, and normally has dogs ears? | ||
| 9 | RAILINGS | Fence complains bitterly about criminals having run away (8) |
| RAILS (complains bitterly) containing (about) rING (criminals) missing R (run) | ||
| 10 | ULITIS | Inflammation left one in situ, being withdrawn (6) |
| L (left) I (one) in SITU reversed (being withdrawn) – an inflammation of the gums | ||
| 11 | DOGGEREL | English Literature initially taken by person following verse (8) |
| E (English) Literature (initial letter of) following (taken by) DOGGER (person following) | ||
| 12 | DRAWER | Artist’s pay rejected (6) |
| REWARD (pay) reversed (rejected) | ||
| 13 | REVOLUTIONS | Turns partner back on when wearing tight suit (11) |
| LOVER (partner) reversed (back) then ON inside (wearing) anagram (tight, drunk) of SUIT | ||
| 18 | REWARD | Hostility stopping Labour gain (6) |
| WAR (hostility) inside (stopping, like a cork) red (Labour, party colour) | ||
| 20 | IMMATURE | Green activist on vacation shut up housing (8) |
| ActivisT (no middle, vacated) inside (housed by) IMMURE (shut up) | ||
| 22 | LIBIDO | Drive courageous type almost to accept offer (6) |
| LIOn (courageous type, almost) contains (to accept) BID (offer) | ||
| 23 | NEMBUTAL | Retreating soldiers save “a line” for sedative (8) |
| MEN (soldiers) reversed (retreating) BUT (save) A L (line) | ||
| 24 | LEGAL AID | Kind of support English fête in top (5,3) |
| E (English) GALA (fete) in LID (top) | ||
| 25 | REPAID | Settled record when in charge? (6) |
| EP (extended play record) in RAID (charge) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | PICADOR | Detective on estate arresting party who’s cruel to animals (7) |
| PI (private investigator, detective) on CAR (estate car perhaps) containing (arresting) DO (party) | ||
| 2 | EPILOGUE | In conclusion, town’s first Republican leaving elite group unsettled (8) |
| anagram (unsettled) of ELItE GrOUP missing T (first letter of town) and R (Republican) | ||
| 3 | KRONER | King and queen welcoming run on foreign currency (6) |
| K (king) and ER (Elizabeth Regina, queen) contains (welcoming) R (run) ON | ||
| 4 | AGNUS DEI | A genius worked round finale of Lord’s prayer (5,3) |
| anagram (worked) of A GENIUS containing (round) lorD (finale, last letter of) | ||
| 5 | LAMINA | Plate of meat almost held up by topless girl (6) |
| 6 | REVILED | Trot around base is hated (7) |
| RED (Trot, Trotskyist, red) containing (around) EVIL (base) | ||
| 8 | DISILLUSIONED | Fail to include son – fancy daughter being let down (13) |
| DIE (fail) then S (son) ILLUSION (fancy) and D (daughter) | ||
| 14 | OLD WOMAN | Damn wool irritated great- granny? (3,5) |
| anagram (irritated) of DAMN WOOL | ||
| 15 | NO-TRUMPS | Contract manuscript torn-up in error (2-6) |
| anagram (in error) of MS (manuscript) and TORN-UP | ||
| 16 | DELIVER | Free one who is oppressed by dues on a regular basis (7) |
| LIVER (one who is, who lives) underneath (oppressed by) DuEs (regular letters from) | ||
| 17 | BREAK-IN | Burglary becoming known before it finishes (5-2) |
| BREAKINg (becoming known, breaking news) unfinished | ||
| 19 | ANIMAL | Brutal change Stalin made after repeated shelling (6) |
| anagram (change) of stALIN MAde missing first and last letter (shelled) twice (repeated) | ||
| 21 | MEMORY | For example, access bank loss after this recollection (6) |
| I’m not sure about this. I think access, bank and loss might all follow MEMORY in compound words. I think the clue needs commas for the words to to be considered in a list. Ignoring punctuation is normal but having to insert it to get the clue to work feels wrong to me. | ||
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.
I originally put in PATINA for 5d, but it must be LAMINA with LAMb for the meat. LAMINA< gives ANIMAL; REVILED< gives DELIVER; DIAPER< gives REPAID; REWARD< gives DRAWER with REVOLUTIONS giving the theme. Clever stuff as usual from Monk. Thanks to S&B.
There are some reversed entries arranged around the word REVOLUTIONS.
Thanks Hovis, LAMINA it is.
Another treat from Monk – I’m delighted to report that I did spot all the revolutions as I was going along.
Thanks to Monk and PeeDee too
what a class act Monk is. Thanks to him and PeeDee
@muffyword
well spotted
@crypticsue
well I never!
I did see DRAWER and REWARD but failed to notice RULED.
A class act indeed.Thanks PeeDee and Monk.
Thanks to Monk and PeeDee. I caught some but not all of the revolutions and could not parse LAMINA (but did see the link to ANIMAL).
Thanks for the blog, PeeDee. Monk’s clueing usually makes me grumpy and this made me grumpier than usual.
Never heard of lamina, ulitis, nembutal, or ‘no-trumps’.
Is a diaper a pad? How does 21 work?
Grumpy – a diaper is a nappy, a pad.
Re 21 – after this (memory, the solution) you might have memory-access, memory-bank and memory-loss for example.
Thanks for the explanations, PeeDee.
Thanks Monk and PeeDee
Found this one pretty tough, starting it at lunch time on the day and only finishing off the top left corner late Friday night. Half looked for a theme afterwards, but didn’t spot it – it would’ve helped get DIAPER, my last one in.
Challenging in places both with getting the words and sometimes harder to parse them. I did like the MEMORY trick at 21 and was happy to get it all out finally.