A fairly short preamble this week, and no special clue types. An easy week for me… NOT!
In NECESSARY EXPOSURE, 15 answers are entered normally; all other answers must be partially treated before grid entry. Chambers Dictionary (2016) is recommended; 21dn is in the Oxford Dictionary of English.
I will say straightaway that I didn’t enjoy this puzzle. Once I had cracked what was going on — and that took an inordinate amount of time — I only persevered because of this blog. All but 15 clues led to words which had jumbles of coins or currency hidden in them. These needed to be unscrambled before entry. All this became a slog. I can’t resolve 5dn and I hated 6dn and 20dn. Sorry, Oxymoron.
Legend:
Definition in clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Answer | Entered As | Clue and Explanation |
| 1 | BOATEL | BOTAEL | Nasty smell worried large riverside inn (6) BO (nasty smell) + ATE (worried) + L (large) |
| 5 | TACTILE | TTICALE | Sensible priest retired in pursuit of diplomacy (7) ELI< (priest) after TACT (diplomacy) |
| 10 | BRIT | Young woman lands river fish (4) BIT (young woman) containing R (river) |
|
| 12 | HYPOID | Sort of gear found in syringe with reduced inner diameter (6) HYPO (syringe) + ID (inner diameter, abbreviation) |
|
| 13 | ARD-RI | King, in the year of the queen’s reign, captures deserted island (5) ARR (in the year of the queen’s reign) containing D (desert) + I (island) |
|
| 14 | EORL | OREL | Freeman abandoned by catholic nobleman of yore (4) CEORL (freeman) – C (catholic) |
| 16 | LIERNE | RIELNE | A support for the vault that’s right in length and not obsolete (6) IE (that is) + R (right) in (L (length) + NE (not, obsolete)) |
| 17 | CROME | A local crook caught by gypsy close to home (5) C (caught) + ROM (gypsy) + E (close to homE) |
|
| 18 | TOMCATS | 22’s mates in contact with married men (7) TO (in contact with) + M (married) + CATS (men) |
|
| 19 | RELAID | REALID | Relocated engineers face going back (6) RE (engineers) + DIAL< (face, back) |
| 22 | TIB-CAT | Queen perhaps deceived about revised act (6) BIT< (deceived, back) + ACT* |
|
| 24 | NURSERY SLOPES | NURSERY SOLPES | Slurry’s seen spread across opposite inclines (13, two words) (SLURRYS SEEN)* about OP (opposite) |
| 28 | DARNER | RANDER | Needle shown by composer interrupting drummer (6) ARNE (composer, Thomas) in DR (drummer) |
| 32 | ANANKE | ANNAKE | Essential bread stored in a cask’s no good (6) NAN (bread) in A KEG (cask) – G (good) |
| 34 | UKELELE | Keelhauled drunk had broken missing instrument (7) (KEELHAULED)* – HAD* |
|
| 36 | LIMAX | MAILX | I’m found inside soft mollusc (5) IM in LAX (soft) |
| 37 | NAMING | MINANG | Identifying dictator captured by US organised military force (6) AMIN (dictator, Idi) in NG (US military force, National Guard) |
| 38 | PEON | Author embracing ordinary office worker (4) PEN (author) about O (ordinary) |
|
| 39 | SADDO | ASDDO | Is a theologian with nothing a dull person? (5) S (is) A DD (theologian) + O (nothing) |
| 40 | WELKIN | LEWKIN | The Spanish king’s enthralled by Reach the Heavens (6) EL (the, Spanish) + K (king) in WIN (reach) |
| 41 | SNEE | SENE | Cut old rotten scene lacking compliance (4) SCENE* – C (compliance) |
| 42 | ASTARTE | ASTATER | Goddess leading in another (7) STAR (leading) in ATE (goddess) |
| 43 | GOURDS | GDUROS | Plants seed in soft ground from right to left (6) URD (seed) in SOG< (soft ground, reversed) |
| DOWN | |||
| No | Answer | Entered As | Clue and Explanation |
| 1 | BATH BUN | BBAHTUN | Almost crazy rabbit eats hot cake (7, two words) BAT(s) (crazy, almost) + BUN (rabbit) containing H (hot) |
| 2 | TIMIDER | TIDIMER | I’m tired out and comparatively nervous (7) (IM TIRED)* |
| 3 | EPILATED | English procurator and director got rid of Charlie perhaps (8) E (English) PILATE (procurater, Pontius) + D (director) |
|
| 4 | NILOT | LIONT | African climbing near ravine (5) (TO (near) LIN (ravine))< |
| 5 | TRUEST | TUREST | Flatter European in charge (6) E(European) in TRUST (charge); I cannot work this one out, unless flatter should be flattest! |
| 6 | THEORIST | Darwin for example is in the middle of prospector territory (8) IS in THE ORT (middle of prospectOR Theorist); ??? |
|
| 7 | CARAP | CPARA | Tree artist wearing brimless hat (5) RA (artist) in CAP (brimless hat) |
| 8 | LIFETIME | LIFMITEE | West of Maine I felt excited about Independence Day (8) (I FELT)* about I (independence) before (ie west of) ME (maine) |
| 9 | EDDERY | EDREDY | Irish jockey about to turn into whirlwind (6) RE< (about, turned) in EDDY (whirlwind) |
| 11 | TRUCE | TRECU | Colt tucks into real Scottish barley (5) C (colt) in TRUE (real) |
| 15 | COLA | Pass over afternoon drink (4) COL (pass) + A (afternoon) |
|
| 20 | SURNAMES | Alcock and Brown for example above famous square (8) SUR (above) + NAME (famous) + S (square); !!! |
|
| 21 | GREEN FEE | GREEFENE | Jock’s long antiquated service payment at Carnoustie perhaps (8, two words) GREEN (long, Scottish) + FEE (service, obsolete) |
| 23 | BONEYARD | BOYENARD | Cemetery desecrated – errand boy runs away (8) (ERRAND BOY)* – R (runs) |
| 25 | PREBEND | PBENDER | Positive engineers yield a share of the income (8) P (positive) + RE (engineers) + BEND (yield); should be (7) |
| 26 | SPEOSES | SPESOES | Son pretends to be touring eastern temples (7) S (son) + POSES (pretends) around E (eastern) |
| 27 | CALIMA | CAMILA | Cloud beginning to cover a South American city (6) C (beginning to Cover) + A + LIMA (South American city) |
| 29 | ANIL | A short river plant (4) A + NIL(e) (river, short) |
|
| 30 | RUMOUR | Gossip second to none in strange old city (6) O (second in nOne) in RUM (strange) + UR (old city) |
|
| 31 | CLASS | College girl quality (5) C (college) + LASS (girl) |
|
| 33 | AKELA | ALEKA | Look after old pine wolf (5) LA (look) after AKE (pine, old) |
| 35 | KIANG | KINAG | Ancient queen perhaps takes in a wild animal from Tibet (5) KING (queen bee, obsolete) containing A |