We haven’t blogged a Klingsor for a while, but we always enjoy his puzzles – this was no exception.
We can’t see a theme or a nina, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one!
All good fun, if perhaps slightly easier than we might have expected from this setter on a Saturday.
| Across | ||
| 1 | South America imports tea, for example (4,2) | |
| SUCH AS | S (south) US (America) round or ‘importing’ CHA (tea) | |
| 4 | Sweep outside a B&B, using mop? (8) | |
| SWABBING | SWING (sweep) ‘outside’ A B B | |
| 10 | Novel having unexpected outcome, by Hardy? (6,5) | |
| OLIVER TWIST | TWIST (unexpected outcome, as in a story plot) after or ‘by’ OLIVER (Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy) | |
| 11 | Officer briefly gets depression (3) | |
| COL | COL (abbreviation for colonel – ‘officer’) | |
| 12 | Swim by breakwater? That’s relatively crazy (7) | |
| DIPPIER | DIP (swim) PIER (breakwater) | |
| 14 | What arises from the Ashes? Renewed hope, having heard scores (7) | |
| PHOENIX | An anagram of HOPE (anagrind is ‘renewed’) + a homophone (‘heard’) of NICKS (scores) | |
| 15 | It’s where Elgar, at the end, worked with score (14) | |
| WORCESTERSHIRE | Thanks to Kathryn’s Dad we are calling this a ‘clue as definition’ – the parsing is an anagram of IT’S WHERE, R (last or ‘end’ letter of ‘Elgar’) and SCORE – anagrind is ‘worked’. Elgar was born, lived and is buried in Worcestershire | |
| 17 | What’s needed to make orange grange useless? (4-3-7) | |
| GOOD-FOR-NOTHING | To change ‘orange’ into ‘grange’ you need ‘g’ (GOOD) to replace (FOR) ‘o’ (NOTHING) | |
| 21 | Where you may find kipper and meat to scoff (7) | |
| HAMMOCK | HAM (meat) MOCK (scoff) | |
| 22 | Fruit juice about to net a profit (7) | |
| PAPAYAS | SAP (juice) reversed or ‘about’ round or ‘netting’ A PAY (profit) | |
| 23 | Local independent news (3) | |
| INN | I (independent) N N (new, twice) | |
| 24 | Plant abundant on bogs is from France (11) | |
| LOOSESTRIFE | RIFE (abundant) after or ‘on’ LOOS (bogs) EST (French for ‘is’) | |
| 26 | Essay returning model aircraft, originally in box? (8) | |
| TREATISE | SIT (model) A (first or ‘original’ letter of ‘aircraft’) reversed or ‘returning’ in TREE (‘box’ is a species of tree ) | |
| 27 | Ring true about daughter’s nasty experience (6) | |
| ORDEAL | O (ring) REAL (true) round D (daughter) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Doctor Who’s day to have confrontation (8) | |
| SHOWDOWN | An anagram of WHO’S (anagrind is ‘doctor’) D (day) OWN (have) | |
| 2 | Character essential to Archimedes? (3) | |
| CHI | Hidden in or ‘essential to’ ArCHImedes | |
| 3 | Maybe bitter old lady providing fish (7) | |
| ALEWIFE | ALE (‘bitter’) WIFE (‘old lady’) | |
| 5 | Cheeky lad beat a paparazzo? (14) | |
| WHIPPERSNAPPER | WHIP (beat) PER (a) SNAPPER (paparazzo) | |
| 6 | Promise to marry little woman, admitting corruption (7) | |
| BETROTH | BETH (‘little woman’) round or ‘admitting’ ROT (corruption) | |
| 7 | Lack of consistency in crying out for reform (11) | |
| INCONGRUITY | An anagram of IN CRYING OUT – anagrind is ‘for reform’ | |
| 8 | Festival axes many stars (6) | |
| GALAXY | GALA (festival) X Y (axes, as in a graph) | |
| 9 | Playing mostly forte, take sonata very fast (2,1,4,2,5) | |
| AT A RATE OF KNOTS | An anagram of FORT |
|
| 13 | Execution by necessity involves attendant (11) | |
| PERFORMANCE | PERFORCE (by necessity) round or ‘involving’ MAN (attendant) | |
| 16 | Spurs having nightmare? It’s a delicate case (8) | |
| EGGSHELL | EGGS (spurs) HELL (nightmare) | |
| 18 | Old copper spilt petrol, a tiny bit of it? (7) | |
| DROPLET | D (old copper – an old penny) + anagram of PETROL – anagrind is ‘spilt’ | |
| 19 | One who tries hugging quiet bar employee (7) | |
| TAPSTER | TASTER (one who tries) round or ‘hugging’ P (quiet) | |
| 20 | Disagreement after detailed article portrays economy (6) | |
| THRIFT | RIFT (disagreement) after TH |
|
| 25 | Head off burning rage (3) | |
| IRE | ||
Nice. Agree that this was at the easier end for a Klingsor.
Some wonderful anagrams: 15a, 7d and 9d. 15a being particularly clever.
Loved the construction for 17a and the simplicity of 23a.
Didn’t know ALEWIFE or LOOSESTRIFE but both were gettable from the clues, so just needed looking up to check.
Thanks to Klingsor and BJ.
Brilliant puzzle. WORCESTERSHIRE was particularly inspired.
Agreed, and not too hard for a Saturday – again. A good week for expanding the vocabulary carried on with Loosestrife, though I doubt its memory will linger too long. Thanks to B & J and Klingsor.
Didn’t know ALEWIFE or LOOSTRIFE, but got them from wordplay. I knew the word ALEWIFE but thought it was a woman rather than a fish. More educated now:-) Lots of good clues and an enjoyable puzzle. Thanks Klingsor and B&J.
Very nice puzzle with faultless clueing. Agree about WORCESTERSHIRE.
Usually Klingsor puzzles take me twice as long as this did. All that meant is that I got the same number of smiles in half the time. ALEWIFE and LOOSESTRIFE were new to me so it was educational too. (Ah, who am I kidding? Forgotten before hitting “Post Comment”.)
Spoilt for choice with favourites but agree that WORCESTERSHIRE deserves a mention. Very clever.
Thanks Klingsor and B&J.