In MAKING ENDS MEET, each clue is a pair, leading (in either order) to two six-letter answers which share a letter in the grey cell; this shared letter is not given by wordplay. Solvers must complete the four unclued entries by entering the appropriate letter in the central cell. One answer is two words, another is an abbreviation, and all appear in Chambers Dictionary> (2016).
Not much time to elaborate this week so, luckily for me, this was, of all things, a pretty easy Artix puzzle. Once all the clues had been solved, putting an X at the centre of the cross gave the four unclued entries TUTRIX, XHOSAN, SURTAX and XYSTER.
Solving time: about 75 minutes.
Legend:
Definition in clue
| = division between two halves of clue
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | ACHARS SCRAPS |
Australian kitchen-maid perhaps pickles | game left-overs A (Australian) + CHAR (kitchen-maid, perhaps) | CRAPS (game) |
|
| 2 | SOU-SOU URANIA |
Divine being, princess, one | accepted in mediocre WI savings scheme RANI (princess) + A (one) | U (accepted) in SO SO (mediocre); WI is West Indies |
|
| 3 | SUMMER REBIND |
Fall comes after this small measure in bid | to refresh book editor filled with junk MM (small measure, millimetre) in SUE (bid?) | ED (editor) containing BIN (junk, vb); I’m not sure that sue = bid |
|
| 4 | ICIEST TEAMED |
Each medicine matched | most aggressive and odd bits of itchiness EA (each) MED (medicine) | odd bits of ItChInEsS |
|
| 5 | SONATA ASTUTE |
Retrograde European pooh-poohs clever | Native American tenor composition (E (European) + TUTS (pooh-poohs))< | SON (native) + A (American) + T (tenor) |
|
| 6 | UNREDY YARELY |
Not advisable to rummage under | ground early or, for old bumpkin, promptly UNDER* | EARLY* |
|
| 7 | SPACES SVARGA |
Special service for rooms | upstairs, maybe, showing variety’s good answer SP (special) + ACE (service) | VAR (variety) + G (good) + A (answer); Svarga = heaven |
|
| 8 | SO WHAT TANGAS |
Topless bloke to bang on about bikini bottoms: | who’s a lunatic, eh? (m)AN (bloke, topless) + GAS (bang on about) | (WHOS A)* |
|
| 9 | APLITE ENTETE |
Apparently drunk, rock | infatuated gent’s finale, wearing top string T (genT finale) contained in NETE (top string) | AP (apparently) + LIT (drunk) |
|
| 10 | HESPER RASSES |
Unfinished review of Cats | that man’s discovered open in Evening Star ASSES(s) (review, unfinished) | HE’S (that man’s) + (o)PE(n) (open, discovered ie no outside) |
DOWN |
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| 1 | ASSIST TUSSAH |
Support play when relation, | American, has promoted material AS (when) + SIS (relation) | US (American) + HAS< (has promoted, ie raised) |
|
| 2 | COU-COU UNPOPE |
Companies hiring you picked up meal dish, | take post from new Post Office, add on gym … CO + CO (companies) taking on U (you, sounds like) | N (new) PO (post office) + PE (gym) |
|
| 3 | HUMINT TRAWLS |
Inexperienced in place of seal nets, | gathering stuff from chum inside? RAW (inexperienced) + LS (in place of seal) | in cHUM INside |
|
| 4 | ASMEAR RECHIP |
Dirtily, same criminal’s about | to change ID on phone record about character SAME* + A (about) | EP (record) about CHI (character) |
|
| 5 | ROESTI IDEATE |
Earl in court to dream of | caviar and mum’s potato pancakes E (earl) in DATE (court) | ROE (caviar) + ST (mum, quiet) |
|
| 6 | CREESH HAVANA |
Oil used by Hamilton softens | smoke from drivers holding lead CREES (softens) | AA (drivers, Automobile Association) containing VAN (the lead); Hamilton is Scottish indication |
|
| 7 | RABATO ORANTS |
Artist, British, in old-fashioned collar | sings classic prayers RA (artist) + B (British) + AT (in) | RANTS (sings); prayer = one who prays |
|
| 8 | ANIMUS SERGES |
Cuckoo character’s hostility | creeps up when rector replaces dead candles ANI (cuckoo) + MU (character) | EDGES (creeps up) with R (rector) replacing D (dead) |
|
| 9 | PINETA ALGATE |
Long time for collections of plants | left by entry at all events PINE (long) + T (time) | L (left) + GATE (entry) |
|
| 10 | SADDEN NYASES |
Supplement in class mostly to break heart of | young flappers having messed up essay ADD (supplement) in SE(t) (class, mostly) | ESSAY* |
|
I didn’t find this a particularly tough solve, but I was impressed by it as a feat of construction by Artix.