My apologies for the lateness of the blog today
| Across | ||
| 1 | CRAFTSPERSON | Creative type’s extremely cautious boxing marine structure for each relative (12) |
| CautiouS (extremes of) contains (boxing) RAFT (a marine structure) then PER (for each) and SON (a relative) | ||
| 8 | OWL-LIKE | Wise co-owner regularly keeps butcher back (3-4) |
| every other letter (regularly) of cO-oWnEr contains KILL (butcher) reversed (back) | ||
| 9 | AMORINI | Flash Romeo, one piercing heart of Juanita, using expressions of love (7) |
| MO (moment, flash) R (romeo, phonetic alphabet) I (one) inside (piercing) juANIta (heart of, middle letters) – amorini are cupids, but I can’t see how this definition works. UPDATE: amorini are paintings of cupids, so they are “representations of love” – thanks to Bruce for this | ||
| 11 | EMOTIVE | Controversial closure of some grounds (7) |
| somE (closure of, last letter) then MOTIVE (grounds, reason) | ||
| 12 | ON TRIAL | Suspect fence might be so old, with hole in middle, rattlin’ badly (2,5) |
| O (old) then anagram (badly) RATtLIN missing middle letter (with hole in the middle) – a fence is a dealer in stolen goods | ||
| 13 | LOFTY | Esteemed Line of Duty loses half of its characters (5) |
| LineOF duTY missing half of the letters (characters) | ||
| 14 | SCARPETTO | Mark, with training excessive, switched climbing boot (9) |
| SCAR (mark) with PE (physical exercise, training) then OTT (excessive) reversed (switched) | ||
| 16 | FRAUDSTER | Rogue German woman cleaner not universally accepted (9) |
| FRAU (woman, German) then DuSTER (a cleaner) missing U (universal) | ||
| 19 | DELFT | Guided around periphery of flat displaying earthenware (5) |
| LED (guided) reversed (around) then FlaT (outside letters, periphery of) | ||
| 21 | IVORIES | Welshman that is sticking with second teeth? (7) |
| IVOR (a Welshman) IE (that is) with S (second) | ||
| 23 | PAPRIKA | Irish photographer leaned over model in Ford showroom? Hot stuff (7) |
| IR (Irish) PAP (photographer) reversed (leaned over) then KA (a model in a ford showroom) | ||
| 24 | GHASTLY | Awful sports car outside has limitations for Lenny (7) |
| GT (sportscar) contains (outside) HAS then LennY (limitations for, outside letters) | ||
| 25 | ELOCUTE | See copper during summer, when in France, deliver harangue (7) |
| LO (see) CU (copper) in ETE (summer, in French) | ||
| 26 | BOARD OF TRADE | Old government department, weary of discussion, relocated to Defra (5,2,5) |
| BOARD sounds like (in discussion) “bored” (weary of) then anagram (relocated) of TO DEFRA | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CALL OFF | Scrub surface of levels left with ring in informal coffee house (4,3) |
| first letters (surface) of Levels Left with O (a ring) inside CAFF (coffee house, informal) | ||
| 2 | ARIDITY | Being parched, fresh air’s needed by detective on case in Tenby (7) |
| anagram (fresh) of AIR then DI (detective inspector) on TenbY (case in, outside letters of) | ||
| 3 | THE JET SET | Group of fashionistas that maybe on runway, ready (3,3,3) |
| definition/cryptic definition | ||
| 4 | PIANO | Scampi – an order somewhat soft (0,5) |
| found inside (somewhat) scamPI AN Order – a rather mysterious wordcount in the PDF edition! Which letter doesn’t come first? | ||
| 5 | ROOFTOP | Bounder, with clinical job, daily breaking in – from up here? (7) |
| ROO (kangaroo, something that bounds) OP (operation, a job done in a clinic) contains (with…breaking in) FT (daily, a newspaper) | ||
| 6 | ODINIST | Scandinavian disciple, big noise, is engrossed in religious text (7) |
| DIN (big noise) IS inside (engrossed in) OT (Old Testament, religious text) | ||
| 7 | POWERLIFTING | Might one newspaper put in Heather’s effort raising many pounds? (12) |
| POWER (might) then I (one) FT (newspaper) LING inside (put in) LING (heather) | ||
| 10 | ISLE OF THANET | Some say writer adores Geordie resident in that part of Kent (4,2,6) |
| ISLE OF sounds like (some say) “I love” (the writer adores) then NE (of the North East, Geordie) inside (resident in) THAT | ||
| 15 | ABRUPTEST | Top classes are texting at university exam – it’s most unexpected (9) |
| A and B (the top classes) R (are, abbreviation in texting) UP (at university) TEST (exam) | ||
| 17 | AVOCADO | Fruity thing endlessly talkative after a party (7) |
| VOCAL (talkative) missing last letter (endlessly) following A then DO (party) | ||
| 18 | DRIFTER | Fissure splits the German fishing boat (7) |
| RIFT (fissure) inside (splits) DER (the, German) | ||
| 19 | DIPLOMA | Go down and see graduate getting award (7) |
| DIP (go down) and LO (see) MA (graduate) | ||
| 20 | LEISURE | Ilse relaxed by English river, given free time (7) |
| anagram (relaxed) of ISLE then URE (an English river) | ||
| 22 | STYLO | Pen, reduced in size, is where pigs live, on left overs? (5) |
| STY (where pigs live) on L (left) and O (overs) – reduced in size indicates an abbreviation | ||
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.
Quite tricky in places – well I thought so anyway – the use of Tippex was required more than once!
I’ll be interested to see how many people actually know about 10a which I can see from our house – although as I always insist, we are still on the ‘mainland’ 🙂
Thanks to Aardvark and PeeDee
I thought this was a “no more Mr Nice Guy” from
ScorpionAardvark.I couldnt find SCARPETTO in Chambers but it parsed so well, it had to be.
Yep-tough but fair, slightly short on laughs but then puzzles dont have to be platforms for stand-up.
Thanks Pee Dee and …you!
Scarpetto is in Chambers under scarpines. (I use the app, not a paper copy, so that may make it easier.)
Full strength Aardvark – great. Lots of clever misdirection but as always with Aardvark everything parses immaculately. Crypticsue – I’ve never had the pleasure of a journey to the Isle but know it from this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlOTGnLtYLU
Thanks Peedee & Aa.
There are 8 FTs in the grid, and for some reason 5 LOs. LOFTY crossword?
I noticed the FTs too, each of the perimeter entries has one. I wonder if this was a deliberate from the outset or if it was just the way the grid-fill turned out. I suspect the latter.
I don’t remember this being difficult, but in my haste to get the blog published I was less strict about using aids than usual so maybe that was the reason. I also forgot to thank Aardvark for the puzzle. Thank you Aardvark.
Thanks Aardvark and PeeDee
Challenging crossword where the clues needed to be really prised out a piece at a time. A couple of new words for me with SCARPETTO and AMORINI as well as the ISLE OF THANET.
Not 100% about the definition of AMORINI either – they are paintings of cupids so ‘expressions of love” works … I don’t know what the ‘using’ is doing though.
Could only parse the “I LUV” part of 10d and needed the help from here to see the rest. It was my last one in.