More interesting words for me to learn and some humour this time too. Thank you Azed.
| Across | ||
| 1 | KUPFERNICKEL | Mineral causing variegated rue with pink fleck (12) |
| anagram (variegated) of RUE with PINK FLECK | ||
| 9 | YSLAKED | Once cooled down day’s not active wandering round mere (7) |
| anagram (wandering) of DaY’S missing A (active) containing (around) LAKE (mere) | ||
| 12 | PLIM | Swell? Droopy, last to take the lead (4) |
| LIMP (droopy) with the last letter in the lead | ||
| 13 | PATARIN | Sailor in anguish – his views were heretical (7) |
| TAR (sailor) in PAIN (anguish) | ||
| 14 | HOCUS | Cheat that contains nothing? Send it back (5) |
| SUCH (that) contains O (nothing) reversed (send it back) | ||
| 15 | WAISTS | Jester alternating with fool – they’re often belted (6) |
| WIT (jester) intertwined with ASS (fool), one letter form each in turn (alternating) | ||
| 16 | STILL-HEAD | Crown of pelican not moving beak at the top? (9) |
| STILL (not moving) HEAD (beak, a head teacher or at the top) – a pelican is a type of still | ||
| 18 | SALMI | Stew of left-overs Islam’s thrown out (5) |
| anagram (thrown out) of ISLAM | ||
| 19 | SWAY | Two-up, around second in Masters, showing dominance (4) |
| SWY (two up, card game) contains (around) mAsters (second letter in) | ||
| 21 | BICE | Paint that’s blue or green – or black, introducing formality (4) |
| B Black) coming before (introducing) ICE (formality) | ||
| 22 | ARDAS | See this short prayer I wrung out – in gurdwaras? (5) |
| anagram (not explicitly indicated) of in gurDwARAS missing (out) I WRUNG or better: anagram (out) of ARDAS (this, the solution) I WRUNG is IN GURDWARAS | ||
| 24 | SOUTHLAND | This is missing in essence, also towards bottom of chart? (9) |
| THis missing IS in SOUL (essence) then AND (also) | ||
| 26 | PUSSER | Face Her Majesty like a smart sailor (6) |
| PUSS (face) then ER (her majesty) | ||
| 28 | NEARS | Approaches calling for attention between bridge partners (5) |
| EAR (attention) inside (between) N ans S (bridge partners) | ||
| 29 | ENTHRAL | Bind in leather, not i.e. for distribution (7) |
| anagram (for distribution) of iN LeATHER missing IE | ||
| 30 | GLIT | Slimy stuff from end of slug, legless? (4) |
| sluG (end letter of) and LIT (legless) | ||
| 31 | DESPISE | Scorn, especially when received by side hammered (7) |
| ESP (especially) inside (when received by) anagram (hammered) of SIDE | ||
| 32 | STRENGTHENER | Booster making gents err wildly, subsequently restrained (12) |
| anagram (wildly) of GENTS ERR containing (with…restrained) THEN (subsequently) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | KYPHOSIS | One aboard turbulent sky-hops in hunched condition (8) |
| I (one) inside (aboard) anagram (turbulent) of SKY-HOPS | ||
| 2 | PLICAL | Magpies grabbing end of frill left folded fan-wise (6) |
| PICA (magpie genus) contains frilL (end letter of) then L (left) | ||
| 3 | EKISTIC | Coffin I found in Ecuador indicating human settlement (7) |
| KIST (coffin) I inside EC (Ecuador) | ||
| 4 | REPRISE | Salesman given pay increase or yearly deduction (7) |
| REP (salesman) with RISE (pay increase) | ||
| 5 | ICTAL | Some medic talking about epilepsy? (5) |
| found inside (some of) medIC TALking | ||
| 6 | CHAI | Tea dance? I’ll replace second half (same as first) (4) |
| CHA CHA (dance) with I replacing the second half (cha, which is the same as the first half) | ||
| 7 | KARSEY | Locker containing a king’s WC (6) |
| KEY (something that locks) contains A R’S (rex’s, king’s) | ||
| 8 | LENS | Rakes clearing central area for legumes (4) |
| LEaNS (rakes) missing the middle letter A (area, centrally positioned) | ||
| 10 | SLOB AROUND | Idle ear part’s captivated by noise (10, 2 words) |
| LOBAR (ear part) is inside (captivated by) SOUND (noise). Lobar is an adjective but “ear part” a noun? | ||
| 11 | VITA PATRIS | Working apart among vines while dad’s still alive (10, 2 words) |
| anagram (working) of APART inside VITIS (vine genus) | ||
| 17 | DISASTER | Place for dead flower? A tragedy (8) |
| DIS (hell, a place for the dead) then ASTER (a flower) | ||
| 19 | STARLET | Being miscast rattles Hollywood wannabe? (7) |
| anagram (being miscast) of RATTLES | ||
| 20 | WANNISH | Rather pale girl in grip of longing (7) |
| ANN (girl) inside WISH (longing) | ||
| 21 | BUSTER | Strong wind, a biggy, in storm striking Luxembourg (6) |
| BLUSTER (storm) missing (striking) L (Luxembourg) – two definitions | ||
| 23 | DUALIN | Do blasting with this? It can make a loud din (6) |
| anagram (blasting) of DO with DUALIN (this, the solution) can be A LOUD DIN – definition is &lit | ||
| 25 | HERON | Bird? Bird hopes boyfriend will turn this (5) |
| bird (girl) hopes boyfriend will turn HER ON (this, the solution) | ||
| 26 | PECS | Doubt lifted, sis having gone off muscles (4) |
| SCEPsis (doubt) reversed (lifted) missing (having gone off) SIS | ||
| 27 | SHOE | Gardens, last coming to the fore in Oxford, say (4) |
| HOES (gardens) with last letter to the front | ||
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.
Thanks Azed and PeeDee
22ac: I read this as a composite anagram, indicated by “See … out”, with the final question mark indicating that “in gurdwaras” is one possible rearrangement of “ardas I wrung”.
10dn: I think the indication for LOBAR is “ear part’s”.
Thanks to Azed, as always, and PeeDee for the sound blog.
Pelham Barton’s comment doesn’t add anything to the blog but does raise the interesting subject of compound anagrams..
Ximenes didn’t allow these and I seem to recall Azed in an early slip explaining why he was relaxing the rules (X would allow adding/subtracting single letters but not complete chunks) Azed’s wording for compounds is always very precise. In 22 across the “out” is indicating the anagram of ardas+I wrung=in gurdwaras. I think both of you are saying the same thing.
In response to keith thomas @2, my remark on 22ac certainly adds nothing to what is there now, but my memory is that, at the time I posted the comment, the second parsing (from “or better”) was not there.
Sorry for the confusion, I forgot to credit Pelham for the improved explanation for 22 across. Thank you for the corrections as always.
Thanks PeeDee. Thank you in turn for including the revised explanation in the blog.