Sorry the blog is late, the online puzzle is not available at the moment and Gaufrid had to help me find a copy.
Thanks also to Cryptic Sue for being and early bird and spotting this morning that I had inadvertently posted a blog for yesterday’s puzzle by mistake.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MONTANA | State how one works with leather in North America (7) |
| MO (modus operandi, how one works) then TAN (leather) in NA (North America) | ||
| 5 | ANISEED | Aromatic flavouring one needs to sprinkle on bit of aubergine (7) |
| anagram (to sprinkle) of I (one) NEEDS following (on) Aubergine (first letter, a bit of) | ||
| 9 | GOT UP | Ascended pass with sheep (3,2) |
| GO (pass) with TUP (sheep) | ||
| 10 | BADMINTON | Poor-quality porcelain in which rackets are involved (9) |
| BAD (poor quality) MINTON (Minton porcelain from Staffordshire) | ||
| 11 | AIR LETTER | Circulate landlord’s correspondence (3,6) |
| AIR (circulate) LETTER (landlord, someone who lets) | ||
| 12 | BULGE | Part of leg lubricated when reviewing swelling (5) |
| found inside lEG LUBricated reversed (when reviewing) | ||
| 13 | EPOCH | Recording studio’s last award for a long time (5) |
| EP (Extended Play, recording) studiO (last letter) and CH (Companion of Honour, award) | ||
| 15 | ORIENTEER | Cross-country athlete, regularly logging four miles, never keeps time (9) |
| every other letter (regularly logging) of fOuR mIlEs then NE’ER (never) containing T (time) | ||
| 18 | TASMAN SEA | The main beverage attracting staff aboard carrier (6,3) |
| TEA (beverage) contains (attracting) MAN (staff) inside ASS (carrier, beast of burden) | ||
| 19 | SIT IN | Protest is about money (3,2) |
| IS reversed (about) then TIN (money) | ||
| 21 | PUMPS | Turned up with member’s footwear (5) |
| UP reversed (turned) then MPS (members of Parliament) | ||
| 23 | ROY ROGERS | Cowboy “awfully sorry” about old car number that’s bent over (3,6) |
| anagram (awfully) of SORRY contains (about) O (old) REG (car number) reversed (that’s bent over) | ||
| 25 | CASSANDRA | Greek who predicted when hospital doctor would settle in California (9) |
| AS (when) SAN (hospital) DR (doctor) inside CA (California) | ||
| 26 | CLOVE | Cold duck needing spice (5) |
| C (cold) LOVE (duck, zero score) | ||
| 27 | LUST FOR | Eagerly desire Lotus when travelling around France with Rex (4,3) |
| anagram (when travelling) of LOTUS containing F (France) then R (rex) | ||
| 28 | EVEREST | Head away from most dangerous mountain (7) |
| sEVEREST (most dangerous) missing first letter (head) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MAGNATE | Fat cat finding small insect amid Mother Earth (7) |
| GNAT (small insect) in MA (mother) E (Earth) | ||
| 2 | NOTORIOUS | Disreputable number contracted to foreign port, American (9) |
| NO (number, contracted=abbrev) TO and RIO (foreign port) US (American) | ||
| 3 | AMPLE | Abundant booze attracts party man (5) |
| ALE (booze) contains MP (party man) | ||
| 4 | ALBATROSS | High-flyer from Scotland primarily traverses region there (9) |
| ALBA (Scotland) then Traverses (primarily, first letter of) and ROSS (region of Scotland) | ||
| 5 | ADDER | Totter perhaps, having seen venomous creature (5) |
| definition/cryptic definition – to tot is to add | ||
| 6 | IAIN BANKS | British novelist’s home contains excellent raised borders (4,5) |
| IN (home) contains AI (A1, excellent) and BANKS (raised borders) | ||
| 7 | EXTOL | Praise partner once lifting patch of ground (5) |
| EX (partner, once) contains LOT (patch of gound) reveresd (lifting) | ||
| 8 | DANSEUR | Maybe Nureyev nursed a wound (7) |
| anagram (wound) of NURSED A | ||
| 14 | HEADSCARF | Teacher Mark, the latest on Bake- Off making adornment for loaf (9) |
| HEAD (teacher) SCAR (mark) last letter of bake-ofF – loaf is slang for head | ||
| 16 | IN ANY CASE | Whatever happens, it’s foolish to recruit unknown accountants (2,3,4) |
| INANE (foolish) contains Y (unknown) CAS (Chartered Accountants) | ||
| 17 | ENTRE COTE | Piece of meat one rests here during main course? (9) |
| COT (where one rests) inside ENTREE (main course) | ||
| 18 | TOPICAL | Contemporary star on extreme type of diet? (7) |
| TOP (star) on I CAL (1 calorie, an extreme diet) | ||
| 20 | NO SWEAT | You’re welcome, son, to enter immediately and have some food (2,5) |
| S (son) inside NOW (immediately) then EAT (have some food) | ||
| 22 | MOSES | He led an exodus from Spain through boggy ground (5) |
| E (Espana, Spain) inside MOSS (boggy ground) | ||
| 23 | RIDER | Haggard jockey? (5) |
| novelist Rider Haggard | ||
| 24 | ON CUE | Somebody grabs copper at the perfect moment (2,3) |
| ONE (somebody) contains CU (copper) | ||
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.
Initially I had ambitious as high-flyer for 4D.
No chance of parsing it though. Eventually went for albatross although I had thought it flew low above the water surface, ie. not a high-flyer.
Thanks Aardvark & PeeDee.
The NW corner took a while to finish because I was reluctant to equate pass with go — in some contexts, such as quizzes, they have opposite meanings.
25a: Cassandra was Trojan, not Greek.
Yes, you’re right Coby.
And, yes, I also thought – just like Aid – is an ALBATROSS really a high-flyer?.
But I do like Aardvark’s puzzles (as I do like his Scorpion crosswords in The Independent).
They’re often less ‘stuffy’ than what’s generally on offer.
In that sense, perhaps, this was even better than today’s Nutmeg (in The Guardian).
Many thanks to PeeDee & Aardvark.
I looked up albatross in Wikipedia when I wrote the blog. It has two modes of flight both using the wind for power: skimming the waves at sea level or rising and falling at higher level. If there isn’t any wind it just sits and rests on the surface of the sea and waits. So unless any expert ornithologists come to comment further then I think we have to give Aardvark the benefit of the doubt.
Thanks Aardvark and PeeDee
With the delay of the online version of the crossword, only got to this yesterday – but it was worth the wait. There seemed to be a lot going on with many of the clues – especially the construction of some of the charade ones.
Finished in the SE corner with ORIENTEER (which took a while to see the word play), ENTRECOTE, CLOVE and NO SWEAT the last few in.
Many thanks for this. Really enjoyed this.
AFW