I enjoyed this. Thank you Gozo.
The across answers are all dances. I knew nearly all of these, only a couple I had to guess than check in the dictionary. Ironic as I am a hopeless at dancing and avoid it whenever possible.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SHIMMY | Be quiet, young James! But not Jack! (6) |
| SH (be quiet) then jIMMY (young James) missing J (jack) | ||
| 4 | IRISH JIG | Flag having four letters – consecutive, but not in order! (5,3) |
| IRIS (flag) then anagram (not in order) of HIJK (four consecutive letters) | ||
| 9 | DOSIDO | Extinct bird is back – inside! (6) |
| DODO (extinct bird) contains IS reversed (back) | ||
| 10 | FLAMENCO | Old lover with officer (8) |
| FLAME (old lover) then NCO (officer) | ||
| 12 | CHACONNE | Working behind hut, we’re told (8) |
| sounds like “shack on” (working following hut) | ||
| 13 | PAVANE | A leading position during exercise (6) |
| A VAN (leading position) inside PE (exercise) | ||
| 15 | REEL | The outskirts of Restormel (4) |
| the ouetr letters of REstormEL – for those wondering Restormel is a castle in Cornwall | ||
| 16 | STRATHSPEY | Methylated spirits spilt with limited loss (10) |
| anagram (spilt) of METHYLATED SPIRITS missing the letters of (with…loss) LIMITED | ||
| 19 | GAY GORDONS | Reportedly look fixedly around the Rev. Awdry’s Big Engine (3,7) |
| GAYS sounds like (reportedly) “gaze” (look fixedly) contains (around) GORDON (engine from Thomas The Tank Engine books by Rev Awdry) | ||
| 20 | JIVE | Leading characters in jury’s indecisive verdict expelled (4) |
| first letters of Jury Indecisive Verdict Explained | ||
| 23 | MINUET | It’s not Max that’s rudest, regularly (6) |
| MIN (it’s not max) then (that has) rUdEsT (every other letter, regularly) | ||
| 25 | HABANERA | Goddess circumvents a veto (8) |
| HERA (goddess) contains (circumvents) A BAN (veto) | ||
| 27 | EXCUSE-ME | Old partner and copper seem confused (6-2) |
| EX (old partner) and CU (copper) then anagram (confused) of SEEM | ||
| 28 | MAXIXE | Cricket team in Test reversal (6) |
| XI (cricket team) inside EXAM (test) reversed | ||
| 29 | THE TWIST | Test with complicated arrangements (3,5) |
| anagram (with complicated arrangements) of TEST WITH | ||
| 30 | HUSTLE | Shut out the French (6) |
| anagram (out) of SHUT then LE (the, French) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SIDECAR | Cocktail attachment (7) |
| double definition | ||
| 2 | IN SLAVERY | Like a serf, slain horribly – extremely (2,7) |
| anagram (horribly) of SLAIN then VERY (extremely) | ||
| 3 | MAD DOG | Midday sun worshipper is accursed, when upset (3,3) |
| GODDAM (accursed) reversed (when upset) | ||
| 5 | ROLE | Last part of French pastry item? Yes! Part! (4) |
| just a guess – perhaps profiteROLE? | ||
| 6 | SYMPATHY | Fellow feeling coy about upsetting my little girl (8) |
| SHY (coy) contains (about) MY reversed (upsetting) and PAT (girl, little=diminutive) | ||
| 7 | JUNTA | Legislative council needs most of the month tracing army leaders (5) |
| JUNe (month, most of) then first letters (leaders) of Tracing Army | ||
| 8 | GROCERY | Good place for alpines – off centre food store (7) |
| G (good) then ROCkERY (place for alpines) missing centre | ||
| 11 | ANN TODD | And don’t disturb the star of The Paradine Case (3,4) |
| anagram (disturb) of AND DON’T – star of 1947 Hitchcock film | ||
| 14 | RAIN MAN | Met Office employee on film (4,3) |
| definition and cryptic definition | ||
| 17 | PRICE LIST | Spilt rice all over charge sheet! (5,4) |
| anagram (all over) of SPLIT RICE | ||
| 18 | POWER SAW | Might have seen electrical tool (5,3) |
| POWER (might) with SAW (have seen) | ||
| 19 | GAMIEST | Meat is starting to go off – smelling strongest! (7) |
| anagram (off) of MEAT IS and Go (starting letter of) | ||
| 21 | ETAGERE | Price-tag cut in half, previously on display stand (7) |
| pricE-TAG (cut in half) then ERE (previously) | ||
| 22 | XANADU | Pleasure ground with cross and gold blend (6) |
| X (cross) then an overlapping (blend) of AND and AU (gold) | ||
| 24 | NACRE | Gem from North America, only partly cream (5) |
| NA (North America) then CREam (only part of) | ||
| 26 | XMAS | Festival for ten graduates (4) |
| X (ten) MA’S (graduates) | ||
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.
To PeeDee @1:
With you on dancing, though I doubt either of us has ever been called upon to perform a chaconne, pavane or maxixe.
Failed on ETAGERE which I didn’t know and Chambers doesn’t have because of the accents.
BTW, was the theme announced in the paper puzzle? Last time this happened, there was some rubric in the paper telling us what was going on, apparently, which didn’t make it to the Crossword Utilities site which is were I do this and nor did it this time which made things significantly harder although arguably more fun.
This time, I got as far as THE TWIST and SHIMMY in the acrossers before realising what was going on.
Thanks to both anyway. Enjoyed it.
Fun nonetheless. Thanks to both.
Liked this for the most part. My heart sank when I gathered the theme but was surprised how many I knew. The only one I couldn’t get was STRATHSPEY. I worked out the anagram fodder but, even with all the crossers, still couldn’t make the right guess.
Couldn’t solve 5d though. Still non the wiser. At a push, “yes!” could translate to “olé” leaving just R. Ok, it’s the end of eclair but that’s too big a stretch for me. The parsing in the blog ignores the “yes!” bit of the clue. Erm…
Thanks to Gozo and PeeDee.
“The Watusi..The Twist….” Number nine…number nine…..
Looking at 5d again, I now think the parsing in the blog is fine. I reckon the “yes!” is just used to emphasise “Part” referring back to its appearance in “Last part” at the beginning of the clue.
To Hovis:
Odd how things happen but I was playing Strathspeys with a fiddler chum yesterday so that was one of my first in once I’d got the theme.
Re ‘profiteROLEs’: there are only so many French pastries (‘brioches’, ‘eclairs’, ‘croissants’, ‘profiteroles’) in common English usage, so I thought this one fair enough. The ‘Yes!’ just helps things along a bit. Good clue.
Thanks to both as ever.
To Hovis:
Oops, we crossed, butseem to be in agreement.
Thanks Gozo and PeeDee
Another great themed puzzle from this setter, that took THE TWIST and MINUET to confirm what it was – quite early on thankfully. Had seen most of them before, some only in previous puzzles, such as STRATHSPEY and EXCUSE ME. CHACONNE was new.
Smiled when I saw an FT puzzle make reference to ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’. Liked the allusion to what is probably my favourite poem in 22d.
Finished in the NW corner with IN SLAVERY and the innocuous REEL as the last couple in.