An elegant, but not iverly challenging, puzzle from Nutmeg in today’s Guardian.
I enjoyed this puzzle, which seemed to be about the right level of difficulty for a Wednesday. Solving the long entires definitely helped though as they provided a lot of crossers for some of the trickier short ones, with UNLESS my LOI. A couple of bits of general knowledge were required, but nothing too obscure. CORDOBAS took a while to get to, because I forgot that capital = currency, and then when I came to blog it, I thought that perhaps CORDS = PANTS was a bit of an unreferenced Americanism, as we don’t call trousers pants over here, but I can let that slide, as it is a fun clue.
Thanks, Nutmeg.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SHACKLE | Small journo with extremely large tie (7) |
| S (small) + HACK (“journo”) with [extremely] L(arg)E | ||
| 5 | BLESSED | Favoured plot has comparatively little content (7) |
| BED (“plot”) has LESS (“comparatively little”) content (ie in it), so B(LESSE)ED | ||
| 9 | GLUON | Particle to attach firmly, we’re told (5) |
| Homophone [we’re told] of GLUE ON (“to attach firmly”) | ||
| 10 | AMBIGUOUS | Acclaimed fellow’s gone outside large university, uncertain (9) |
| (f)AMOUS (“acclaimed” with F (fellow) gone) outside BIG (“large”) U (university) | ||
| 11 | BEEF WELLINGTON | Noble statesman pursuing grouse for his dinner, perhaps (4,10) |
| WELLINGTON (“noble statesman”) pursuing BEEF (“grouse”, as in complain) | ||
| 13 | NOEL | Northern stars returning for festival (4) |
| N (northern) + <=LEO (constellation, so “stars”, returning) | ||
| 14 | ANGELINA | Lady regularly feels restricted by heart problem (8) |
| [regulary] (f)E(e)L(s) restricted by ANGINA (“heart problem”) | ||
| 17 | EXTENSOR | Former singers last to go forward, one stretching a leg? (8) |
| EX (“former”) + TEN(S)OR(s) (“singers (tenors) with its last (letter) going forward a bit) | ||
| 18 | ACME | Summit at Chequers must end, only leaders staying (4) |
| [only leaders staying] of A(t) C(hequers) M(ust) E(nd) | ||
| 21 | FORBIDDEN FRUIT | The first thing pilfered to fund Firebird production? (9,5) |
| *(to fund firebird) [anag;production] | ||
| 23 | IRASCIBLE | King departing, crab-like, is unusually crabby (9) |
| *(crablie is) [anag:unusually] where “crablie” is “crablike” with K (King) departing | ||
| 24 | UNITE | Horseman it’s said put on uniform to join forces (5) |
| Homophone [it’s said] of KNIGHT (“horseman”) put on U (uniform) | ||
| 25 | HUELESS | Drab female abandons fuel top Nazi collects (7) |
| F (female) abandons (f)UEL that HESS (“top Nazi”) collects, so (H-(f)UEL-ESS) | ||
| 26 | SWAGGER | Son faces hazard with extra heart, showing off (7) |
| S (son) faces WAG(G)ER (“hazard” with extra middle letter (heart)) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SIGN | Put one’s name on placard (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | AMUSEMENT ARCADE | Craft cameramen used at leisure facility (9,6) |
| *(cameramen used at) [anag:craft] | ||
| 3 | KUNG FU | Fine antelope in country turned up in Chinese art (4,2) |
| <=(F (fine) + GNU (“antelope”) in UK (“country”)) [turned up] | ||
| 4 | ERASED | Times editor taken out, not to be seen (6) |
| ERAS (“times”) + ED (editor) | ||
| 5 | BABBLING | Incoherent article penned by bishops on ostentatious items (8) |
| A (“article”) penned by B B (bishops) on BLING (“ostentations items”) | ||
| 6 | ENGINEER | Direct English poet’s never drinking alcohol (8) |
| E (English) + NE’ER (“poet’s never”) drinking GIN (“alcohol”) | ||
| 7 | SHORT-CIRCUITING | Avoiding strong drink, ending revolution (5-10) |
| SHORT (“strong drink”) + CIRCUITING (“ending revolution”, as in completing a circle) | ||
| 8 | DISENGAGED | Separate royal headline from February 1981? (10) |
| (Lady) DI’S ENGAGED may have been a headline in February 1981 | ||
| 12 | INTERFAITH | Bumbling train thief with multiple convictions (10) |
| *(train thief) [anag:bumbling] | ||
| 15 | ENCIRCLE | Nancy’s in Lima wearing enchantress’s ring (8) |
| EN (“in” in “Nancy” (French city)) + L (Lima in the phonetic alphabet) wearing CIRCE (mythical “enchantress”) | ||
| 16 | CORDOBAS | Old graduate splitting pants in Nicaraguan capital (8) |
| O (old) + BA (Bachelor of Arts, so “graduate”) splitting CORDS (“pants”)
The cordoba is the unit of currency in Nicaragua, hence “Nicaraguan capital” |
||
| 19 | UNLESS | Save when banks leave fund a smaller amount (6) |
| [banks leave] (f)UN(d) + LESS (“a smaller amount”) | ||
| 20 | TRAUMA | Shock as naked guy boards vehicle close to arena (6) |
| [naked] (g)U(y) boards TRAM (“vehicle”) + [close to] (aren)A | ||
| 22 | DEAR | Sound made by animals cherished (4) |
| Homophone of [sound made by] DEER (“animals”) | ||
*anagram
Comments are closed.