A carefully constructed and pleasing puzzle from Tees for our Sunday morning entertainment.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Darling daughter always in time for action
D-DAY
A charade of DD and AY. DD for ‘darling daughter’ is a facetious abbreviation used on parenting forums on social media. Think Mumsnet, for example. DS and DH? Go figure.
4 Wild hunter applies whip to a horse
CATAMOUNT
A charade of CAT, A and MOUNT. Never heard of it? It’s another name for the mountain lion or puma.
10 Tax fetters John: fortune needed for building land
VACANT LOT
An insertion of CAN for ‘John’ in its lavatorial sense in VAT, followed by LOT. The insertion indicator is ‘fetters’.
11 Spinner runs over to fielder at the close
ROTOR
A charade of R, O, TO and R for the final letter of ‘fielder’.
12 Spectral horse in Xmas show medium attends?
PHANTOM
An insertion of H in PANTO followed by M. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.
13 Obvious competition among papers? On the contrary
EVIDENT
An insertion of ID in EVENT. The insertion indicator is ‘among’.
14 Greek character revised ideas and renamed country
RHODESIA
A charade of RHO and (IDEAS)* with ‘revised’ as the anagrind. The country that is now Zimbabwe.
15 Planned amusement in short supply in Shakespeare?
WILFUL
An insertion of FU[N] in WILL. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.
18 Gypsy here and there entertained by 2240-pound boxer?
TYSON
An insertion of YS in TON. The insertion indicator is ‘entertained by’. ‘Here and there’ is an indication to take the even letters of gYpSy.
20 Hearts put in boiled gently and were glistening
SHIMMERED
An insertion of H in SIMMERED. The insertion indicator is ‘put in’.
22 Cleaner in RuPaul’s stage wear, including his pants
DISHRAG
An insertion of (HIS)* in DRAG. The insertion indicator is ‘including’; the anagrind is ‘pants’.
25 Memorial words bringing depression into each boozer
EPITAPH
An insertion of PIT in EA and PH. The insertion indicator is ‘bringing … into’.
27 Arab artist appears in current quiz show
IRAQI
An insertion of RA in I and QI. The insertion indicator is ‘appears in’.
28 Tees on a ship amid waves around channels?
MASS MEDIA
An insertion of A, SS and ME in (AMID)* The insertion indicator is ‘around’; the anagrind is ‘waves’.
29 Kant line about darkness to offend in Searching for Adventure
KNIGHT ERRANTRY
An insertion NIGHT and ERR in KANT RY. The insertion indicator is ‘about’. That’s eight insertion clues in a row. Just saying.
Down
2 Ruthless leaders Richard Murphy’s called out?
DICTATORS
A homophone (‘called out’) of DICK TATERS.
3 Manly nature article omits height for unknown flower
YANGTZE
A charade of YANG (as opposed to YIN) and THE with the H substituted with a Z.
4 Malicious utterances somehow masculine
CALUMNIES
(MASCULINE)* with ‘somehow’ as the anagrind.
5 Songbird loud climbing on tile in Bow
TITFER
A charade of TIT, F for the musically ‘loud’ and RE for ‘on’ reversed (‘climbing’, since it’s a down clue). ‘Tile in Bow’ is referring to the Cockney rhyming slang for ‘hat’, TITFER TAT.
6 Windward island bans that French cocktail
MARTINI
MARTINI[QUE]
7 Release head departing BBC
UNTIE
[A]UNTIE
8 Suppressed thorium decay before time was up
THROTTLED
A charade of TH, ROT, T and LED.
9 Road to the north pilot marked out in thick liquid
EVAPORATED MILK
A charade of AVE reversed and (PILOT MARKED)* with ‘out’ as the anagrind.
16 Who passes on message sent to prison guard?
FORWARDER
A charade of FOR and WARDER.
17 Jet perhaps coming alongside cutter? That’s official
LICENSOR
A charade of LI and CENSOR. The reference is to Jet LI, the actor. No, I hadn’t either.
19 See metal-clad wife’s rampant companion
NORWICH
An insertion of W in IRON, all reversed (‘rampant’) and CH for Companion of Honour.
21 Ultimately grim animal molested USPS worker
MAILMAN
A charade of M and (ANIMAL)* with ‘molested’ as the anagrind.
23 Guru before noon coming into Westminster?
SWAMI
An insertion of AM for ‘before noon’ in SWI (for SW1, the postcode for the London district that includes Westminster).
24 Russian fighter turns above me for easy shot
GIMME
A charade of MIG reversed and ME. Something to do with golf, I think.
26 Stop scratching head and vote for fraud
HOAX
A charade of [W]HOA and X.
Many thanks to Tees for today’s puzzle.
My top picks: WILFUL, DICTATORS and TITFER.
Thanks, T and P!
Well I’m up early. Can’t think why.
A very interesting puzzle. Asymmetrical grid? I thought so at first, but seems not if you squint 😀
Yes, an odd grid. Is there a reason for it? I can’t see a nina lurking but then I’m useless at spotting them. I needed the blog to understand DD for darling daughter – nho – and for the parsing of YANGTZE as I didn’t think yin/yang. Favourites amongst many include ROTOR, EVIDENT, DISHRAG, CALUMNIES (quite a spot), EVAPORATED MILK and NORWICH. VACANT LOT feels American but I’m sure it’s not and I’d agree knowing the actor Jet LI is a stretch but somewhere some self-satisfied solver will have entered it with a smug smile.
Thanks Tees and Pierre.
Thanks Tees and Pierre
I think there’s a mismatch between clue and solution in 9D. The thick gloopy liquid is condensed milk, while evaporated milk is the thin runny stuff as used to be exemplified by Carnation. With crossers it couldn’t be anything else, but it’s not quite right.
#4 Chambers says it’s ‘unsweetened milk that has been concentrated by evaporation’, so is it comparatively thicker? I remember it well, as I used to pour it over slabs of chocolate cake. It’s a wonder I’m still here, thinking about it.
Thanks Pierre for adding the grid, it’s useful with certain puzzles. If you look from the K in the bottom row diagonally upwards, it’s symmetrical. If you look the other way, it’s rewarding. I didn’t see anything using the Indy website, amazingly.
I finished this, though unable to fully parse several. On the other hand, I have heard of Jet Li. Didn’t know DD but then don’t know anything about social media abbreviations. But IDC TBH – JK! WBU?
Great puzzle, so thanks Tees and Pierre.
Quite a head scratcher and I’m not claiming to have got there unaided. Some fiendishly clever wordplay and several smiles including TYSON, IRAQI, NORWICH and HOAX.
Many thanks indeed to Tees and Pierre.
Thanks both. Needed help with the unknown actor in LICENSOR and glad of the insight here to understand TITFER as Cockney is little spoken this far north of Watford
Enjoyed this, thanks Tees. Dick Taters made me laugh.
And thanks for the blog, Pierre. I have heard of Jet Li but I couldn’t tell you any of his films off the top of my head.
Seems a bit of an American influence
Huge Nina right across the grid, referencing the symmetry.
Nice clues too. Going to go for DICK TATERS as it made me fall about.
Great spot, Ui Imair – even with your hint it took me a while to find it.
Thanks Ui Imair, and LGG, who may have hinted at the hidden phrase.
Thanks Tees for an entertaining crossword. I needed to reveal a letter or two and I wasn’t able to parse a few but that’s par for the course for me. TITFER was beyond my orbit and I’ll add it to my list of oddities. My top choices were DISHRAG, DICTATORS, MARTINI, and HOAX. I looked for a nina but not diagonally — I should have known better since Serpent had one recently that read “this is not a nina.” Thanks Pierre for parsing.
Sort of completed this – couldn’t quite see 17dn.
I presume the boxer in 18ac is Tyson Fury, as he is known as the Gypsy King, and not Mike Tyson.
Well done for spotting the Nina, those who did. That grid is an extended version of a Times 13×13 Quick Cryptic, presumably designed by Richard Rogan, and I hope he doesn’t mind me giving it a tweak. And I like weird-looking grids anyway.
Thanks to all.
Interesting grid. For a while I thought it was not symmetrical but then realized it was across the diagonal.