Some tricky clues in today’s puzzle from Moo . . .
. . . definitely getting harder as I worked from the bottom to the top. There were a few synonyms that did not readily spring to mind (“sue” = “charge”? “ways” = “policies”?), but all ultimately near enough, I think. I will be curious to see what the comments have to say.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SIDEWAYS |
English coppers backing policies covertly (8)
|
| {E (English) + DIS (coppers)} all reversed (backing) + WAYS (policies) | ||
| 6 | COOK UP |
Plan military takeover, being given go-ahead (4,2)
|
| COUP (military takeover) around (being given) OK (go-ahead) | ||
| 9 | RANSOM |
Supremo’s narcissism holding rescue back (6)
|
| Hidden in (holding) [SUPRE]MO’S NAR[CISSISM] reversed (back) | ||
| 10 | RINGSIDE |
Might Boxing Day find spectators here? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition, referring to a pugilistic exhibition | ||
| 11 | BETA |
Encourage sending back first-class letter (4)
|
| ABET (encourage) moving the first letter A (first-class) to the end (sending back) | ||
| 12 | HEIDELBERG |
City building I beheld in need of some work (10)
|
| Anagram of (building) {I BEHELD} + ERG (some work) | ||
| 14 | SHEEPISH |
Son a little like Uriah, making one embarrassed (8)
|
| S (son) + HEEPISH (a little like Uriah [Heep]) | ||
| 16 | ACRE |
Plot maybe sees His Majesty appearing in Casualty (4)
|
| CR (His Majesty) inside (appearing in) A&E (Casualty) | ||
| 18 | JUNE |
In Paris I will host a foreign woman (4)
|
| JE (I, in Paris, i.e., in French) around (will host) UN (a, “foreign,” i.e., in French) | ||
| 19 | SUDANESE |
Europeans in charge — or Africans? (8)
|
| DANES (Europeans) inside (in) SUE (charge) | ||
| 21 | NETTLESOME |
Prickly plants love yours truly! (10)
|
| NETTLES (plants) + O (love) + ME (yours truly) | ||
| 22 | EDGE |
Cockney’s insurance providing an advantage (4)
|
| [H]EDGE (insurance), unaspirated, thus Cockney | ||
| 24 | HALF-PINT |
Right amount of milk for a little chap? (4-4)
|
| Cryptic/double definition | ||
| 26 | EASTER |
Celebration of Chinese origin perhaps ending too soon (6)
|
| EASTER[N] (of Chinese origin perhaps) minus last letter (ending too soon) | ||
| 27 | EDIBLE |
Fine to enjoy Delibes’ unfinished composition (6)
|
| Anagram of (composition) DELIBE[S], minus the last letter (unfinished) | ||
| 28 | RETIRING |
Soldiers weakening, becoming quiet (8)
|
| RE (soldiers) + TIRING (weakening) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | INANE |
Foolish romance ending thus? (5)
|
| IN AN E ([the word] [ROMANC]E ending thus, cryptically) | ||
| 3 | ENSLAVEMENT |
Doctor laments event almost leading to servitude (11)
|
| Anagram of (doctor) {LAMENTS + EVEN[T] minus last letter (almost)} | ||
| 4 | ARMCHAIR |
Provide professorship for such a critic? (8)
|
| ARM (provide) + CHAIR (professorship) | ||
| 5 | STRAIGHT SHOOTER |
One not mincing words, like Buffalo Bill perhaps (8,7)
|
| Double/cryptic definition | ||
| 6 | CONKER |
Hard nut in resounding defeat (6)
|
| Homophone of (resounding) CONQUER (defeat) | ||
| 7 | OPS |
Occasionally oppose surgical interventions (3)
|
| Alternating letters of (occasionally) O[P]P[O]S[E] | ||
| 8 | UNDER ARMS |
Prepared for battle but sweating here maybe (5,4)
|
| Double/cryptic definition | ||
| 13 | BRAIN-TEASER |
Problem of Arab entries resolved (5-6)
|
| Anagram of (resolved) ARAB ENTRIES | ||
| 15 | HOUSEMAID |
Sack a hideous male servant (9)
|
| Anagram of (sack) {A HIDEOUS + M (male)} | ||
| 17 | ADHERENT |
Supporter found by woman in American depression (8)
|
| HER (woman) inside (in) {A (American) + DENT (depression)} | ||
| 20 | DESIRE |
Fancy chucking teacher into river? (6)
|
| SIR (teacher) inside (chucking . . . into) DEE (river) | ||
| 23 | GREEN |
Politician demanding information about empty residence (5)
|
| GEN (information) around (about) outside letters of (empty) R[ESIDENC]E | ||
| 25 | FAB |
Wonderful month after heart transplant (3)
|
| F[E]B (month), substituting A for the central letter (after heart transplant) |
Super puzzle! Super blog!
Loved SUDANESE (agree with Cineraria’s comment in the intro), HALF-PINT and STRAIGHT SHOOTER.
Thanks Moo and Cineraria!
All done, lots went in easily, but I didn’t parse SUDANESE, and it felt like it took longer to solve INANE, BETA and SIDEWAYS than the rest of the puzzle
Thanks to Moo and Cineraria.
I am full of envy, Shanne @2: the three it took you longer to solver are the three that beat me. I was never close to interpreting covertly as SIDEWAYS, did not spot the whimsy in INANE and ABET for encourage was not a synonym that came to mind. I have never thought of abet in that way; only as support/aid/assist in misdemeanour.
Thanks Moo and Cineraria
Thanks for the blog, good set of neat clues although a few synonyms a bit of a stretch . I thought HEIDELBERG was very clever.
Minor quibble for JUNE , I think foretgn could be removed . In Paris can give us JE and UN .
beta took me a long time to parse like others above. A thoroughly good crossword and blog
Thanks Moo and Cineraria
I thought much of this was brilliant, particularly enjoying Cook Up, Ringside, Nettlesome, Half pint, Inane, Heidelberg Straight Shooter and Conker.
While I got Beta, it was a guess at the end. Sideways was left blank, even though I thought of it, I couldn’t see why it was the answer. I thought there must be some other word that meant covertly. Hmmmm.
Thank you all.
All solved in the end without help. Some write-ins, some quite chewy but overall a satisfying solve. Favourites were INANE and HALF-PINT.
Thanks, Moo and Cineraria.
In Paris “un” is not a foreign a, but “an” arguably is, making JANE rather than JUNE. I still wrote JUNE, though. I still don’t quite get RANSOM.
Not sure which day’s puzzle this even is but found top half trickier than lower.. kept finding clues I hadn’t read properly which then seemed straight forward.. I should consider Specsavers…
Thanks MOO n Cineria