We had the pleasure of blogging the last Umpire puzzle in November which featured eight ‘queens’.
We’ve also had a double pangram from Umpire as well. However, we cannot spot anything in the grid here but perhaps someone else may spot something.
There were a few head scratching moments in sorting out the parsings and we had never heard of the fish at 12ac, 26 had to be OCARINA as soon as we had the starting letter but the parsing was not so straightforward. We had never seen sett with just one ‘t’ but it is in Chambers. Not being into rap, we needed all the crossing letters for 28ac.
Thanks Umpire.
VISa (travel permit) with A (American) missing or ‘lost’ ahead of IT (Italian)
An anagram (‘exploding’) of SPOUT WENT PEED (went)
SELL (hawk) around or ‘circling’ AFAr AWAy (at a distance) missing last letter or ‘endlessly’
I (one) NINE (square) around or ‘checking’ the last letters or ‘finishing touches’ to cycliC quadrilateraL
PENS (swans) inside or ‘crowding’ O (over) E (English) CRETe (island) missing last letter or ‘mostly’
MOLAr (tooth) missing last letter or ‘incomplete’
S (succeeded) in an anagram (‘wrestling’) of MASON
lAD (missing first letter or ‘heading away’ I (first letter or ‘head’ in immediately) inside or ‘stopping’ STEED (horse)
An anagram (‘wild’) of CLUEs (missing last letter or ‘cut’) E (first letter or ‘beginning’ to Episode) and RAN
BL (barrel) inside a reversal or ‘rolling’ of CONE (volcanic area)
BAH (I don’t like) T (first letter or ‘starter’ to Toasted)
An anagram (‘fighting’) of WITH TARGET
ON with CAR (wheels) and I inside or ‘put in’ and A (first letter of auditorium or ‘at the front’)
A C (first letter of Chef or ‘originally’) L (left) in TREE (box?)
E (last letter or ‘conclusion to battle) after F (fine) REEL (dance) around or ‘including’ STY (spot of filth)
M (maiden) brOODY (wanting a baby) with BR (bedroom) ‘leaving’
IS COUScous (North African dish – losing half) under neath V (very)
Double definition
ADS (notices) inside or being ‘eaten by’ TOTO (Dorothy’s dog in Wizard of Oz) and fOuLeSt (alternate letters or ‘regular bites’ only)
fUN (amusing) fLOCK (sheep) both missing F (fellows) or ‘no longer needed’
An anagram (‘broadcast’) of TT RACE and FI
Double definition
LAIR (set perhaps) OT (books) ID (papers) reversed or ”up’ supporting E (English). We were more familiar with SETT being a lair.
DI (detective) HEARD (caught) with H (heroin) ‘dropping’
MAM (mother) around or ‘drinking’ an anagram (‘dodgy’) of RETSINA
ARCH (shrewd) HAREM (lot of wives) with M (money) being moved to the front or ‘first’
MAY around or ‘confining’ LAG (prisoner) AS (like)
COL (pass) OAF (fool) around or ‘eating’ B (black)
CUTLEt (piece of meat) missing last letter or ‘trimmed’ ReallY (first and last letters only or ‘at the edges’
Hidden (‘boxes’) and reversed (‘up’) in expERT NECromancer
G (government) rECKOn (think) without or ‘scrapping’ first and last letters or ‘border’. A gecko can climb walls – hence they are not a problem.
moVIES (pictures) without or ‘lacking MO (flash)
A couple of minor observations:
UP TO SPEED
SPOUT*+PEED (went)
SEA WALL
AWA(y) instead of AFA(r)
Thanks KVa – blog corrected. It was Joyce blogging and Bert was supposed to be checking but didn’t. Great double act!
I felt quite a few answers were telegraphed by obvious definitions, for example, “blinded strongman” 14(ac), SAMSON.
I’m not convinced that the idiom “UP TO SPEED” gels with “as fast as possible” 4(ac)? Surely it’s “get with it”?
GECKO, 24(d) – I parsed it, but found it a bit unpleasing.
Enough quibbles, a very enjoyable puzzle, and the setter was kind to us solvers.
Thanks, Umpire & BJ