The first two MyCrossword featured puzzles seem to have gone down pretty well here, so I’m happy to continue the sequence. The puzzle is at https://mycrossword.co.uk/featured/3.
Our setter has included several quirky definitions that raised a smile when I finally saw what was intended: favourites among these are 6a, 12a, 8d and 19d. I didn’t know the definition at 21d and I don’t think I’ve seen the word at 23a before, but both were guessable. An enjoyable puzzle: thanks Longyfan, and welcome to Fifteensquared.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PETIT FOUR |
Tame animal with fur on it gobbles up old biscuit (5,4)
|
| PET (tame animal), then FUR after IT, containing (gobbling up) O (abbreviation for old).
A French small fancy biscuit or miniature cake. |
||
| 6 | KEBAB |
Food spiked with honey sent back by king (5)
|
| BABE (honey = address to a beloved), reversed (sent back), after K (abbreviation for king).
Food cooked on a skewer (spike). |
||
| 9 | MISANTHROPE |
Hater’s smartphone smashed outside institute (11)
|
| Anagram (smashed) of SMARTPHONE, containing I (abbreviation for institute). | ||
| 10 | NUN |
From the pulpit, not a soul in prayer (3)
|
| Sound-alike (from the pulpit = spoken out loud) of NONE (not a soul = nobody).
Someone who prays. |
||
| 11 | ITEMISE |
Early signs of icy tempest enshrouding masts, inshore ships eerily list (7)
|
| First letters (early signs) of I[cy] T[empest] E[nshrouding] M[asts] I[nshore] S[hips] E[erily]. | ||
| 12 | CAPTCHA |
Chap cut down after captain’s body-check? (7)
|
| CHA[p] (cut down = all but the last letter) after CAPT (abbreviation for captain).
One of those annoying “prove you’re not a robot” tests on website forms: a check that you’re a real human (a body). |
||
| 13 | ORANG-UTAN |
My relative Oscar phoned and texted you time and again on vacation (5-4)
|
| O (Oscar in the radio alphabet) + RANG (phoned) + U (“you” in text messages = “texted you”) + T (abbreviation for time) + A[gai]N (on vacation = after emptying out the inner letters).
A great ape, biologically related to humans. |
||
| 16 | DELI |
Hunk from seaside likes being food vendor (4)
|
| Hidden answer (a hunk from . . .) in [seasi]DE LI[kes].
Short for delicatessen = specialist food shop. |
||
| 18 | SLAP |
Make-up kiss finally brought round partner (4)
|
| Last letter (finally) of [kis]S, then PAL (partner) reversed (brought round).
Slang for make-up, especially the type used for stage performance. |
||
| 20 | SELF-WORTH |
Pride in rebuilding Welsh fort (4-5)
|
| Anagram (rebuilding) of WELSH FORT. | ||
| 23 | ENWOUND |
Nurse injury that’s wrapped up (7)
|
| EN (abbreviation for Enrolled Nurse) + WOUND (injury).
Enwound = with something like a bandage winding around it. |
||
| 24 | CALYPSO |
Number from West Indies also welcomed by California greeting (7)
|
| PS (abbreviation for postscript = something added as an afterthought = also), contained in (welcomed by) CAL (abbreviation for California) + YO (an informal greeting).
Number = song; calypso = a style of song from the West Indies. |
||
| 26 | OWN |
When date doesn’t show, finish drinking in private (3)
|
| [d]OWN (as a verb = to drink all the remaining contents of a glass = to finish a drink), without D (abbreviation for date). | ||
| 27 | ADOLESCENTS |
American state benefit ultimately pays pennies for young people (11)
|
| A (abbreviation for American) + DOLE (a state benefit such as unemployment benefit) + last letter (ultimately) of [pay]S + CENTS (sometimes known as “pennies” in the US). | ||
| 28 | THEME |
The setter’s recurring idea (5)
|
| THE (from clue text) + ME (the setter of this puzzle). | ||
| 29 | EVENTUATE |
Emerge from flat in Milan you demolished (9)
|
| EVEN (flat = smooth and undisturbed) + TU (familiar form of “you” in Italian, so “in Milan you”) + ATE (demolished = ate up quickly). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PUMP IRON |
Smell briefly surrounds judge with bottom out in lift (4,4)
|
| PON[g] (slang for smell) without the last letter (briefly), around UMPIR[e] (judge) with the last letter (bottom, in a down clue) taken out.
Pump iron = to lift weights for exercise. |
||
| 2 | TASTE |
Strangeness pervading art gallery makes sense (5)
|
| S (abbreviation used by particle physicists for strangeness = a property of particles, especially quarks) inserted into TATE (a group of art galleries in the UK). | ||
| 3 | TINTING |
Can-can dancing in the end turning blue? (7)
|
| TIN TIN (can = metal container, twice) + end letter of [dancin]G.
Definition by example: tint, as a verb = to change the colour of something. |
||
| 4 | OCHRE |
Yellow marker used for arrows outlining recipe (5)
|
| OCHE (a marker line in the game of darts, known colloquially as “arrows”) around R (abbreviation for Latin recipe, take, in old-fashioned prescriptions).
A light brown-yellow colour, or the earth pigment it is derived from. |
||
| 5 | ROOT CANAL |
Funny cartoon with a line that may be of interest to a dentist (4,5)
|
| Anagram (funny) of CARTOON, then A (from clue text) + L (abbreviation for line).
Inner part of a tooth containing nerves and blood vessels. |
||
| 6 | KNEE-PAD |
After lifting exercises, sporting massage: precaution against injury (4-3)
|
| PE (abbreviation for physical exercises) reversed (after lifting = upwards in a down clue), contained in (sporting = wearing) KNEAD (massage). | ||
| 7 | BINOCULAR |
Play with a club (iron) using two balls? (9)
|
| Anagram (play with . . .) of A CLUB IRON.
Using both eyes at once = using two eyeballs. |
||
| 8 | BONSAI |
Lisbon’s airport boasts little foliage (6)
|
| Hidden answer (. . . boasts = features) in [lis]BONS AI[rport].
Japanese miniature trees. |
||
| 14 | ALLOWANCE |
Ration book cancelled, what’s left to eat running out (9)
|
| [b]ALANCE (what’s left after subtraction of an initial amount) without the B (abbreviation for book), containing (to eat . . .) LOW (running out, as in a low fuel warning). | ||
| 15 | TEST-DROVE |
Established duke, having broken valuable items, went on trial (4-5)
|
| EST (abbreviation for established, in specifying the date when an organisation was founded) + D (abbreviation for duke), inserted into (having broken) TROVE (a collection of valuable items).
Test-drive, as a verb = to take a vehicle on a journey to try it out = to go as a trial. |
||
| 17 | WHOOPSIE |
Weak husband loves pie, scoffing seconds, creating mess (8)
|
| W (abbreviation for weak, in particle physics) + H (abbreviation for husband) + O O (two 0 = zero = love in tennis scoring) + PIE, containing (scoffing) S (abbreviation for seconds).
Euphemistic name for “dog mess”, especially when it occurs indoors. |
||
| 19 | PLUMAGE |
Excellent Time cover seen on flier (7)
|
| PLUM (slang for excellent, as in “a plum job” = a very desirable employment) + AGE (time).
The covering of feathers on a bird (a creature that flies). |
||
| 21 | WILDCAT |
Financially unsound leader in Washington D.C. captures forty-nine states in the centre (7)
|
| Leading letter of W[ashington] + D C, containing (capturing) IL (Roman numerals that could represent “one less than fifty”, though I think the number 49 is more usually written XLIX), then the centre letters of [st]AT[es].
A wildcat scheme or project = a risky one without a sound financial basis. I wasn’t familiar with this usage but Collins and Chambers recognise it. |
||
| 22 | REVOLT |
Following balls-up, left Tesla in disgust (6)
|
| L (abbreviation for left) + T (abbreviation for tesla = scientific unit of magnetic flux density), following OVER (a sequence of balls bowled in cricket) reversed (up, in a down clue).
Revolt, as a verb = disgust = to cause someone to feel disgusted. |
||
| 24 | CREPE |
Name in church paper? (5)
|
| REP (slang shortening of reputation = name = widespread recognition) in CE (abbreviation for Church of England).
Definition by example: paper with a crinkled texture, used in crafts. |
||
| 25 | PANDA |
Chinese vegetarian couple engaged in spat (5)
|
| Two (a couple of) letters from [s]PA[t] = P AND A.
Giant panda = a Chinese bear that eats a vegetarian diet of bamboo. |