Mudd is today’s compiler.
A comparatively straightforward puzzle – my first pass yielded all but a handful of across answers and all the downs, thanks to crossers, with only BRIDE and FANCY THAT holding me up, the latter becasue I couldn’t see the parsing at first. There were a couple of “crosswordese” references (LOWER for cow, WINGER for bird) that may have confused new setters, but all in all a great puzzle.
Thanks, Mudd.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | IRISH WOLFHOUND |
Found how his lip cut badly, chopper ultimately slicing through – huge canine! (5,9)
|
| *(found how his li) [anag:badly] where LI is LI(p) [cut] with (choppe)R [ultimately] slicing through | ||
| 10 | AWFUL |
Loathsome right snubs leader (5)
|
| (l)AWFUL (“right”) snubs leader (i.e. first letter) | ||
| 11 | NEWS MEDIA |
Latest broadcast is made – by this? (4,5)
|
| NEW (“latest”) + *(is made) [anag:broadcast] | ||
| 12 | TERRACE |
Row in competition after school period finishes early (7)
|
| RACE (“competition”) after TER(m) (“school period”) finishing early | ||
| 13 | RELIEVE |
Comfort always recalled when eating pork pie (7)
|
| <=EVER (“always”, recalled) when eating LIE (“pork pie” in rhyming slang) | ||
| 14 | MINIM |
Unlimited time after time, note (5)
|
| [unlimited] (t)IM(e) after Min, (minute, so “time”) | ||
| 16 | FANCY THAT |
My headgear goes on like trilby, originally (5,4)
|
| HAT (“headgear”) goes on FANCY (“like”) + T(ribly) [originally] | ||
| 19 | SPARK PLUG |
Start and stop engine part (5,4)
|
| SPARK (“start”) + PLUG (“stop”) | ||
| 20 | NEPAL |
Country mucker from Middlesbrough? (5)
|
| NE (North East, so “from Middlesbrough?”) + PAL (“mucker”) | ||
| 22 | ALPACAS |
These American camelids, Andean primarily, in mountain range? (7)
|
| A(merican) C(amelids) A(ndean) [primarliy] in ALPS (“mountain range”) and &lit. | ||
| 25 | TIDIEST |
Most orderly papers, one written in exam (7)
|
| ID (identity “papers”) + I (one) written in TEST (“exam”) | ||
| 27 | RAISE HELL |
Jack, that guy will cause trouble! (5,4)
|
| RAISE (“jack”) + HE’LL (“that guy will”) | ||
| 28 | BRIDE |
Bronzer’s first, then go – for blusher? (5)
|
| B(ronzer) [‘s first] then RIDE (“go”)
“Blushing bride” was riginally a reference to a virgin bride who, lacking sexual experience, might be nervous about her wedding night. |
||
| 29 | WATERLOO BRIDGE |
Crosser of Thames obliged or otherwise to pass what’s in it? (8,6)
|
| *(obliged or) [anag:otherwise] to pass WATER (“what’s in it”, it being the Thames) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | REFERENDA |
Votes wild and free, concerning at first (9)
|
| *(and free) [anag:wild] with RE (“concerning”) at first | ||
| 3 | SALSA |
Lass has danced with a dance! (5)
|
| *(lass) [anag:has danced] with A | ||
| 4 | WONDERFUL |
Great fund, 5 when broke (9)
|
| *(fund lower) [anag:when broke], LOWER being the solution to “5” down | ||
| 5 | LOWER |
Jersey or Guernsey, say – further south? (5)
|
| Double definition, the first referring to that which lows, i.e. a cow (Jersey and Guernsey being breeds of cow) | ||
| 6 | HIMALAYAN |
Dynasty in which I am, a place in 20, for example (9)
|
| HAN (a Chinese “Dynasty”) in which I’M (I am) + A + LAY (“place”), the 20 in the clue referring to NEPAL, the soluton to 20 across. | ||
| 7 | UNDUE |
First couple of numbers in France and Italy not fitting (5)
|
| UN (one in French) + DUE (two in Italian) | ||
| 8 | DEAREST |
Most expensive pet (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 9 | BANTAM |
Chicken covering collar up (6)
|
| <=(MAT (“covering”) + NAB (“collar”), up) | ||
| 15 | MAKE CLEAR |
Explain where a mackerel swims (4,5)
|
| *(a mackerel) [anag:swims] | ||
| 17 | NIGHTCLUB |
New thing hit music venue (9)
|
| *(thing) [anag:new] + CLUB (“hit”) | ||
| 18 | HAPPENING |
Funky event (9)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 19 | SPARROW |
Winger in box spat! (7)
|
| SPAR (“box”) + ROW (“spat”) | ||
| 21 | LITTER |
Swine delivered garbage (6)
|
| Double definiton, the first rederring to newborn piglets | ||
| 23 | POINT |
A little hippo in tricky position (5)
|
| Hidden in [a little] “hipPO IN Tricky” | ||
| 24 | SEE TO |
Deal with articulation of letter and number? (3,2)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [articulation of] CEE (“letter”) and TWO (“number”) | ||
| 26 | DUBAI |
Name a capital in Islamic emirate (5)
|
| DUB (“name”) + A + [capital in] I(slamic) |
I agree it was straightforward and I enjoyed it. I ticked SALSA, RAISE HELL NEWS MEDIA and LITTER
Thanks for parsing WATERLOO BRIDGE. I thought IRISH WOLFHOUND was obvious to solve, but the parsing was a bit over the top
Thanks Mudd and loonapick
Entertaining and doable. Liked fancy that. Thanks both.
Finished smoothly, unlike No. 18,333.
Liked LOWER. However, didn’t understand ALPACAS: where was the definition? Beginner still, sorry
@3, there are two closely related types of clues, where the definition is essentially supplied by the word play (as well as still being word play – they’re quite hard to write), the &lit (“and literally”, where the whole thing is both) and the semi-&lit, where there is a word like “these” or “that”, which makes up the definition but which is informed by the word play. I would say ALPACAS is the latter type of clue with “these” as the definition, but without “these”, it would’ve worked perfectly well as an &lit.
In response to Alistair @3, i think the opening “These” suffices as the definition. My LOI was BRIDE. As i could not think other than BEiGE.
Thanks Mudd and Loonapick
Thanks Mudd for a fun set of clues with my top picks being NEWS MEDIA, SPARK PLUG, RAISE HELL, and LITTER. Thanks loonapick for the blog.
Most enjoyable. The two long across clues went in from definition and enumeration without detailed parsing. We weren’t sure at first if 27ac was RAISE HELL or Raise Cain (that guy?) but 17dn quickly settled the issue. Favourite was LITTER.
Thanks, Mudd and loonapick.
Thanks for the blog , good set of clues mostly very concise .
Alastair@3 , always ask and no need to apologise . I would like to see more comments and questions from newer solvers .
In word games of all kinds I’m often surprised to find that answers I thought of as two words are in fact one or vice versa. I would never have thought to write NIGHTCLUB as one word.