A fun challenge from SOLOMON this Friday.
FF: 9 DD: 6
This blog comes from Amersham ( am on a work trip to London , and head back home to Singapore in a couple of days ) . Enjoying the English sun ( not often that this is said, I reckon ).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CABBAGE |
Vegetable container holding some Swedes one removed (7)
|
| CAGE ( container ) containing ABBa ( some swedes, without A – one ) | ||
| 5 | PEANUTS |
Wings from peregrine and a cuckoo make a tasty snack (7)
|
| PE ( PeregrinE, wings of i.e. end characters ) A NUTS ( cuckoo ) | ||
| 9 | RICE PAPER |
I see crowds prepare strange edible substance (4,5)
|
| I C ( i see ) in [ PREPARE ]* | ||
| 10 | LEAVE |
Set out from the Champs-Elysees? (5)
|
| LE ( the , french ) AVE ( ~champs-elysses ) | ||
| 11 | GEESE |
‘Flying V’ guitar engineered, electrified and strung, initially, by European (5)
|
| GESS ( starting letters of “..Guitar Engineered Electrified and Strung..” ) E ( European ) | ||
| 12 | YORKSHIRE |
County court fool with one about to leave on large horse (9)
|
| YORicK ( court fool, without { I ( one ) C ( about ) } ) SHIRE ( large horse ) | ||
| 13 | NOSTRUM |
Scheme to turn on Mother Teresa, perhaps with alcohol (7)
|
| NO ( reverse of ON ) ST ( mother teresa, perhaps ) RUM ( alcohol ) | ||
| 15 | DOORMAT |
Holding wheel, Mr Toad snarls: ‘Step on it!’ (7)
|
| [ MR TOAD ]* containing O ( wheel ) | ||
| 17 | EASTERN |
Exotic sea bird from China? (7)
|
| [ SEA ]* TERN ( bird ) | ||
| 19 | EYE-DROP |
Tear clothing from emissary accompanying cycling Spaniard (3-4)
|
| EY ( EmissarY, clothing i.e. end letters of ) EDROP ( spaniard = PEDRO, cycling i.e. with P moving from first to last ) | ||
| 21 | BEANSTALK |
Plant delivering Stairway to Heaven? (9)
|
| cryptic def, from the story, jack and the beanstalk | ||
| 24 | SAVES |
Banks stops the shot (5)
|
| double def; latter in the context of cricket fielding | ||
| 25 | EXIST |
Are old ones beginning to tire? (5)
|
| EX ( old ) IS ( ones ) T ( Tire, first letter ) | ||
| 26 | UMBRELLAS |
Rain covers Mr Kelly, exposed, holding black article in America (9)
|
| [ { B ( black ) in MR ELL ( kELLy, exposed i.e. without end letters ) } A ( article ) ] in US ( america ) | ||
| 28 | DESERVE |
Earn pennies before fleeced men start to rally (7)
|
| D ( pennies ) E ( mEn, fleeced i.e. without end characters ) SERVE ( ~ start to rally ) | ||
| 29 | BATTERY |
Mad tradesman loses face before going around and beating people up (7)
|
| hATTER ( mad tradesman, without starting letter ) in BY ( ~before ) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CAR |
The King’s taking a taxi? (3)
|
| A in CR ( king ) | ||
| 2 | BUCKETS |
Cents regularly covered by dollars — lots of them (7)
|
| ET ( cEnTs, alternate letters of ) in BUCKS ( dollars ) | ||
| 3 | APPLE TREE |
Part of orchard with pear peel scattered around the bottom of it (5,4)
|
| [ PEAR PEEL ]* around T ( iT, last letter of ) | ||
| 4 | EMPTY |
My relative to marry English politician, tackily, on vacation (5)
|
| E ( english ) MP ( politician ) TY ( TackilY, on vacation i.e. end characters ); reverse clue -> empty MARRY = MY ( without ‘ARR’ ) | ||
| 5 | PARTRIDGE |
Bird in twisted net free, say, to rise (9)
|
| PART ( reverse of TRAP, net ) RID ( free ) GE ( reverse of EG, say ) | ||
| 6 | ATLAS |
A sailor from the south who’s a big strapping lad (5)
|
| A TLAS ( reverse of SALT, sailor ) | ||
| 7 | URANIUM |
Metal skull about to be replaced by you (7)
|
| cRANIUM ( skull, with C – about replaced by U – you ) | ||
| 8 | STEREOTYPES |
Yellowhammers originally found in tangled treetops, empty eaves and pigeonholes (11)
|
| Y ( Yellowhammers, first letter of ) in [ TREETOPS ES ( EaveS, empty i.e. without inner letters ) ]* | ||
| 11 | GINGERBREAD |
What makes a man? Being treated with regard? (11)
|
| [ BEING REGARD ]* | ||
| 14 | MINIATURE |
Baby of popular crossword setter with sensible clothing (9)
|
| [ IN ( popular ) I ( crossword setter ) ] in MATURE ( sensible ) | ||
| 16 | OVERSLEPT |
Romeo’s left depressed, finally, because drugged-up Juliet woke too late (9)
|
| OVERSL ( LOVER’S = romeo’s, with L – left moving to the end ) EPT ( last letters of “..becausE drugged-uP julieT..” ) | ||
| 18 | SCABIES |
One piercing terrible abscess scratching bottom, resulting in infection (7)
|
| I ( one ) in [ ABSCESs ( scratching bottom i.e. without last letter ) ]* | ||
| 20 | REVOLVE |
Turn about car getting tailed on the southern edge of Baltimore (7)
|
| RE ( about ) VOLVo ( car, tailed i.e. without last letter ) E ( southern edge of baltimorE ) | ||
| 22 | SITAR |
Musical instrument made by Roland is getting set up (5)
|
| reverse of [ RAT ( roland ) IS ] | ||
| 23 | KEBAB |
Piece of cake BA Baracus eats (5)
|
| hidden in “..caKE BA Baracus..” | ||
| 27 | STY |
Warm to a detached farm property (3)
|
| STaY ( ~warm to , without A ) |
Thanks Solomon and Turbolegs. I think 24ac is more likely to be a reference to stopping a shot at goal in soccer, with a reference to the former England goalkeeper Gordon Banks for those of us of a certain age.
Comment #2
Very enjoyable throughout. There seem to be a lot of “eats” in the solutions, depending on your dietary preferences. Is it a theme?
I’m including “Yorkshire” (pud) for one my favourite treats.
Rice Paper, I can take it or leave it.
Great variety in the clues, and quite a few novel wordplays.
UMBRELLAS and GINGERBREAD top my list of crafty setting – but it’s a long list.
Lovely grub, both Solomon & Turbolegs
27D: [TOA]STY (warm) minus (detached) TO A
Good blog on a rather hard puzzle.