A nice easy puzzle from GURNEY to reset the balance for FT puzzles this week. Good for beginners on cryptic grids. Thanks Gurney for the enjoyable distraction this Friday morning.
FF: 8 DD: 6
| Across | ||
| 1 | METTLE | Courage reportedly iron? (6) |
| sounds like METAL (iron) | ||
| 4 | SPLATTER | Second dish or some liquid? (8) |
| S (second) PLATTER (dish) | ||
| 9 | SCREAM | Joke about participating in trick (6) |
| RE (about) in SCAM (trick) | ||
| 10 | CALAMINE | Lotion powder from California, a lucrative source (8) |
| CAL (california) A MINE (lucrative source) | ||
| 12 | CHAMELEON | One often changing drink meets writer at Christmas on return (9) |
| CHA (drink) ME (writer, of the clue) LEON (christmas = NOEL, reversed) | ||
| 13 | CLOSE | Almost equal in end (5) |
| double def | ||
| 14 | ANNUS MIRABILIS | Criminal ruins man’s alibi for period – remarkable! (5,9) |
| RUINS MANS ALIBI* | ||
| 17 | CROCODILE TEARS | Put on grief crier acted – so low, almost perverse (9,5) |
| CRIER ACTED SO LOw (almost) | ||
| 21 | AISLE | Supermarket feature in Paisley (5) |
| hidden in pAISLEy | ||
| 22 | RENASCENT | Becoming vigorous again, disregarding odds, urge on climb? (9) |
| REN (uRgE oN, even letters) ASCENT (climb) | ||
| 24 | FOOTSTEP | Old Labour leader’s backing favourite for short distance (8) |
| FOOT’S (old labour leader = michael foot) TEP (favorite = PET, reversed) | ||
| 25 | CARAFE | Container artist used in restaurant (6) |
| RA (artist) in CAFE (restaurant) | ||
| 26 | ENTIRETY | Whole lot of virulent ire – typical! (8) |
| hidden in “..virulENT IRE TYpical!” | ||
| 27 | SEVERE | Harsh energy cut earlier (6) |
| SEVER (cut) E (energy) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | MUSICIAN | One producing notes for notes? (8) |
| cryptic def | ||
| 2 | TERRAIN | Prepare to protect monarch’s land area (7) |
| TRAIN (prepare) containing ER (monarch) | ||
| 3 | LEAVE | Navy, no longer having case to be stationed in shelter, depart (5) |
| AV (nAVy, without case) in LEE (shelter) | ||
| 5 | PLAIN SAILING | Easy progress in scheme to house one son – invalid (5,7) |
| [PLAN (scheme) contains I (one)] S (son) AILING (invalid) | ||
| 6 | ANARCHIST | One hostile to government Thracians reconstructed (9) |
| THRACIANS* | ||
| 7 | TRIPOLI | Capital journey on liner is just starting (7) |
| TRIP (journey) OLI (starting characters of “..On Liner Is”) | ||
| 8 | REEFER | Tree fern is too much for boat worker (6) |
| dropping extreme letters of “tREE FERn…” | ||
| 11 | BEWILDERMENT | Get less manageable – intended, it’s said, to bring about state of confusion (12) |
| BE WILDER (get less manageable) MENT (sounds like MEANT – intended) | ||
| 15 | SUCCESSOR | He follows US soccer played after first of September (9) |
| US SOCCER* after S (start of September) | ||
| 16 | AS IT WERE | Could be sweatier, so to speak (2,2,4) |
| SWEATIER* – humble request to retire this clue, seen it too often in the past 6 months | ||
| 18 | RESHOOT | Take Two at Hollywood? (7) |
| cryptic def | ||
| 19 | AVERAGE | Mediocre leader leaves party – anger follows (7) |
| rAVE (party, without its leading letter) RAGE (anger) | ||
| 20 | WAFFLE | Vague talk, very loud in country, yet to finish (6) |
| FF (very loud) in WALEs (country, unfinished) | ||
| 23 | SPADE | Resort of French pack member (5) |
| SPA (resort) DE (of, in french) | ||
*anagram
Thanks Gurney and Turbolegs
Found this to be quite straightforward as well and enjoyed it after a round of golf this morning. Nothing too much else to add, except for discovering that in 1d, NOTE is an archaic word for a song or melody which I previously had not come across – it then made sense of the cryptic definition.
Finished with RESHOOT, TERRAIN (not sure what held me up there for so long) and SCREAM as the last few in.
An enjoyable solve.
brucew@aus: in 1d, isn’t the idea just that a (professional) musician produces music (notes) for money (notes)?
Thank you for the excellent blog and also to those who commented. Glad you enjoyed it. I don’t myself remember seeing a clue like that for AS IT WERE but I’ll certainly note your point for the future! Comment at #2 re MUSICIAN reflects what was intended.
Aha … that makes less convoluted sense !!!
Say, what happened to FT puzzle 15, 414 on 3rd december..? Nothing up on the site..??
No weekend crossword puzzle yet!!!!!!