Thanks to all who attended Enigmatist’s talk at Bewdley last week, and apologies that these answers weren’t available here this morning. I had a few technical difficulties in accessing the site.
The handouts contained some of John’s (and my) favourite clues. We have tried to credit setters correctly; apologies for any mistakes or omissions in attribution (which I will correct on request). John says: “Uncredited clues are my own; asterisks indicate clues that I’ve written myself, but which I suspect must have been done before.”
Apologies that my copying-and-pasting went awry on the fourth clue under ‘Other favourites’. The solution is now there.
| “Cryptic definition” clues | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Clue | Answer (and explanation if applicable) | Setter | |
| Keeps going up and down (6,7) | BOUNCY CASTLES Two meanings of ‘keeps’ |
Michael Macdonald-Cooper (Spurius) | |
| APB (4) | NEWS (All Points Bulletin) |
Anon | |
| Paper providing coverage of the match (8) | CONFETTI | Brian Greer (Virgilius, Brendan, Jed) | |
| The third letter after Q (10) | ARITHMETIC the third R |
Brian Greer | |
| I got depressed seven times typing this clue (5,3) | SPACE BAR | ||
| Straitjacket? (6,4) | SHRINK WRAP Such as might have been fitted on the instructions of a shrink (psychiatrist) |
* | |
| Romans 2, Venetians 1 (3,5,7,3,5) | THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND | Eric Westbrook | |
| “Kiss me, Hardy”? (7,5) | PECKING ORDER | ||
| He hasn’t been all there since the operation (7) | AMPUTEE | John Young (Shed, Dogberry) | |
| Great shot by American player in Washington (7) | LINCOLN | Brian Greer | |
| Why it’s luckier to be an Indian than a Cowboy (7,7,3,5) | FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE | ||
| “Egad!” (1,5,4,3,4) | A BLAST FROM THE PAST | ||
| Out on a limb (3,6,6) | LEG BEFORE WICKET | * | |
| In which three couples get together for sex (5) | LATIN ‘sex’ = 6 in Latin |
Brian Greer | |
| Other favourites | |||
| The real reason for the merger meeting between Volkswagen and Daimler (6,6) | HIDDEN AGENDA AGENDA hidden in ‘Volkswagen [and] Daimler’ |
||
| Ofofofofofofofofofof (10) | OF TEN TIMES charade (&lit?) |
John Graham (Araucaria, Cinephile) | |
| Bust down reason (9) | BRAINWASH ‘Bra in wash’ — two meanings of ‘bust’; &Lit |
Les May | |
| Thong, being worn professionally, broke (8,3,4) | STRAPPED FOR CASH ‘Thong being worn’ = strapped; ‘professionally’ = for cash. Definition: broke |
||
| Where to find Ali G seeking relief after very hot curry? (8) | VINDALOO V = very; “in da lo”’. Definition: hot curry |
||
| Is it administered by 9″ ruler? (8) | SPANKING 9″ = span; ruler = king |
Rob Jacques (Knut) | |
| Reply to Mr Borden’s: “Lizzie, what’s that you’ve got?”… “Perfume.” (8) | OPOPANAX “O Pop — an ax!” Lizzie Borden |
||
| Competitive clue writer, extra extra special (5) | MORSE S = special; in MORE = extra Definition: Competitive clue writer (Sir Jeremy Morse, regular winner of clue-writing competitions) |
Chris Brougham (Dumpynose) | |
| Politician after very important information (5,10) | VITAL STATISTICS V = very; STATIST = politician; in ITALICS Definition: important information |
||
| As practised by Duerf, Volvap and Renniks? (7,10) | REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY Freud, Pavlov and Skinner — psychologists, reversed |
||
| Inflammation primarily found in maternal breasts (8) | MASTITIS I = first letter of ‘inflammation’ (‘primarily’); in MA’S TITS. &Lit |
Sarah Hayes (Arachne, Anarche, Rosa Klebb) | |
| It’s not normally amritas that 007 drinks! (5,7,6,3,7) | VODKA MARTINI SHAKEN NOT STIRRED Anagram — *(amritas that ooseven drink drink) |
||
| For whom right and wrong can go in ledger (9,5) | RECORDING ANGEL R = right; anagram — *(can go in ledger), with ‘wrong’ as the anagram indicator |
Brian Greer | |
| A little gas released from the rear (5) | TRUMP T = ‘the’, minus (having had it ‘released’) He (helium = a little gas); RUMP = rear. &Lit |
Robert Teuton | |
| Collar without filth (8,6) | CITIZENS ARREST Two meanings of both ‘collar’ and ‘filth’ |
Roger Phillips (Kea, Nestor, Notabilis) | |
Some fabulous ones there. MASTITIS will always be a favourite – it’s perfect.
Thank you for this. I’m not going to admit how few I got. Would have been one more though if final clue had (8,6) after it rather than (8,7) causing me to discard the correct answer
Oops, so sorry, Chrissie! I did a disservice to a brilliant clue there.