The last time I blogged a Chifonie puzzle, I said, ‘As with Rufus puzzles, it?s difficult to find anything new to say about Chifonie?s. They can usually be relied on to be straightforward, a medley of anagrams, charades and double definitions, all soundly and elegantly clued.’ Apart from the unfortunate 19ac, and a couple of repetitions in the clues, I could say the same today.
My favourite clue today was 15ac.
Thanks to Chifonie for the puzzle.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Patron of the arts, catching cold, left beef (6)
MUSCLE
MUSE [patron of the arts] round C [cold] L [eft]
4 Happy, if Steve gets changed (7)
FESTIVE
Anagram [gets changed] of IF STEVE
9 On the run, wilfully holding club or cudgel (9)
TRUNCHEON
Anagram [wilfully] of ON THE RUN round C [club]
10 Competed for best in street (5)
RACED
ACE [best] in RD [street]
11 Return to relieve an all-time low (5)
NADIR
A reversal [return] of RID [relieve] + AN
12 Ermine age terribly in a zoo (9)
MENAGERIE
Anagram [terribly] of ERMINE AGE
13 Competitive rider always covers slit in jacket (7)
EVENTER
E’ER [ever – always] round VENT [slit in jacket]
15 Prophet in jail? He’s upset! (6)
ELIJAH
Anagram [upset] of JAIL HE
17 Swims back to emergency room for a rest (6)
SPIDER
A reversal [back] of DIPS [swims] + ER [Emergency Room]
19 Indiscriminately sprays vegetables (7)
PEPPERS
Double definition – except that a pepper is a fruit, along with tomatoes; we’ve had this discussion before and I can’t resist quoting Miles Kington again: “Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”
22 Bill or Bob keeps batting (9)
ORDINANCE
OR DANCE [or Bob – Chambers says ‘bob’ is a Scottish dance] round IN [batting]
24 13‘s condition? (5)
RIDER
Double definition – see 13ac
26 New route is fantastic (5)
OUTRÉ
Anagram [new] of ROUTE
27 Unknown Tory in baffling exposé (9)
EXCLUSIVE
X [unknown] C [Tory] in ELUSIVE [baffling]
28 Penny is in the Army & Navy getting surgical equipment (7)
FORCEPS
P [penny] in FORCES [the Army and Navy]
29 Exercise wearing fewer clothes (6)
LESSON
LESS ON [wearing fewer clothes]
Down
1 Show couple consuming popular drug (7)
MATINÉE
MATE [couple] round IN [popular] + E [drug] [the clue could be read as meaning either of the Es]
2 Old Bob to pound sea creature (5)
SQUID
S [shilling – old Bob] + QUID [pound]
3 Ripped fabric gets assessed (9)
LACERATED
LACE [fabric] + RATED [assessed]
4 Fit to take charge of political party’s money management (7)
FINANCE
FINE [fit] round ANC [political party]
5 Branch displaying special equipment (5)
SPRIG
SP [special] + RIG [equipment]
6 It’s essential to apprehend road user in the flesh (9)
INCARNATE
INNATE [essential] round CAR [road user]
7 Senior journalist perishes in whirlpools (6)
EDDIES
ED [senior journalist] + DIES [perishes]
8 One joining fabric of a bowler (6)
SEAMER
Double definition
14 One dispatches journalist supporting one-time president (9)
EXPEDITOR
EDITOR [journalist – again] after – supporting – EX P [one-time president]
16 Ship in a French badger (9)
IMPORTUNE
IMPORT [ship in] + UNE [a French]
18 Referee initially upsets Scottish team (7)
RANGERS
R[eferee] + ANGERS [upsets]
19 Coppers get hold of address (6)
PREACH
P [coppers] REACH [get hold of]
I want to question this definition [preach would need to followed by ‘to’ ] but find that Chambers has ‘preach’ as a noun ‘[inf.] a sermon’ – ouch!
20 Swimmer lacks time for theatre worker (7)
SURGEON
S[t]URGEON [swimmer, minus t – time]
21 Father’s gone to die (3,3)
POP OFF
POP [father] + OFF [gone]
23 She‘s agreeable, when taking drug (5)
NIECE
NICE [agreeable] round E [drug – again]
25 Delinquent leader slashes wimps (5)
DRIPS
D[elinquent] + RIPS [slashes]
Comments are closed.