Not difficult but very entertaining, another super puzzle from Julius. Thank you Julius.
I had lots of chores to do this morning so I spent the time decorating the blog instead.
| Across | ||
| 1 | CHARLES DICKENS | Novelist Roald’s 23as narrated by Spooner (7,7) |
a Spoonerism of Dahl’s Chickens (Roald’s 23 acrosses) – 23as isn’t a misprint of 23ac, it is to be read as the plural of 23a. Brilliant! |
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| 9 | JODHPUR | PhD returned during day to the French fort city (7) |
| PHD reversed (returned) inside JOUR (day, to the French) – a city in India with its famous fort
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| 10 | OLD SALT | Retired sailor using LSD a lot (3,4) |
anagram (using the letters of) LSD A LOT Quartermaster Dick Libby, USN, an Old Salt: “Twenty years in the Navy. Never drunk on duty – never sober on liberty.” |
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| 11 | NORSE | Norwegian King garlanded with bouquet (5) |
| R (rex, king) inside (garlanded with) NOSE (bouquet) | ||
| 12 | SICK LEAVE | Skive off with Alec and claim this? (4,5) |
| anagram (off) of SKIVE with ALEC | ||
| 13 | ASHORE | Washed up silver 11 coin (6) |
| ASH (silver colour) ORE (Norse coin) | ||
| 15 | CALVADOS | Mr Klein drops in, sending back soda for something stronger (8) |
CALVin (Mr Calvin Klein) missing (drops) IN then SODA reversed (sending back) |
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| 18 | SET PIECE | Corner section of theatrical scenery (3,5) |
double definition – football and theatre |
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| 19 | ESPIED | Caught sight of Elvis’s fringes, of various colours (6) |
| ElviS (outside letters, fringes of) and PIED (of various colours) | ||
| 21 | TAE KWON DO | In adulthood now, Keats rejected combat (3,4,2) |
found reversed (rejected) inside adulthoOD NOW KEATs |
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| 23 | LAYER | He’s taking bets for both sides about a “yes” vote (5) |
| L R (left and right, both sides) contains (about) AYE (a yes vote) | ||
| 25 | AERATOR | A daughter of Mnemosyne, right one to provide inspiration! (7) |
| A ERATO (daughter of Mnemosyne) and R (right) – to inspire is to breath | ||
| 26 | BONDAGE | Slavery of the debt era? (7) |
BOND (debt) AGE (era) |
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| 27 | SHERLOCK HOLMES | Head of History in Merkel’s school developed an enquiring mind (8,6) |
anagram (developed) of History (first letter, head of) and MERKEL’S SCHOOL |
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| Down | ||
| 1 | CAJUN | Boca Juniors holding player from Baton Rouge (5) |
found inside (holding) boCA JUNiors – a player of Cajun music perhaps? |
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| 2 | ALDERSHOT | Sold 22 off for garrison town (9) |
anagram (off) of SOLD EARTH |
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| 3 | LAPSE | 11 people reported oversight (5) |
sounds like (reported) “Lapps” (Norwegian people) |
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| 4 | SOREST | Pain at its worst, therefore lie down (6) |
| SO (therefore) REST (lie down) | ||
| 5 | IRON-CLAD | Press college boy for battleship (8) |
IRON (press) C (college) LAD (boy) |
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| 6 | KID GLOVES | Con government, nothing special, treated by the media with these? (3,6) |
KID (con) G (government) LOVE (nothing, zero score in tennis) S (special) – presumably the current Conservative government is getting lenient treatment from the media |
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| 7 | NYALA | Southern African American stuck between US coastal cities (5) |
A (American) inside (stuck between) NY and LA (US coastal cities) – an antelope, native of South Africa |
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| 8 | STRESSED | Placed emphasis on turnover of sweets (8) |
DESSERTS (sweets) reversed (turnover) |
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| 13 | ALSATIAN | German shepherd posed being embraced by a pin-up (8) |
SAT (posed) inside (being embraced by) A NAIL (pin) reversed (up) |
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| 14 | RAINWATER | Berlin chap takes in Buddhist temple, it’s heaven-sent! (9) |
| RAINER (chap from Berlin perhaps) contains (takes) WAT (Buddhist temple) | ||
| 16 | DAIRY FARM | RAF turns up in limitless number circling Cheshire factory (5,4) |
RAF reversed (turns up) inside MYRIAD (limitless number) reversed (circling, going round) – a factory where Cheshire cheese might be made |
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| 17 | SCENARIO | 11 involved with wicked CIA plot (8) |
| anagram (involved and wicked) of NORSE with CIA | ||
| 20 | LOMBOK | Look about for vacant minicab in Indonesian island (6) |
LOOK contains (about) MinicaB (vacant, no inside letters) |
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| 22 | EARTH | Scratch top of fireside clay (5) |
hEARTH (fireside) missing first letter (scratching top) |
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| 23 | LINGO | An opponent of Spock’s stripped-down language (5) |
| kLINGOn (an opponent of Spock in Star Trek) missing outside letters (stripped down) | ||
| 24 | REEKS | Foul smells left opening of Scotsman’s trousers (5) |
| bREEKS (Scotman’s trousers) missing first letter (left opening of) | ||
definitions are underlined
I write these posts to help people get started with cryptic crosswords. If there is something here you do not understand ask a question; there are probably others wondering the same thing.
Thanks both.
Not too hard but quite enjoyable.
I appreciated your pictorial blog. A better use of your time than chores!
I liked the piccies! And I liked the puzzle. Lovely Spooner.
Thanks PeeDee and Julius.
I found this entertaining as ever, but a little trickier than Julius usually is – perhaps there were a few where I was misdirected well. A few obscure-ish solutions that must have been dictated by gridfill issues.
Thanks to Julius and PeeDee
PeeDee…… what a work of art! Thanks very much for the blog and thanks for the comments. Greetings to all from a bonkers hot Black Forest
Thanks Julius and PeeDee (nice work)
Entertaining crossword that I did in parts over three shortish sessions. Particularly liked the references to the answers of other clues for some reason – some it helped solve that clue and in others it helped get the referred one. Also liked the clever reverse hidden at 21a.
Thought that there was going to be something with respect to military places after the crossers at 2d and 9a went in quite early, but it didn’t go on.
Finished off in the SW corner with RAINWATER and the clever SET PIECE the last couple in.