Raich used to be a regular setter for the Independent series, but his offerings have been confined to Sundays recently. His last daily crossword was published in December 2018
He has returned today with a crossword about words and crosswords. There are references to types of clue, as well as to the use of words and language.
We started with an impressive anagram at 1 / 3 which set up the gateway to cross-referenced clues about different ways to solve a cryptic crossword clue.
As befits a puzzle about clues there was quite a wide range of clue types presented today – container and contents, reversals, anagrams, hidden words, exclusions, selected letters and combinations of these.
There were a couple of allusions to fake news and TRUMPED-UP assertions.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1 / 3 | Noteworthy waste was recyclable – feature of most 8s (3,4,2,3,6) |
Anagram of (recyclable) NOTEWORTHY WASTE WAS TWO WAYS TO THE ANSWER* |
TWO WAYS TO THE [ANSWER] |
| 9 | Money problems? Don’t start! (7) |
ROUBLES |
ROUBLES (Russian currency; money) |
| 10 | Continually annoy, as it happens, old-fashioned society girl, on return (7) |
(LIVE [as it happens; not recorded] + DEB (DEButante; old-fashioned society girl]) all reversed (on return) (BED EVIL)< |
BEDEVIL (torment; annoy continually) |
| 11 | Initially serves up pleasant summer drinks (4) |
SUPS (first letters [initially] of each of SERVES UP PLEASANT SUMMER) SUPS |
SUPS (drinks) |
| 12 | Being dry, replacement unfortunately left out (10) |
Anagram of (unfortunately) REP TEMPERANCE* |
TEMPERANCE (moderation in the use of alcohol, and even entire abstinence from it; being dry) |
| 15 | Husband dined out like 13s 3 (6) |
H (husband) + an anagram of (out) DINED H IDDEN* |
HIDDEN (descriptive of the ANSWER [entry at 3 down] for the clue at 13 down where the entry PAST is HIDDEN in GROUP – A STAND-IN) |
| 16 | Superficial display taking everyone in (7) |
SHOW (display) containing (taking) ALL (everyone) SH (ALL) OW |
SHALLOW (descriptive of a discussion that is without depth; superficial) |
| 19 | Sulk pretty regularly (3) |
PET (letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly] of P PET |
PET (sulk) |
| 20 | Current very hot? Not right (7) |
T TOPICAL |
TOPICAL (current) |
| 21 | Torment clergyman when initial resistance becomes hard (6) |
H ECTOR |
HECTOR (threaten; torment) |
| 23 | Meaning one route to 3 (10) |
DEFINITION (the DEFINITION is one of the, usually, two routes to the ANSWER [3 down] to a cryptic crossword clue) DEFINITION |
DEFINITION (meaning) |
| 25 | Complain having lost English holdall (4) |
GRIP GRIP |
GRIP (holdall) |
| 27 | A horse run in morning like 30s 8 (7) |
A + NAG (horse) + R (run) + AM (ante meridiem; before noon; morning) A NAG R AM |
ANAGRAM (descriptive of how the answer is formed to the clue at 30 across) |
| 29 | Brutal fellow, cur ultimately hostile in former colony (7) |
(R [last letter of {ultimately} CUR] + ILL [hostile]) contained in (in) GOA (former colony of Portugal) GO (R ILL) A |
GORILLA (heavily built thug; brutal fellow) |
| 30 | Newly re-enact entry as occasion for commemoration perhaps (12) |
Anagram of (newly) RE-ENACT ENTRY TERCENTENARY* |
TERCENTENARY (300th anniversary; possibly an occasion for a commemoration) |
| Down | |||
| 1 | False, outrageously dupe President first (7-2) |
TRUMP (reference Donald TRUMP [born 1946], currently President of the United States) + an anagram of (outrageously) DUPE TRUMP ED UP* |
TRUMPED-UP (invented; false) |
| 2 | Just emptied open lorry (4) |
ON (letters remaining in O ON LY |
ONLY (just) |
| 3 | See 1 across | ANSWER | [TWO WAYS TO THE] ANSWER |
| 4 | Very broken-hearted at outset apparently having such a story? (3) |
SO (very) + B (first letter of [at outset] BROKEN-HEARTED) SO B |
SOB (reference a SOB story [a pitiful tale told to arouse sympathy], often told as a result of being broken-hearted). |
| 5 | Request daily list for MPs (5,5) |
ORDER (request) + PAPER (daily newspaper) ORDER PAPER |
ORDER PAPER (a PAPER showing the order of business, especially in parliament for MPs) |
| 6 | Shelter, perfect place when once lacking energy (5) |
H HAVEN |
HAVEN (place of shelter) |
| 7 | Cheek – that, going topless, authority figure needed? (5,3) |
BRASS (insolence; cheek) + BRASS HAT |
BRASS HAT (a staff officer with gold braid on his HAT; a person of authority) |
| 8 | Signal to include large hint (4) |
CUE (signal) containing (to include) L (large) C (L) UE |
CLUE (hint) |
| 13 | No longer needed by group – a stand-in (4) |
PAST (hidden word [needed by] in GROUP A STAND-IN) PAST |
PAST (bygone; elapsed; no longer) |
| 14 | Concierge unusually with load of time describing earth-based system? (10) |
Anagram of (unusually) CONCIERGE and (with) T GEOCENTRIC* |
GEOCENTRIC (having the earth for centre; as viewed or reckoned from the centre of the earth) |
| 17 | Volume used by US associate in prosaic way (9) |
LITER (American [US] spelling of LITRE [measure of volume]; volume used by US) + ALLY (associate) LITER ALLY |
LITERALLY (using the literal, as opposed to the figurative, meaning of a word or phrase in a piece of prose; in a prosaic way) |
| 18 | Promise fun as one route to 3 (8) |
WORD (promise) + PLAY (fun) WORD PLAY |
WORDPLAY (In a cryptic crossword clue WORDPLAY is one of the two ways to the ANSWER [3 down] to a clue. Sometimes there are more than one WORDPLAYs in a clue) |
| 19 | Scheme for small piece of land (4) |
PLOT (scheme) PLOT |
PLOT (small piece of land) double definition |
| 22 | Massaging ego – nut’s way of speaking (6) |
Anagram of (massaging) EGO NUT TONGUE* |
TONGUE (language; way of speaking) |
| 23 | Costly address to partner (4) |
DEAR (affectionate form of address to a partner or beloved) DEAR |
DEAR (expensive; costly) double definition |
| 24 | Small piece, not genuine, about learner (5) |
FAKE (false; not genuine) containing (about) L (learner) F (L) AKE |
FLAKE (small piece or layer) |
| 26 | Song from Callas maybe minutes away (4) |
ARIA |
ARIA (song especially an accompanied vocal solo in a cantata, oratorio or opera. Often sung by Callas) |
| 28 | Island chap (3) |
MAN (reference Isle of MAN; island) MAN |
MAN (male; chap) double definition |
I am confused only by 14 where ‘load’ appears superfluous or mis-leading (I suspect I am missing something!) otherwise a pleasant solve
TFD @ 1
‘with a load of‘ could indicate that the T is loaded into or contained in the anagram of CONCIERGE. That is probably a better parsing than the basic anagram I first came up with in the blog
6d ‘Once lacking energy’ I took to be only one of the Es in HEAVEN beng removed.
Otherwise a neat and swift (for me) solve.
Thanks S&B
Very good. Puzzles with a theme or Nina are always more satisfying for me. Thanks Raich and Duncan.
Late to the party as we’re catching up after a weekend away, but what a super crossword, with totally fair cluing. We loved the theme, but our CoD was TRUMPED-UP.
Thanks, Raich and Duncan.
Many thanks, Duncan, for the excellent blog and many thanks also to those who commented