It’s Dill today – this is only our second blog of a Dill puzzle. Our first was in September 2020..
Firstly, some smooth surfaces which we always appreciate as soon as we started to solve the clues. Towards the end we wondered if we were heading for a pangram – we were.
Dill has treated us to a good puzzle today themed around a sport which we have absolutely no interest in. The only reason Joyce may watch the Masters (4d) is to see the rhododendrons at Augusta. Anyway, thanks Dill – we enjoyed today’s challenge.
RAM (‘butter’ – an animal that butts) inside or ‘coated by’ MACE (spice)
An anagram (‘re-assigned’) of CASTERS
Hidden (‘some’) in priME NUmbers
An anagram (‘breaks loose’) of AS FUN
C (cold) HIP (joint)
Cryptic definition: ‘Watch the BIRDIE’ was a phrase used when shooting a portrait photo
An anagram (‘remedied’) of DAILY SEX
PRO (up for) FUSION (integration)
W (with) EDGE (attitude)
DRIVEr (Minnie Driver, the actress) without the last letter or ‘finally lost’
An anagram (‘reformed’) of AS BORSTAL
AC (account) QUIRE (‘many papers’) D (500)
HARD (difficult) around or ‘admitting’ ZA (South Africa)
JE (French for I) and middle or ‘essential’ letters of eDIt
bEAGLE (hunting dog) without the first letter or ‘slipped off its lead’
A reversal (‘returning’) of UK (country) AB (sailor) – we had to check that Baku is a port – on the Caspian Sea.
A (one) THE (article) IS and T (first or ‘primary’ letter of targeting)
RE (concerning) + a homophone (‘by the sound of it’) of LAPPS (Northern Europeans)
ATE (swallowed) LIE (fake news) R (Republican)
Double definition
ThEoRy (alternate or ‘regular’ letters) inside or ‘intervening’ in MASS (crowd)
A homophone (‘sounding’) of COARSE (rough)
RACKET (that hits) E (English) ER (Queen)
S L (first letters or ‘starters’ to Sally Lunn) + ICING (sugary topping)
Cryptic definition: Dill wants you to imagine that you have taken the top off your egg off at breakfast. If it is hard-boiled, you will have difficulty dipping your pieces of toast (soldiers) into the yolk. Much better to have a soft-boiled egg if that is what you like doing..
D (daughter) after PA (her father)
An anagram (‘model’) of VIRTUE OF A
The middle letters or ‘centre’ of chELSea. We are not sure why ‘initially’ is used. An El is an elevated railroad in the US whereas the ‘initial’ letters ELS can stand for lots of things but not overhead railroads. Any ideas? We think this is also thematic, referring to the golfer beloved of crossword setters: Ernie Els
RACIST (bigot) around or ‘over’ E (Spain)
ACHE (pain) around or ‘taking on board’ an anagram (‘unfortunately’) of I’VE
STRESs (tension) missing last letter or ‘nearly’ around or ‘overwhelming’ OK (vet). Our LOI – we knew it had to be STROKES because of the theme but we needed to write it down before we could convince ourselves that OK = vet, as in check / approve
Double definition. For any parents who are reading this and are worried that their children will never eat anything green – don’t worry! Our son was like that and is now a vegetarian. As a young child, he explained it on the fact that he had more taste buds than me so he tasted things differently. What I didn’t know at the time was that the taste buds start to die as you turn 40 so you may have to wait a while to see them eating anything green. Thankfully I still have sufficient taste buds to enjoy my food.
Z (unknown) E (online) BRA (supporter). Our granddaughter’s favourite animal.
COURSE and HAZARD can also be added to the golf theme. There’s also a ZEBRA putter. Great puzzle so thanks Dill and B&J.
Wikipedia says that an elevated railway is called an ‘el’ for short, so 18d is just the plural.
The golfer’s full name is Theodore Ernest Els, making his initials neatly appropriate.
Despite the theme being right up my street I’d finished more than half of the puzzle before I spotted it. I must say I didn’t think too much about the ‘initially’ bit of ELS apart from thinking it was another way of just saying the “letters of” ‘Chelsea’s centre’; no, not v. convincing. Of the non-thematic clues, MACRAME held me up at the end after not spotting that old chestnut of RAM for ‘butter’. Not exactly even a mini-theme but there are three words with the not very common ending of a consonant then a U. You get a good look at BAKU and the Caspian Sea watching the Azerbaijan FI Grand Prix; it looks a very interesting place.
Thanks to Dill and B&J
In case you were wondering – I’m sure you weren’t – You can buy a gadget to turn your HARD-BOILED EGG into a golf (or tennis or foot) ball.
https://www.coolthings.com/sports-huevos-egg-shapers/
Thanks D & B&J
I do enjoy Dill’s puzzles and this was no exception. No problem with the theme either – lived with a golfer for many years!
So many to choose from to claim first prize but think it has to go to HARD-BOILED EGG just for the humour.
Many thanks to Dill and also to B&J for the review
Thanks all. Worth doing just to learn that DYSLEXIA (thank you spell-check) is an anagram of ‘daily sex’. Now to work it into a conversation….