A fun challenge from GUY!
FF: 10 DD: 8
Happy New Year folks!!
| 1 | ATTACH |
Sally shortened husband’s tie (6)
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ATTACk ( sally, short i.e. without last letter ) H ( husband ) |
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| 5 | GATEPOST |
Supporter on way in had job following signs in the centre (8)
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G ( siGns, central letter ) ATE ( had ) POST ( job ) |
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| 9 | CAST-IRON |
Very strong inmate broken by highest category prison (4-4)
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CON ( inmate ) containing [ A ( highest category ) STIR ( prison ) ] |
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| 10 | LOOKER |
Queen on throne fed king’s dish (6)
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[ LOO ( throne ) ER ( queen ) ] containing K ( king ) |
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| 11 | LETHAL WEAPON |
LAPD film Pumpkinheads’ leader at Hallowe’en riots (6,6)
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[ P ( Pumpkinhead, first letter ) AT HALLOWEEN ]* |
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| 13 | PAPA |
He has kids twice yearly (4)
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PA ( yearly, per annum ) repeated |
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| 15 | NEEDLESSLY |
Arch east of rock stacks? Not necessarily (10)
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NEEDLES ( rock stacks ) SLY ( arch ) |
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| 17 | CONTESTANT |
Competitor is able to time laps running trial (10)
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[ CAN ( able ) T ( time ) ] around { ON ( running ) TEST ( trial ) } |
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| 19 | SAPS |
Commando regiment keeping quiet digs a trench (4)
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SAS ( commando regiment ) keeping P ( quiet ) |
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| 20 | CASH-STRAPPED |
Such hollow parts actors knocked almost broke (4-8)
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[ SH ( SucH, hollow i.e. without inner characters ) in CAST ( actors ) ] RAPPED ( knocked ) |
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| 24 | LAGOON |
Thug in 11 perhaps in pool by the sea (6)
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cryptic def; read as LA GOON ( referring to the movie in 11a, which is set in LA ) |
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| 25 | ABLUTION |
Washing line covered with pants in U-boat (8)
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L ( line ) in [ IN U BOAT ]* |
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| 26 | BAKELITE |
Debit card supplier releasing new, exclusive plastic (8)
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BAnK ( debit card supplier, without N – new ) ELITE ( exclusive ) |
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| 27 | YEASTY |
Truly filthy place smelling fungal? (6)
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YEA ( truly ) STY ( filthy place ) |
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| 2 | TRAVELATOR |
Walk that takes you trembling to Rev and altar (10)
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[ TO REV ALTAR ]* |
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| 3 | AITCH |
Answer long letter that starts in hope (5)
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A ( answer ) ITCH ( long ) ; 'H' ( first letter of Hope ) |
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| 4 | HARD LINES |
Bad luck which might trouble actor? (4,5)
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cryptic def |
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| 5 | GENOESE |
Piece of cheese one grates over Italian (7)
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hidden, reversed in "..cheESE ONE Grates.." |
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| 6 | TULIP |
Bulb potentially lit up slides (5)
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[ LIT UP ]* |
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| 7 | PROGNOSIS |
Forecast — short bit of TV with no intelligence? (9)
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PROG ( short bit of tv, PROGram ) NO SIS ( intelligence, mi6 ) |
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| 8 | SPEW |
Chuck out small bench (4)
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S ( small ) PEW ( bench ) |
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| 12 | CLAPPED-OUT |
Given a hand, blooming knackered (7-3)
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CLAPPED ( given a hand ) OUT ( blooming ) |
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| 14 | ARTICHOKE |
Vegetable Martin peeled, to bottle it (9)
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ARTI ( mARTIn, peeled i.e. without end characters ) CHOKE ( bottle ) |
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| 16 | LITERALLY |
Recover after diet exactly as stated (9)
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LITE ( diet ) RALLY ( recover ) |
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| 18 | ASSUAGE |
German physicist in the middle of false alarm promoted calm (7)
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GAUSS ( german physicist ) in EA ( falsE Alarm, middle of ), all reversed |
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| 21 | SUNNI |
Muslim given entry returned with blazer on (5)
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reverse of [ IN ( given entry ) ] after SUN ( blazer ) |
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| 22 | PITTA |
Upsetting advice — you shouldn’t have bread (5)
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PIT ( reverse of TIP – advice ) TA ( you shouldn't have ) |
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| 23 | GALA |
Knight that’s missing had big party (4)
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GALAhad ( knight, without HAD ) |
I had a completely different take to our blogger’s FF10 and DD8. I found this difficult and a little monotonous. I ticked CLAPPED OUT, NEEDLESSLY and LITERALLY
All solved and parsed in the end. NHO of several words/ meanings including SAPS and HARD LINES (who uses the latter?). Also, what makes “pants” an anagram indicator (in ABLUTION)?
Thanks Guy and Turbolegs
Made hard work of this but some excellent clues held me up. Gala stood out, also assuage, lethal weapon.
Martyn @1 I believe young people use “pants” to mean “terrible”.
Good puzzle and enlightening blog, thanks both.
Thanks Guy. I found this challenging at times but ultimately solvable with my top picks being CAST-IRON, LOOKER, CONTESTANT, BAKELITE, SPEW, and GALA. Thanks Turbolegs for the blog.
Martyn @1: ‘Pants’ can mean ‘rubbish’ or ‘nonsense’ making it fair game for an anagram indicator.
Made hard work of this but some excellent clues held me up. Gala stood out, also assuage, lethal weapon.
Martyn @1 I believe young people use “pants” to mean “terrible”.
What does FF10 and DD8 mean?
Good puzzle and enlightening blog, thanks both.