Rather a stiff challenge today from Slormgorm, but in the customary witty style
I got off to a flying start, but I felt as though I was really reaching for the last six or seven solutions. I have actually read a surprisingly entertaining book about the Beaufort scale: Defining the Wind by Scott Huler.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | RUDE |
After drinking last of red, regret being offensive (4)
|
| RUE (regret) around (after drinking) last [letter] of [RE]D | ||
| 8 | RACONTEUSE |
Woman deftly spinning yarn murdered coarse tune (10)
|
| Anagram of (murdered) COARSE TUNE | ||
| 10 | CORPSE |
My back of thighs during exercises will get stiff (6)
|
| COR (my) + {last letter of (back of) [THIGH]S inside (during) PE (exercise)} | ||
| 11 | RAINLESS |
Stupid bishop leaves without having had a shower (8)
|
| [B]RAINLESS (stupid) minus (leaves) B (bishop) | ||
| 12 | SHANGHAI |
Round on board of a single, double and triple port (8)
|
| Double definition, the first referring to a feat in darts of hitting the single, double, and treble of the same number in one turn | ||
| 13 | LARDER |
Way to break into flipping concrete food store (6)
|
| RD (way) inside (to break into) REAL (concrete) reversed (flipping) | ||
| 15 | BEAUFORT SCALE |
One measuring speed of wind cruel oafs beat up (8,5)
|
| Anagram of (up) CRUEL OAFS BEAT | ||
| 18 | ICE TEA |
Drink and meth leads to total eventual addiction (3,3)
|
| ICE (meth) + first letters of (leads to) T[OTAL] E[VENTUAL] A[DDICTION] | ||
| 20 | INTIMATE |
Making love with prisoner? Ultimately inapt I admitted! (8)
|
| {Last letter of (ultimately) [INAP]T + I} inside (admitted) INMATE (prisoner) | ||
| 22 | SEARCH ME |
I haven’t a clue if marchese appears in disguise (6,2)
|
| Anagram of (if . . . appears in disguise) MARCHESE | ||
| 24 | MANURE |
Horse fed bit of nourishment by you to get this? (6)
|
| semi-&lit and MARE (horse) around (fed) {first letter of (bit of) N[OURISHMENT] + U (you)} | ||
| 25 | CONFERENCE |
Tory about to punch hot goods vendor in summit? (10)
|
| CON (Tory) + {RE (about) inside (to punch) FENCE (hot [i.e., stolen] goods vendor)} | ||
| 26 | ACTS |
Treaties lacking the power to get things done (4)
|
| [P]ACTS (treaties) minus (lacking) P (power) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | EUROPHOBIC |
Wildly euphoric about old Britain as some Brexiteers? (10)
|
| Anagram of (wildly) EUPHORIC around (about) {O (old) + B (Britain)} | ||
| 2 | RED PANDA |
Beastly type of revolutionary? Rubbish parent mostly! (3,5)
|
| RED (revolutionary) + PAN (rubbish) + DA[D] (parent) minus last letter (mostly) | ||
| 3 | BREECH |
Brother on drugs atop church displays buttocks (6)
|
| BR. (brother) + {E + E} (drugs) + CH. (church) | ||
| 4 | ANTILLES |
Topless undies worn by liberals in holiday spots (8)
|
| [P]ANTIES (undies) minus first letter (topless) around (worn by) {L + L} (liberals) | ||
| 5 | SELLER |
One marketing room in house on the radio (6)
|
| Homophone of (on the radio) CELLAR (room in house) | ||
| 6 | USES |
Does gear American carries save ensign at front? (4)
|
| US (American) around (carries) {first letters of (at front) S[AVE] + E[NSIGN]}. “Gear” is slang for “illicit drugs.” | ||
| 9 | CARRIER PIGEON |
Roaring epic novel written about queen in Homer? (7,6)
|
| Anagram of (novel) {ROARING EPIC} around (written about) ER (queen), with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 14 | ELECTORATE |
Those who might cross runners in race tee lot off (10)
|
| Anagram of (off) RACE TEE LOT, “cross” in the sense of “marking a ballot,” and “runners” in the sense of “candidates” | ||
| 16 | FEATHERS |
Getting to grips with dance at last, old men will get down (8)
|
| FATHERS (old men) around (getting to grips with) last letter of (at last) [DANC]E | ||
| 17 | ARMENIAN |
European artist upset by abruptly servile knight (8)
|
| RA (artist) inverted (upset) + MENIA[L] (servile) minus last letter (abruptly) + N (knight) | ||
| 19 | TARIFF |
Menu little Barney goes over assessing rustic starters (6)
|
| TIFF (little barney) around (goes over) first letters of (starters [of]) {A[SSESSING] + R[USTIC]}, with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 21 | TIMBER |
A warning possibly issued by Aspen in Fall? (6)
|
| Cryptic definition, with capitalization misdirections | ||
| 23 | EROS |
God is annoyed, having to show up (4)
|
| SORE (annoyed) inverted (having to show up) |