Steerpike is this morning’s setter.
A comparatively straightforward offering from Steerpike with a good range of clues and surfaces that make sense. Possibly a good puzzle for beginners?
Thanks, Steerpike.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | GOTHIC |
Spooky ghost occasionally starts to howl in cemetery (6)
|
| G(h)O(s)T [occasionally] + [starts to] H(owl) I(n) C(emetery) | ||
| 4 | HEIRLOOM |
Familiar piece of tune heard by maiden on privy (8)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [heard] of AIR (“tune”) by M (maiden, in cricket) on LOO (“privy”) | ||
| 9 | SLEEPY |
Lethargic mole takes shelter inside (6)
|
| SPY (“mole”) takes LEE (“shelter”) inside | ||
| 10 | HEADLESS |
Lashed out about English society lacking leadership (8)
|
| *(lashed) [anag:out] about E (English) + S (society) | ||
| 12 | ABATTOIR |
Moderate detailed public disorder around site of slaughter (8)
|
| ABAT(e) (“moderate”, detailed) + <=RIOT (“public disorder”, around) | ||
| 13 | SUITOR |
Diamonds, perhaps, and gold for plaintiff (6)
|
| SUIT (“diamonds, perhaps”) and OR (“gold”, in heraldry) | ||
| 15 | SHAM |
Mock somewhat boorish American (4)
|
| Hidden in [somewhat] “booriSH AMerican” | ||
| 16 | PILOT LIGHT |
Airman left battle having first dropped incendiary device (5,5)
|
| PILOT (“airman”) + L (left) + (f)IGHT (“battle” having first (letter) dropped) | ||
| 19 | LANDOWNERS |
Clan discovered knight drugs squires (10)
|
| (c)LA(n) [discovered] + N (knight, in chess notation) + DOWNERS (“drugs”) | ||
| 20 | INCH |
Measure weight suspended from lifting device (4)
|
| W (weight) suspended from (w)INCH (“lifting device”) | ||
| 23 | NICEST |
Least unpleasant relative heartlessly sent on vacation (6)
|
| NI(e)CE (“relative”, hearltessly) + S(en)T [on vacation, ie with its middle letters vacated] | ||
| 25 | DECOROUS |
Do course about getting fit (8)
|
| *(do course) [anag:about] | ||
| 27 | ALARMING |
A fish devouring limb? That’s scary! (8)
|
| A + LING (“fish”) devouring ARM (“limb”) | ||
| 28 | PLEDGE |
Promise Liberal journalist say about pursuing power (6)
|
| L (Liberal) + Ed. (editor, so “journalist”) + <=e.g. (“say” about) pursuing P (power) | ||
| 29 | ETERNITY |
Registry regularly includes bird’s age (8)
|
| (r)E(g)I(s)T(r)Y [regularly] includes TERN (“bird”) | ||
| 30 | SWORDS |
Something that’s said aboard ship’s cutters (6)
|
| WORD (“something that’s said”) aboard SS (steam”ship”) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GASBAGS |
They keep talking while bishop cracks jokes (7)
|
| AS (“while”) B (bishop, in chess notation) cracks GAGS (“jokes”) | ||
| 2 | THEN AGAIN |
Alternatively, a giant cunningly traps chicken (4,5)
|
| *(a giant) [anag:cunningly] traps HEN (“chicken”) | ||
| 3 | IMPUTE |
Attribute that is keeping politician extremely upbeat (6)
|
| i.e. (id est, so “that is”) keeping MP (Member of Parliament, so “politician”) + [extremely] U(pbea)T | ||
| 5 | EDEN |
European fox’s dwelling in garden (4)
|
| E (European) + DEN (“fox’s dwelling”) | ||
| 6 | REDOUBLE |
Intensify colour; essentially employing Byzantine blue (8)
|
| RED (“colour”) + [essentially] (empl)O(ying) + *(blue) [anag:Byzantine] | ||
| 7 | OVERT |
Public uprising in violent revolt (5)
|
| Hidden backwards in [uprsing in] “violenT REVOlt” | ||
| 8 | MUSKRAT |
In Montana, American vessel served up rodent (7)
|
| US (“American”) + <=ARK (“vessel”, served up) in MT (Montana) | ||
| 11 | VISIONS |
One appearing in children under six’s dreams (7)
|
| I (one) appearing in SONS (“children”) under VI (“six” in Roman numerals) | ||
| 14 | COURTED |
Brief defending old Earl and daughter tried to win (7)
|
| CURT (“brief”) defending O (old) + E (earl) + D (daughter) | ||
| 17 | GUNPOWDER |
Exciting new group touring Germany is explosive (9)
|
| *(new group) [anag:exciting] touring D (International Vehicle Registration code for “Germany”) | ||
| 18 | HORSEMAN |
Junior doctor registrar ultimately brought in for posh equestrian (8)
|
| HO(u)SEMAN (“junior doctor”) with (registra)R [ultimatley] brought in for U (“posh”, as opposed to non-U), becomes HO(R)SEMAN | ||
| 19 | LINEAGE |
Stock range of products on page 10 (7)
|
| LINE (“range of products”) on [headless] (p)AGE (indicated by the 10 in the clue referring to the solution to 10 across) | ||
| 21 | HOSTESS |
One who entertains crowds besieging centre of Fresno (7)
|
| HOSTS (“crowds”) besieging [centre of] (fr)ES(no) | ||
| 22 | HOLLOW |
Worthless government department initially denied permit (6)
|
| HO (Home Office, so “government department”) + (a)LLOW (“permit”, initially denied) | ||
| 24 | CRANE |
Bird darted into church (5)
|
| RAN (“darted”) into CE (“Church” of England) | ||
| 26 | GNAT |
Flying insect strong odour repelled (4)
|
| <=TANG (“strong odour”, repelled) |
I will go first….
….It went fairly quickly. loonapick wrote that there is a good variety of clues, but I t thought it was very heavy on charades. More importantly, I thought many clues were easy to solve but needed time to parse.
I ticked SLEEPY, HEIRLOOM, OVERT (clue of the day), and PILOT LIGHT
I could not parse HORSEMAN given I had no idea a junior doctor is a houseman (is this used outside UK?). I did not see HO = Home Office in HOLLOW. I solved LINEAGE early and the parsing only came to me when I solved HEADLESS
Thanks Slormgorm and loonapick
I don’t think we have housemen in Australia. And my research indicated they are something else in the US. The other UK thing, the Home Office, was more familiar. We had a lot of those during covid lockdowns.
Good fun.