Someone once asked us if being a blogger took the pleasure out of completing the puzzles. Our answer was a resounding …. “No!” Today was definitely one of the occasions when our faces lit up as we saw Morph’s name. We smiled and laughed as we worked through the clues. All the time, we were thinking how much fun it was going to be when it came to the blog!
There’s always a smooth reading of the clues in Morph’s puzzles. All of the answers were known words and we only needed to check the American word used in 18d although the answer was obvious. Two of the short clues, 10a and 19a were a real delight and both made us laugh for their humour and ingenuity. We couldn’t really decide however between 10a or 16d for the COD. But then again, 1a was pretty exceptional too! Oh…. and what about the audacity of 15d?
We are not quite sure about how to parse 7d. The answer is obvious but the way we are looking at it, it doesn’t seem to quite work in the cryptic part.
Thank you Morph for such a great crossword!
| Across | ||
| 1 | PRIVATISATION | Detectives from the continent reportedly outsourcing services? |
| Sounds like (‘reportedly’) Private Eyes (detectives) Asian (from the continent) = outsourcing of services. Brought a smile to our faces! | ||
| 8 | SVELTE | Slim 12’s transformed after losing weight |
| Anagram of T(w)ELVE’S (anagrind is ‘transformed’) with w (weight) removed = slim NB Thanks to Allan_C for pointing out the missing ‘S” | ||
| 9 | BEHAVING | Crosby covers have reinterpreted what Fats was up to? |
| BING (Crosby) around (‘covers’) an anagram of HAVE (anagrind is ‘reinterpreted’) = refers to this song by Fats Waller | ||
| 10 | TRANSPARENT | Frank – sex-change dad? |
| If you had a sex change you would be a transsexual so…… if you were also a parent you could possibly be a trans-parent = frank – another smile!! | ||
| 12 | TEPEES | Find love back in tents |
| Reversal (back) of SEE (find) PET (love) = tents | ||
| 13 | KEEL OVER | This could make the pride of Wales collapse |
| If you turn ‘KEEL’ OVER you get Leek (Welsh national emblem) = collapse | ||
| 14 | VACATION | Leave west end of city at 10 in transit, perhaps |
| C (west end of City) + AT 10 in VAN (as in Ford Transit) = leave | ||
| 17 | POSTIE | Job that is for one regularly given the sack |
| POST (job) + IE (that is) = a postman or postie is regularly given a sack to deliver the mail | ||
| 19 | ELBOW GREASE | Joint musical effort |
| ELBOW (joint) + GREASE (Musical) = effort | ||
| 21 | KASHMIRI | One from subcontinent made his mark clumsily before independence |
| Anagram of HIS MARK (anagrind is ‘clumsily’) + I (independence) = someone from the Indian subcontinent | ||
| 22 | EDDIES | Media boss passes round flowers |
| ED (Editor or media boss ) + DIES (passes) = eddies are whirlpools or currents that flow round! | ||
| 23 | BITE THE BULLET | Take bull by the horns? Grasp it in broken teeth, I bet! |
| BULL within (grasped by) an anagram of TEETH I BET (anagrind is ‘broken’) = take the bull by the horns | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | PAVE THE WAY | Establish conditions for Spooner to do the job for free? |
| A Spoonerism of WAVE THE PAY = do the job for free | ||
| 2 | ILL FAME | Prominent members of French family falling into disrepute |
| (FAM)ILLE (French family with initial letters or prominent members ‘falling’) = disrepute | ||
| 3 | ASEPSIS | Being germ-free, passes freely round institute |
| Anagram of PASSES (anagrind is ‘freely’) around I (institute) = germ-free | ||
| 4 | IN BLACK AND WHITE | What could make Bin Laden tick – what timeless, fundamentalist way of viewing things |
| Anagram of BIN LADEN TICK WHA(t) without ‘t’ (‘timeless’) = fundamentalist way of seeing things | ||
| 5 | ATHLETE | Who’s allowed to participate in rearranged heat? |
| LET (allowed) within an anagram of HEAT (anagrind is ‘rearranged’) = someone who is allowed to compete | ||
| 6 | IN VITRO | I get number 6 north of junction – alternatively, come up by tube? |
| I + N (number) + VI (six) + T (type of junction)+ reversal of OR (alternatively) = Latin for ‘in the test tube’ | ||
| 7 | NONE | Pet menu chez Hubbard not in English? |
| We’re not sure how to parse this. NON (No in French) + E (English) = In the nursery rhyme Old Mother Hubbard’s dog had NONE as her cupboard was bare. However, the clue states ‘not’ which should be ‘pas’! Does her dog have ‘NO E’, translated into French? Can someone help us please? | ||
| 11 | SEMIDESERT | Tree missed badly here? |
| Anagram of TREE MISSED (anagrind is ‘badly’) = in a semi desert you wouldn’t see that many trees! | ||
| 15 | APESHIT | Something like Funky Gibbon’s in the charts? Crazy! |
| An APE’S (a gibbon is a type of ape) HIT (something in the charts) and relating to this song by the Goodies = vulgar slang for crazy | ||
| 16 | IN BUILT | Where to find meat and two veg at lunchtime consumes you and I – it’s essential |
| A BLT is a sandwich with bacon, lettuce and tomato (one meat, two veg!!) around or ‘consuming’ U + I (you and I) = something that is essential or integral – another big smile! | ||
| 17 | PARVENU | Standard place falling short for social climber |
| PAR (standard) + VENU(e) (place ‘falling short’) = social climber | ||
| 18 | SCANDAL | Boys from the south pinching American’s bum is a disgrace |
| LADS (boys) reversed (‘from the south’ in a down clue) around or ‘pinching’ CAN (American word for the buttocks – a new word for us) = disgrace | ||
| 20 | GARB | Game over for fashion |
| Reversal of BRAG (type of game) = fashion | ||
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