*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
Apologies if this is a bit later than is customary – I’m just here as emergency cover today.
There was a certain amount of brain-racking involved in remembering how I got to some of these answers, several days on, but I think I managed it, although there’s one query at 4dn. This was a good, solid, enjoyable puzzle, with a miniature “obscure poets” theme (obscure to me, at least) in the across clues, which thankfully was mostly a case of solving anagrams.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 9 | THEODORE ROETHKE – THE ODOR + (O THE REEK)*. Theodore Roethke, 1908-1963, is the first in our triumvirate of dead poets. |
| 10 | BERLIOZ – BERLI[-n] + OZ. |
| 11 | EXPANSE – PANS “in” EXE. |
| 12 | GREEN – GEN “about” RE. |
| 13 | FORSYTHIA – (FAIRY + HOST)*. |
| 15 | OLIVER GOLDSMITH – (VIGIL HOLDER MOST)*. Oliver Goldsmith, 1728 or 1730-1774. |
| 18 | PHOTOSTAT – (POST “including” HOT) + A + T. I haven’t heard this term in some time, it sounds rather dated now! |
| 20 | POETS – POTS with E “penned”, and the theme for today. |
| 22 | OSSETER – STORES* “stocking” E, and a species of sturgeon, I learn. |
| 24 | OMICRON – MO< + I + CRON[-y]. |
| 26 | LUDOVICO ARIOSTO – (RIOTOUS VIOL CODA)* or (ODIOUS VOCAL TRIO)*, we’re spoilt for choice. Ludovico Ariosto, 1474-1533. |
| Down | |
| 1 | STAB – BATS<. |
| 2 | DEAR ME – ARM “dropped in” DEE. |
| 3 | ADRIENNE – ENDEARIN[-g]*. |
| 4 | PRIZE FIGHT – (I + FEZ)< “during” P + RIGHT. I can’t recall how I got RIGHT from “punch”, can anyone enlighten me? |
| 5 | TRUE – TRU[-c]E. |
| 6 | DEEPLY – DEE[-d] + PLY. |
| 7 | SHANGHAI – S + HANG + HAI[-l]. Shanghai is a darts game and a “Shanghai” – the “feat” in question – is the act of hitting a single, a double and a treble in the same turn, thus winning the game. |
| 8 | TELEMACHUS – (TEACH US) “around” LE + M[-aquis]. |
| 12 | GOOD PEOPLE – (POPE + L)* in ODE after GO. I believe the “Good People” are a particular variety of Irish fairy. |
| 14 | RELATIONAL – RATIONAL “to include” EL. |
| 16 | IRONSIDE – IR (Inland Revenue) + ONSIDE. |
| 17 | SYPHILIS – S[-tanle]Y + (HIS LIP)*. |
| 19 | OCTAVE – O “before” CAVE “about” T. |
| 21 | EGRESS – EG + [-d]RESS. |
| 23 | RICH – RIC[-e] + H. |
| 25 | NOOK – NO OK. |
Great blog, Simon, in the breach. I think the punch might be a right i.e. a boxer’s with the right hand.
Yes, of course, thanks for clearing that up. “Right” as in “a surprise right to the chest”, or that kind of thing.
‘Osseter’ was new to me till I got enough checking letters to see it couldn’t be anything else and I then found it in Chambers.
I think ‘good people’ is an Irish way of referring to the fairies so as not to offend them if they happen to be listening.