An excellent puzzle for anyone starting out at cryptic crossword solving. You can have a go at the puzzle here.
Thanks Orense.
| Across | ||
| 1 | DRAWING ROOM |
Part of house that might attract man at altar? (7,4)
it might DRAW IN the GROOM
|
| 7 | SOP |
Cleaner spurning a bribe (3)
SOaP (cleaner) missing A
|
| 9 | APPAL |
Answer anticipating return of Scandinavian’s shock (5)
A (answer) before (anticipating) LAPP (Scandinavian) returned
|
| 10 | AMENDMENT |
A minute to finish, gents! Time for change (9)
A M (minute) to END (finish) MEN (gents) T (time)
|
| 11 | EARLY BIRD |
Chorus singer arriving in good time? (5,4)
one of the “dawn chrous”
|
| 12 | LARKS |
Fun and games for an 11? (5)
double definition – a famous early riser
|
| 13 | DYNASTY |
Daily loses heart with vile family (7)
DailY (losing heart, middle) with NASTY (vile)
|
| 15 | DRIP |
Ineffectual type sees king sunk in depression (4)
R (rex, king) in DIP (depression)
|
| 18 | SCAR |
Mark left on vehicle by sun? (4)
CAR (vehicle) on S (sun)
|
| 20 | GUNSHOT |
Report of rifles recently pinched (7)
GUNS (rifles) HOT (recently pinched)
|
| 23 | CORGI |
My American soldier’s dog (5)
COR (my!) GI (American soldier)
|
| 24 | CONTAINER |
Type of ship such as Queen Elizabeth on hold (9)
ER (Queen Elizabeth) on CONTAIN (hold)
|
| 26 | SOSTENUTO |
Rolling Stones out of such a musical movement (9)
anagram (rolling) of (STONES OUT)*
|
| 27 | OCHRE |
Pigment found in mineral coating central heating (5)
ORE (mineral) containing (coating) CH (central heating)
|
| 28 | PAN |
Try to find gold slate (3)
double definition
|
| 29 | EXTRADITION |
Convention applied to former legal process between states (11)
TRADITION (convention) following (applied to) EX (former)
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | DEAD ENDS |
Terribly saddened by situations offering no progress (4,4)
anagram (terribly) of SADDENED
|
| 2 | ASPIRANT |
Wannabe a second artist covered in beer? (8)
A S (second) then RA (Royal Academician, artist) in PINT (beer)
|
| 3 | INLAY |
Type of woodwork popular with non-specialist (5)
IN (popular) with LAY (non-specialist)
|
| 4 | GRAVITY |
Sauce holding Italian’s earthy attraction (7)
GRAVY (sauce) holding IT (Italian)
|
| 5 | OVERDID |
Made too much of road in new video (7)
RD (road) in VIDEO* anagram=new
|
| 6 | MEDALLION |
The compiler (backward youth with cat) gets an award (9)
ME (the compiler) LAD (youth) reversed (backward) with LION (cat)
|
| 7 | SHERRY |
Diffident about mistake getting drink (6)
SHY (diffident) about ERR (mistake). I realise that this is nit-picking, but can err mean mistake? I can’t think of err as a noun. As verb mistake is always transative whereas err is always intrasitive.
|
| 8 | POTASH |
Soldiers billeted in upper-class compound (6)
TA (Terretorial Army) in POSH (upper class)
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| 14 | SACRILEGE |
Sinful behaviour of philosopher carrying broken relic? (9)
SAGE (philosopher) containing RELIC* anagram=broken
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| 16 | SHANGHAI |
Once impressive part of China? (8)
Sailors used to be impressed here (pressganged into service)
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| 17 | STURGEON |
Operator importing tons of fish (8)
SURGEON (operator) containing (importing) T (tons of)
|
| 19 | RECOUNT |
Tell neurotic to change after dropping one (7)
NEUROTiC* anagram=to change missing I (one)
|
| 20 | GONDOLA |
Suspended high flyer? (7)
Cryptic definition, the cabin of an airship
|
| 21 | ACTS UP |
Misbehaves and turns on pump regularly (4,2)
ACTS (turns, on stage) on pUmP (regular selection from)
|
| 22 | PRISON |
Nick is inside, lying for the most part (6)
IS inside PRONe (lying, most of)
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| 25 | AIOLI |
Suffer with one hogging duck sauce (5)
AIL (suffer) with I (one) containing O (duck, zero) – a garlic sauce
|
*anagram
definitions are underlined
definitions are underlined
Thanks Orense and PeeDee.
7dn: Chambers 2014 allows mistake to be an intransitive verb, with the first definition being “to err in opinion or judgement”.
I can’t come up with an example where one could interchange ‘err’ and ‘mistake’.
“you mistake my meaning” makes sense – but not “you err my meaning”.
Similarly:
“To mistake is human, to forgive divine”
“To mistake on the safe side”
I can’t think of an example that makes any sense.
29: Ex(former)tort(legal process)ionic (between chemical states) = Extortionic, a perfectly good nonsense word. Well, I tried.
Thanks Orense and PeeDee
From very deep down in the backlog pile. Found it very straightforward, although ended up not parsing EXTRADITION which on retrospect looks a very simple charade that was missed. As stated in the blog, it would be a very good puzzle for somebody starting out in this crazy pastime !
Finished down in the bottom right hand side with EXTRADITION and GONDOLA (always forget about the balloon definition of it),