Not having a lot of time this morning I was happy that this was rather straightforward. A few clues held me back, 17ac in particular. Also not entirely sure about 22ac.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 9 | PNEUMONIA: homophone of ‘new mown’+ I + A |
| 10 | INERT: IN + (p)ERT |
| 11 | MOTEL: MOTE + L |
| 12,19 | GREYHOUND BUS: GREYHOUND (sprinter) + BUS(t) |
| 13 | APRICOT: anagram of PAIR + COT |
| 14 | BRAN TUB: B + RAN + BUT (reversed) |
| 17 | LIMIT: LIM(b) (leg as example of a limb, without ‘b’, bowled out) |
| 20 | RELAX: RE + LAX |
| 21,24d | BULLDOG CLIP: BULL + DOG + CLIP |
| 22 | BRUISER: (c)RUISER with new prow (B); not sure where the B comes from, other than guessing (Thanks to Crypticnut – for explanation) |
| 24,2 | CROSSWORD SETTER: anagram of WORCEST(e)R and DORSET without an E (not east) |
| 26 | HOOCH: HO + OCH (Scottish term of suprise) |
| 28 | ITCHY: (b)ITCHY without the bishop (b) |
| 29 | TEA FOR TWO: T (centre of cloThes) + anagram of FOOTWEAR |
| Down | |
| 1 | SPAM: MAPS reversed |
| 3 | IMPLICATED: I + anagram of DECIMAL and PT (short point) |
| 4 | KNIGHT: K (last letter of soundtracK) + anagram of THING |
| 5 | WATER BUS: anagram of WASTE BUR(n) without ‘n’ (releasing nitrogen) |
| 6,27 | FISH HOOK: FISH + HO + OK |
| 7 | REBUTTAL: BUTT (cask) in REAL (concrete) |
| 8 | STUD: double definition |
| 13 | AD LIB: in gatesheAD LIBrary |
| 15 | AIR CUSHION: AIR (vent) + CUSHION (shield) |
| 16,23 | BOXER SHORTSR: BOXER (packer) + SHORTS (fails to complete circuit) |
| 18 | MALLORCA: LAM reversed + anagram of CORAL |
| 19 | BIGMOUTH: double definition |
| 22 | BEDPAN: B + ED + PAN |
| 25 | STYX: homophone of ‘sticks’ |
G’day diagacht. Thanks for the blog.
No mystery for 22a. B replaces C in CRUISER giving BRUISER (thug).
My problem was with 14a as I’d never heard of a Bran Tub. However found an explanation on Google. In Oz we call it a lucky dip!
Thanks for the blog. Just for completeness, 24,2 also includes S for South in the anagram.
Quite right Neil. Had that on my bit of paper but didn’t include in blog. Thank you.
Really enjoyed this. Many Thanks, Brummie.
However, I hesitated over ‘Greyhound’ because those guys across the pond usually seem to think that ‘grey’ is spelt ‘gray’.
Why can’t we standardise/standardize?
Bryan
Easier than the usual Brummie. 26ac puzzled me – I was convinced it must be HOOCH, but couldn’t see why; thanks for the explanation, but not a very satisfying clue. HOOCH, apparently, is also slang for a dwelling, especially a thatched hut in Vietnam.
Thanks for the blog. I missed STYX. Homophones often catch me out! I wondered if there was any significance for all the B’s in the puzzle? Found this enjoyable, but didn’t like HO cropping up twice, or BUS twice.
Bryan @ 4: Ah yes, but the ‘grey’ in greyhound is nothing to do with the colour (there are no grey greyhounds) but has a completely different etymology.
I think the ‘A’ at the end of 9 is also part of the homophone – ‘new mown hay’, is it not? Though why it would then ‘precede one’, rather than be ‘around one’, I’m not sure. At least it reminded me of the Cockney alphabet: A for ‘orses, B for mutton, C for miles, D for dumb, etc …, which is always fun to try and remember! There seem to be various versions on the web – e.g. http://www.phespirit.info/cockney/alphabet.htm
revj (8) – The homophone is “new mown” which “precedes one” (I) “getting an” (A) – definition “infection”
I was pleased to make quite good progress with this. I’ve been struggling a bit with them over the last couple of weeks!
Many thanks, Enitharmon
When you do these type of Crosswords you never stop learning.
Which is half the fun.
Bryan
Cockney’s Alphabet seems to be a slightly different version of the Fools Alphabet (which, apropos of nothing, was a rather good book by Sebastian Faulks
Could be a whole theme for a xword no? Or has it been done already?
As always, very helpful blog – thanks! Thanks to commenters too, of course.
I still haven’t managed to understand 22ac. Where does the ‘b’ come from? That is, what clues ‘b’ rather than some other letter?
Thanks to enitharmon for the comment re the etymology of ‘greyhound’. I knew it was the correct spelling for the bus line, but was, like Bryan, puzzled as to why this was out of step with US ‘gray’ usage. I know now about the ‘grighund’ origin. Wonderful for learning things, crosswords….
Re 12 from Phaedrus – yes it has, by Don Putnam (Logodaedalus), in Games & Puzzles about 30 years ago.