Cryptic Crossword #28 [Completed]

ajaye said:

... bloody hell, I can't see the trees

Click to expand...

Oh, I wouldn't be too hard on yourself, it was a non-dictionary def and a pretty groan-making pun after all.

Apologies for the tardy reply to this, didn't realise the forums had reopened so quickly!

ajaye said:

Well I'm pretty much stuck and reaching for the bat-phone.
Maybe duplicate or replicate for 4ac? Lunch (break) or lurch (start) for 10ac

Click to expand...

Nailed 10a, shooting wide on the tother.

10a - LUNCH (subtraction)

Start to have no use for a break (5)

start - LAUNCH
to have no use for a - A subtraction indicator
break - definition

(L(-a)UNCH)

Here's the remaining clue types:

1 surround
1 reversal
1 homophone
1 container
1 subtraction
and 1, ahem, DD

If there's no movement in a day or two, I'll put a few extra letters in the grid to help out.

Xelebes said:

14d: AMENITIES

Don't have it parsed, just going direct.

Click to expand...

Bang on!

14d - AMENITIES (container)

Nice pal retains nurse to secure small services (9)

Nice pal - french indicator for AMI
retains - container indicator
nurse - EN
to secure - TIE
small - S
services - definition

(AM(EN)I)(TIE)(S)

LeadHead said:

22d: SERVE? Definition is minister (as in "to minister something"). CONSERVE = maintain, minus CON (= TORY)

Click to expand...

Perfectly parsed, LH!

LeadHead said:

4a: DUPLICATE? means "official copy" and fits the letters already there. Not entirely sure about the rest, "energy" = E? and DUPLICAT is an anagram of a word that means "matter" (e.g. in the sense that something matters)?

Click to expand...

Shooting wide on this one, LH - I've added a couple of letters into the grid to help out.

ajaye said:

oh those letters help a lot
24dn - BUST - dual def
25ac - UDDER - embarrassed (RED) date (UD ? I don't get it though) going around (reverse the letters) with posh tit (def)

Click to expand...

Glad to here it, and nailed 'em both.

For 25a, posh is U (upper-class) and date is D. SO RED+D+U all get reversed.

After sterling work by all - should we wrap up this month's grid with the answers?

Xelebes said:

4a: APPLIANCE
4d: APART

Click to expand...

Shooting wide on these two, X.

ajaye said:

ah, haha, I thought the def was posh tit

Click to expand...

Glad I led you down the garden path with the lift and separate.

Xelebes said:

Run down the options:

4a: APPOINTEE
7d: TANTRUM

Click to expand...

Two fer two!

7d - TANTRUM (container)

Times defends article on funny pet (7)

Times - TT
defends - container indicator
article - AN
on - positional indicator
funny - RUM
pet - deifnition

(T(AN)T)(RUM)

ajaye said:

yes yes yes, brilliant job X. the def is official, not official copy (which I was hung up on for THREE WEEKS) ape (copy) point (matter) e (energy)

Click to expand...

The old lift and separate strikes again! Actually, I think this clue was very tough because, although point and matter go both ways in the thesaurus, I think it's a tough synonym to get.

Just leaves a homophone to go ...

As they'll be a new one tomorrow, I thought I'd wrap this up this evening. The final word was 'AWAIT' (A)("WAIT") - and didn't have the best definition! Anyhoo ...



Thanks to everyone who took part, new and old, armchair and actual.

As usual, I'll post the full parse for the grid shortly. If you spotted an error in a clue or felt it didn't work somehow or wasn't fair, please let me know in thread or by PM.

Cryptic #29 will be posted tomorrow. If you want to learn more about how cryptic crosswords work or want to solve a few more, there's all sorts of solving help and further puzzles on my website (link in sig). The odd numbered grids there have appeared here, but the even numbers should be new to you.

Here be parse.


1 - PEACH (charade)

Beauty product originally for every person (5)


Beauty - definition
product originally - first letter indicator for P
for every person - EACH

(P)(EACH)


4a - APOINTEE (surround)

Official copy about matter and energy (9)

Official - definition
copy - APE
about - surround indicator
matter - POINT
and - surround inclusion link
energy - E

(A(POINT+E)E)


9a - INTESTATE (subtraction)

Late man without will runs off highway (9)

late man without will - definition
runs off - R subtraction indicator
highway - INTERSTATE

(INTE(-r)STATE)


10a - LUNCH (subtraction)

Start to have no use for a break (5)

start - LAUNCH
to have no use for a - A subtraction indicator
break - definition

(L(-a)UNCH)


11a - ANCIENT HISTORY (anagram)

His certainty on moving is long gone (7,7)

his certainty on - anagram fodder
moving - anagram indicator
is - deinfition link
long gone - definition

(ANCIENT HISTORY*)


13a - AMERICA (insertion anagram)

Place one in loaded camera (7)

Place - definition
one - I
in - insertion indicator
loaded - anagram indicator
camera - anagram fodder

(AMER(I)CA*)


15a - ERASMUS (anagram)

Old theologian masseur massaged (7)

Old theologian - definition
masseur - anagram fodder
massaged - anagram indicator

(ERASMUS*)


17a - IMPASSE (charade)

I'm out to get checkmate (7)

im - IM
out - PASSE
to get - definition link
checkmate - definition

(IM)(PASSE)


19a - TOP GEAR (charade)

Car show right to prohibit work clothing (3,4)

Car show - definition
right to prohibit - last letter indicator for T
work - OP
clothing - GEAR

(T)(OP)(GEAR)


21a - CLASSIFICATION (charade)

Sorting Charlie with a way to become a girl! (14)

Sorting - definition
Charlie - C
with - positional indicator
a way to become a girl - LASS-IFICATION
! - for second part of wordplay

(C)(LASSIFICATION)


25a - UDDER (reversal)

Embarrassed date going around with posh tit (5)

Embarrassed - RED
date - D
going around - reversal indicator
with - reversal inclusion link
posh - U
tit - definition

(U+D+DER<)


26a - INANIMATE (container)

Dead prisoner to make room for a new one (9)

Dead - definition
prisoner - INMATE
to make room for - container indicator
a - A
new - N
one - I

(IN(A+N+I)MATE)


27a - TENNESSEE (rough homophone)

State ball game marine heard on faulty radio? (9)

State - definition
ball game - TENNIS
marine - SEA
heard on faulty radio - rough homophone indicator

("TENNES""SEE")


28a - GREAT (homophone)

You must pronounce this grid excellent (5)

You must pronounce - homophone indicator
this grid - GRATE
excellent - definition

("GREAT")


1d - PRIMA FACIE (anagram surround)

Tight Mafia dons cut price on first viewing (5,5)

Tight - anagram indicator 1
Mafia - anagram fodder 1
dons - surround indicator
cut - anagram indicator 2
price - anagram fodder 2
on first viewing - definition

(PR(IMAFA*)CIE*)


2d - ATTACHE (subtraction)

Diplomat involved with someone short (7)

Diplomat - HE
involved with someone - ATTACHED
short - last letter subtraction indicator

(ATTACHE(-d)


3d - HYSTERICS (anagram)

Is her cyst going to cause fits? (9)

Is her cyst - anagram fodder
going- anagram indicator
to cause - definition link
fits - definition

(HYSTERICS*)


4d - AWAIT (homophone)

Hope for a load to be delivered by trap (5)

Hope for - definition
a - A
load - WEIGHT
to be delivered by trap - homophone indicator

(A)("WAIT")


5d - PRESIDENT (&lit)

Pennsylvania's chief citizen? (9)

Pennsylvania's chief - first letter indicator for P
citizen - RESIDENT
? - DBE

Over-arching meaning: the President of the US is known as the chief citizen.

(P)(RESIDENT)


6d - ISLET (insertion)

One rental opened by special key (5)

One - I
rental - LET
opened by - insertion indicator
special - S
key - definition

(I(S)LET)


7d - TANTRUM (container)

Times defends article on funny pet (7)

Times - TT
defends - container indicator
article - AN
on - positional indicator
funny - RUM
pet - deifnition

(T(AN)T)(RUM)


8d - ECHO (container)

Drug business involving heroin or E (4)

Drug - E
business - CO
involving - container indicator
heroin - H
or - equivalence link
E - definition

(E+C(H)O)


12d - ASTRINGENT (charade / letter share)

A way round man sharing German bitter (10)

A - A
way - ST
round - RING
man - GENT
sharing German - one G for two words indicator
bitter - definition

(A)(ST)(RIN-G-ENT)


14d - AMENITIES (container)

Nice pal retains nurse to secure small services (9)

Nice pal - french indicator for AMI
retains - container indicator
nurse - EN
to secure - TIE
small - S
services - definition

(AM(EN)I)(TIE)(S)


16d - APPEALING (letter exchange)

Looking to dump queen for student - charming (9)

Looking - APPEARING
to dump queen for student - letter exhcnage indicator R FOR L
charming - deifnition

(APPEA(-r+L)ING)


18d - PALADIN (charade)

Champion popular with father and son (7)

Champion - definition
popular - IN
with - positional indicator
father and son - PA & LAD

(PA+LAD)(IN)


20d - EMIRATE (subtraction)

No good to resettle Middle-Eastern region (7)

no good to - subtraction indicator for G
resettle - EMIGRATE
middle-eastern region - definition

(EMI(-g)RATE)


22d - SERVE (subtraction)

Minister to maintain Tory must go (5)

Minister to - definition
maintain - CONSERVE
Tory must go - subtraction indicator for CON

(-con(SERVE)


23d - INANE (subtraction)

Silly son unseated from potty (5)

Silly - definition
son unseated from - subtraction indicator for S
potty - INSANE

(IN(-s)ANE)


24d - BUST (double definition)

Wonky boobs (4)

Wonky - definition one
boobs - definition two


A new puzzle to play tomorrow if you're up for it.