I couldn't find a cryptic crossword while I was there. I even bought a Harper's and it didn't have a puzzle. I was so annoyed! I don't normally buy fashion rags but to buy one and then not get what I wanted it for was just a pain. I did bring a Lovatt's Handy Cryptic No.48 and did a few of those. I even did one with my mother and explained how to solve them. She was resistant at first, "I don't understand those puzzles" gosh is this everyone's first reaction to cryptics? Then she suddenly just started answering them all - a total natural. I was spitting jealous. Damn it, Ma! I've taken years to get my head around this and you get it your first real go. I'll just chalk that up to my excellent tuition, shall I?
Anyway, I got back Saturday morning and grabbed The Age. How very optimistic of me to think I'd be compos mentis enough to solve even the easiest clue after 23 hours travel, and three hours sleep. Saturday was a DS and I got off to a good start with it, too. I got 1A and 5A and 5D quickly. then my brain rebelled and I was done. I think it knew something I didn't - this puzzle is crummy. It's got answers with old or little used definitions, it's got really obscure words...it's a nightmare. A real tease after such an easy start.
I'll break this down as best I can...
1A - Assume movement tickles your funny bone (6)
I pegged movement as an anagram signpost and "tickles your funny bone" as the definition. Rearrange Assume to get AMUSES.
5A - Stream of abuse when one is stuck in traffic (6)
I got this mostly from the definition "Stream of abuse" and figured the answer does contain an I for "one" in it and TRADE is a synonym for "traffic" to give us TIRADE.
10A - Flag of the sea off Egypt and branches of the Nile (3,5,3,4)
I didn't get this one. Well I got the RED part from "sea" but how "Egypt and branches of the Nile" gives us WHITE AND BLUE is beyond me. I mean Egypt's flag is red, white and black. To hint that Blue is with Nile and water is blue....is a stretch. So I'm sure it's me and I've not understood the clue.
11A - In the end, annoyed disgruntled senior member (5)
"In the end" is a big hint that the answer is at the end of one of these words and disgruntled is possibly an anagram signpost. The last five letters of "annoyed" are NOYED, scramble them to get DOYEN.
12A - Carpeting salesman on the move (9)
I got help with this one because to me it seemed there was no definition. Carpeting is the definition, "salesman" gives REP and "on the move" gives ROVING for REPROVING. Now I couldn't figure out how "carpeting" was meant to be a reprimand. I shared the clue with the Cryptic Crossword Society's facebook page and was pointed to the idiom "Call to the carpet" as a way to say someone is being reprimanded. Seems carpeted and carpeting are spinoffs of that idiom.
13A - Not settled and without support? (8)
After getting few cross letters I guessed the answer was RESTLESS. Not sure how "without support" fits there but I'm learning to stress over that overly much - I got the correct answer in the end.
15A - Got cracking writer immersed in dictionary (6)
"Got cracking" is supposed to be the definition? Well I did get this from "writer" = PEN and dictionary is reduced to OED and when PEN is put into OED we get OPENED. Is it a to mean crack a book means opening one?
18A - Displaced person before capturing Russian fighter (6)
We want a synonym for "displaced person" which I could choose after getting more down clues as I couldn't figure out how "Russian fighter" gave us EMIGRE. I toyed around with bolshie/bolshy and refugees and other things but, not sure how this clue worked.
19A - Looked after stuffing kelp inside seam (4-4)
I tried many ways of getting KELP inside SEAM and failed. We need a synonym for "seam" and with no down letters I struggled and failed. WELL KEPT becomes our answer, but how is WELT a seam?
22A - Ship's glasses (9)
This is Aussie centric. They order their beer in a glass measure called a SCHOONER instead of a pint or half pint. Simple double definition if you know the lingo and being an Aussie newspaper it's a helping clue.
24A - Space group launched from the top of the nose (5)
"Space group" is NASA "Launched from the top" means to take the L for NASAL for nose.
26A - Neutering love or war by the transformation of tillage (5,10)
When presented with a word salad it should send off alarm bells that an anagram is afoot. I mean who neuters love or war? The answer is 15 letters so take the first 15 letters and, cheater that I am, run them in an anagram solver to get GREEN REVOLUTION for "transformation of tillage"
27A - Hardy leatherback cornered in den (6)
I fought with this one and failed. I can see how STURDY is a synonym for "Hardy" and I can see how STUDY is a synonym for "den" but how does "leatherback cornered" fit in this to give the R? I see leather back where back is an instruction to reverse leather - oh yes compilers are that sneaky! But how would I know what cornered means? An instruction?
28A - Reason to speak about lousy beginning (6)
"Speak" = SAY and we put "lousy" = NIT inside SAY (or SAY about NIT) to give us SANITY for "Reason". "Beginning" is a bit of a red herring to have us looking for starter letters.
2D - Wildly delightful extremes to occur within a month (5)
Frustrated!! This should be easy while solving but damn it, I crumbled. I got stuck on Manic as an answer, still thinking in non-cryptic solving style. I had the M for 1A so it had to be MAY or MAR with something in the middle. "Extremes" means look to the beginning and end of a word, in this case "delightful" and extract the D&L put that within MAY for MADLY, a synonym of "Wildly"
3D - Toys with children's list maker (9)
Toys and list maker...think Santa, right!? NO! Of course not, that would be too easy. Even with an S as the start. Crypticly dear, must think crypticly. "Toys with" is an anagram signpost for "children's" rescramble those letters to get a famous "List maker" SCHINLDER.
4D - Top wisteria's twining to take off (8)
"Top wisteria's" means to literally remove the top from "wisteria's" -W and then "twining" is an anagram signpost - one I've not seen before - should give a word for "to take off" but somehow we're supposed to arrive at SATIRES. Now, I've not heard Satires used to mean "to take off", I'm missing some double definition here or pun or something aren't I?
5D - Public transport passengers disheartened by long walks (6)
"Public transport" gives TRAMS, a common sight in Melbourne where this paper is from, "passengers disheartened" is the same as saying extremes. We want to remove the heart of the word "passengers" leaving only the P&S to give us a synonym for "long walks" TRAMPS.
6D - Alternative arose to include poetry in wild west show (6)
I got this from the definition "Wild west show" and the 5A top R for RODEO. Now, I can see "poetry" giving ODE but not sure how "alternative arose" gets R&O.
7D - Department head overcomes union's delaying tactic (9)
I had the D from 5A so that's our "Department's head" but where "overcomes union's delaying tactic" gives ALLIANCE? I was thinking strikes, walk-offs...that sort of thing. DALLIANCE by definition is a procrastination, wasting of time so I can see that. Sadly, I've always used the archaic definition (I'm told by dictionary.com) for dalliance where it means flirtation. I'm curious to know how a word defined as flirtation morphed to mean a waste of time?
8D - Revolutionary paintings returned to dealer (6)
"Revolutionary paintings returned" is a longwinded way to say take ART and turn it backwards for TRA and find a 6 letter word for "dealer" beginning with TRA we get TRADER.
9D - Ducked the question of being hemmed in (6)
This is a double definition clue and I got it after a few cross letters were filled in HEDGED.
14D - Least tight, less flowing (9)
I was distrustful of this clue having recently found another clue with "Tight" in it to mean drunk and going on a long search through word histories to figure out how tight = drunk, where to me a drunk person is loose. Is this an old, ironic slang?
16D - Scheme to seize, first of all, one of five in litter (9)
Did not even have a chance with this one. None. The answer is PALANQUIN which describes the carried carriage of royalty as a litter. "Scheme" is PLAN which seizes an A (P (A) LAN) and "one in five" well I guess a QUIN is one of a quintet? Damn, that was hard work.
17D - One spins out at continental accommodation (8)
This one bugged me. Our definition is "Accommodation" and "One spins" is anagram fodder for the very small, misleading, weakly hinting signpost out, rescramble to get PENSIONS. Which when looking down the list of definitions we find "boarding house" on there. Noticing the trend of old definitions or out of favour definitions in this puzzle. Damned annoying.
18D - Flag at the centre of French symbol (6)
Another one, well I guess if you're in the military this may be easier. "Flag" is our definition. "French" can lead a merry dance trying to find which two letter combination they want us to use: LE, LA, DE etc. but here it's EN and a synonym for "symbol" is SIGN. for ENSIGN. Too much Star Trek on my part, I never knew an ensign was also a flag, just a rank.
20D - Thanks fast money (6)
I had to get help solving this one from the Cryptic Crossword Society again. TA = "thanks" and LENT = a time of a "fast" but how TALENT = money I'm not sure. On the definition we need to scroll far down to the classical Latin and Biblical definitions where a talent was a weight for gold and silver.
21D - Moderately wrong without a lot to put right (6)
Our definition is "to put right" and the answer is REMEDY. I'm still working this one through. I cannot see how the clue gets me to the answer. I am distracted by the music.
23D - New or fresh holder (5)
"Holder" is the definition and fresh is an anagram signpost. Rejig "New or" to get OWNER.
25D - Be sparing with time (5)
Double definition here. STINT is defined as being frugal or "sparing" and it's also used to describe "time" spent in prison.
There! Done! I'm back in the swing. Better get started on Monday's RM puzzle before the jet lag hits me again.
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