That fog must be lifting because I managed to solve all but ONE CLUE. That clue is going to hurt when I see the solution. It's going to kill me. I've gotten through this entire puzzle to be scunnered by one clue. I'll try and focus on the positive - I solved all but one!! Wait, let's try again. I solved 31 clues!! Wow, that felt better!
Please ignore the doodles on the top left. That was me taking notes during a phone call. Those are also fish scales, not "A ceiling full of pendulous breasts" as my husband had hoped. Brings new meaning to the phrase Milk Bar. Now let's dive in...
1A - See right into animal's chest (6)
I don't know what the word "See" is trying to tell me but I figured "animal" was BEAST and we are to put R from "right" into that to get BREAST, which isn't a definition of See as far as I know. (My husband would disagree, he sees breasts in everything) It is a definition of "chest".
4A - Glade makes cling wrap for listener (8)
Definition is "Glade" and we are told to take CLING and wrap it around a "listener" or an EAR for CLEARING.
10A - Spelunking around on roofs and tree tops, prancing and capering (9)
"Spelunking" is to search around in caves, so I put CAVE in and couldn't think of another word for cave diving...no. Cave something? I waited for the cross letters and got them all but cave wasn't working. I looked again and worked the other end of the clue "Prancing and capering" and erased the E and answered CAVORTING. Got a bit cocky there, huh.
11A - Ms Chanel enjoys a chocolate drink (5)
Easy! Coco Chanel drinking COCOA.
12A - Unframed nude sketch on a writing table (4)
"Unframed" is hinting to a hidden word, or the removal of letters. Definition is "writing table and we reveal within nuDE SKetch, DESK.
13A - Self-absorbed concierge has little time to waste (10)
I left this one a while because I figured the beginning was EGO-something but wasn't sure what until I had more cross letters. Lazy. Reading the clue if we take CONCIERGE and add the "little time" or T we get EGOCENTRIC.
15A - Old and frayed but still put on when going somewhere (4-3)
A sweet clue, I like the wordplay here. Definition is "Old and frayed" but is also "put on when going somewhere" WORN OUT. Very nice.
16A - Behold, two articles to hate! (6)
I'm learning that "Behold" prompts us to shout LO! and the two articles are A and THE. to give a word for "hate" LOATHE.
19A - Arachnid observer traps red-back (6)
Aussie easy. Definition is "Arachnid" and "observer" = SPY and "red-back" is saying turn RED into DER. We don't want a SPYDER but a SPIDER.
21A - Fastened loose ends and made it better (7)
Definition here is "Fastened" and if we take the ends of "loose" SE and think of what "made it better" we get CURED for SECURED.
23A - In English, excellence means disparity (10)
I'm not entirely sure how this clue works. I put "Disparity" through thesaurus.com and got INEQUALITY from the cross letters.
25A & 27A - Risk it, go by ferry (4,1,4)
I figured it was akin to TAKE A chance, but that had too many letters. Something that goes with "Ferry" and chance? PUNT.
28A - A prickly sounding person who's been given the job (9)
Oh another clever clue! This one was fun! I had many cross letters and got by guessing APPOINTED, but we want the noun APPOINTEE. Oh those prickly, pointy people!
29A - See irate models in restaurants (8)
I know models is an anagrind and "see irate" has eight letters, so scramble those to get EATERIES for "restaurants."
30A - Private secretary gets stuck into remainder of the meal (6)
"Private secretary" is a PA and those letters get stuck into a synonym for "remainder" or PAST for REPAST to mean a "meal"
1D - Surrender to fine dorsal feathers (4,4)
"Surrender" is our definition. Dorsal = BACK and feathers = DOWN. I'm not sure what "to fine" is supposed to tell me.
2D - Listen furtively as foliage falls, then heads off (9)
Definition is "Listen furtively" as "Foliage" LEAVES "falls" DROPS then remove the head of Leaves and the...tail off Drops for EAVESDROP. Suppose it was too wordy to say "head and tail"
3D - Nimble spook captures ring leader (4)
Nimble is our definition and it's not too far a stretch to come up with a four letter synonym. SPRY where "spook" = SPY and take the R (ring leader, first letter of ring) and put that into SPY.
5D - Neighbourhood housing for foreign soldier is reasonably consistent (7)
Definition is "consistent", "Neighbourhood" = LOCAL and we're to house a soldier = GI within to get LOGICAL. I'm not sure what the "foreign" bit is instructing and "reasonably" seems extra, too.
6D - A rising of cadences and an explosion (10)
"A rising" is our definition. If we take "Cadences" and "an" jiggle them up (or explode them), we get ASCENDING.
7D - Become liable for hot dog (5)
To be honest I filled this in last and even with all cross letters I was a bit unsure. Another word for "dog" is CUR and a definition of "liable" is INCUR...wait no it's not. A definition of incur is liable but not the other way around. What did I miss? Oh, click along...damn I'm tired.
8D - Brief look at German spear (6)
"Brief look" is our definition. We want just the G from "German" and a synonym for "spear" is LANCE for GLANCE. (Is it just me or there too many spears, lances and breasts in this puzzle?)
9D - Gifted cooks become restless (6)
I know "cooks" is an anagrind and "gifted" has 7 letters - the fodder should always be next to the anagrind. Mix "Gifted" to get FIDGET for "restless"
14D - Would single-masted vessel be sound enough for tree feller (10)
I don't know! Dinghy? Boat? Yacht? Lumberjack? I just cannot see where to begin to pick this apart. I'll have to cheat...oh for goodness sake. WOODCUTTER. How would I know CUTTER was to be at the end? How was I to know Would = wood...oh because it says "be sound enough" right. This one was hard!
17D - On that woman's work table is a caffeine free beverage (6,3)
"Caffeine free beverage" is our definition. "That Woman" is HER and "work table" means to scramble Table up and add the "A" to get HERBAL TEA. I don't like how I'm supposed to guess that the A is added. I suppose it's a cryptic given to assume if there aren't enough letters in your answer, it's acceptable to grasp at any single letters and capitals laying around?
18D - Notice he tore into a disciple (8)
I got this by the definition "Disciple" but I think it's worked Notice = AD + HE + tore = RENT for ADHERENT.
20D - Deliver second rental contract (7)
Do we want "deliver" or "Contract" "Second rental" got me to think RE LEASE. Which I suppose is a contract. We also deliver something and release it? Either way the answer was correct.
21D - Heart experts put Isabelle back onto abdominal exercises (3,3)
This one's cute. The definition is "Abdominal exercises" and I thought SIT UPS but couldn't see anything leading that way. Then I paid closer attention to the word back and started reading the clue backwards. There it is reversed in "expertS PUT ISabelle"
22D - Babble on about island to buccaneer (6)
"Buccaneer" is our definition and luckily there are few synonyms for that word. A synonym for "babble" is PRATE and we want to somehow get an I in there so let's take the one from "Island" to make PIRATE. Because grabbing letters is a cryptic thing. (feels like cheating)
24D - Sex ultimately, according to some, must be jubilant (5)
This is sneaky because usually we see ultimate or ultimately as a hint to take the first letter from a word. Here it's part of a hidden clue. Does the clue indicate it's a hidden clue type? Uhm...no? I don't think it does. Regardless, our definition is "Jubilant" and the answer is hidden in "sEX ULTimately" EXULT.
26D - Heartless relative can be pleasant (4)
"Pleasant" is our definition. We need a word for a relative that when we remove the middle letter of that word we get a synonym for pleasant. NIECE -E gives us NICE.
Done! Two in one day! Woo hoo! Did you learn anything?
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