That said, I was into this puzzle by several hours before I could even glean the theme. I had about six answers, all over the place, not helping much with other clues but once I grasped the theme, with help of a google cheat sheet, I was "off like a frog in a sock" as the Aussies say. I ended the night with only three unsolved, for which I'm delighted! Ok, well technically four as I got 30A wrong, but still! Four!
Let's work the theme clue first. It's 21-down 11-across Code reported 17-down dynasty's director (7,5)
Oh, wait... to get the theme you have to solve 17D first - well ok, thanks for the hoops. Not like 21-down 11-across isn't hard enough. (I had a rabbit hole of looking up the director of the TV series Dynasty and thought Irving Moore was like Morse, which is code...right? Yeah it is. Moore's code, it makes complete sense)
Dictator's mocking bread choice (3) It's only three letters, how hard could that be? How about over an hour of googling and zero confidence in the answer I came up with? I'm not even able to replicate the search path but I found I was mixing up "dynasty" with "dictator" and narrowing it down to one with three letters. I had gotten 21A which ruled out Mao. I worked backwards and thought of a three letter kind of bread, RYE and googled for any corresponding dictators or dynasties and found RAI. But Rai was such a long shot it was lightly pencilled, erased and pencilled in again a few times.
Working that back into 21-down 11-across: "reported RYE dynasty" where reported is hinting to a further homophone (RAI - RYE- RHY) and "dynasty" = MING for RHYMING, then the second word fell into place. "Director" = ANG for Ang Lee. So I'm guessing we take the L from "Lee" and the "s" in "dynasty's" for the SL ANG. (DATripper Rupert got this using Fritz Lang,German- Austrian director. However/whichever gets the answer is a win.)
The answers of some are in RHYMING SLANG. That was many hours of google, fail, google more and getting hints for me to figure it out. I needed an Aussie rhyming slang list to help me out with the rest and most of that was working the enumeration into the slang and then finding the part of DA's clue that fit a definition.
1A - Soparanos group in opera, if amplified from rear (5)
This is a container clue. Definition is "Sopranos group" and we need to think of the TV show Sopranos and not chorus (or this guy if you've had the pleasure of hearing a male soprano.) Here "in" is our simple container signpost and we should note "from rear" as the container is reversed. "operA IF AMplified" MAFIA.
9A - Play before escorting model to a bridal bash (6,3)
I did not get this one. I've never heard this phrase. "Bridal bash" is our definition, "play" = SHOW and "model" = T, usually. Anyway, the answer is SHOWER TEA. I know bridal shower and a tea party but not a shower tea.
10A - Top fruit variety (5)
Here we want to remove the "top" or first letter of a fruit to get a synonym for "variety" ORANGE -O = RANGE.
11A - *See above for theme explained.* SLANG
12A- In 21-down 11-across, solitary cash source stops mate being solitary (3,6)
I first had ONE put in for the three letter word for solitary before knowing the theme. "Cash source" = ATM and "being solitary" = ALONE. the answer is PAT MALONE for definition "solitary" = alone so I'm unsure where the P comes before ATM.
14A - Senior earl sides with middle man, quitting at great cost (7)
"Senior" is our definition and "earl sides" means take first and last letters from earl for EL and here I get lost. "middle man" doesn't mean take the A from "man" and I can't see how the rest works. I got help from cross letters: ELDERLY.
18A, 4A - In 21-down 11-across, partner ranted, fist waving, after foreign capital investment (7,3,6)
I got this purely with cross letters and the Aussie RS guide. I knew the rhyming slang as it's the same in the UK; TROUBLE AND STRIFE = Wife for "Partner". I'm guessing "ranted fist waving" where waving is an anagrind and "ranted fist" is partial fodder. "foreign capital investment" = ROUBLE (oh were you thinking Paris? Rome? Minsk? Yes I totally thought Minsk, too) then "ranted fist ROUBLE" mixed together give TROUBLE AND STRIFE.
21A - Grappled precise formulae (7)
Very straightforward anagrind + fodder = definition. mix-up "precise" to get RECIPES. See, DA can be kind, sometimes.
25A, 16A - Carry out boring barrister's case on boorish flop in 21-down 11-across (5,7)
I had many cross letters and my Aussie List of rhyming slang. Otherwise, I'm not very sure here. Rupert from the DA Trippers posted "25A/16A: Carry out = letters 2 – 6; barrister’s case = 1, 7; boorish = 8 – 12 " So "carry out" = Carry - C for ARRY, "barrister's case" = BR short for brief? and "boorish" = OCKER gives us BARRY CROCKER. I'm guessing this makes our definition "boorish flop" but my goodness whatever did he do to be immortalised like this?
28A - Alien race diverted NY channel (4,5)
Definition is "NY channel" and "diverted" is an anagrind. Mix-up "Alien race" to get ERIE CANAL.
29A - Familiar terrier type halved hassle after tax (6,3)
I really don't get this clue. I don't know if it's some Aussie particular thing or what. "Familiar terrier type" = SCOTTY and "halved hassle after tax" if we are DOGGED and then half that is DOG for SCOTTY DOG, which is a "familiar terrier type"
30A - Please come back behind (5)
I got this wrong. I don't know how to solve it. I thought "Please come back" was a request with "behind" meaning someone was hiding so I went with EVADE. The real answer is ELATE, a word for "Please"
1D - Compelling Spooner investigated author (4-3)
I'm weak at solving Spooner clues so I didn't get this. Definition is "Compelling" and something compelling is a MUST SEE which when spoonered, I think reads "Sussed me" if we think of "author" as DA being "investigated"
2D - Awfully grand of Oscar, in a little way, as per 21-down 11-across (4,3,4)
I got this by using the cross letters and Aussie RS guide. Definition is "way" and the rhyming slang origin is "road" which in rhyming slang is FROG AND TOAD. I can now see"Awfully grand of "
being "awfully" = anagrind and "grand of" = FROG AND. Then we take "Oscar" = O "in a little" = TAD or TOAD as the O goes in TAD.
3D - Steed perhaps nibbling margins during a turn (7)
I had cross letters and put this in last having exhausted all horse based ideas. I figured "nibbling margins" was a signpost to remove letters, or outer letters but nothing made sense. I finally had to think of another Steed and *POP* there it was John Steed, the famous AVENGER. How we get that from the clue? I just do not know. It's really hard to let go of a line of thought, but freeing and cathartic when we do and the answer is just there.
4D - Snoop, head lowered under car - the final check?
I had this empty for ages and then cheekily put in ALIMONY, as "the final check" knowing full well you expats spell that cheque. Then I singled out words "Snoop" = SPY "car" = AUTO. That's when I realised this was a manipulation clue where "Snoop, head lowered" means to move the S in SPY one place over for PSY then those are placed "under" AUTO for AUTOPSY. These aren't the hardest puzzles of the week for nothing!
5D - Extreme medico restricted to a paste (7)
"Extreme" is our definition and "medico" = DR and I think the rest is to take the A and "restrict" a word for "paste" or STICK - K but that doesn't really make sense but the answer is DRASTIC.
6D - Home-wrecker divided flap (7)
Definition is "Home-wrecker" and "divided" = TORN and I guess "flap" = ADO although that's a new one on me. Answer is TORNADO. I got the answer from a DAT hint by Rupert "6D: Your home is unlikely to be wrecked by this; those living in trailers in Oklahoma and Texas, much more so. "
7D - Bar 27-down accessing news? (3)
I did not get this. Three letter clue and I had the first and last letter and I knew the definition was "Bar" and how does that become INN? I don't know, not all Inns are bars and not all bars are inns. I suppose NN is News Network?
8D - Contacts English listener hugging tree (7)
Definition is "Contacts" and we want the ones we put in our eyes. "English" = E and "listener" = EAR "hugging a tree" and the tree we want a YEW put together for EYEWEAR.
13D - Regarding 1000 articles written about cutting digit in 21-down 11-across (11)
This is stinker. PU! I got this with DAT hints (Rupert mentioned "It’s a suburb of Adelaide " and google-fu. Even with the answer, breaking down its parts proves difficult. I think it's "Regarding" = ON (why not RE?) 1000 = K for kilo "Articles" = A but being plural perhaps we want two AA, "Cutting digit" = Finger -F which somehow brings us ONKAPARINGA (scroll down) which is Aussie RS for finger/digit. I'm not sure about the PAR = "written". Unless "cutting" = PARING and that leaves "digit" for the definition with the AA being "about" PARING. Oy vey.
15D - In seconds, clown to elicit teen chuckle (3)I
Definition is "chuckle" and I had the top letter and the bottom letter revealing the answer is LOL. Otherwise, cryptically, I don't know how to solve this.
17D - Dictator's mocking bread choice (3)
*solved at the beginning of the post...I think* RYE
18D - Volcanic tuffs, engineer asserts (7)
Arg! What an annoying clue! It looks so straightforward. "Volcanic tuffs" as definition "engineer" as anagrind and "asserts" the fodder. I couldn't see anything, then put it through an anagram solver and got...nothing! I left the clue, got all the cross letters and then put the letters through One across and got TRASSES. Put Trasses through the word-finders and it comes up, but trasses doesn't come with any of its synonyms - I started with pumice and went through a few before quitting. What a diabolical, sneaky word trick! Even my spellcheck doesn't recognise trasses; it's an assault of red squiggly lines.
19D - Beef cut - lean rib - covers eatable marrow in hamper (7)
"Beef cut" is our definition and I think "lean rib" is anagrind and partial fodder. I don't know what "eatable marrow" is about but another word for "hamper " = BASKET so I mashed up RIB and BASKET to get BRISKET. Not the most elegant solution but it worked!
20D - US sitcom lifted lid on disgraced judge (7)
"Disgraced judge" is the definition and we want an Australian disgraced judge, not just any old disgraced judge. "US sitcom" = SEINFELD and "lid lifted" means take the first letter -S for ENFIELD, a disgraced judge I've never heard of before.
21D, 11A - Code reported 17-down dynasty's director (7,5)
*solved at length at beginning* RHYMING SLANG
22D - Writer stuffed cryptic clue for 'workspace' (7)
This one was taunting me. It was sitting there, looking obvious and simple but so damned elusive. Definition was "workspace" and then I thought, but why is that in quotes? Is it not really the definition? Do I really want a writer? Oh my...oh dear. Which end is the definition? I waited until I had all the cross letters. A "writer" here is a BIC and that is "stuffed" into "cryptic clue" where cryptic is an anagrind, clue the fodder, all together we get CUBICLE.
23D - Azure loft adult assembled (3-4)
I'm very confused. "Assembled" looks like an anagrind but it's not. I solved with cross letters and crossed fingers SKY BLUE a shade of "Azure". Are we to think of "Loft" = SKY? It's the attic so far as I know.
27D - I regularly boogied, being retro (3)
I could see "regularly" was a signpost for an even/odd container clue. I even had the O from 29A to help. I wasn't confident to guess "being retro" meant to search the clue backwards but there is a synonym for "I" in "bOoGiEd" EGO.
There we go. Done. As always, if you can give support by offering a solution where I've flagged I'd be delighted for the input.
I was thinking I'd tackle a few of the Guardian Cryptic crosswords mid-week. I really like the Monday LR and Friday's DA but mid-week I think it would be good to try other compilers and learn from other styles. Also the Guardian puzzles are free so there's a wide circle of solvers and motivation for new solvers here to print and work some clues at no cost, except for their paper and ink.
Have a great weekend!
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