I got off to a good start with this puzzle and had five answers in the first half an hour. It was a straightforward puzzle with no themes. My rule with a DA puzzle is it's been a good solve if I end up with at least five answers, so I was psyched with that result. After those five, the struggle began. Each clue was hard won after that. I peeped in on the D.A. Trippers for a few but the clues that stumped me, they didn't have trouble with, and the ones I got quick, folks had questions about so that was interesting.
Like last week I found it easier to spot the definition and got lots of answers with cross letters before being able to solve the cryptic half of the clue. I'm going to say that's probably a very normal way to get through these puzzles once someone has put the effort into learning them. I get a sense of what's going on without knowing with complete confidence until after the solution is there.
I have gaps in solutions for 15A (got it!), 19A, 28A 1D (got it!) and 18D so let me know if you have tips on those. Here's my pic:
1A - Decent riddle about deal ending freight mover (5,4)
"Freight mover" is the definition and "decent" = GOOD and "riddle" = SIFT to be place "about" "deaL ending" = L to give us: GOODS (L)IFT.
6A - Discussed which trials were conducted here? (5)
My first clue in the grid. "Discussed" is a homophone signpost and "which trials were conducted here?" where WHICH = WITCH, then the answer to that question is SALEM. A town I used to visit when I bunked off classes at university. Shhh don't tell my mom! (That's just me wondering if my Mom is still reading the blog: Hi Mom! I sent you a new cryptic magazine. Call soon, xoxo)
Edit** 9A - Sort of complex iPod with a loose case in need of fixing (7)
I didn't get this because I thought "sort complex" was an anagram signpost but I never got the right bits to make the word I needed. "Complex" is the definition and is "sort" an anagrind not next to the fodder - breaking the rules? Newbies like me need those rules. "sort iPod" is anagrind and partial fodder, "with A" and "LoosE case" = EL and then "in need of fixing" could be a long anagrind to give us OEDIPAL. So do we really need the word "sort" at the beginning? It ruined the whole clue for me. ** Apologies for this, I did blind out the word "of" in the clue which should read "sort OF complex" which removes all of my confusion. I can't believe I created my own problem with this in such a spectacular fashion. Apologies! I'm sure i'm not the only one this happens to. go on, make me feel better - confess. Please?
10A - Send for a ruffian after 31 days in Cannes (4,3)
"Send for" is the definition and "ruffian" = LOUT to be put after a month with "31 days" where "Cannes" means we want the French spelling and there's only one with three letters, leaving us with MAI for MAIL OUT. How does mail out mean to send for? Is this like in Ye Olde Kingdoms where a summons was sent via a messenger?
11A - Bother Olympic racer, admitting crack in locker stuff (5-2, 7)
I got this by working backwards and with help from cross letters on the 7-letter word. I pegged "locker stuff" for the definition and "bother" was an anagrind. I thought about the different types of lockers - there aren't that many - and what we put into the lockers to get me the Overhead Locker and CARRY-ON LUGGAGE. From the clue it's "Bother" = CARRY-ON and "Olympic racer" = LUGE with "admitting crack" = GAG as in a wisecrack put into LUGE.
13A - My opinion involving one famous key? (2,3,3,2)
"My opinion" is our definition and correct me if I get this wrong, "involving one" = I and "famous key?" is the rest of the fodder with the question mark acting as an anagrind to give us IF YOU ASK ME. Some D.A. Trippers mentioned "involving" being the anagrind and yes that is on the lists of anagrinds but why is the question mark there? Question marks can indicate Reverse anagrams, cryptic clues and other things - can it indicate an anagram? Just being a sign that some chicanery is still afoot?
15A - Celebrity exploding train from the east (4)
"Celebrity" is our definition and I guessed the answer was IDOL and "exploding" could be ID for incendiary device. I don't know how "train from the east" becomes OL except that it's possibly LO and "from the east" is a hint to reverse that to OL. I don't know how OL is "train." Outward Line? Just looked in at DAT and Mort says " 15A is hidden in reverse in the word “exploding”" meaning "from the east" is reversal and "from" must be the hidden word signpost for expLODIng to hide IDOL.
17A - Old city shelled out (4)
"Out" is our definition and "old" = EX which is a cluing device I've seen a lot of recently and "cITy shelled" = IT as if the letters IT where a nut and removed its "shell," giving us EXIT.
19A - Auditor's amending apartment sheets for scribe (7,3)
"Sheets for scribe" is our definition and I got the answer from that and cross letters. I had thought "Auditor's" was a homophone signpost and then "amending" was a deletion signpost but maybe it's as simple as "One who writes writs (Auditor) is in the act of WRITING?" Yeah? Maybe? Do auditors write writs? "Apartment" = PAD was much easier to grasp. Answer is a WRITING PAD.
25A - Olympic racer, perhaps, to search for farmyard crest (7)
Again, I got this with cross letters and working in reverse. "Farmyard crest" is the definition. I had the "C?X" in place for the first three letters with 12D and 18D. I googled "Olympic racer COX" as O was the most likely vowel and got hits for the rowing position coxswain normally shortened to COX, "To search for" = COMB giving us COXCOMB. I thought that would be spelled COCKSCOMB and had to look about to be sure COXCOMB was correct. That was a fun jaunt through google to learn about the variants of those words.
26A - Cool stuff - investment holdings? (7)
I got this with cross letters and a guess but it should not have been a guess because the answer is right there in the clue - it's a hidden word! "Cool stuff" is the definition and "investMENT HOLdings" gives us MENTHOL. That's neat because "holdings" can be used as a hidden word signpost and I'd missed it completely until I was typing this up.
27A - Cursed old PM among his mates (5)
I didn't get but I should have! It's very cute. Mort even joked "Small quibble: 27A doesn’t have any mates!" But I'd had the wrong letter in the last box for 18D and could only see RUSTY which didn't sound very "cursed" to me. "Cursed" is our definition and it's a mild curse word we want. "old PM" = Kevin RUDD whose mates may call him RUDDY.
28A - Criminal and suspect spearing fish (9)
I got this with cross letters and having given up, cheekily put in KIDNAPPED and went away. I woke up this morning and looked again and thought "KIDNAPPER" would definitely be a "Criminal" so how does it fit the clue? "Fish" = KIPPER that has been "speared" with a word for "suspect" but how does "suspect" = DNA? That's where I fall down on this one.
1D - Virtually come to dislike dope (4)
"dope" is the definition and that's all I have. Rupert at DAT says "1D: A phrase (2, 3) meaning to become less fond of, or lose freshness, with its last letter removed." This makes "virtually" a deletion signpost and "come to dislike" = GO OFF -F, leaving GOOF.
2D - Mum awfully loyal with dad on vacation (3,4)
This clue annoyed me. The hints by the DAT didn't help and made me further confused. "Mum" is the definition and "awfully loyal" is anagrind and partial fodder, "dad" = DA mixed together for OLD LADY. So how does the "on vacation" part fit in? It's being suggested at DAT that "dad" is being vacated but only the letter D for Dad? Seems a far leap to me but I'm probably missing something.
3D - Fine woollen boot can be picked up inwards (8)
Again, did not get and what is going on here? Mort says " 3D letters 1-6 mean “fine”. The last two are a type of boot." meaning "fine" = SUPERB and the "woollen boot" = UGg but how does "can be picked up inwards" fit? I don't understand the use of those words to the clue. Answer is SUPER BUG. I'm going to tease at this thread a little longer.
4D - White House private about WC? (5)
We do want a "white house" but don't let the capital letter in "House" send you down the wrong path - it's a red herring. We just want a generic white house, not the White House. "Private about" = GI reversed to IG and "WC" = LOO for an IGLOO which is certainly a white house.
5D - Twice I'm getting title adjusted for deadline (4,5)
Back in safer territory. "Twice I'm," is literal = IM IM, and "getting title adjusted," is part fodder and anagrind. Mix all together to get TIME LIMIT.
6,22D - Vicissitudes in the playground? (6,3,11)
Don't judge me for having to look up the definition of Vicissitudes. Not a word in my daily lexicon. With cross letters I was able to get SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS for things that "change or alternate" on the playground.
7D - Ballet outfit sign late contract (7)
"Ballet outfit" is our definition and "sign" = LEO, "late" = TARDY which we "contract" or remove a letter -Y, to make LEOTARD.
8D - Fashion skirts (additional length) creating chief profit source (6,4)
I spent time trying to figure "fashion skirt" = MAXI but no. "Chief profit source" is the definition and there I thought "mining ores" would fit the enumeration, but does it fir the clue? No, but it's on the right track. Mining being Australia's chief profit source and if we found a huge deposit we'd say we'd found the MOTHER LODE. That's how I got the clue. Cryptically it's "Fashion" = MODE which "skirts" around either "OTHER L" or "THERLO" but I'm more inclined to think "Additional" = OTHER and "length" = L.
12D - Tamworth scooter bordered on sound solution (4,6)
Another clue I worked in reverse. I got "sound solution" as ANSWER but knew a homophone of that was what we needed. I then looked at "scooter" and though about mopeds but nothing worked, then I thought about a "boot scooter" and got that dreadful Steps song "5,6,7,8 Boot Scootin' Baby" stuck in my head. That song was about Line Dancing - it's dreadful. Such a cruel earworm. "Bordering" = LINED + "answer" gives us the ending for LINE DANCER. It wasn't until I'd peeked into DAT that the "Tamworth" connection was revealed as the location of the Country Music Festival. a place where plenty of line dancing would take place.
14D - African footballer incurs fine after season opening on biffo (9)
I needed a lot of DAT hints to get this. All sport and Aussie slang was out of my league. "African footballer" is what we want and it's not an individual (that was a lot of google time wasted) but a team. Which football? Rugby. "Fine after" = OK to be placed after, "season" = SPRING and after "opening on Biffo" = B like this: SPRING(B)(OK).
16D - Mansion I develop upstate (8)
"Upstate" is our definition, not as one word for a location north of us but two words "Up state" or an awake state. "Mansion I develop" is fodder and anagrind to give us INSOMNIA.
18D - Truly bound, cross-catalogued (7)
I believe it's a double definition but I only used the "cross-catalogued" part to get INDEXED. There is certainly more to "truly bound" than I'm seeing. Something inside something else? X in "indeed"?
20D - Makes out beer source in litter location (3,4)
"Litter location" got me there with cross letters. I had tried to work "snog" in there for "Makes out" but I figured that was unlikely and it was probably something like "sees" or "understands" because nothing as base as snogging in newspaper puzzles, right? Ha! "Makes out" = PETS which is much more involved than just simple snogging. "Beer source" = HOP meaning we would be find "litters" at the PET SHOP.
21D - Sausage containing horse, game and big apple (6)
Don't listen to the newspaper solution, trust me, I'm right here. "Sausage" is the definition (which looks more naughty than it should since it's following the making out and petting clue) and a "horse game" = POLO, remember to always ignore punctuation at first. The "big apple" is the city of New York = NY for POLONY, which is a kind of sausage found everywhere with many different names. In fact with the NY ending I thought BALONY but that's usually spelled baloney. It's the same "sausage" though. It's not "colony" as the newspaper is telling us.
23D - Carrying beginner off, injured (5)
I don't know the solution. I got this with a hint from Mort " “Carrying” is used in crime novels to mean the answer. " and guessed ARMED which is the answer. Oh! just got it! "Beginner off" is just saying we want to remove the first letter from a synonym of "injured" = HARMED - H. Yes score!
24D - Inshult? (4)
I couldn't tell if we were looking for a Fuddism of lisp/wisp slam/swam? I've seen Fuddisms on the Cryptic Crossword Society and privately published puzzles. They come up in the Mensa puzzles sometimes. An example here:
Elmer Fudd's abundant spouse (4) = RIFE/WIFE
...but don't know if they're used in published puzzles much. This clue is not a Fuddism, it's simply SLUR, a synonym of an "insult" that also is slurred when spoken. I've probably killed the cleverness of this clue in my deadpan explanation. Sorry.
There we are, done. A few missed beats that I'm sure will be resolved soon enough. As always if you have a more elegant or concise solution, please share.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
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