The Age Cryptic by RM #20,453

This was not the fun and easy boot into the week I've come to expect for a Monday. I was hard and I may have been to blame because I didn't want to play. Kids are home, friends are visiting in town and I want to play with others, not grids.

We've spent a lot of time playing our board games and having a wonderful time. I highly recommend Ticket to Ride, it's been a fast favourite. I now want to get the other maps, if only for the geography boost.

I wasn't even keen to doodle much on the grid. Here's the pic:

1A - Stir plucky rebel to reveal perpetrator (7)
Hidden word clue signposted with "reveal" and within "sTIR PLUCky, rebel" is hidden in reverse the word CULPRIT. "Rebel" is being used as a reversal signpost because if we rebel we go against something. I think that's how it's being used, anyway. I've not seen rebel used this way before and this clue confused me until I wrote it out. Only then did I notice the telescopic word. I'd thought "stir" was an anagrind and couldn't figure out why we remove the KY and...frustrating rabbit hole, blah-wrong bad.

5A - Repudiate claim that void was accidental (7)
"Repudiate claim" is our definition and "void was accidental" is fodder and anagrind to give us DISAVOW.

9A - French wine and English fish with balsamic (7)
"Balsamic" is our definition and "French wine" = VIN and "English" = E and the "fish" = GAR for VINEGAR.

10A - Quiet corridor provides us with potent male symbol (7)
"Potent male symbol" is our definition and "Quiet" = P, "corridor" = HALL and "provides us" = US being easily provided, to make P(HALL)(US)

11A - Carried two monks on an evening out (4)
This was my unsolved clue. "Carried" is the definition and TOOK is the answer but I haven't been able to figure out why.

12A - Indian moon dance from the year dot (4,6)
"The year dot" is the definition and "Indian moon dance" is fodder and anagrind to give us ANNO DOMINI

13A - Refusal to acknowledge or face eleven's gutless inning (6)
"Refusal to acknowledge" is the definition and again I'm not sure how it's solved. I think "Face" = DEAL as in to face up to something and "gutless inNIng" = NI. I'm not sure of the use of "eleven's" but I'll wager a cricket reference is somewhere.

15A - Spoil showy jewellery by mottling (8)
"Mottling" is the definition and "spoil" = MAR and "jewellery" = BLING for MARBLING.

18A - Herb and salt fish then turn on (8)
"Herb" is what we are looking for and I'm guessing "salt" = TAR but I don't know why, "fish then turn" = GAR reversed to RAG and we add the ON in the clue to get TAR(RAG)(ON) but I'm not happy with that solution and invite anyone to give us a better one, please.

19A - Biblical Book will vex five less extremely odd American groups (6)
"Biblical book" is the definition and "vex, five less" where five" = V means remove the V from "vex" = EX, "extremely OdD" = OD and "american" = US for EXODUS.

22A - Encountered most ridiculous word for punctilious (10)
"Punctilious" is the definition and "encountered" = MET and "most ridiculous" means use "most" of the word "ridICULOUS" to give us MET(ICULOUS)

24A - Pain reaches heart (4)
"Pain" is the definition and "reACHEs heart" means take the "heart" or middle of the word "reaches" to get ACHE.

26A - Oozing disgust Bronx guide ejected Rob (7)
"Oozing" is the definition and "disgust bronx guide" is anagrind and fodder but we have too much fodder so "ejected Rob" means remove the letters ROB from the fodder leaving NX GUIDE to mix and get EXUDING.

27A - Evacuated empire and tired out resistance (7)
"Evacuated" is the definition. Again, I'm stumped. I know the answer is EMPTIED from cross letters and definition and I can see EMPire and TIrED" can give us the letters we need but how does "resistance" mean to remove the letters IRER?

28A - Unfortunately unable to digest minute traces of egg-white (7)
"Egg-white" is our definition and "Unfortunately unable" is anagrind and partial fodder that will "digest" or take in "minute traces" = M to get ALBU(M)EN. I made a guess on the "minute traces" bit because I knew the answer and knew I needed an M. "Time" is usually abbreviated to T, so perhaps "Minute" would be an M. I'm not entirely sure.

29A - Not just after first female at the carnival (7)
"Carnival" is the definition and "not just" = UNFAIR to be placed "after, first Female" = F (not Eve!) for FUNFAIR.

1D -Animal doctor in girls and boys school is inordinately desired (7)
"Inordinately desired" is our definition and "animal doctor" = VET to go "in" "girls and boys school" = COED to get CO(VET)ED.

2D - Local area network depressing for property holder (9)
"Property holder" is our definition and "local area network" = LAN and "depressing" = DOWNER for a LAN(D OWNER)

3D - Tabloid article on a piece of Indian music (4)
"Indian music" is the definition and a "tabloid" = RAG and an "article"  = A (or an or the) to make RAGA.

4D - We don't mix with the wrong crowd (6)
"Crowd" is the definition and "We don't mix, with THe wRONG" means to remove the word "we" from "the wrong" leaving THRONG.

5D - Ambassador gets qualification on time (8)
"Ambassador" is our definition and "qualification" = DIPLOMA and "time" = T for a DIPLOMAT.

6D - Follow TV instructions to practice punches (6-3)
"Practice punches" is the definition and "follow" = SHADOW and "TV" = BOX for
SHADOW-BOX.

7D - They contribute to the intestinal fortitude of some civil libertarians (5)
"They contribute to the intestinal fortitude" is the long definition for the short hidden word
"ciVIL LIbertarians" for VILLI.

8D - Cleaning one part of the building limits fire dust (7)
"Cleaning" is the definition and "part of the building" = WING and "limits, fire dust" = ASH and I guess "limits" is a container signpost because we need to put ASH into WING to get W(ASH)ING.

14D - New chairman's anti-government ideology (9)
"anti-government ideology" is the definition and "new chairmans" is anagrind and fodder to give us ANARCHISM.

16D - Part of South East Asia specialising in party plates (9)
"Part of south East Asia" is the definition and we need the IN from the clue to start, "party" = DO and plates" = CHINA for INDOCHINA.

17D - Company trainees find agent that's almost the same as skin protein (8)
"Skin protein" is the definition and "company" = CO and "trainees" = LL (double L-platers), "AGENt's that's almost" means we don't want all the letters of "agent" to give us CO(LL)(AGEN)

18D - A salesman filled back order for paint (7)
"Paint" is the definition and "A salesman" = A REP being put "back" means to reverse in the grid. Here I get lost because I don't know why "order for" = TEM but our answer is TEM(PERA)

20D - One who uses pence to intercept the one who posted them (7)
"One who uses" I guess is the definition although "one who uses pence" makes more sense (cents?) but we need "pence" = P to "intercept" or go into "one who posted" = SENDER to get a S(P)ENDER.

21,23D - Practical guide to little Tom's dominion (4,2,5)
"Practical guide" is the definition and I knew this one right off from "little Tom" because I grew up surrounded by Tom Thumb and know his history well. His wife, Lavinia Warren, was born in the same town and was a major benefactor to its local library due to he love of teaching. Their portraits are prominent all over town. A fascinating history if you are interested. RULE OF THUMB is our answer.

25D - Positive PR slant on party's leader's involvement in crime (4)
"Positive PR slant" is the definition and I think we get our answer from "party's leader" = P being put in "crime" = SIN for S(P)IN.


That's all she wrote. No just a bit more; I struggled and fought with this puzzle. I still don't have all the corners swept out and I found it an arduous slog. I'm not even going to spent much time editing this post so if you find an awkward sentence - sorry but there's fun to be had and I'm in a mood to sing the "I Don't Care" song. "Bing bing bing, zoom zoom zoom"

I may spend some more time with the Guardian puzzles this month because I do think I've gotten used to the styles of the Fairfax compilers and I need some new hell to make me cry. No I need new challenges to improve my solving skills, even if they make me cry.

No betting for me today on Cup Day, I find betting dull and I only have to lose a few times to become completely disenchanted with the whole process but I wish anyone who has taken a punt the biggest win your odds can get.