The Age Cryptic by DA #20,552

Only a DA puzzle would make us suspicious and unwary about such an easy fare. I said it, this puzzle had a lot of easy clues. So many were able to be grasped by their definitions that I was second guessing for nearly the whole thing. I light pencilled in many and they were working!

Now I'm not going to brag - there are still plenty of elements I've missed and they are highlighted in red. Bits and pieces here and there. the pic:

1A - Regular coach close to heaving bustle (7,3)

"Regular coach" is our definition and "close" SHUT and "heaving BUSTLE" is anagrind and partial fodder to make SHUT(TLE BUS), I had been looking for something "BUM" as a bustle was used to enhance the bottoms of ladies once upon a time. We get heaving bosoms so why not heaving bottoms? Isn't twerking just that - heaving bottoms?

6A - Style of house gun (4)

Double definition: SEMI, as in a semi-detached house and semi-automatic gun, I believe. I had first thought of a Fell gun and Fell House in New Jersey but that wasn't very likely.

10A - Brighter captain a perv, we hear (7)

"Brighter" is our definition and "captain" = C and "a perv we hear" = LEERER/LEARER to make CLEARER.

11A - Dazzling bikini, part reflecting light against middle of straps (7)

"Dazzling" is our definition and a "bikini part" = BRA (although we usually just say top) and "reflecting light" = UV reversed to VU, lastly the "middle of stRAps" = RA to make BRAVURA.

12A - Swamp a solver after basic starter (5)

"Swamp" is our definition and "a solver" = YOU (or me, as in myself but DA speaking to me means YOU, you ken) which goes "after" "BAsic starter" to make a BAYOU.

13A - Thriving off Capriati's blundering (9)

"Thriving off" is our definition and "CAPRIATI'S blundering" is fodder and anagrind to create PARASITIC.

14A - Went to bed in need of reboot (7)

Double definition: CRASHED. Went to bed /in need of reboot

15A - Sydney suburb swapped condiments for tined meat (4,3)

Here I have a slight struggle to try and get the joke - but I can appreciate there is a joke here! I'm just not getting it. I know the suburb in question is CAMPSIE and that we're to swap the S(alt) for P(epper) to make CAMP PIE which sure, is kind of funny. I guess you had to be there?

17A - Opponents enrage newspaper, leaving faulty 6-across (7)

"Opponents" is our definition and the answer is ENEMIES. I can get the second part "faulty 6-across" is anagrind and fodder SEMI remixed but I do not know how "enraged newspaper" is ENE. Are we supposed to remove the "rag"? Still leaves a D. Nope, don't know. **Thanks to @CrypticQix for pointing out I was trying to solve this from my own typo of adding a D to "enrage" where there wasn't one. Apologies and thanks again! I'm such a goober.

19A - Most hip maelstrom?! (4,3)

An &lit clue - "MOST HIP maelstrom" is fodder and anagrind to make MOSH PIT.

21A - Idle stunt seeing a swimmer repelled by quarantine centre (9)

"Quarantine centre" is our definition and "idle stunt" means we want a synonym of "idle"and stunt it or knock out it's last letter so we want LAZ(-y) plus A "swimmer repelled" = OTTER reversed to create LAZ(A)(RETTO) and I spent a lot of time looking for types of fish to fit that swimmer.

24A - Restaurant cover with strings attached? (5)

Here I'm not too sure. I solved this as a cryptic definition of "cover with strings attached" to get APRON but I have no idea what "restaurant" has to do here. Oh, Celia Fate says the first two words are the full definition so a "restaurant cover" is an APRON. I suppose it's what wait staff wear?

25A - OK welcome surpassing a hug (5,2)

"OK" is our simple definition and "welcome" = GREET with "A hug" = A O, the O being like XOXO hugs and "surpassing" being a sign to say swap the A to the front to make A(GREE T)O.

26A - One religion follows cave resident (7)

"Resident" is our definition and "one" = I as it usually does, and "religion" = ZEN both of which "follow" a word for "cave" = DEN to make a DEN(I)(ZEN)

28A - Present shirtfront question (4)

"Present" is our definition here and "Shirt-front" = S which was nice use of a recently learned Aussie term used by our goofy PM, and a "question" = HOW to make SHOW.

29A - Chemistry movie? (10)

I had many of the letters and was able to guess the answer of ATTRACTION. My thinking was this was a hint to the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction where "chemistry" in a one night stand with Glen Close became the downfall of Michael Douglas. It's the only movie I can think of with "attraction" in the title.

1D - Thus caught crook (3)

"Thus" in Latin is SIC and "crook" is "SICK" but I don't think "caught" is a homophone signpost so I'm not sure if I've got this right. I have the answer SIC right, just not sure of the how.

2D - Sautéed mince carries extra-loud food label (3-2,4)

"Food label" is our definition and I think "SAUTEED mince" is partial fodder and anagrind which "carried extra" and extra here is BY as in a byproduct I suppose. which makes USE-BY DATE.

3D - Washed-up telegraph ends trying (7)

"Washed-up" is our definition and "TelegrapH ends" = TH and something that's "trying" is ROUGH to make someone who's career is THROUGH.

4D - Some vacuous fall I lament, picked up by playwright (9)

"Playwright" is our definition (why isn't that spelled playwrite instead?) and "SomE vacuous" means remove the inner letters and make the word empty gives us SE, "fall" = DIP and "I lament" - I RUE and all of that is "picked up" or entered in the grid backwards to make SE(DIP)(IRUE) into EURIPIDES.

5D - Unwrapped Bible book, reddish brown (5)

"Reddish brown" is our definition and we'll get our answer once we "unwrap" or remove the first and last letters from a "Bible book" and in this case it's the book of nUMBERs to get our colour, UMBER.

7D - Learner uptake partly hit the roof (5)

"hit the roof" is our definition and the signpost to pay attention to is "partly" as it's a hidden word signpost and within "learnER UPTake" is our word ERUPT.

8D - Man of gravity wants 1 (1-ac cryptically) - ...

What's with the easy clue?! This threw me - where's the trickiness? "Man of gravity" is ISAAC NEWTON and the clue is "WANTS  ONE" where the number one is spelled out but the other  is made into an I plus AC and all is "cryptically" fiddled or anagrammed to make ISAAC NEWTON.

9D - ...that's too hard. I'm out after 3-down? (6)

I don't know what's going on here. I figured if something was too hard I'd say "PASS" but why the last letters are IM or what 3-down has to do here is lost on me. Answer is PASSIM. I suppose we could just nick the "I'm" from the clue but this is a new word for me.

12D - Heaps of money sealed deal to restructure (11)

I had been confused because I thought the full definition was "heaps of money" but it's actually just "Heaps" and "money" = BUCKS which has "sealed" within it " DEAL TO restructure" as partial fodder and anagrind to make BUCK(ETLOAD)S.

15D - Movie-maker about to get Filet-O-Fish or Quarter Pounder (9)

"Movie maker" is our definition and "about" = C for circa and the rest of the clue has foods found at McDonalds and if requested at the counter would be A MC'ORDER to become a CAMCORDER. This could have been a bit easier if "Filet-O-Fish or Quarter Pounder" had been in quotes.

16D - Celebrity pests possibly bear ridicule over ego (9)

"Celebrity pests" is our definition and I think "bear" = PAPA from the three bears and to "ridicule" is to RAZZ someone, "ego" = I to make PAPARAZZI. I got this from definition alone.

18D - Jordan's neighbour is tragic royal on the rise (6)

I looked at the map and put in ISRAEL as it matched cross letters. It looks like IS LEAR, the "tragic royal" Shakespearian king, "on the rise" or reversed to make IS (RAEL)

20D - Tin-can's make-up?! (7)

Another &lit clue and an anagram like the other with TINCANS as the fodder and our answer is STANNIC. New word for me,

22D - Zulu movie genre exposed masked man (5)

"Masked man" is our definition and "Zulu" = Z and a "movie genre, exposed" means we need a genre and then remove the first and last letter - "exposed" as in strip - the genre is hORROr and our answer is ZORRO.

23D - Swimmer's meet ending on easy win (5)

"Swimmer" is our definition and "meeT ending" = T and "an easy win" is a ROUT (I know this word! My husband says it about the Scotland rugby team all the time. We always hope they'll win but it never seems to happen. Keep hope for one day, though!) to make a TROUT. There's the fish I wanted for 21A!

27D - Tennis essentially adopting a flat serve (3)

"Flat serve" is our definition and "teNNis essentially" = NN which is "adopting A" to make NAN. We had this word last week, too for the flat Indian bread. I had been thinking of coffee at first. I can't tell you how long it took me to get used to ordering coffee - to be honest I still screw it up. I often wish they'd just let me make my own.

This is out early because I'm out to enjoy a food and wine festival at the foreshore with some friends on mine and then they're sleeping over so it'll be more wine and board games to make the weekend superb. I hope your weekend is superb, too.

The Age Cryptic by DP #20,550

Just a quick post really because I'm flat out today. I got through this all right but got hung up ion the SW corner. There are still a few clues I've not been able to parse so if you can help me out, oh puzzling friends, please do! Here's my pic:

12A - Are they the legless tallymen?

I could guess from the definition that "tallymen" were ADDERS but wasn't sure what "are they the legless" was about. I thought maybe "legless" was akin to rungs on a ladder and we were to drop the "L"? Or is a reference to snakes?

3D - NY skyscraper is state inserted into status enhancement (6,8)

With 1A putting an E in the first place I guessed Empire State Building right off but only put in EMPIRE because I wasn't sure how the clue was working. Still not sure what going on to get me the answer.

15D - Reversion to unseat footballer (9)

Very confused as I thought "reversion" was an anagrind but it's not. Then thought it was a reversal signpost but it's not. "footballer" is such a vague term as there are four sport claiming in area or another to be "football" I didn't know which sport and couldn't ever single out a player. Nope if this clue was a fish then I'd Throw it Back.

I did find plenty to like in this puzzle like 9D (A SHOT IN THE DARK) and 16A (EYE-LINERS) and like the DH was good practice.

DA tomorrow, fingers crossed for a sharp mind. Wishing you the same.

The Age Cryptic by DH #20,549

Tuesday's DH was good for practice with a lot of anagrams and some good charades. 20A was a new word for me and I liked 4D. 15D gave me a giggle as the fodder nearly spells Liam Neeson. I was grumpy about George Pell being an element in 17A because I find him repugnant puzzle taint.

My internet was flaky yesterday so I did many of the anagrams the old fashioned way and didn't cheat. You can see that on the right side of the pic. I favour the consonants over vowels method as opposed to the circle one which takes up too much space. I've done this for years playing Countdown in the UK and Letters and Numbers here in Oz. Hey SBS - make new ones please!

I'll do a simple rattle through. Here's my pic:

9A - In Wal's bar "CC", cooked parts of crustaceans (4,5)

"Parts of crustaceans" is our definition and "WAL'S BAR CC cooked" is fodder and anagrind to make CRAB CLAWS.

10A - Left old Greek ship moving slowly (5)

"Slowly" is our definition and "Left" = L and an "old Greek ship" = ARGO of Jason and the Argonauts fame to make LARGO.

11A - And German, therefore, gets experience (7)

"Experience" is our definition as in to have something happen to you - it's a bit awkward, and "and German" = UND the German word for "and" with "therefore" = ERGO to make UNDERGO.

12A - My balsa work very poor (7)

"Very poor" is our definition and "MY BALSA work" is fodder and anagrind to make ABYSMAL.

13A - Notice battle in making grant? (5)

"Grant" is our definition and "notice" = AD as in a leaflet advertisement and "battle" = WAR that will be going "in" AD to make A(WAR)D.

14A - Alec! Pam is suffering problem in pregnancy (9)

"Problem in pregnancy" is our definition and "ALEC PAM IS suffering" is our fodder and anagrind to make ECLAMPSIA.

17A - Cult member concerned with George, specialist pest controller (6,9)

"Pest controller" is our definition and a "cult member" is someone IN SECT with "concerned" = RE,  "George" = PELL the Cardinal and the "specialist" is an ENT for an ear, nose and throat doctor to make  INSECT REPELLENT.

20A - Can't Linda start to sing about timber framing? (9)

"Timber framing" is our definition and we want to use the "CANT" from the clue plus "Linda starts" = L with "SING about" telling us the word "sing" will go about CANT + L to make S(CANT L)ING.

23A - Bob Jane grovelling too much in Amazon tributary (5)

"Amazon tributary" is our definition and this is a hidden word clue with the small signpost "in" with "jaNE GROvelling" hiding the river NEGRO. I'm not sure if "too much" has any use other than to make the surface more complicated.

24A - Glutton's family into American football (7)

"American football" is our definition and "glutton's" = PIG'S with "family" = KIN to make PIGSKIN, the slang word for an American football.

26A - Rice dish in Rhode Island toots? Rubbish! (7)

"Rice dish" is what we're looking for and "Rhode Island" = RI for the state's initials and "TOOTS rubbish" is partial fodder and anagrind mixed to make RI(SOTTO)

27A, 7D - In prime, greets Britten opera character (5,6)

This time "in" is an anagrind with "PRIME GREETS" as the fodder to create the "Britten opera character" PETER GRIMES.

28A - Parasitic worm to trade me off? (9)

Yuck! "Parasitic worm" is what we are looking for and "TO TRADE ME off" is fodder and anagrind to make TREMATODE.

1D - Precisions found in current clerical offices (10)

I got this from definition as it was the first word I thought of but I struggle to make it work from the clue. I know from later cross letters my hunch was correct. Ok, I think I get this - is it "Current" = AC as in AC/DC alternating and direct currents with "clerical offices" = CURACIES. I've not heard that word before but I think I'm right.

2D - Come down for service in continuous area of country (8)

"Continuous area of country" is our definition and "come down" = LAND as in a plane and "service" = MASS as in a Catholic mass, to make a LANDMASS.

3D - Awfully racy cadet's one easily frightened (7-3)

"Easily frightened" is our definition and "awfully RACY CADET'S" is anagrind and fodder to make SCAREDY-CAT.

4D - About Joseph? Left inside to wheedle (6)

"To wheedle" is the definition and here we get another use of "about" that I didn't mention in my post on the signpost "About About" here it's CA, but I don't know why! I'll have to keep looking. "Joseph" = JOE and "left inside" = L going into JOE to make CA(JO(L)E)

5D - Starts each Sunday; policeman taking everybody in for seafood (8)

"Seafood" is our definition here and "starts Each Sunday" = ES and "policeman" = COP which is "taking everybody" = ALL to create ES(C(ALL)OP.

6D - Captain to place Cassius? (4)

"Cassius" is our definition and "Captain" = C with "to place" = LAY for Cassius CLAY,  Muhammad Ali's birth name.

8D - Very thin metal in fencing blade (4)

Double definition separated by "in": FOIL.

15D - Annie's meal cooked for Solomon Islander (10)

"Solomon Islander" is our definition and "ANNIE'S MEAL cooked" is fodder and anagrind to make MELANESIAN. I had a good laugh over this as my first find in the anagram was LIAM NEESAN. Almost a perfect match and quite amusing.

16D - No master! Or trouble for Starman (10)

"Starman" is who we are looking for and not the old Jeff Bridges movie or the David Bowie song - sneaky italics. "NO MASTER OR trouble" is fodder and anagrind to make ASTRONOMER.

18D - Rule it second best and light it up again (8)

"Light up again" is our definition and "rule" = REIGN and we need the IT from the clue to fill space between "second bEst" = E

19D - Advantage also left providing trimming implement (4,4)

"Trimming implement" is what we're looking for and an "advantage" is an EDGE, "also" = TOO and "left" = L to make EDGE TOOL.

21D - Dark aluminosilicate in gold? George has it at Evans Head (6)

"Dark aluminosilicate" is our definition and "gold" = AU, "George" = G this time and "had IT" means include "it" to our answer leaving "Evans head" = E to make AUGITE.

22D - Gemstone found in fish trap (6)

"Gemstone" is what we want and "fish" = GAR and "trap" = NET got a GARNET.

24D - Just beat Irish for Australian beach mollusc (4)

I'm not very sure how this is solved. I'm sure the "Irish" = I and with cross letters I could guess PIPI as our "mollusc"

25D - Douglas church in Aberdeen? (4)

Double definition: KIRK.

There we go. If anyone has alternate solutions or fun stories to share about how they got answers then please do so in the comments.

The Age Cryptic by RM #20,548

Monday's rotation of compilers gives a few offerings from RM to look forward to. I really enjoyed this puzzle. Straightforward clueing, clever surfaces and a few smiles. I welcomed the practice with homophones. The only one I cannot parse is 19D. Here's my pic, free of lunch stains for a change:

Definitions are underlined
Actionable signposts or words are circled
Anagrinds are in rectangles
Anagram fodder has a squiggly underline
Dashes above/below letters are beginning/end letters or odds/evens 
Underlined numbers are not fully parsed unless ticked and circled numbers are ones I share with the Facebook Cryptic Crossword Learners club.


1A - Spacewise, it's amazingly good (3,2,4,5)

Cryptic definition for OUT OF THIS WORLD.

8A - Pull skin off and coat with grease to expose defect (5)

"Defect" is our definition and "pULl skin off" means to remove the outer layer/letters of of "pull" to get UL and then "coat with grease" = FAT where "coat" is a container signpost saying FAT will "coat" UL to make FA(UL)T.

9A - Where turbines catch breeze and turn on distant mountain top (4,4)

"Where turbine catch breeze" is our definition and "turn" = WIND as with a clock, "distant" = FAR and "Mountain top" = M to make WIND FAR(M)

11A - Lots of people on French island are unfriendly (7)

"Unfriendly" is our definition and "lots of people" = HOST (definition 2) and "French island" = ILE as the French word for island to make HOSTILE.

12A - Inferior marquee is said to be an omen (7)

"Omen" is our definition and "inferior" = POOR and "marquee" = TENT with "said" being a homophone signpost to make PORTENT.

13A - Regretting destruction before midnight (5)

"Regretting" is our definition and "destruction" = RUIN and "mid niGht" is a one word instruction to take the middle letter from "night" = G to make RUING.

15A - Told to pinch fleece with a scourer (5,4)

"Scourer" is our definition and "told to pinch" where "told" is a homophone signpost for "pinch" = STEAL/STEEL and "fleece" = WOOL for STEEL WOOL.

17A - Little bear next to opening in a small compartment (9)

"Small compartment" is our definition and a "little bear" = CUB, "next to" = BY and an "opening" = HOLE" to make a CUBBYHOLE.

20A - Beginning of no-nonsense stage scenery (5)

"Beginning" is our definition and "NO nonsense" is a short fodder and anagrind to get ON and "stage scenery" = SET for ONSET.

21A - Dependant on tenant's payments to cover a few liabilities (7)

"Dependant" is our definition and "tenant's payments" = RENT,  "cover" is a container signpost saying RENT will go around letters for "few LIAbilities" = LIA as we only want a few letters from "liabilities" - as a 7-letter answer just three are needed - to make RE(LIA)NT.

23A - Frenzied female managed spasm (7)

"Frenzied" is our definition and "female" = F, "managed" = RAN and "spasm" = TIC to make FRANTIC.

25A - Body structure analysis starts to meet academic ends (8)

"Body structure" is our definition and "ANAlysis starts" = ANA, "TO meet" = TO and "acadeMIC ends" = MIC to make ANATOMIC. with "Starts and "ends" being plural we know we'll need more than just one letter from those words. Trying to figure out how many to make a word is the tricky bit then to decide how "to meet" works in there, if it does at all.

26A - Cave creature is first to register (5)

"Cave creature" is our definition and "first To" = T and "register" = ROLL as in a list of names to make a TROLL.

27A - Procedure involving less cutting to improve locks? (7,7)

"Procedure involving less cutting" is our definition and I think this is a kind of pun clue, cryptic definition thing going on. Answer is KEYHOLE SURGERY.

1D - It's from the album. Don't quote me! (3,3,6)

Double definition: OFF THE RECORD.

2D - Structural framework attributed to the deputy PM (5)

This is a double definition of "structural framework" and "Deputy PM" = TRUSS, Warren.  I'd also thought "structural framework" = STRUTS but couldn't see how to drop the extra T and mix them up for our answer, as "attributed" isn't a very nice anagrind.

3D - Nifty gilt pieces presented in an appropriate way (9)

"An appropriate way" is our definition and "NIFTY GILT pieces presented" is fodder and anagrind to make FITTINGLY.

4D - Hard headed people who keep owls and monkeys? (7)

"Monkeys" is our definition and "Hard headed" = H and "people who keep owls" = OWLERS to make HOWLERS.

5D - Sign says church recess in a place for nerve communicators (7)

"Nerve communicators" is our definition and "sign says" where "says" is a homophone signpost, wants us to say "sign"as SYN. A "church recess" = APSE to make SYNAPSE. I got this one late because I pronounce that as SIN-apse.

6D - Tender when more decayed? (5)

"Tender" is our definition and "more decayed" means more OFF or OFFER. Thinking of tender as in making an offer or bid on a house.

7D - No secular reforms are tantamount to theft (9)

"Tantamount to theft" is our definition and "NO SECULAR reforms" is fodder and anagrind to make LARCENOUS.

10D - Friend allows lithe cat round like an Olympian (12)

"Olympian" is our definition and "friend" = ALLY and "LITHE CAT round" is partial fodder and anagrind to make ATHLETIC(ALLY) I believe "allows" is being used to swap Ally to the end, but I'm not sure.

14D - Inequality evident in menial ABC work (9)

"Inequality" is our definition and "MENIAL ABC work" is fodder and anagrind to make IMBALANCE.

16D - Take care of appearance later (4,5)

"Take care" is our definition and "appearance" = LOOK and "later" = AFTER to make LOOK AFTER.

18D - Most of the time opal rings are best (7)

"Best" is our definition and "most of the TIMe" = TIM  as we only need most of the letters from "time" and drop the -E, "OPAL rings" is a container signpost where "opal" will "ring" TIM to create OP(TIM)AL

19D - Stiff-necked fool's unkind acquisition of moveable property (7)

This was my last clue in and I'm not sure I have it right. I think "moveable property" is the definition and the answer is EFFECTS as in one's personal effects. How we get there I'm not sure.

22D - Nurse left out raunchiest bits of the letter (5)

"The letter" is our definition and breaking up the rest of clue with some commas helps grasp it better "NURSE left, out, rAunCHIesT" if we remove the letters of "nurse" from "raunchiest" we're left with ACHIT then with "out" as an anagrind, mix the remaining to get AITCH. Does "bits" have a further function? Could it be an anagrind instead of "out"?

24D - Some deep or thought over figure of speech (5)

"Figure of speech" is our definition and noting the words "some" as a hidden word signpost and "over" as a reversal signpost we can guess there's a reversed hidden word here and within "deEP OR Thought" is the word TROPE.

There we are. A very enjoyable puzzle I must say. I had expected LR today but I'm happy with this RM. 8A and 22d very clever and the phrases worked out well. I'm just stuck on parsing 19D so any help there would be appreciated.

As always if you have alternate solutions, insights or something to share - hey how's your day going - then please leave it the comments.

All About About

I shared this short post on the Cryptic Crossword Learners and thought I'd add it in here, too. 

When I was first learning to solve cryptics, the word about showed up so often that it caused me confusion. So much so that I began to hate seeing about. A year later, I'm better at identifying how it's used but it was a real stumbling block for me in the beginning. It wasn't until I started taking notes that I realised the many ways about is used by compilers when creating their clues. Compilers must love about for its versatility and ability to improve a clue's surface.

About could be a reversal signpost, an anagrind, a container signpost or a charade element in a clue. Sometimes it's just there for a smoother surface and has no other purpose - the most misleading about of all.

Being aware of the word about is good as it's most likely an element to the solution. Once you understand how its being used it helps break up the clue so it's easier to solve. Here are a few examples of the word about being used in different clue types.

As Reversal Signpost:

Suspend cockney with beer about girl (6) (@LRxword)

A bit of advice about depression (3) (Cincinnus)

Boast about one's clothes (4) (DP) 

Jot about picture file? (3) (DA) 

An Anagrind:

Narnia? Um, is it about Christian doctrine? (12) (Qaos)

Following guide, hear about carved decoration (10) (Commoner)

Anger about whatever Eve lost (5) (RM)

As A Container Signpost:

Embarrassed about battle for payoff (6) (Chifonie)

Passionate tale about leader of Mohicans (6) (Everyman) 

Patrons complain about new players (14) 

As A Charade Clue: (C(irca), RE(garding), CE, ON (and probably more!)

Extraordinary about machine-gun in swimmers (8) (@LRxword)

Leading gangster about and at large (5) (RM) 

(I struggled to find clues where C/CE were used so please share one if you know one)

Just Part of The Clue:

A lunatic, crazy about the sea (8) (Rufus)

Keep an eye out for the word about in your clues. Don't brush it off as a connecting word but think of it as a red flag because it's likely a key to the solution. The best part is, now that we know how about can be used it should make the clue easier to solve. I've come to respect about almost as much as the compilers, and I hope you will too.

The Age Cryptic by DA #20,546

Apologies for being AWOL this week. I've been wooly headed and thought sapped. I did finish Monday's LR and found that one a struggle - even though he promised it would be very easy. Fibber. I also did the DH and NS. I got a few questions into the DP and quit - I don't know why his puzzles bug me but sometimes his clue surfaces annoy me. They often have a dig in them I don't like.

What a mixed bag of easy and dastardly from DA today. A few new words and phrases for me to chew over. I peeked into the D.A. Trippers but they were pretty quiet today and many comments about how easy this puzzle was - not for me! One person mentioned it only them 28 minutes to finish. For me it was six hours. It may have been faster if I'd paid closer attention to the down clues and noticed many of them are read backwards to make sense.

Here's my pic, please ignore the dinner smears of pizza and drink, I'm a slaister:

1A - Social movement on Webmail's a lapsed fashion (6,3)

"Social movement" is our definition and "on webmail's, A lapsed" means to remove the letter A from the word "webm(-a)il" leaving "ON WEBMIL'S  fashion" as our fodder and anagrind which makes WOMEN'S LIB.

6A - Bizarrely know a party leader suppressed November report (5)

"Report" is our definition and this one was tricky. "KNOW A party" is fodder and anagrind but those letters weren't working so I started again. Trying "bizarrely KNOW A" plus "Party leader" = P and "suppressed November" says we want the letter P from Party and we need to ditch the Letter N from "K(-n)OW" making our new fodder KOWAP which becomes KAPOW!

9A - 59 shredded sheets? (5)

"Sheets" is our definition and this is a quick and sweet clue. Break up 59 in to "50" = L and "9 shredded" = NINE mixed up to make LINEN.

10A - A few light crackers in a bid to end war (5,4)

"A bid to end war" is our definition and "A FEW LIGHT crackers" is fodder and anagrind to create WHITE FLAG.

11A - Summer rhetoric stirred one, though tons left 40 out (3,6,3,3)

I got this with cross letters and definition "Summer rhetoric." I see "stirred ONE THOUGH" is partial fodder but I don't know how "tons left 40 out" works to give us the quote "HOT ENOUGH FOR YOU?"

Ah! Thank you Celia Fate for clueing me in; we spell out FORTY OUT and remove the "Tons left" = TT which gives us the correct fodder. Also didn't help I kept making "though" into "through."

12A - Pay for carbon-free spot on pavement (8)

I got this with cross letters and the definition "pavement" but my first thought was sidewalk or something like bitumen. To "pay for" something is to FOOT the bill and "Carbon-free spot" = PATCH -C to make a FOOTPATH.

13A - Calm a kid (2,4)

This is a double definition and I found it much easier to get if we remove the "A" and then we can get AT EASE and A TEASE. I do see the A is necessary for the "A tease" bit as "kid" could just be tease on its own.

16A - Present model occupying unit (2-4)

"Present" is our definition and often "model" = T for the classic car and that letter will be "occupying unit" = ONE but then that doesn't quite work as "unit" would have to become ONSIE. So I think this time "model" = SIT as in to sit for a portrait and "unit" = ONE to make ON-(SIT)E.

18A - For drink of it, I repaid round in part (8)

"Drink" is our definition and looking for signposts we see "round, in part" as two signposts, first is a reversal the second tells us there's a hidden word and look within "oF IT I REPAd" to see APERITIF.

21A - Pole star flaunted her charms, at first removing raunchy top (6,9)

"Pole star" is our definition and having a friend who's a pole dancer sent me in the wrong direction temporarily. Very wrong direction. This is simple, thankfully, for a 15 letter clue as "flaunted HER CHARMS AT FI(-r)ST - removing Raunchy top" gives us our anagrind (flaunted), fodder and an instruction to remove an R from that mix. Scramble the rest to get the North Pole resident FATHER CHRISTMAS. This was interesting as I had tried to fit "christmas" into 2D but that was not working at all so I'd doubted this was right. Now wondering if I'd had some subconscious solve going on.

24A - Aussie birds enter absolute Aussie 'carroboree' (3,6)

This is a mean clue to put upon us foreigners. Worse as Dictionary.com spelled the last word Corroboree. That made me think the quotes and misspelling were important - I'm still not sure. Was that done to make me think Ocker accents? Are we Bogan shaming? After a few cross letters I put in something that sounded German to me but fit the clue. "Aussie birds" = EMUS and they "enter" a word for "absolute" = UTTER (DA's used this before) to make UT(E MUS)TER, which I was saying as "Yoota Myooster" (I don't know German, that's probably Swedish as I do speak Swedish Chef). After googling Ute Muster I found out it's like a tractor pull/rodeo event but with Utes. Go on, laugh at the Yank.

Side note, have you ever thought about the number of words that exist for low class, common or uneducated people across English speaking countries? Redneck, hick, trailer trash, bumpkin, chav, ned, schemie, bogan, yobbo, derro and on and on. (I don't know any Canadian/NZ ones)

25A - Free sack (3,2)

Thank you for the straight forward double definition after the confusing 24A. LET GO is our answer using "sack" to mean fire from a job.

26A - Keyed up grammar topic (5)

Another double definition; thank you! Keyed up /grammar topic = TENSE.

27A - Her brain calm after detailing of Jewish speech (9)

"Jewish speech" is our definition and here our key signpost is "detailing" meaning to remove the last letter from a word. What took me a long time was that we're to "de-tail" more than one word. "HE(r) BRAI(n) CAL(m) = HEBRAICAL. So it's saying the phrase "her brain calm" will be our answer "after detailing" all the words.

1D - British people close to anguish after overkill (5)

"British people" is our definition and the "close to anguisH" = H  as we want the closing letter. This  comes after a one-word instruction "over-kill" = SLEW. This took me a while because I wasn't interpreting the "over" part to be a reversal signpost to make WELS(H) I was just looking for something meaning overkill. Not sure if that's right.

2D - Day Stosur turned fiendish (9)

"Fiendish" is our definition and I'd honed in one "Stosur" to mean the tennis player SAM Stosur, and I thought "Day" was a person like Doris Day but that combination left me short of letters and looking for other famous Days. Not until cross letters came in I realised this was "day" = MON for Monday plus "STOSUR turned" as partial fodder and anagrind (not a reversal as I'd tried mixes of MAS or MA( )S etc. even thinking Christmas which can be fiendish in its buying responsibility) to make MON(STROUS)

3D - Review to blast a bread - and the rest (4,3)

"Rest" is our definition and "Review" is a reversal signpost to used on the phrase "blast a bread" to become PAN A NAN as in the Indian flat bread which I spell naan. Reverse that to get a NANA NAP.

4D - Teller's knowledge of exec's trials (8)

"Trials" is our definition and here I'm missing the first part. I know "execs" = SUITS but how does "Teller's knowledge" = LAW to make LAWSUITS? I was thinking bank teller, psychics, Penn and Teller's Teller who is only known as Teller (I adore him), but I've got bupkis.

5D - Curse captain at wits' end (6)

"Curse" is our definition and if I hadn't been playing Dragon Age recently this may have been harder for me. Here the apostrophe is misleading. I tend to follow an "ignore all punctuation" rule when it's in a clue but here it seems so cruelly used to cause confusion. The "captain" we want is BLIGH of "Mutiny On The Bounty" fame and "wiT's end" = T for a BILGH(T) - now you see why that apostrophe was mean? If it had read "wit's end" it would be simpler but no, can't have that. We have to wonder if it's BLIGHS which makes less sense. Even now I'm double checking the solution in the paper in case I'm making an arse of myself. Yes I'm right. Having more confidence in my ability to know a synonym over what a stupid apostrophe is telling me is important.

6D - Eavesdropping legend brood in bar (4,3)
"Bar" is our definition and "eavesdropping" meaning to listen in is being used a homophone signpost here for the word "legend" = KEY as we'd find on a map. "Brood" = POUT to make "KEE"(P OUT)


7D - Pertaining primarily to friend?! (5)

An &lit clue - I'm getting better at recognising clue types. "Pertaining primarily" = P as "primarily" is asking for the first letter. A "friend" = ALLY together to make PALLY. It's very clever and sweet.

8D - Avoid charge with purchase, picking up gourmet meat (5,4)

"Gourmet meat" is our definition and "avoid" = WAG which is Aussie slang for bunk off or play hooky (that's UK and USA versions - see I'm trilingual!) then "charge" = FEE and "purchase" = BUY so "FEE with BUY picking up"  in a down clue means to reverse those two words to create WAG(YU B)(EEF)

12D - Corn typically costing a tennis player (4,5)

This is a double definition and a very clever one, too. I got it with a few cross letters in place. Marvel at the thinking of a "corn typically" and "costing a tennis player" are both FOOT FAULTS.

14D - Sort of car routine (9)

Another double definition "sort of car" and "routine" are both AUTOMATIC.

15D - Bro, perhaps, grabs cutter for pork cut (5,3)

"Pork cut" is our definition and "Bro" = SIB as in sibling - very misleading again as "perhaps" is often an anagrind. "Grabs" is a container signpost for "cutter" = PARER to create S(PARE R)IB. I had "short" in there for a while lightly pencilled.

17D - 80's UK band far from being Placebo (3,4)

My first clue in and a gift for Gen Xers who should know the "80's UK band" and true, they are a different music style from the 90's UK band Placebo. Answer is THE CURE and it's a nice play on placebo being a decoy medicine and a cure being an actual remedy and making a comment of their different music styles.

19D - Parrot climbed completely upside-down (7)

"Parrot" is our definition and "climbed" = ROSE and "completely" = ALL  that is "upside-down" or reversed to make ROSE(LLA)

20D - Put the lid on whisky (6)

"Whisky" is the definition and I got our answer SCOTCH from that. How we get this from parsing I cannot say.

22D - Vacuous tuition engrossed little sixth-grader (5)

"Sixth-grader" is our sorta-kinda definition we get from "vacuous TuitioN" = TN as "vacuous" means empty, hollow, air-headed so we want to remove the middle letters from the word "tuition". "engrossed little" where "engrossed" is a container signpost and "little" = WEE we then get T(WEE)N. A person of double digits who's not overly childlike but not yet a teenager.

23D - School song leading opening audio (5)

"School" is our definition and "Song leading" = S and "opening audio" where "audio" is a homophone signpost, we want a word for "opening" = HOLE that with an S will make a word for "school" becomes SHOAL.


There we go. A mix of easy and brainache. As always please leave hints and alternate solutions in the comments. I'm always interested to hear how others came to the same answer in different ways. I'm sure everyone's personal experiences influence their solving and want to know how aspects of their own lives trickle into their solutions.

I get a weekend of sweet FA and will be moseying around doing whatever I please. I hope your weekend is just as free and fulfilling.

The Age Cryptic by DA #20,540

What a funky puzzle! I came at this one all kinds of funny. I struggled for a good half an hour trying to find where to break into this one. Signposts did not leap out at me and I thought perhaps I was going to have to put this one aside. I started with the down clues and 3D was first in, then 4D and from there I was on my way. I found once a few cross letters were in I could guess the first or second word of a phrase but not break the clue (8D, 9D & 21A, 27A). I was getting the middle bits before the edges and most answers came from guesses and cross letters.

I have lots of clue gaps. The not fully solved/unsolved clue numbers are highlighted in red. Lots of red. Here's the pic with reminder of the legend for my scribbles:

Definitions are underlined
Actionable signposts or words are circled
Anagrinds are in rectangles
Anagram fodder has a squiggly underline
Dashes above letters are beginning/end letters or odds/evens 
Underlined numbers are not fully parsed unless ticked and circled numbers are ones I share with my crossword learners club.

1A - Ritual as a mate, when spun!? (4,9)

Why are the first DA clues always hard for me? This was an anagram but I do not understand the definition, even as an &lit clue. "RITUAL AS A MATE when spun" becomes TEAM AUSTRALIA. Is this a comment on ritualised "mateship" as "spin"?

10A - Realistic photo capturing two uses of fabric? (9)

"Realistic" is our definition and "photo" = PIC that's "capturing two uses of fabric" = RAG and MAT to make P(RAGMAT)IC.

11A - Square lid slips off rubbish (5)

"Square" is our definition and we need a word meaning "to rubbish" and then "slip " its "lid" or drop its first letter: (-m) ALIGN. Really nice clue. I got this by definition and growing up surrounded by carpenters where "square up" meant "get your shit together!" but with Celia Fate's help I got the parsing.

13A - Fronts here when we met at empty room in lot (7,3)

"Fronts here" is our definition and we need to think meteorology. "When WE met AT" is saying those two really need to hook up, like when Harry met Sally (but not making harrysally), to make WEAT. Then "empty R(-oo)M" = RM going "in lot" where "lot" = HEAP will become: WEAT(HE(R M)AP.

15A - School subject to scruples once cheat steps down? (7)

I got this from definition and cross letters. I've not been able to parse this yet.

16A - Cutter's new place blocking choice in sail (7)

"Cutter" is our definition and "new PLACE" is anagrind and partial fodder that will be "blocking choice in SaiL" but I'm not exactly sure how this works.Answer is SCALPEL. I can see "place" in SL and "sail" is the only word to give those letters. I'm guessing "blocking" is a container signpost and "choice" is a deletion but why "AI" are out I can't say. I'm not seeing how "choice" = AI.

18A - Adorable mid-range lichen (7)

"Adorable" is our definition and this is a hidden word clue signposted by "mid" and "rANGE LIChen" becomes ANGELIC. I kept trying to find words that had "moss" and some combination from the middle of the rest of the clue.

20A - Old swordsman's sash unlocked and partly loaded? (7)

"Old swordsman's sash" is our definition. I had the clear image of the Three Musketeers and googled around as best I could to find out the name of the sash they wore but couldn't find the right combination of words to get me what I needed. In the end I used One Across and had never heard of a BALDRIC except for Blackadder. I also can't figure out how "unlocked and partly loaded" gets us the answer. Is it about guns?

21A - Detainee's island - strangely tropic - ignores Opposition leader in writing (10)

"Writing" is our definition and I had the last five letters in place for a long time but couldn't answer the first four until near the end. Having part of "Detainee's island" = MANUS taken up in my answer (SCRIPT) confused me and I couldn't think of a four letter island holding detainees. "strangely TR(-o)PIC ignores Opposition" tells us to mix the letters of "tropic" minus the O to get MANUS(CRIPT)

23A - Composer's $1000 single? Pass (4)

"Pass" is our definition and for too long I was trying to find a "composer" named GONE. That would've been too easy. I got 9D and knew the last letter was an I which had to be our "single" Then a hint from Celia Fate saying being in Melbourne this should be easy had me thinking to the other end of the clue. "Composer's" = MY as DA is the puzzle's composer and his ownership would be MY, "$1000" = K and "single" = I for the public transport "pass" = MYKI card.

25A - Get clean couple, lacking second signs of affection (5)

"Get clean" is our definition and a "couple lacking second" = D(-u)ET  as the U is the second letter we want to drop it, and "signs of affection" = OX as hug and kiss on a letter to make DETOX.

26A - PM at Number 10 for a reset? (9)

PM is our definition and "number" = NO as its standard abbreviation, "10" = TEN, then take the "FOR A" from the clue and "reset" is an anagrind so mix everything to get AFTERNOON. I solved this in reverse as I got it from definition and cross letters, pulling the elements out of the answer. Let me know if this right.

27A - Build up career, gaining further attraction in America (5,8)

"Attraction in America" is our definition and again I got this from cross letters and definition. "Build up" = MOUNT, "career" = RUSH - wait it does? Not careen? I googled and found an explanation on "career vs careen" and yes career means rush. Awesome, I'll use that more often! "Come on! If you dawdle we'll have to career to school!" It'll work. "Gaining further" = MORE for MOUNT RUSHMORE. I went there when I was 15 with my parents (awful, I wanted to spend summer with my friends, not in a damp caravan with my parents driving across the USA) and George Washington had a bush growing out of his nose that looked like a giant booger. That's my lasting memory of Mt. Rushmore, Washington's Bush Booger.

2D - Studying Pilbara industry after cutback (9)

"Studying" is our definition and I'm not sure I got this the right way but here's how I did. I googled Pilbara because I didn't know it and found it was a mining town. There was a link saying Pilbara would be full of ghost towns so really it's becoming an EX-MINING town. Then I saw "After cutback" to get the A for EXAMINING. I know this isn't the right solution so tell me how it's really done. Apologies to Pilbara as I now know they have an active mining industry.

3D - Fancy that Mandy being cloned? (2,2)

"Fancy that" is our definition and "M and Y, being cloned" = MY MY.

4D - Suspect the pure heaven vaguely (2,5)

"Heaven vaguely" is our definition and "suspect THE PURE" is anagrind and fodder to make UP THERE.

5D - Historian understood Bush losing marginals? (7)

"Historian" is who we are looking for and "understood" is TACIT and "bUSh losing marginals" means remove first and letters  or "margins" of "bush" = US to make TACITUS.

6D - Stunning a safari beast outright bitten by small snakes (10)

"Stunning" is our definition and I had many cross letters and not sure what was going on here. DAT Kenneth mentioned the answer was a "stupid bit of slang" and *pop* there it was. "A safari beast" = ZEBRA and "out Right" is a one-word instruction meaning remove the R leaving ZEBA which is "bitten by" being a container signpost for "SMALL snakes" fodder and anagrind making: MA(ZEBA)LLS  and we're one letter short which means we need the letter A from the beginning of the clue to make A(MA(ZEBA)LLS)

Did I make it worse?

7D - Possibly head over heels in love, wearing dress hoisted (5)

I did not get this, I couldn't spot the definition or anything. I think "possibly head over heel" is our definition and "love" = O "wearing" is a container signpost for "dress" = MIDI being "hoisted" or entered in the grid in reverse to make IDI(O)M. OK - I see now. Thank you Dom and Mort for helping in DAT - I didn't understand until I began to write this out. I kept thinking if it wasn't a "mini" skirt it had to be MAXI but that was getting me equally no where. Didn't think Midi skirt/dress.

8D - Pains struck down guards, hurt by a fighting force (7,6)

"Fighting force" is our definition and I got this with most of the clue but not all. "PAINS struck" is fodder and anagrind and "hurt" = HARMS and by doodling on my notepad I got SPANIS(H ARM) and had the D in place for 25A to get the answer SPANISH ARMADA.  That was a fluke as "hurt" = HARM not plural. From the DAT hints the solution is PAINS, "down" = SAD, "hurt" = HARM and we need the A from the clue to make SPANI(S(H ARM)AD)(A)

9D - Plane torn into pieces, calls for sudden decisions (4,9)

"Sudden decisions" is our definition and this clue took me a while because my first thought was SNAP JUDGEMENT. like Snap Decisions. Close but not reading the clue and jumping at definitions doesn't always work. "PLANE torn" is fodder and anagrind that's going "into pieces" = SEGMENTS to make S(NAP EL)ECTIONS. A term I'd never heard before.

14D - White bullock reared piercing panicky Angolans (5-5)

"White" is the definition and "bullock reared" = OX reversed to XO  which will be "piercing" or breaking into the  "panicky ANGOLANS"  anagrind and fodder to make ANGLO SA(XO)N.

17D - Socialite sees bohemian part of India, declared to be under pressure (9)

I got this from cross letters and definition "Socialite" but am very clueless on how it's solved.

19D - 3-down - oddly scarier pirate (7)

"Pirate" is our definition and 3D was "my my" = COR as in "Cor blimey!" and "oddly ScArIeR" = SAIR for a CORSAIR.

20D - Detours loveless lad, suppressing pity nonetheless (7)

"Detours" is our definition and "loveless lad" = B(-o)Y as "love less"is a one-word instruction to remove the letter O or the "love" leaving BY. "Pity" = PATH(-o)S and again "none the less" is another one-word instruction where "none" = O being removed leaving PATHS gives us BYPATHS. I'm not sure what "suppressing" is here for except to say PATH is after BY.

22D - Explosive reporting partly shown up (5)

"Explosive" is our definition and this clue does mess with the mind a bit being made of all signposts. Where do we start? Anagrind, homophone, deletion or reversal? This is a hidden word clue so "partly" is the hidden word signpost and "shown up" means the fodder is reversed in the clue and it's found in "repORTINg" = NITRO short for Nitroglycerine. Here's hoping my googling of "snap election" followed by "nitroglycerine" doesn't bring the SWAT teams down on my house.

24D - Short walk to where a 23-across works? (4)

23A was a MYKI which lets on public transport in Melbourne so it's easy to guess the answer is TRAM but the clue is "short walk" where "short" is a deletion signpost and "walk" = TRAM(-p)

So many red clues. Sorry I'm not much help this weekend. This puzzle was easier to get on instinct than parsing, for once. Maybe I'm making that puzzler's leap? No, probably not. As always please put your improved and inspired solutions in the comments. I also get a lot of answers via Twitter so check out the post link there for solutions, too.

I'm going to spend my weekend chilling out and playing the DLC for Fallout New Vegas. I pick this game up every few months or so. I just finished a run through Dragon Age 2 that was pretty good with several restarts to get the story where I wanted and to erase mistakes like snogging Anders - yuck! It'll be good to get back to FNV. I get re-inspired by watching Many A True Nerd's Youtube channel which has become a regular haunt.

Have a great weekend! I'm looking forward to more rain. When it rains I can have longer showers because I'm not sharing water with the garden. We all love a cleaner CC.

The Age Cryptic by DH #20,537

I didn't think I was going to be able to work this but my afternoon plans fell through and I found a few hours I didn't anticipate. This was good practice and a different tone than other DH puzzles. I had to check at one point and be sure it was a DH puzzle.

No time for a full breakdown but here's my pic:

Only clue I cannot parse:

17D - Betting on son or patron (7)

I got the answer SPONSOR from the definition and cross letters but don't know how it's done.

I was surprised that 19D was ISOPOD and yes,  it all makes perfect sense as a clue. I was looking for other words for a "woodlouse" which I grew up calling them a roly-poly but in the UK are called slaters and the Aussies call Butchy Boys - I'd love that one explained if anyone knows! How interesting that a bug known all over the world, and kids are drawn to because they are interesting and harmless (edible too and taste like prawns, I'm told) and have so many interesting names, that the answer was isopod seemed a disappointment. (Interesting - that link shows an orange and tan spider that hunts woodlice and we saw one at the bus stop this morning! I was surprised because I'd only seen one once before back in Scotland and it was much bigger. Yes, I like bugs and spiders. Sorry)


Happy to explain any other clue in the comments. Happy Hump Day!

The Age Cryptic by @LRxword #20,536

I don't get time to do the weekend puzzles so this is two theme puzzles in a row for me. "NB: Starred clues share a word. Wordplay ignores that word" This applies to only  four theme clues and after solving nine clues I had enough letters spread around to get the first word in 1A RICHARD and then it was was easy to get the other three. The rest of the puzzle took me most of the day, off and on, and I was stuck in the NE corner for ages.



1A - *Most of morning with family's 11-across (7,7)

"11-across" is the definition and skip ahead to see it's ATHEIST. "Most of morning" = DAW(-n) with "family's" = KIN'S for RICHARD DAWKINS.

8A - Herb company packs pigmeat with crushed lime (9)

"Herb" is our definition and "company" = CO which "packs pigmeat" where "packs" is a container signpost saying to put "pigmeat" = HAM into CO for C(HAM)O. Then "crushed LIME" is anagrind and fodder to make C(HAM)O(MILE)

9A - Player took a vitamin to get right (5)

"Player" is our definition and this took me some time because "vitamin" is pretty vague and I needed the cross letters to get me going. We need the "A" from the clue and "vitamin" = C and then we need the "TO" from the clue and "right" = R for an ACTOR. This was one of the clues the clues that got me stuck in this corner. I could have the solution wrong, let me know.

11A - Non-believer attending robbery (7)

"Non-believer" is our definition and "attending robbery" is AT HEIST for an ATHEIST. My first in the grid.

12A - Spiritualist's costing breakdown (7)

"Spiritualist" is our definition and "COSTING breakdown" is fodder and anagrind to make GNOSTIC.

13A - It's easy to get welfare while smuggling diamonds (6)

"It's easy" is our definition and "welfare" = DOLE that is "smuggling diamonds" = DD and we need two as "diamonds" is plural, they're snuggled up inside to make DO(DD)LE.

14A - Flower extremely helpless to each bit of saltwater (5,3)

"Saltwater" is the vague definition - very vague! This corner. I got the second word first and struggled on the beginning. First I thought "flower" was a river but it's not, it's an IRIS, "extremely HelplesS" = HS and I think "EA(-ch) bit" all makes IRIS(H-S)(EA)

16A - Targeted artificial intelligence formed badly (5,3)

"Targeted" is our definition and "Artificial Intelligence" = AI and "FORMED badly" is fodder and anagrind to make AIMED FOR.

19A - Packed flush? (6)

Double definition: LOADED. "flush" as in having lots of cash.

23A - Constant energy escapes from neon spinning saucepans (3-4)

"Constant" is our definition and "Energy escapes from N(-e)ON" = NON, "spinning saucepan" = POTS reversed to make NON_STOP.

24A - Charlie has a dislike of gold in nice house (7)

"Nice house" is our definition and "Charlie" = C and "dislike" = HATE and "gold" = AU for a CHATEAU. bing bang boom.

25A - Religious person sees a star exploded (5)

"Religious person" is our definition and "A STAR exploded" is fodder and anagrind to make RASTA. Looks like the word "sees" is here  as a surface smoother, which was distracting because at first I thought this was hidden word.

26A - Search party's tactics when peanut butter is gone? (6,3)

Double definition: SPREAD OUT.

27A - *Cereal's cooking for 19-across man (7,7)

Following theme we know his first name RICHARD then "cereal's coking" = BRAN'S ON for the "LOADED man" RICHARD BRANSON.

1D - *15-down bet involves North (7,6)

Theme start is RICHARD and "bet" = WAGER that "involves North" = N being put into WAGER to make RICHARD WAG(N)ER. He shows up in puzzles a lot. He must have an easy name to work into grids.

2D - Stayed the night, uninvited (7)

Double definition: CRASHED.

3D - Hostile one escaped ASIO and US equivalent with student (7)

"Hostile" is our definition and "one escaped AS(-i)O" = ASO where "one" represents the letter I being dropped or "escaping",  then the "US equivalent" of ASIO = CIA and a "student" = L for learner to make ASO(CIA)(L)

4D - Coasts starting defender really is fairly tall supposedly (6)

"Coasts" is our definition and "starting Defender Is Fairly Tall Supposedly" = DRIFTS

5D - Nemeses 'arbour grand queens...(8)

I honestly don't know how this one is solved. I got the answer from cross letters and a guess. Answer is AVENGERS. Is there a cockney element? I can see "grand" = G and "queens" = ERS but the AVEN is where I'm unsure. Is it HAVEN drop the H and that's the cockney link? Maybe that's it. I spent most of the day thinking up alternate words for drag queens. I'm not sure how "Nemeses" then becomes AVENGERS as aren't the nemeses the bad guys, and the Avengers the good?

6D - King lenient on first symphony with horns (7)

This clue was tough - yes in the NE corner. "Horns" is the definition and "King" = K, "lenient" = LAX, we use the "ON" from the clue and then "first Symphony" = S to make K(LAX)(ON(S)

7D - Writes down refusal to join corrupt state (7)

"Writes down" is our definition and "refusal" = NO which will join "corrupt STATE" to make NO(TATES)

10D - *Rub up against 100 9-across (7,6)

Last theme clue starts with RICHARD and "RUB up" = BUR and "100" = TON for the 9-across ACTOR, RICHARD BURTON.

15D - Writer is firm with politician, then rings queen (8)

"Writer" is our definition and again with the vague. "Firm" = CO like a company, "politician" = MP, "rings" = OS as in multiple letter Os and "queen" = ER to make CO(MP)(OS)(ER)

17D - Parts of knee specimen is cited internally (7)

"Parts of knee" is our definition and "internally" is a hidden word signpost and within "speiMEN IS CIted" to find MENISCI which I'd never heard of and I'd think most people without a medical degree would know it either. The only way to attack a clue like this where it's somewhat obvious what we need to do but we're looking for is unknown, is to look between words and if anything looks like it could be a word, cross-check with a dictionary. That's how I got this.

18D - Dorothy gets a little bit of Morse code (3,4)

"Morse code" is our definition and a nick name for "Dorothy" = DOT and "a little bit" is a dash if we think of mixing ingredients for recipes to make DOT DASH.

20D - Japanese city gives fine to man in Alcoholics Anonymous (7)

"Japanese city" is our definition and "fine" = OKAY (sounds like a passive-aggressive row) and "man" = M to go "in Alcoholics Anonymous" = A(M)A for the city of OKAY(A(M)A)

21D - Supernatural beings made son upset (7)

"Supernatural beings" is our definition and "MADE SON upset" is fodder and anagrind to give us DAEMONS.

22D - Nearly frighten sailor with beetle (6)

"Beetle" is our definition and "nearly frighten" = SCAR(-e) plus a "sailor" = AB short for "able-bodied seaman to create SCAR(AB)


There we go. For me the theme was the easy bit. Several vague bits are better looked at as not not holding our hands through the puzzle today. For all it was frustrating at the start I was able to suss it eventually.

As always if you have better or different solution please share them in the comments. Enjoy the sunshine if you've got it, I know I am.

The Age Cryptic by DA #20,534

DA tweeted Thursday night that we should forget the pens and sharpen our pencils as this puzzle is a "booby trap" Oh joy! I had a look and thought - hey these are easy! Why are these easy? Distrust! Distrust the easy clues! Chicanery! I had about six of them solved then I went straight to the DATrippers and lurked about. I could tell pretty quickly that what I had was ok but I hadn't solved the key clues to the twist 23D or 10A.

4D was my key into the theme. I had the answer of SALT and with a hint from Celia Fate "Anyone puzzling over 4 down think of a female hip hop duo when you try to 23 across it!" Hell yeah I know that! Salt N' Pepa! Ah is this a partnership puzzle? Well, sort of.

23A - Kinky habit of father, knocking clothes strewn all over the place (7-8)

"Kinky habit" is our definition and "father" = PA, "knocking clothes, STREWN all over the place" is we need a synonym of "knocking" = RAPPING and that will "clothe" or wrap around a mixed up STREWN to make PA(R(TNER - SW)APPING) so we will be doing a bit of partner swapping.

10A - Fluid in the cleaner bag can be traded (15)

"Can be traded" is our definition and "Fluid IN THE CLEANER BAG" is anagrind and fodder to mix and make INTERCHANGEABLE.  This means in our pairs sometimes it's the first or second partner we want in the grid.

I did much googling to get through this. All pairs should have the word "and" between them, well except for 4D. I'll highlight the clue answer in blue and the grid answer in red to make it easier. Clues I have not parsed or have gaps I'll highlight the clue number in red.


3A - Rellie financed share (3)

Not a good start, I'm afraid. I got this with definition and cross letters. Answer is POP. Don't know if "financed share" gets us Mom or what. There's debate about whether this is or is not a theme clue but still in the realm of "no spoilers" no one's dishing answers.

8A - Cold disrupts dirty investigator of the supernatural? (6)

"Investigator of the supernatural" is our definition and "cold" = C which will "disrupt" a word for "dirty" = SULLY for Dana SCULLY played by Gillian Anderson on the series The X-Files. This is a theme clue so we really want to put in her partner Fox MULDER. We'll keep a pin on Scully though.

9A - Classiest centre quit wild playground game (8)

"Playground game" is our definition and "CLAS(-s)IEST, centre quit, wild" means remove the middle letter from "classiest" and then mix up the remaining letters to get ELASTICS. I had to google this. I grew up calling this game Chinese Jump Rope.

10A - (solved above)

11A - Psycho lowlife gutted reaper (7)

Answer is HAMMER but I'm really stumped here. I wonder if it's another swapped partner with 28A. "Reaper" is the definition. I see "pSYCHo,  gutted" and it's most of the word SCYTHE. I don't know what "lowlife" is doing and if this a theme clue, what's the phrase?

13A - Mug declared a cure (7)

I got hung up thinking "mug" meant your face, like a mug shot. Mort set me straight telling me I should have thinking more criminally. "Declared" is a homophone signpost so mugging as a crime and something that's "a cure" for meat gets us: A SALT/ASSAULT and BATTERY.

15A - Votes against some cheesy Anzac retreat (4)

 "Votes against" is the definition and "some" is a hidden word signpost working with "retreat" to tell us the hidden word is reversed. Hidden in "cheeSY ANzac" is NAYS which is partnered with AYES.

16A - Scraps whirlybirds (5)

"Scraps" is our definition and "whirlyBIRDS" is a one word instruction of anagrind and fodder to make DRIBS and DRABS.

18A - Computer units battle virus with passwords progressively (4)

"Computer units" is our definition and this was a new twist on an odds/evens/starts/finish clue. "Progressively" means take letters in sequential order across the phrase "Battle vIrus wiTh pasSwords" = BITS and BOBS.

20A - Loves customised shotgun (7)

"Loves" is our definition and "customised SHOTGUN" is anagrind and fodder to mixed to make NOUGHTS and CROSSES.

22A - Probe vault behind state banks (6)

"Probe" is our definition and "vault" = ARCH put "behind StatE banks"  = SE(ARCH) and RESCUE.

23A - (solved above)

27A - Recording dented fringe split ends (8)

I had a struggle with this clue because I thought "recording" was a homophone signpost. Then I thought "fringe" was a deletion signpost - which it is, only I got it the wrong way. "Recording" is our definition as marking in a log book and "split ends" means to remove the first and last letters of "dENTEd fRINGe" = ENTERING which is the second half of BREAKING and ENTERING.

28A - Spillane detective hit (6)

Double definition where we want Mike HAMMER which is also a synonym of "hit" and a phrase with HAMMER and SICKLE. I was really looking for something "tongs"

29A - Glower briefly at Matrix hero (3)

I got this from definition "Matrix hero" = NEO which left me wondering what the "glower" was. I was dropping a letter from synonyms of frown and scowl using "briefly" as a deletion signpost. Thinking cryptically the lightbulb went off and I got NEON -N. Glower meaning something that glows.

1D - Darn knot contributes to wharf dilemma (8)

It was very hard to stop thinking about actor Don Knotts and get stuck into this clue. I'm sure I'm alone in that malady. I fricken love Don Knotts, may he RIP. "Dilemma" is our definition and I was stuck at first because both "darn" and "knot" look like anagrinds to me. Mary at DAT helped me "1d, ‘knot’ is anagram indicator, think of ‘contribute’ as ‘insert into’. Def is last word." Ok, so mixed-up DARN will go into another word for "wharf" = QUAY for QUANDARY.

2D - Trim creep (4)

Double definition: EDGE

3D - Got Bewitched producer (8)

"Got" is the definition and "bewitched PRODUCER" is anagrind and fodder to make PROCURED. This was a sympathetic clue. A foothold into other clues.

4D - Oddly scarlet mariner (4)

"Mariner" is our definition and "oddly ScArLeT" = SALT and PEPA the 90's hip hop duo currently featured in a Kia ad.

5D - Cheeky invoice dismissed (6)

"Dismissed" is our definition and "in voice" is a homophone signpost so a synonym of "cheeky" = BOLD = BOWLED. I had this but couldn't think of a partnership until someone on DAT mentioned it was cricket related, then I knew what to google for. The phrase is CAUGHT and BOWLED.

6D - Italian smoker partly Vietnamese (4)

"Italian smoker" is our definition and "partly" is a hidden word signpost and nestled within "viETNAmese" is ETNA the active volcano.

7D - Investigator of the supernatural talked rot? (6)

"Investigator of the supernatural" is our definition again and "talked rot" is a homophone signpost to find a synonym for "rot" = MOLDER = MULDER and SCULLY. This duo had me stuck with an earworm by Catatonia for the day.

12D - Bungle foreign wisdom first off (5)

"Bungle" is our definition and "foreign (-w)ISDOM, first off" is anagrind and fodder plus an extra instruction to drop the first letter leaving ISDOM = MISDO. I wasn't sure that was a real word and had to look it up before trusting the solution.

13D - 14-down yellow-hearted males on farm (5)

Ok, spoiler alert for the next clue - 14D answer is EMBUS so "emBUs yeLLow hearted" = BULLS and BEARS. Thanks to Mort for helping with "13D Think stock market." I may have missed something as I'm not sure how "bulls" is plural apart from "males on farm" is plural.

14D - Join a coach to replace setter going back (5)

"Join a coach" is our definition and "to replace" = SUB and "setter" = ME as in DA himself being the setter of the puzzle, all is "going back" to make EMBUS. New word for me.

17D - Initially saw Jason's ship carrying donkey to sea (8)

This was one of my first solved clues. "Sea" is our definition and "initially Saw" = S, "Jason's ship" = ARGOS of Jason and the Argonauts, "carrying donkey" = ASS to go into ARGOS like this: S(ARG(ASS)O) which is a sea in an ocean? I'd never heard of this before! I love learning new stuff like this.

19D - Quite ebullient about African flower (4,4)

This clue was the particular bugbear of Celia Fate on DAT and through her I came to understand this clue, because again it was a new term for me. "African flower" is our definition and in the cryptic fashion of "flower" being a river not a bloom. I'm also introduced to "Quite" as a deletion signpost so "quite EBULLIEN(-t)" means drop the last letter - as if it was "not quite" and I may have twigged had it been that - then "about" is a flexible signpost that here is an anagrind. Mix up EBULLIEN to get BLUE NILE.

20D - Furniture lists (6)

Double definition: TABLES and CHAIRS. I had to rethink "lists" as I was stuck on drunken wanderings and tipping over not accounts and graphs.

21D - Beautiful sceptic sides with film review (6)

"Beautiful" is our definition and "SceptiC sides" = SC "with film review" means we want a word for film reversed = CINE to make SC(ENIC)

24D - Thieves cancelled the day before for the one here (4)

"The one here" is our definition and "THI(-eve)S cancelled day before" = THIS and THAT.

25D - Shut up zoo attraction (4)

Double definition: SEAL for SIGN and SEAL. Although I agree with DAT Mary this is better in the past tense as Signed and Sealed.

26D - Healthy hotel beer (4)

"Healthy is our definition and "Hotel" = H and "beer" = ALE for HALE and we would think "Hale and Hearty" but we only need four letters. Off to google to remind me of the comedy duo HALE and PACE.

There we go. Once we get the trick in play it's not too hard. Ok it helps to have a group of people working together and giving hints as well - thank you D.A. Trippers for all the hints! I'd be lost with you. I did use a notepad to help work though a lot of these:

As always if you have alternate solution or see things I've missed, please share them in the comments. Have a great weekend!

The Age cryptic by NS #20,533

I wasn't able to print off Tuesday's puzzle until Wednesday and I was in a huff about it (website fail). I was still grumpy Wednesday and decided the garden needed to be abused and I ripped weeds and lopped branches.

Today I was in better humour and had a go at NS's offering. Queen of the giant anagram gave a gentler puzzle this week even though it had one of my least favourite grid styles with no first letters for north-down or west-across clues.

I got through the top half very quickly then got hung up in the bottom. I put the wrong answer in for 19A (HARMLESS yes? "Had initially with "without weapons" being ARMLESS - makes total sense) and it blocked me for ages. Once I erased that and worked the other clues it was fine. It's hard to remove an answer that seems so right!

In the end I was left with 21A and 22D unsolved. I have knowledge gaps in a few clues that I'll list after the pic:

13A - They spin lubricants into ground surfaces (8)

Answer is TOPSOILS. I got the "lubricants" = OILS but why does "They spin" = TOPS? Or SPOT reversed? (Just got this in editing - the toys. Toy tops spin.)

23A - Principal ocean (4)

I figure this is a double definition and MAIN works fine for "principal" but why "ocean"?

Unsolved:

21A - The removal of anxiety. It stands out (6) R _ L _ _ _

22D - Tempt apprentice to drop out quietly in first part of April (6) _ _ T _ C _

I had thought "Tempt" was the definition and there was "ENTICE" snug at the end of "apprENTICE" but what's the point of the rest of the clue? It can't be that simple and excessively wordy. I think "quietly" gives a P and "first part" could be a P and "April" could be an A. Do I want a synonym of "apprentice" that has an OUT to be "dropped"? I'm not confident anywhere here.


Thanks to Paddy for the idea to share cross letters in clues. I'm looking forward to the DA where if there are tons of cross clues or squirrelly themes I'll decide my garden needs another thrashing.

Have a good night. I'm going to pour myself a Muscat - a drink that sounds like two animals. Well it does when I say it. Is it supposed to be like the gun?