The Age/SMH Cryptic by DP #20,891

Wednesday morning saw me grabbing my puzzle junk and running for the relative solitude of a cafe to escape the demands of those I'm living with. Screw you guys! I got to hang out with a lovely woman who was also doing crosswords and we chatted with/ then ignored each other; only asking "how far along are you?" once or twice. I love puzzle people. I also forgot my pencil hence why half the puzzle is in pen.

I found breaking into this puzzle a bit tough. Often I can see one or two right away but my head wasn't in it and so I took a good twenty minutes just to absorb the puzzle before 14A and 21D lit up for me.

I didn't like 1A but I my have it wrong. I don't think "plane ticket" is a "bill of air" but I can appreciate BILL OF FARE is tricky to clue. At least its down clues were good enough to get me the cross letters. In fact I really liked 5D - surprise surprise.

17A - Fraud who makes cleaner return to province in S Africa (9)

I got this with definition and cross letters but I don't see what the cleaner is or the the rest.

24A - Policy takes years off one's pedigree (7)

"One's pedigree" is the definition and LINEAGE is the answer. I swithered over this but I think "policy" = line as a "party's line" are its policies right? Then "years" = AGE so what is "off" doing in there? I didn't see a deletion or an anagram.


Comments are great, share your pain.

The Age/SMH Cryptic by RM #20,889

Oh Hello! Yes I'm back. I haven't really left; I've been busy. So busy. I'm missing my puzzle blogging and puzzle friends! I've been keeping up with the puzzles (more or less) but not had time to share or discuss them. Defeats the purpose of having this blog, right? It's here to talk about the puzzles.

I need the distraction anyway as my in-laws are here for three weeks visiting from Scotland. Joy! I may need to become a regular drinker for a wee while. The curmudgeonliness (Oh, that may have broken the dictionary) the subtle gaslighting, the overt sexism, and low level but persistent grousing. All reinforces why I now live in beautiful, amazing Australia. I fucking love this place. Enough of that - onto the puzzle...

I really enjoyed this one and it had a few sweet clues in it, too. 9A, 12A, 1D, 2D, 5-7D all lovely. I got through the top half no bother, a bit tougher in the SE corner and then a bit stuck in the SW corner. Four down-clues have me stumped:

6D - Couple of poulterers overwhelmed by applause for egg production (9)

"Egg production" is the definition and "applause" = OVATIONS leaving "couple of poulterers" to be UL for OV(UL)ATIONS. I don't see how we get UL. Is it just telling us to take the two letters that will fit from "poULterer" to make the answer fit?

8D - Having stopped work, she must ignore pang to peregrinate perfidiously (7)

"Having stopped work" is the definition and I had all the cross letters to make the word/definition connection but the wordplay eludes me. OK. Wait. Is it removing pang from "peregrinate" leaves ERERITE meaning "perfidiously" is an anagrind getting us RETIREE. I wasn't seeing "perfidiously" as an anagrind.

14D - In the beginning there were five divinities and a brother-in-arms (9)

"In the beginning" is the definition and the answer is INITIALLY. I see the "brother-in-arms" = ALLY part but how are we to know to strip out bits of "divINITIes," which again seems like I'm supposed to know to pull five letters from this word to fit into our solution. What am I missing here and in 8D instructionwise? It happens again in 10A with "pOPULar"

23D - Except for the couch covers, the room is yellow (5)

Definition is "Yellow" and the answer is AMBER but I don't know how. I look at "couch covers" = CH but no. Is "couch" a homophone signpost? I don't even know another word for couch covers that I could play with.

There we go. Monday done. How many puzzle win days can I tick off the calendar until April 12th when my house will blissfully empty again as even the Husband will be travelling and the kids will be back in school. Sweet solitude, I drink to thee!

Hope your choccie eggs were delicious.

The Age Cryptic by DA #20,833

It's been a while. I've been busy with kids over school holidays and enjoying summer near the beach - it's why we moved to regional Victoria and gave up fast broadband after all.

That said I have been on Twitter with the occasional chat about the puzzles and I am still solving everyday. I share clues on Facebook cryptic crossword groups and just for some reason, forgot about the blog. Poor dusty blog.

DA gave us a themed puzzle which still grips me with terror at first seeing an NB at the top of the page but I've learned that these are also, usually, gentler puzzles in the long run. DA adds an element of challenge but softens the edges for us. That said, this was still an all day affair. One that had me so engrossed I completely forgot, despite having set a calendar alarm, to go and collect my daughter's schoolbooks from her school. Oh dear, that'll be fun to track down.

The pic is a messy affair but what I did is mark mystery letters on the top as "found" or used already in an across clue, and "unfound" as ones put into one of the mystery clues but hadn't yet been used in an across clue.  I have questions and guesses on the right side and words used in the NB marked in red.

I got most of the bottom half of the puzzle done by lunch and then hit a wall getting into the top. I took a couple hours away from it before going back and then "boom" I saw 9D, 5D and other straightforward clues that previously my mind was just not interested in cracking. Here's the pic:

I had struggle with 7D where I didn't know why "bear" = WHELP where if it had said "bear cub" or similar I'd have had more confidence. I ended up with an uncomfortable guess that fit well with the cross clues but I never felt right about.

11A I had thought maybe it was "curSers" and the answer was "SALTS" which didn't answer for "here?" but it was "curLers here?" instead. Either way I don't see how the beginning makes the answer. Mouth off? Fish?

2D I got by definition of "toupee" but the whole thing hints to a hidden word which I do not see. Then I thought it was "rue(-in)g" with "IN hiding" but that left an E in the word - which of course it didn't because I'm a doofus who can't spell. I had the right solution and then tripped myself up. I only just saw this now, but felt it needs to be explained since it's right there on the right of the puzzle and I can't hide it.

21D I got with a hint that there was something rude going on akin to 12A which has "Tit" and that the "table" was likely the periodic table. What "dainty prune" means, I have no idea.

And that was it. I hope everyone else had fun, too. Last weekend of school hols, back to regular routines again soon. Until then, Happy Australia Day!

The Age/SMH Cryptic by NS #20,803

I got through this one with no issues today. We were kicked out of our house for a few hours while the pest control guy sprayed our property (Goodbye annoying, tiny ants that can fit through cracks in floor boards!) and we took over a table in a beach cafe and enjoyed this glorious morning. I think my house might be a major source of distraction because every time I solve elsewhere I get it done much faster. I may need to develop a series of coffices around town to increase my productivity.

All parsed and understood, thank you NS! I might have some nerve to pull out last week's DA that I never got finished.

I was going to mention 1D and then I didn't. Then Charles on Twitter said to me he thought it was not kosher - before I'd even tweeted my about my post. So let's look at 1D:

Sounds like god of festivity is to support you and me (7)

My first thought was we wanted a homophone of BACCHUS to make something meaning "support you and me" which is BACK US. It didn't quite work so I'd first put in BACKS US then looked again and saw the answer was one word not two. Confused, I erased and put in BACCHUS and was held up in the corner a bit because I wasn't sure I had it right. As it was, I let it go and was able to solve the rest.

Thanks to Charles I'm now more emboldened to comment about its  construction. I'm not a skilled clue writer (I'm a middling solver) so how would this be improved? Could the clue survive having "sounds like" removed or just rearrange the clue so the "support you and I" is next to its signpost with the definition at an end where it belongs - not in the middle of clue as it is now.

Ok I feel better now, thanks.

The Age/SMH Cryptic by DP #20,802

Finished! Interesting to have some nasty storm words in this as Sydney is getting lashed to bits just now. Hope you folks are ok!

No major dramas here today but a few solves from definition I can't parse.

4A - Review on April first? (9)

I've never heard of this word and the dictionary has it hyphened. As it was necessary to solve it to get 1A I wasn't happy with it. I had the added annoyance of having my mind tell me it had something to do with rabbits or mad March Hare because I was once told it's good luck to have the first words you say on the first of the month be "Rabbits rabbits!" and I have forever just kicked myself for saying something dumb like "Did you brush your teeth?" first instead of "Rabbits rabbits!" and thus denying myself a month of good luck. The long history of Rabbits Rabbits aside, this clue just had me being silly.

16A - Nick, when overseas, turned to musical pieces (7)

I think "Nick" = SANTA and "overseas" = OS (see I remembered this time, I'm improving!) but SANTA isn't "turned" to make SONATAS. Let's rethink OS is reversed so that must what's being turned leaving SATAN reversed? It won't be an indirect anagram of Santa as I have firm confidence the editor wouldn't let that slide. Does Satan get referred to as Nick? Oh wiki says he does get called "Old Nick" right I didn't know that.  Why is Satan "old Nick?" is it just because of the anagram thing?

7D - Fruit for a Central Coast wingding (7)

"Fruit" is the definition and AVOCADO the answer so if a "wingding" = ADO then "a central coast" is either A VCO of AVCO and either way I don't quite know how we get those letters.

13D - Estate manager who holds the contest (10)

I got GATEKEEPER from cross letters and "estate manager" but I don't know how "who holds the contest" fits here.

18D - Coming out of chasm to the corporation (7)

I had all the cross letters and then noticed OF (CHASM) TO could be fodder and then mixed them to get STOMACH. I'm not sure what the definition is or what the anagrind is. This one just stumped me.

That was Wednesday.

The Age Cryptic by DH #20,801

I got beaten by this one. I couldn't solve19D or 13D. I barely got 9D and still can't parse it. Yet there were quite a few wee gems in there that I was able to share with the Cryptic Crossword Learners group on Facebook.

I was frustrated by three clues that used the word "in" in a way that I've not been accustomed, so help me clarify if this was acceptable use of those "in"s or am I right and they're being used in a misleading and unfair manner.

6D - In New York look over new synthetic fibre (5)

It's a beginning and endings type clue that usually gets a signpost to hint to looking at the start or end of a word but here DP uses "in" which is usually a hidden word or container signpost. I had just shrugged and moved on thinking it was probably fine and I was being a pedant, but then...

14A - Sister in business beat puzzling question (9)

"Sister" = NUN and "business" = CO but "nun" isn't going "in" anything, it's going after the CO. Leaving "beat" = DRUM for CO(NUN)(DRUM) which again left me thinking "in" was used in an unfair way. "After" would've been better, "followed" or similar. That would make it kosher, right?

17D - Blimey! Half full in Ionian Island (5)

Now I'm being over-observant, I appreciate that. Here the "in" is probably meant to be a misdirection to a hidden word. Using the word "on" instead would be an issue for making the clue easier and removing the misdirection. I can see the difference but doesn't mean I still don't like it's use.

Here's my pic:

19D - Loses the block when rents go up high (4,3)

I think for 19D I'm a bit stuck on the TV show The Block which I never watch but I see "rents" = LETS and "goes up high" = FLY but I don't know what the rest is all about.

13D - Hearten companion? Always poetic? (5)

I didn't understand why "companion" = CH but I know "always poetic" = E'ER. A short companion for "CHum" or something? I don't know.

9A - Looked up if Tegan in trouble removing drug from her drink (14)

I think "IF TEGAN" is partial anagram fodder but I've not figured out the rest of the clue. It's probably very simple or I'm missing  something obvious but by the time dinner rolled around I was mentally done and wanted to go play Fallout 4 and shoot stuff.

I have started DP and off to a promising start. I'll post that later if I finish it off. Happy Hump Day.

The Age/SMH Cryptic by RM #20,800

Hello! Anyone else out there struggling with pollen and feel like their heads are going to explode? I am unbearable just now and I mean that - I have been on the sofa because my sinuses have turned me into the snoring menace. To be honest I've had the best sleep in ages as a result but it doesn't make for a happy marriage - all the guilt. Making the snot faced sickie sleep on the sofa. It's a nice sofa! I'm not bothered. He's just a light sleeper.

Today's puzzle I was able to wrap my head around and complete. Last week we will just write off as "I feel yuck, the world is yuck I can't think so fuck it all." Today I'm feeling much more positive. I did complete the puzzle but I have some clues that I could guess from definition and cross letters and then still have no idea how to parse the clue. Here's the pic:

12A - What summer did made sense (5,2)

I see that "made sense" is the definition but why does "what summer did," become ADDED UP?

13A - Path to loveless torment (5)

"Path" is the definition and the answer is TRACK but what am I removing O (loveless) from to get this? I put TRACK O in the anagram solver and I looked up tennis terms and got bupkis. I must be missing something.

16D - Old King eats a second serve - finishes off the dish (9)

I think I have this but I want to be certain: "The dish" is the definition, "old king" = COLE (a merry old soul) "eats" is a container for A S(econd) + SER(-ve) "finishes off" to be C(A + S + SER)OLE. Ok now I've typed it it looks right. I was thinking I missed a beginnings thing with A Second Serve and thE finishes and couldn't find the R. It was being a mess for me!

I also have figured out 3D and the cricket term for Yorker so that's done. Lots of clever bits here, I enjoyed this puzzle. I liked "missile launcher" for 8A and have circled many as favourites here. A nice way to kick off the week, Thanks RM!

The Age/SMH Cryptic by DA #20,792

A theme today and a hard one to crack, too. I was immediately aware of the cross in the middle of the grid and had wondered if this was a tribute puzzle at first.

I had most of the SW corner finished and an idea of what was going on with the these - albeit the wrong idea. I had 22A OPTIMAL and 28A SHALES and could see one definition (OPAL and SHE'S) but had thought there were reversed foreign words (MIT and LA) in the middle. Turns out they are men TIM and AL being held in the clue.

That led me to my second misunderstanding as with the help of Celia Fate's (currently known as Secret Herb) hint that the theme secret 18A-20A was a 2015 Australian movie. I could scan titles and find the one that fit best: HOLDING THE MAN.  (Call me a cheater all you want) "Cause for a free" meaning that holding is a foul in football and earns a free kick.  So with 22A and 28A having a definition literally "holding" a man's name I thought that was the way for all of the clues. Nope! As I got further along I became quite stuck on the top corners because 1A "go off" = POP and the man's name we need is LARS to make the "trees" POPLARS. "But he's not being held - is that right? I don't know! It seems right but there's no embrace."  Then it happened again with 5A, and 11A suddenly made more sense according to the NB. My literal interpretation of the theme caused me a lot of frustration.

By 9:30pm I'd had enough and had three empty slots. I felt that was a brilliant effort really and I'd sleep on the rest and see how I got on in the morning. When I awoke (After a weird dream with Miranda Hart that I really wanted to dip back into and see how it turned out) and was able to see 9A's "Do" as not a dance or ball but perhaps as a hairstyle and I finally got PERM/IAN. This leaves me with 3D and 20D as solved but I don't know how they're parsed. Here's my final pic:

3D - Half a platter in reserve - (5)

I put in ASIDE because I think "half a platter" is A SIDEdish and something in reserve is "set ASIDE" but what the dash is for I'm less sure.

19D - Defiles ear? Revolting game cut short (7)

I got the answer but I do not understand how the definitions match. "Defiles" is the definition and "ear revolting" is LUG reversed with "game cut short" = CHES(-s) for GULCHES. I don't know how gulches and defiles are synonyms.

20D - Cart case of beer to accompany meal, regularly acquiring gut (7)

I had the cross letters and used One Across to get the answer TUMBREL for "cart" but it's also spelled TUMBRIL. I cannot parse any of this so I don't know which spelling is correct.

That's mine done. Hard graft to be sure! The ones I did get I felt very sure about - chuffed really. The lower half with its more embraceable men spoiled me a bit for the top which held me up for far too long. Hope yours was enjoyable too. Have a great weekend!

The Age/SMH Cryptic by NS #20,791

I had to take my daughter for a doctor's appointment this morning so I took the puzzle with me and I got most of it finished in the waiting room - all by myself! I usually have my phone with me but this morning I forgot it at home. I had no dictionary app, no thesaurus no internet cheat access: nothing! I only had my brain. I won't lie, I felt not up to the task because I rely on my tech support way too much. My blankie.

I solved all but four clues on my own. I am psyched! The NE corner was where I fell short and 4D in particular stopped me. It wasn't until I started typing this up I got it. so I have now solved and parsed all but 23A Former party is about right on the bookplate (2,6) for EX LIBRIS and there I just can't see where the second I comes from. Former = EX and party = LIBS with "right" = R so is the just LIB with IS from the clue and R? "IS about R" where about is getting us to swap those? I'm not sure.

Just have DA to look forward to tomorrow. Been a good week so far!

The Age/SMH Cryptic by DP #20,790

I struggled a bit with this one because puns are not my forté and this one was full of puns. Also some of the definitions aren't in the same line as what I think the phrases mean - 13D for example: Play tricks upon a party for the unwashed! (2,3,5) with the answer DO THE DIRTY. That does not mean to "play tricks upon," it means to have sex. I know there's a Breakfast Test involved and having  a sex party for the unwashed wouldn't fly but I did spend a lot of time thinking of phrases that had pranks involved. I know there's "Do the dirty work" which is a different phrase again, but also isn't about playing tricks on anyone. I asked my husband and to him it means to betray or drop someone in the shit - still not a playful prank.

I don't have a large inner pedant but I did curse 19A: Irritation by beheading dog (4) for ITCH as bad because dogs are male, bitches are female. I was trying to find a breed to remove the top letter for because I assumed that was common knowledge. With beheadings being in the news too often these days perhaps that's a device that should be put aside for now.

I haven't peeked at any solutions to see if I have an error here so if I'm having a "Violins on television" moment do let me know. Have a laugh at me trying in 4A to make Kooky into Kookies/cookies which was a letter short but that's what I was trying to do.

15A - Doubtful action by departing tangent? (5-3-2)

I got this with cross letters and definition "Doubtful action" and I guess "departing" = GO but don't see where the TOUCH AND is from.

26A - Guy with double Dutch (8)

"Guy with double" makes sense with the answer BIGAMIST but I don't know how "Dutch" fits in. I know about going Dutch on a date, and double-dutch is skipping rope with two ropes and it's slang for marijuana. Not sure ow the being married to two people gets in there.

7D - Dexter always turned inside out (7)

I got the answer EVERTED meaning to turn outward but I have no idea how we get there. I see Dexter has its "inside out" but how the R is found I don't know.

27A - As angry as a well-dressed man? (6)

I don't understand how the "well-dressed man" is SHIRTY. Is it because he's wearing a shirt? Is the bar Aussies have to reach to be considered well dressed is to just put on a shirt?

That's Wednesday. I don't usually do the DPs because if anyone is going annoy me it's typically been his puzzle. I have also found some amazing clues by him so it's a gamble.

The AGE/SMH Cryptic by DH #20,789

Certainly a bit tougher today with a few words that would have made this easier for people who've travelled the Middle East, or watch the news or are religious. I don't know if that was an intended mini theme or not with CALIPHATE, GEHENNA, RABAT, DAMASCENE, and BABEL.

I was held up by 12A for a while with just the B and thought Ruth BUZZI (thinking a place of great confusion might be a hive?) but I wondered if she was well known for her comedy in Australia. Then briefly thought USSC judge Ruth BADER but that's really Bader-Ginsberg. I wasn't up on my Book of Ruth or that she was involved with the story of the Tower of Babel.

17A - Painter at club in Morocco city (5)

I don't know what "painter" is doing. I thought "club" = BAR going back wards for some reason and using the AT in the clue to make RABAT but I don't see a reversal signpost - unless that's painter but I don't know why. I kept thinking of Mr Miyagi making Daniel-san "Paint the house, side to side!" I suppose for a down clue it would be "Paint the fence!"

23A - Don't restrict as many when never-ending (9)

I wasn't sure at all but now I wonder if this is a triple definition.

25A - In the morning I am in grass surrounding (7)

Is it supposed to be AM + I in BENT? It's the "grass" = BENT I don't understand.

1D -  "Stiff!!", bounder to state (7)

I get that "stiff" is the definition and "bounder" = CAD but how is "to state" = AVER?

There we go, that was Tuesday. I don't know if I have any errors so if you see one shout it out.

The Age/SMH Cryptic by RM #20,788

I have been neglecting this blog while dealing with  issues around my mother's estate that are now finally getting all its loose ends tied up. I'm relieved to have those distractions fading off now and I can get back to being focussed on the cryptics.

On a recent trip the the USA I did manage to acquire a paperback issue of Ximenes On The Art of The Crossword by D.S. Macnutt, the daddy of cryptic crossword construction. I'm finding some of the writing a bit difficult (he really loved commas and asides) but I'm only 40 pages in. I was once told by a wise friend that the best way to learn how to solve clues is to learn how to write clues.

Today's puzzle was zipped through in an hour. I've not had this kind of puzzle success in a long time. Nice way to kick off Monday with a major ego boost. Especially after Friday's reaming by DA. That one was brutal. I needed Saturday and Sunday off to recover.

The only question I couldn't parse was 9A but my Twitter friends jumped in and were great to explain it for me (Thanks to them all!), because I'm not cricket smart and I didn't have the words to work to make the clue work. I got it with cross letters and knowledge of herbs and food - I know food.

Herb uses top spin to split the top of the wicket (5)

Herb is the definition with "top Spin" = S and the top of a wicket is a BAIL so the S is "to split" the BAIL to make BA(S)IL.

My last question is 13D, which was my last in the grid. I'm thinking one who tells "excellent fibs" tells CAPITAL LIES, but there's no homophone indicator so is this just a cryptic definition or should there be a homophone signpost? Have I not solved this correctly?

Wishing you a great Monday and a better week ahead.

The Age/SMH Cryptic by DH #20,735

This was a tough one. I made it even harder for myself by putting the wrong word in for 1A and the NW corner was stuck for ages. I put in MARSHALLS (I know it shouldn't have a double L) instead of MARTINETS and with three cross letters correct it took me a while to get up the nerve to erase. After all that I have only one unsolved - 6D. I don't know what's going on there. I tried using One Across and didn't get anything that worked for me. However it was quite a big puzzle and a lot of challenges so I'm not too fussed about missing the four-letter word. I'd like to put BARN in there but I can't make it work with the clue. Also twice DH used "point" to make TINE which threw me as I was trying to make compass points fit.

I had a quick squiz at yesterday's Rufus too and got a few filled in before I had to head out with kids' on playdates. I really enjoy Rufus and maybe it's because he's the easy Monday guy but I genuinely like his wit. I know from the comments sections that he's not everyone's favourite but I get the feeling those are the kinds of people who find something to complain about in everything. I'm learning who the serial whingers are. Life is too short to be perpetually disappointed.

I also had a brief conversation on the weekend with another friend and I learned about the two camps of compilers the Ximenians and the Libertarians. Late to the lingo and battle that rages between them, while googling the subject I happened on an article from 2011 by David Astle on his blog that enlightened me. After that I went to the Guardian and printed out a few Araucaria puzzles and I enjoyed them very much. I think my experience with DA made them easier than I'd have expected. Have I been cryptically trained by Libertarians? I'll have to dig up some puzzles in Ximenes style and see for myself. To be fair I doubt I'd notice much difference but it would be nice to see if I could - which is Rufus, I can't tell? Are there more tribes and styles? It's exciting to find there's a style war going on and all the players seem to be very nice people.

Back to today, here's my pic and it's full of scribbles as this was a 32 clue puzzle full of charades:

There we are. Any explanations for 6D would be appreciated. Please suggest compilers who make clues to satisfy Ximenes style. Let me know who your favourite compilers are, I'd like to look them up, too. 

The Age/SMH Cryptic by LR #20,734

I've had a day of leisure today and could slob about as I pleased. I watched youtube painting videos, I did my crossword, I got a couple small errands done in town without the kids so no one nagged me to buy them anything. It was great.

The puzzle was a great start to the week. I found it easy to get into but got harder into the bottom half and then I was stuck in the SE corner for ages. 18D, 26A and 31A were being stubborn. I went to Twitter to beg for a hint when a fellow puzzler had shared their finished grid pic and I had to quickly avert my eyes! No, why is there this "while you were away" thing anyway? Luckily the pic cut off towards the middle but it did show me the second letter of 18D - my eyes would not avert quickly enough - and *Bing* I had it. The rest fell into place with the new cross letters and I was done. Here's my pic:

The only clue I'm not sure about is 26A and I chose FORWARD as it was a sports position and I figured "goalkicker" was the definition. I don't know how "pro rejects fixture" gets us the answer so I may be wrong. Ok, I'll peek at my friend's pic...Yes! It's  FORWARD. Awesome. Rhett tells me it's "pro" = FOR and "reject fixture" = DRAW reversed to WARD and the "draw" is about football draws.

It also looks like there was a football theme that I never would have seen because I didn't know the footy lingo. I'm sure lots of people noticed but I didn't. It's like the magic eye thing all over again.

I think it will be lazy dinner tonight of hot dogs with all the fixings (chilli, cheese and cabbage!) (Ok not cabbage I was kidding) and then I'm going to play Fable Anniversary. I'm not enjoying it very much yet but I'm told it improves. We shall see. I needed something to keep me from pining for Fallout 4 until November. Also I don't have a PS4 so I'll have to scrounge pennies from the grocery money until I can buy one.

Anyone want to buy a painting?

The Age/SMH Cryptic By DA #20,732

A fair mix of easy and hard today. It's great when there are a few easier clues to get a foothold into the harder bits. I got stuck up in the NE corner for a fair while as I didn't believe 6D was a real word and I couldn't get why 8D was the answer it was. I wasn't sure if it was a jab at pedophile priests.

I don't have time for a full breakdown but here's the pic full of scribbles:

9A - Boomerang stick I tossed at thespian for surprise element (1-6)

"Surprise element" is the definition and I got it from the definition and enumeration. I can see where "thespian" = ACTOR but how does "boomerang stick I tossed" = XF? "Boomerang" looks like it could be a reversal signpost and "tossed" is an anagrind but it doesn't make sense for the two letters.

20A - Writer making weird on station out there (5,6)

I got our "writer's" first name easily enough from "weir" = DAM plus the ON from the clue but I don't see how "station out there" gets RUNYON. Well, I get that "out there" = YON so really it's just "station" = RUN I don't understand.

1D - Backyard rules astound bumbling cricketers rising through the ranks? (3,3,3)

I got this quickly enough and even understand how it's put together, what I don't know is why I'm to know that a Roman numeral IX is to be reversed in ASTOUND*. Where do we find the need for "six" in the clue?

3D - Old-time alloy seals aluminium and silicon, say (9)

I can see that "olDTIME ALLOy" gives the fodder for METALLOID how does the word "seals" work here? Is it an anagrind or a hidden word signpost? How do I know to ignore O,L and Y? There's something off here and I can't see what I'm missing.

I'm out to the city today for some entertaining of the children stuff and hopefully will be able to get topped on my vitamin D and enjoy this gorgeous weather. We had a chilly visit to Kryal Castle on Thursday and spent time playing board games at Mind Games in Market Sq. Mall Geelong where they pull out a bunch of board games and play for a couple hours in the food court. A great way to try out new games and meet new people. Battle Sheep was a firm favourite. I don't know if the other Melbourne stores do this but they should.

The Age/SMH Cryptic by DA #20,726

It's been a long time coming, we've not had a themed puzzle for a while. This one was to solve the straightforward puzzle (as "straightforward" as DA can get) and then read the secret message in the grey boxes for an additional challenge. I was quite excited; like Ralphie in A Christmas Story eagerly deciphering a secret message from the radio from Little Orphan Annie on his secret club ring decoder. Ok maybe not quite but I felt something along those lines. I was equally disappointed to discover I had to then go back through the puzzle and search for 10 Australian PMs. I don't know the Aussie PMs apart from the 4 since I moved here and Bob Hawke because he had a bio TV show. And Whitlam but because he passed away recently.

I finished the puzzle late, around half nine last night and then watched the last half of the footy - what a rout that was! Aside from the usual scribbles I've highlighted the PMs. I have 11 so perhaps the greyscale could only have TEN to fit for space but DA was able to sneak in an extra. He's intimidatingly clever. (I haven't picked up his new book, perhaps that will be my long-haul flight book in November when I visit my brother for a week) Here's my pic:

1A - Try to wedge walls near end of round structure? (4, 5)

I had all of the cross letters and guess the last word was TOWER and that "try" was SHOT as in to take a shot to try something new. See, as I type I begin to see what's going on. We need the TO from the clue and then "WedgE walls" = WE and "neaR end" = R. Ticking that one off. I didn't twig until later I've been to the Shot Tower.

19A - Writer describes a seasoning like lava (8)

The whole thing made me sprout ??? over my head. Seasoning is SALT and a lava rock is BASALT but what does the "writer" have to do with anything? I'm not recognising any writer people or implements. A BIC pen around A SALT? That's as close as I can figure.

23A - Alcohol to redden face? Heading for trouble in knocking back another drink (7)

"Alcohol" is the definition "Redden face" = R or RE and "heading for Trouble" = T but I'm not sure about the rest giving us SINA.

3D - Strain heart amid medium bother, suffering (7)

"Suffering" is the definition and I get that "stRAin heart" = RA going "amid" or within something meaning "medium bother" but I'm not getting how TV AIL works here as a medium bother. OH wait medium isn't a size but a thing like a type of media and "bother" as in to vex. Got it now!

6D - Now and then, sons need to defend America to claim girl (7)

One of my least favourite clues is the generic "girl" name definition. I don't know what's going on here apart from "America" = US being "claimed" into the middle of S(US)ANNE. I got the answer with cross letters.

16D - Loses face when contract restricts a trade, initially (4,4)

"Loses face," is our definition and I got the answer from that right away. I think "contract" - ESCROW so does this mean we nick the A from the clue and then it's "Trade initially," for the rest? That makes "restricts" a container signpost and not a deletion which is what I was trying to think about to make this work.

18D - Was Pole left out? (7)

My first thought was Equator. As cross letters fell in I guessed the definition was "Was" to make EXISTED but I don't know why "Pole" is capitalised or if there is a reason apart from misdirection, nor do I know what's "left out" to get the answer.

21D - Bill-sharers united function crew (7)

This was tough because both ends look suitable for a definition and I'd initially thought "crews" was it but now I look at it after a night's sleep I think it's "bill-sharers" instead. I'd thought "bill" = COST and didn't understand the ARS ending for COSTARS but if "Bill-sharers" is the definition, thinking of a playbill, then united is less important and "function" = COS in maths and "crew" = TARS as in a seamen crew.

I'm done, finished and spent. I now know more about Australian politics and its players in the past three years than I ever learned about UK politics in 14 years. Apart from getting my citizenship, I don't know if I want any more for a wee while.

Lovely weekend again, kids on school vacation and I may be a bit more sporadic with posts - or I could be every day because I want to avoid doing things with the kids. We never know! I have teenagers so they're less needy for attention and stimulation. Turning into cave dwellers these days. It's the adolescent chrysalis phase.

As always if you have solutions, alternate solutions or just want to say hello then please do so in the comments. Have a great weekend!

The Age/SMH cryptic by DP #20,724

Not too difficult today and plenty of straightforward cluing. Very light on anagrams, I think there are just two. Lots of double definitions and and cryptic definitions. A few of them I was a big vague about and I needed One Across to help me get 25A and 5D.

22A - State Emergency Service missing hooters (5)

I had all the cross letters in place and took a guess the answer was NOSES with "hooters" as the definition but it is just that with the SES "missing" it's NO SES? Rather Boo Hiss if it is.

24A - Make haste - just like that! (4)

I put in DASH more for the "make haste" side but I don't know what it all means. The exclamation mark makes me think it's an &lit but I'm missing it...oh I'm a moron; there's a frigging  -  in the clue! I always ignore punctuation and didn't pay it any mind. I kept thinking it was a Tommy Cooper thing.

Other than those, I had this one done in time for lunch where Malcolm and I headed into town to grab our free Boost drink. We were the first Malcolm & Julie couple to claim one. I wager we'll be the only.

The Age/SMH cryptic by DH #20,723

I didn't get a chance to look at this one until around 2pm. I was all over town running errands and getting a tyre fixed on my car. Damned screws in the street. I got off to a great start though and had most of the top half done in excellent time. The bottom half took me longer with clues like 16A, 26A causing me grief and then I put the wrong word in for 22D which messed up 25A. 25A once fixed and with all its letters and with help from friends on Twitter, it still wasn't working for me so I cheated on that one. I don't like the clue. We're not friends me and that clue. However I am very good friends with 4A. I liked that clue a lot. I don't see that kind of clue often enough and I was well chuffed to have figured it out.

A few questions:

14A - Call silver worker a shrew? (9)

"A shrew" is the definition and I solved this backwards as I knew a "worker" was an ANT and "silver" = AG so it was something AGANT and with the thesaurus I saw TERMAGENT but I don't know why "call" is a TERM unless it's like "What do you call that thing?" being like "what's the term for that thing?"

16A - At last! Einstein takes in some mug (5)

"Mug" is the definition and I don't know if this just a hidden word clue with "einSTEIN" or if there's more on the go. It has to be more than that but I don't see it because STEIN is shining in my face.

26A - Concerned with class level again? (7)

I think it's "concerned with" = RE and "class level"  = GRADE but how is "again" the definition for REGRADE?

There we are with the good, bad and the ugly. I did learn a new word with Rorqual which is always neat, and I got the big clues quickly. This grid only had a few clues with hanging starts (I don't know what it's called (what's the TERM for?) when the first letter has no connecting clue like 9D or 28A) so overall I'm content.

The Age/SMH Cryptic by LR #20,722

I don't know about you but I had a struggle with this one. Partly LR's clues and partly my misspelling PAVOROTTI for 16A. I then put OBJECTS in 17D thinking I'd figure that out later which meant I had trouble with 24A because I thought it was UCLA and a portion of a word for "porky" which was really annoying me. Eventually I had to erase them all and try again. I tried FIBULA and wondered if LR meant Berkley as BULA then I found that Boston University has a branch in LA called BULA and then couldn't figure out where the FI came from. It was a lot of breaking through my own preconceived notions but I got the answer, the right way, eventually.

I would also like to state that all African antelopes should be shot. Okay! Maybe nothing that extreme but I'd like to never find one in a crossword puzzle ever again. Never ever again. There are too many of them and I am not going to become a zoologist.

Those few niggles aside, the rest of the puzzle went very well; here's my pic:

I don't have time just now to do a full breakdown but if anyone has a question on anything feel free to ask in the comments. Enjoy this glorious weather, looks like Melbourne shall be spoiled all week. I think it may be time to fire up the BBQ and have a dip in the ocean.

Just an extra: Is there a Nina in this? I see "Bees" "low" "RnB" ...I'll have to look closer later.

The Age/SMH Cryptic by DA #20,720

This was tough. It lacked some the usual fun and Aha! moments. I got enough clues to get me stuck into the puzzle (21A,  28A, 1D) and for once the 3-letter clues weren't torture. I managed to solve this from the outside going inward. 16D was a total bust for me and I snatched my daughter's iPad and cheated. A few clues were new words for me and I had to internet search for clarification (3D, 14A) and I have many still with partial solutions. Here's my pic:

4A - Setter put out stuffing clean moment of decision (9)

"Moment of decision" is the definition and I think...oooh maybe it's (-set)TER as set is a synonym of "put" going "out" and then "stuffing clean" = WASHED to become WA(TER)SHED. That works right? I think the tense of clean threw me too, not considering it as a past tense.

10A - Tricks Queensland island to give up net? (5)

This is pure laziness on my part but I wasn't in the mood to look up QLD geography today and took a wager the answer was MAGIC which paid off. I still have zero time and don't know how this one's solved or if looking up QLD islands was a rabbit hole.

3D - Ultimate Vietnam tragedy giving rise to hurt (2,3)

With the M in place from 1A I thought "ultimate vietnaM" = M but I waited until the cross letters were all in place and got the answer via deduction. It looks like "Ultimate Vietnam tragedy" is the definition?

6D - Old typewriter -ware coming out soon- after the second (9)

I got this from the definition "Old typewriter" because I had one growing up. REMINGTON is the answer but I don't know how we get there.

24D - Never bow head down supporting Japanese drama (5)

"Never" is the definition and NOHOW the answer, which I didn't realise was one word. I think "(-b)OW head down" = OW which is "supporting" the HON but I don't know why HON comes from "Japanese drama."

27D - Spin hoop in hoop-la? (3)

"Hoop-la" is the definition and the answer is ADO but what the question mark wants me to do with "spin hoop in" to get the answer I can't see.

That's it. Short post and I'm strapped for time. Driving to Melbourne to see a blues concert tonight and then taking my kids into the city tomorrow. I fancy a wander through Chinatown and maybe a gallery. They only want to go to Minotaur.

As always if you have solutions or questions (no one ever asks me questions you are all better solvers than I am) please leave a comment. Have a great weekend and enjoy this glorious smack of Spring, with allergy tablets if necessary.


*Sorry forgot the pic, I said I was in a hurry.