The Age Cryptic by DA #20,421

I thought we were getting a break from the devil's balls of puzzles but no this one is as rough as the past few. Sneaky too as I got three answers out quite quickly (ok one was wrong) and then stalled a bit. One Twitter friend gave away 11A without so much as a SPOILER warning - thanks for that.

I didn't have a lot of time to work this as I spent the night away from home in Melbourne helping a friend out hosting a 10 year old's slumber party - we had so much fun. I drove back home in the morning and have spent most of Saturday getting into this and working most in reverse. Here's my pic:

7A - Mongrel headliner: Breaking Bad (7)
"Mongrel" is our definition and a "headliner" = STAR which will be "breaking" into BAD like this: BA(STAR)D. There's a nice start!

8A - Plucky scheme uncovering one getting hammered in Jakarta? (7)
"Getting hammered in Jakarta" is our definition and a "Plucky scheme" = GAMEPLAN, "uncovering one" means to remove one letter and in this case it's -P to give us GAMELAN.

10A - Dumb shoe segment, like most shoes you see? (6-4)
"Dumb" is the definition in a sense of being struck dumb and the "shoe segment" is the TONGUE and "like most shoes you see" they are TIED for TONGUE-TIED.

11A - Make better salt (4)
Double definition: CURE

12A - Spooner's relative shot dove (8)
I didn't get this as I was looking for a "relative"  for the solution as the DATs kept saying "younger female!" which could only be a NEICE - no the definition is DOVE. "Shot" = PICK like "picking off targets" and if we Spoonerise  NIECE PICK we get PEACENIK which is an activist pacifist, the "Dove" is a symbol for peace...well out of my league this clue.

14A - At the table, I eat after midmorning (6)
 Launch into the solve first: "I eat" = DINE and "midmorning" = 10 or IO (I'm not getting involved in the debate over 10 being late morning, early morning or mid) and we heed the instruction of DINE after IO" to get (IO)DINE. I got this but I don't understand the answer and how it fits the definition "At the table" DAT Rupert had mentioned the Periodic Table. Iodine is just I - could we look at this as "At the table - I" = IODINE then "eat" = DINE and "midmorning" = 10/IO?  (The problem with Stream of Consciousness blogging - stating and restating the obvious)

15A - Flexibility measure distribution channel (6,5)
Double definition: SUPPLY CHAIN. For "flexibility" = SUPPLY as the adverb of supple or supplely and the measure is a Chain, which I've never heard of before. The rest is a more obvious synonym.

19A - Formal apparel precisely buttoned plush borders (3,3)
"Formal apparel" is the definition and "precisely buttoned" = "to a T" = TO A T where "PlusH borders" = PH which will be inserted, or "buttoned" into, to give us: TO(P H)AT. Thanks to Ray at DAT for that hint, I had the PH and guessed the rest but didn't understand TOAT until he'd said "for 19A read as 2,1,1."

20A - Flip shaft, plugging end (2,6)
"Flip" is the definition and in the sense of "Flipping out crazy mad, like." "Shaft" = POLE to be "plugging" into a word for "end" = GOAL to give us: GO (POST)AL.

22A - Unappealing lousy to the extremes! (4)
I got this but thought I had it wrong because we perform an action on the definition which isn't something we normally do. The definitions are usually stand alone words. "Unappealing" is the definition and we want to hone in on "To the extremes!" as it's telling us to remove the letters at the "extremes" of "UnappealinG LousY" to get UGLY. So is there no rule that says the definition must be uninvolved in the parsing of the clue?

23A - Quickly developed one's lead, splitting points via direct broadcast (10)
"Quickly developed" is our definition and "One's lead," = O which will be "splitting points", and there are three compass "points" here to = SN(O)W and from here I get unsure. I believe "broadcast" is hinting to a homophone and "direct" being a word for straightforward or "Bald faced" and here I am admitting that I don't know if it's supposed to be "bold faced" or "bald faced." This has sent me down an hour of googling and debate. Origins of the phrase is "Bare faced" so that makes "bald" more likely as bare and bald are synonyms. Why Is it "barefaced cheek," and not "bald faced cheek?"  Americans have reinvented this to "bold-faced" to imply the more obvious lying to one face and in a bold, arrogant manner.  Some links suggested it was "bold faced" only in print form or with a bold font. "Bare-faced" is the oldest and original form  removing the mask of the lie and still being brazen, or one link mentioned  a man with a shaved face being brazen going back to Elizabethan times. Hamlet's Ophelia even sings through her madness:

	They bore him barefaced on the bier;
	Hey non nonny, nonny, hey nonny;
	And in his grave rain'd many a tear:--
	Fare you well, my dove!

Although that alludes to him not being buried properly with a burial shroud. Bearing in mind no where in the clue is lying ever mentioned...a massive rabbit hole. A googling sideline. We want BALD/BALLED. Answer is SN(O)WBALLED. I share this story merely to show how elaborate my thought avenues can become.

Links to join the conversation:
World Wide Words Bald-faced, boldfaced or barefaced?

Mental Floss: Is it a Bald-Faced or Bold-Faced Lie?

Grammarphobia: Lie detection.
Shakespeare online.

25A - Part of Africa problem repelled naked expert (7)
"Part of Africa," is our definition and it's all too easy to use cross letters and an atlas to figure out which part fits the grid, here it's BURUNDI. I can solve like that as well as anyone but this blog is about the how. I could see that "problem" = RUB being "repelled" or reversed to BUR but the rest was a mystery. DAT Mort says "An expert could be a x4567x. Or an expert without exercise." So a synonym for "expert" that has the letters ?UNDI? within it. I had to use One Across to get "pUNDIt" as the synonym for expert. Was that the right one? *later* Oh it is! I never saw Mort's reply: "SPOILER ALERT: Expert is a Pea You Enn Dee Eye Tea."  Glad that's settled.

26A - Steal book, and runs once more outside (7)
"Steal" is the definition but not in a criminal offence way. I'm not entirely sure but is "runs" being used a signpost to get the "Book, and Runs" = BR then "once more" = AGAIN. The comma after "book" could separate the B+R to make the "AGAIN outside" mean to wrap it only around the R like this: B(A(R)GAIN) yes? No?

1D - Keen person taking initial stab (7)
Oh how wrong was I. I'd put in EARNEST, as definition for "keen", "taking" was to be "EARN" and "initial stab" = ST...you know at the time it made sense enough even though I knew I couldn't parse the second E. It was all wrong. All Worgn. Definition is "Stab" and "keen" = BAY as both a loud cry or wail and eerie sounds, although "bay" seems to apply more to dogs than people. "person" = ONE and "Taking initial" = T for BAYONET.

2D - Returned weaponry lacking a date (4)
Bleh. I believe "lacking a date" is the full definition but the answer is a shortened form of a word for "weaponry" and the full answer is a GATLING GUN (I almost typed laser because I play too much Fallout 3) which is a massive machine gun. The answer here is a GATS reversed or "returned" to give us STAG. I see "gatling guns" used a lot in console games but I never went there for the answer and have never heard of the slang term "gats" before.

3D - Egg-flip ending in fiasco, say - dumped in vase (4,2)
"Egg" is the definition and here again I forgot the main rule of cryptics: Ignore punctuation! If I had I'd not have been looking at egg-flip and eggnog recipes. Here it gets a bit ropey again; Do we "flip" the word EGG>GGE and take its "ending" = GE? Then we don't know what to do with "fiasco" to "say." Then DAT Rupert says "ending in fiasco = 5; say = 4, 3." meaning "ending in fiascO" = O and "say" = E.G. to be "dropped in vase" = URN to give us: UR(GE) (O)N

4D - Squeeze into club Ruben or hero (8)
A Quadruple definition? "Squeeze into/ club/ Ruben/ or hero" = SANDWICH! And yes I knew this as I love a Rueben! It must have a lot of dill pickles on the side or it's not a true Rueben.

5D - A chap oddly dressed in lingerie leaves here? (3,7)
"Leaves here?" is the definition and we do want to pay attention to that question mark as it's a lateral thinking kind of clue. "A ChAp oddly" = A CA and we only apply the "odd" to the word "chap" and it took me a long time to realise that. "dressed in lingerie" means we want to surround ACA in a synonym for "lingerie" = TEDDIES like this: TE(A CA)DDIES, a place where we store tea "leaves."

6D - Where soldiers go for factory seconds like some skates (3,7)
"Where soldiers go," is our definition and it seems DA is still full of toilet humour. "fAcToRy seconds" = ATR and "like some skates" = IN-LINE -IN for LINE. I, out of habit, use an anagram solver to help me mix letters I think are useful in clues even if they follow a simple A+B+C format just for my peace of mind. Here we do want to put ATR into LINE but I don't know how we get to know that from the clue, I'm not sure which word would be an anagrind, either. Answer is L(ATR)INE. Oh der! "IN-line" the word IN tells me there's a container. Wow. Not really supposed to drop that so I call 5 second rule!

9D - Racketeer revised risky go after gaol (4,7)
"Racketeer" is the definition but not in a crime lord way, but a tennis player way. "Revised risky go," is anagrind and part fodder to give us KYRGIOS, to "go after gaol" = NICK for NICK KYRGIOS.

13D - Medicine group getting such abuse on pinching lady's bottom (5,5)
"Medicine" is the definition and this clue is quite confusing for me.  "group getting such abuse " is split fodder and anagrind where "getting" is a distracting interloper for a puzzle wearied mind, but we are still one letter short. "pinching ladY's bottom," = Y all mixed to give us: COUGH SYRUP.

16D - Save a dispute fraying (3,5)
"Save" is the definition and "a dispute fraying," is fodder and anagrind to give us: PUT ASIDE.

17D - Cereal return, before tax, almost attracts a buzz (7)
"Cereal" is what we are looking for and "before tax" = GROSS which has two instructions, one is "almost" = -S and the other is to "return"what's left = SORG, "attracts a buzz" = HUM for SORGHUM.

18D - Oven dish displaying Nigella's marrow in lamb, maybe (7)
"Oven dish" is the thing we are looking for and it's crockery and not a recipe. "NigElla's marrow" = E, "displayed in lamb maybe" here I get lost. DAT Mort says "18D is “Nigella’s marrow” (one letter) inside something that could be related to a lamb." The big hint there was "related to a lamb" = RAM KIN so we get RAM(E)KIN. I do not like this clue I feel it's too vague. I keep thinking "Displayed" has more to do here but can't see how.

21D - Better facility promising 26-across? (3,3)
"Better facility" is the definition and according to a few DAT we need to think casino style. "promising BAR GAIN" = PUB TAB. Now I confess, this all very British, ex-pat, not American kind of lingo that's left me treading water. What pub allows a tab? That's stuff of television, right? Oh wait, am I supposed to think of TAB the betting site?

24D - Function supports watch trademark (4)
Nope, I had nothing. Answer is LOGO and DAT Feather says "I see 24d as letters 3,4 mean function and 1,2 are watch (as in look). "

There it is, and a hard slog it was, I take back my first reaction of "Humph, only 26 clues?" and offer a thank you for only having 26 clues instead. I'm wrecked!  Lots of red pen. Let me know if anyone has alternate or more simplified solutions as I'm always looking for guidance and best practices. Enjoy the Grand Final if you are sport minded and enjoy the weekend - what a cracker it is too.

The Age Cryptic by NS #20420

I've not been getting time to finish a puzzle these days. I did finish the DH late Wednesday and never got a look at the DP. I have finished the NS which is the puzzle I usually never to have a good go at so that's been great. NS likes long anagrams, I have noticed that much. Her anagrams don't usually work in the usual anagram solvers so they need done long hand which is good practice and shouldn't be moaned about. The achievement is better deserved for having put in the effort required. I say this of course as someone who did solve them. If I hadn't I'm sure I'd be moaning.

The puzzle is mostly anagrams, part anagrams and charade clues. I've been saying to myself that a great way to practice clue types and learn the different clue types was if there was a puzzle set of only one clue type that we could practice on. It may sound dull but A whole puzzle of charade clues to practice charades, a whole puzzle of only Reverse Anagrams to get better at recognising that clue style and so on would be invaluable to someone just breaking into cryptic crosswords. It's like learning a new language, you practice and repeat simpler conjugations then work up to more complex ones.

It was a short puzzle with only 24 clues. Here's my pic:

8A - A silent witness in hallway left on order (1,3,2,3,4)
"A silent witness" is our definition and "hallway left on order" is fodder and anagrind to give us:       A FLY ON THE WALL.

9A - Calculator shows first two letters, a semi-custom (6)
"Calculator" is our definition and "first two letters" = AB as first letters of the alphabet, then "A semi-CUStom" = A CUS as "semi" means half and we're to take half of "custom" giving us: ABACUS.

10A - A nickname for company top girl - for the ladies only (8)
"A nickname" is our definition and "COmpany top" = CO, "girl" = G and "for ladies only" = NO MEN for COGNOMEN. A new for me.

11A - Working model with coaches opening every time (5,3)
"working model" is the definition and "coaches" = TRAINS and "opening Every Time" = ET for TRAIN SET.

12A - One very loud, one hesitant and more uncertain (6)
"More uncertain" is the definition and "One" = I, "very loud" = FF for forte forte in music, "one" = I again and "hesitant" = ER to give us IFFIER.

13A - Archers felt this angry and beheaded king (7,3,5)
"Beheaded king" is who we are looking for and "Archers felt this angry" is fodder and anagrind to give us: CHARLES THE FIRST.

17A - Surrounded by open desert in a light fog (6)
"Surrounded by" is our definition and "open Desert" = D as it's the "opening" letter for "desert" which is to be placed "in" a word for "A light fog" = A MIST for AMI(D)ST.

19A - After the last 90, a large tub we finally dig out (8)
"Dig out" is the definition and "thE last" = E and "90" = XC in Roman numerals, "A large tub" = A VAT and "wE finally" = E which comes together to give us EXCAVATE.

22A - Canoe, sir, overturned in the synopsis (8)
"Synopsis" is our definition and "Canoe sir overturned" is fodder and anagrind - it's usually wise to ignore punctuation in clues (and I say this to remind myself as well anyone reading this), to give us: SCENARIO.

23A - Ring us! Edward is expelled (6)
"Expelled" is our definition and "Ring" = O, "Us" = US and "Edward" = TED to give us OUSTED.

24A - The shop reduces the price of the first productive rock (8,5)
"The shop" is the definition and "reduces the price" = DISCOUNTS, "The first" = T and "productive rock" = ORE for DISCOUNT STORE.

1D - Slight curve is yellowish under top coat (6)
"Slight curve" is the definition and "yellowish" = AMBER to be placed "under" "top Coat" = C for CAMBER.

2D - Quiet, more fortunate - and braver (8)
"Braver" is our definition and "quiet" = P for piano is a common cryptic device meaning quiet, "more fortunate" = LUCKIER for PLUCKIER.

3D - Sounds from session rising with a scout leader leaving (6)
"Sounds" is the definition and the focus is around the word SESSION. At the end of the clue there's an instruction "with a scout leaving" which means -S leaving SESION which in a down clue "rising" means to enter the grin in reverse for NOISES.

4D - Persist with this subject or change it to kitchen pots? (5,2,3,5)
"Persist with this subject" is the definition and "change it to kitchen pots" is anagrind and fodder to give us STICK TO THE POINT.

5D - Start up again with Rule One, half-term (8)
"Start up again" is the definition and I got this in late and with cross letters. I got the parsing from "Andy Wain ‏@andywain  reign = rule, I = one, te = half term " giving us REIGNITE. I had the TE and the RE but then had been googling what "IGNI" meant and was getting nowhere so thanks to Andy for putting me out of my misery.

6D - Accompanied to departure point to sever (3,3)
"To sever" is the definition and this was my last clue in. I'm not sure at all how it's parsed I made an educated guess the answer is SAW OFF. Oh! Maybe it's like when you say goodbye to someone at the airport and we "see them off" on their trip only past tense. Yes that works as a double definition.

7D - Having no knowledge but this example is not as much (8)
"Having no knowledge" is the definition and "this example" means this CLUE and "is not as much" = LESS for CLUELESS.

14D - One department of inquiry enters the residence; it's murder! (8)
I had the first letter in place and got the answer from the definition, "It's murder!" but I think we solve this as "One" = I, "Department of inquiry" = CID for Criminal Investigation Dept., which "enters" or is put into a word for "residence" = HOME like this: HOM(I)(CID)E.

15D - Outside! Or I exert punishment (8)
Lovely clue seeing as it's school holidays and many parents can related to this clue. "Outside!" is our definition and "Or I exert punishment," is fodder and anagrind giving us: EXTERIOR.

16D - Military offensive; in first violent action endless noise rises (8)
"Military offensive" is our definition and timely, too. "IN" = IN, "first Violent Action" = VA,  "endless noise rises" means to remove the last letter from NOISE - E = NOIS and that "rises" in a down clue, making the N the last grid letter, to give us: IN+VA+SION.

18D - Scandinavian dish includes a nut topping (6)
"Scandinavian" is our definition and "DISH" is to "include" "A Nut topping" = A N for D(A N)ISH.

20D - Part of house inside cosy but somewhat fussy (6)
"Fussy" is our definition and "part of HOuse" = HO to be placed inside "COSY" to give us: C(HO)OSY

21D - Subjects with extremes of eagerness follow them (6)
"Subjects" is our definition and "extremes of EagernesS" = ES which "follows" THEM for THEM(ES)

There we have it, that was thursday with NS. I'm happy to have had the chance to get through an NS and I'm going to make an effort to get them more in the future. Oh, here's the long anagram solving on the back of the puzzle:

Now to tackle the DA which has started off with a naughty word so this might be good! Happy Friday!

The Age Cryptic by RM #20,417

I had this puzzle with me while I waited for my car to get serviced. Sat in the waiting room, I tolerated about 10 minutes of morning chat news on the TV (Studio 10) before asking if anyone minded me changing the channel. I can't stand those round table chat shows. I love ABC News 24 and will watch it all day but when the next level down it gossip slop and watered down op-eds and infomercials that look like information spots, then I don't even mind the hourly loop of ABC's repeated real news.

I got about half done in those two hours with a break to wander the car lot to see what's for sale. Missing four answers at the end. I'm still completely lost on how we solve 21D and would appreciate any information there. Here's the pic:

1A - Clever little insect eater digs first (6)
"Clever" is the definition and a "little insect eater" = SHREW and "Digs first" = D for SHREWD. I don't think most people would think "Oh yes a small bug eater must be a shrew," we need cross letters to get this, right? I'm always amazed how particular some clues are. There are many "small insect eaters" and narrowing down to the one required is a slog.

4A - Shell services vehicle swiftly (8)
"Shell" is our definition and "vehicle"= CAR, and "swiftly" =  APACE for CARAPACE.

10A - Egg on bed cover grew buds (9)
"Grew buds" is our definition and to "egg on" = URGE ON then "BED" is to "cover" those letters like this: B(URGEON)ED. This word cover gets bandied about a lot.

11A - Float off into the air (5)
"Float off" is fodder and anagrind to give us ALOFT to mean "into the air." Does this count as an &lit?

12A - Article first mentioned by those people (4)
"Those people" is the definition and an "article"  = THE (or a/an but here it's the) and "first Mentioned" = M as the first letter of "mentioned" to give us THEM.

13A - Discovered a new way into the base (10)
"Base" is our definition and "Discovered A" = FOUND A and "new way into," is partial fodder and anagrind to give us FOUND+A(TION)

15A - Relevant to English spoken in another EU country (7)
I'm not sure exactly how we get this. "Relevant to" is the definition and "English" = E and "spoken in another EU country" = GERMAN but we put the E to the end to make GERMANE. My way the clue lacks instruction to put the E to the end and I don't see an anagrind telling me to mix the letters. Have I missed a homophone with "spoken?"

16A - No time for tent rage, on the whole (6)
"Whole" is the definition and I think "no time for tent" means to remove a T from "tent" leaving ENT and "rage" = IRE for ENTIRE.

19A - Say why networks blanch (6)
"Blanch" is our definition and "say why" is a homophone hint to have our answer start with the sound "why" and "networks" refers to Australian TV, maybe? WHITEN is the answer so WHY/WHI and TEN as in network Ten.

21A - Sweet taste unfortunately unavailable after beau left (7)
"Sweet taste is our definition and "unfortunately unavailable after beau left " is saying that "unavailable" is our fodder but we must remove the letters BEAU first then mix them up to get VANILLA. I was stuck on this being Ophelia who was "unfortunately unavailable after beau left" in Hamlet because she was dead, but of course nothing was sweet tasting about that.

23A - Making an educated guess that site sets up sexual contacts (10)
"Making an educated guess" is our definition and "site sets" is part fodder and anagrind and "sexual contacts" = MATING I guess for (ESTI)MATING. I'd put in Estimation which made this more confusing.

25A - Not even Archie'd take LSD (4)
Odd/Even clue where "LSD" is our definition and "even ArChIeD" = ACID.

27A - In China, Uruguay and a Micronesian republic (5)
Hidden word clue where "Micronesian republic," is our definition and "chiNA URUguay" hides NAURU.

28A - At all events, it's in a container, whichever one you choose (2,3,4)
I'm not entirely sure how this is parsed. I got the phrase once I'd figured out "Container" = CASE then I got IN ANY CASE as a meaning for "at all events." or is it "whichever you choose?" I'm undecided.

29A - It's no secret, a small kerb makes it possible to pass (8)
"Possible to pass" is the definition and if something isn't a "secret" it's OVERT and A "small kerb" means to remove some letters from "kerb" = KE leaving OVERT+A+KE.

30A - Talking a lot of small potatoes? (6)
I was chuffed I got this! I'd remembered that baby potatoes were called CHATs and "talking a lot" would be CHATTY.

1D - Wise person hides a boat without a suggestion of underhand interference (8)
"Underhand interference" is our definition and "Wise person" = SAGE and they "hides A BOAT without A" So it tells us to use the A and then tells us to take the other A in "boat" back out  to get S(ABOT)AGE.

2D - Describing elements which are rather dispersed (4-5)
"Describing elements" is the definition, I guess. "are rather dispersed" is fodder and anagrind to give us RARE EARTH. Seems an odd phrase to me.

3,9D - Winner homesick? Do what the locals do! (4,2,4)
Anagram and it's a unique one as the anagrind is "sick" which is part of the fodder word like this "winner homesick" I've not had an anagrind/fodder word before. Mix the fodder to get WHEN IN ROME for "do as the locals do".

5D - Play slowly, evenly and as well as before! (7)
I missed this and it's not unknown that I'm dreadful at music notation. I had looked at Piano and Adagio but neither fit right for the definition "Play slowly." Then "evenly" looked like an odds/evens signpost but I couldn't make anything fit that either. Answer is ANDANTE. It looks like we take the "AND" from the clue and "as well as before" = ANTE the Latin prefix. Full definition then is "Play slowly, evenly"

6D - Impenetrable post-punk performer in ecstasy (10)
"Impenetrable" is our definition and the "post-punk performer" = ADAM ANT , "in ecstasy" = IN E for ADAMANTINE which is a real thing and not just Wolverine's skeletal make-up. Always learning.

7D - Even basil or half a lime goes with garlic sauce (5)
"Garlic sauce" is our definition and "even bAsIl Or" = AIO, "half a LIme" = LI for AIOLI.

8D - Widen context, endeavour to lift restrictions (6)
Hidden word for "Widen" and look at "contEXT ENDevour" to see EXTEND.

14D - Equivalent to a brown toad leading a horse (10)
"Equivalent to," is the definition and ""Brown" = TAN, "Toad leading" = T and "A horse" = A MOUNT for TAN+T+A MOUNT.

17D - Disinclined to let cat run wild (9)
Anagram clue: "Disinclined" is the definition and "let cat run wild" is fodder and anagrind to get RELUCTANT.

18D - Unhappy orderly, foolishly or not, gets riding equipment (8)
"Riding equipment" is the definition and I think we solve this by "unhappy" = SAD and "orderly foolishly"  is fodder and anagrind but "or not" means to remove -OR leaving DERLY to be mixed giving us SAD(DLERY)

20D - Find fault and make a lousy choice? (7)
Double definition: NIT PICK.

21D - While those at the front dallied, stragglers disposed of the despoiler (6)
I figured "Despoiler" was the definition but I couldn't make anything fit. I'd had the wrong ending for 23A which made it more difficult. but honestly I'm completely lost here. answer is VANDAL. I can figure the "front Dallied" = D and that's about it.

Edit* - Help from @Patrickavenell "Van is at the front/front of dallied is Dal. I couldn't get 6D." I'd been thinking of Van as a vehicle not as the forward line. This leaves "front DALlied" = DAL.

Edit**  - "@rhapsody_bri  Re: 21D, do you think it's VANguard (those at the front) DALlied with the 'stragglers' removed?"" That would make use of the rest of the clue since no words should be overlooked. I'm beginning to think this clue is over wordy for the sake of it's surface.

22D - Lion ate an insect in a room at the side? (4,2)
"A room at the side" is the definition and "Lion" = LEO who "ate an insect" = ANT being placed inside LEO like this: LE(AN T)O

24D - First chance to be in a genuine ceasefire (5)
"Ceasefire" is the definition and "first Chance" = C to be placed "in" a word for "genuine" = TRUE for TRU(C)E

26D - First person's thought ought to be dismissed as a longstanding misconception (4)
"Longstanding misconception" is our definition and " First person's thought" = MY and "THought ought to be dismissed" means to remove -OUGHT leaving the TH for MYTH.


There we are, Monday done. Well apart from 21D. I have a long drive to Melbourne and back today and I may give the DA a go or I may have fun with the Rufus. Or both, we'll see how canny I am later. Beautiful day out there again, I might just be in nature instead.

Wishing you a splendid Tuesday.

The Age Cryptic by DA #20,415

This was a very hard puzzle so fair warning, I won't have everything figured out and will have more questions needing answered than answers. I have used the D.A. Trippers heavily to get through this puzzle. In this puzzle there is a lot, perhaps too much, cross referencing to other clues. It makes the solving less fun, and for newbies like me demotivates. I haz the grumps. Pic first:

 I did get about 7 answers but that was because I grabbed the theme quite quickly. If I hadn't I'd have been stuffed. My first answer in was 16D, which was a pretty obvious anagram clue even though it contained a theme link part to 4-across. The answer there was wrong. I can only imagine DA is getting swamped with emails and 'letters to the editor' for making a mistake in his puzzle. It's one of those things solvers aren't forgiving about especially when the puzzle's difficulty level is set so high. Either way, googling that answer still got me the artist for 4A and thus the theme. If only the theme had been about most often misheard lyrics, DA would've been fine.

4-across gives us our theme's performer and the rest are his songs. Starting with 16-down:

16D - Riddle (riddle, wow!) from 4-across (4,5)

It stood out that "riddle" was an anagrind and "riddle wow" was fodder. Mix that to get
WIDE WORLD. I'm more inclined to think this is deliberate, it's a "riddle" done twice. Perhaps this is a nod to people like me who hear lyrics wrong all the time(Really, all the time) When I put WIDE WORLD into google it auto-selected "song" so I went for it and first answer was Cat Stevens's Wild World. With that, having a list of Cat Stevens songs helped with the rest. Mainly because I'm not a fan and knew nothing about his work. Ugh, folk music - wank. It's as bad as cricket. ("Don't type that! You'll lose friends." my husband says)

Let's break the other crossing clues:

10A - Head to solve setter (4)
"Head" is the definition and "to solve" = DO and "setter" = ME as in "It's me, DA! I'm the setter!" for DOME.

22A - Frantically swam the circuit a bit... (8)
Anagram: "A bit" is the definition and "Frantically swam the ," is anagrind and part fodder leaving us only one letter short then "circuit" = O if you think of it as a lap mix up SWAMTHEO to get SOMEWHAT.

26, 12A - 4-across's classic hangs on rim as a result (7,3,6)
I got this looking through the song list and finding an enumeration match. It was then I noticed "hangs on a rim" was fodder which must leave "as a" being the anagrind - pretty hard one to spot, too.  gives us MORNING HAS but I don't see how from the clue we get the last word BROKEN. How does "result" = BROKEN? See why the song list was important for me?

15D - Staff principal dismissed one (3)
"Staff" is the definition but in the sense of employing. "Principal" = MAIN "dismissed one" = -I leaving MAN as in "Man the door."

17A - Particular 15-down stopping a 15-down to be national? (8)
I could be wrong here: "Particular MAN" = ERIC  that's "stopping" or in the middle of A MAN where we take the A from the clue itself to give us AM(ERIC)AN as a "National"




1A - Musical disc by 4-across, 22-across? (4)
"Musical" is the definition and "disc" = O by "Cat Stevens" "Somewhat" with a bit of google we find 2010 he had an album released called "A Journey: OPUS collection"  for OPUS.

4A - Musical voice starting to bore youth's 15-down of music (3,7)
I appealed to the wisdom of the D.A. Trippers a lot for this puzzle. I'd got myself tied in a corner and unable to parse half this clue. Mort got me straight "starting to refers to “voice” which bores (goes inside) a word for youths. The apostrophe is misleading. " Dash and damn those misleading apostrophes! "Musical" = CATS "youths" = TEENS and "Voice starting" = V for CAT S(TE(V)ENS)

9A - Radical family twice involves 17-14-across lately (5,5)
Some clues just make me want to peel my face off. With help from Mort "9A is an anagram (radical) of family, plus to references to 17A." so it'll be 17A - AMERICAN shortened twice = US US plus FAMILY as full fodder to give us YUSUF ISLAM.

10A - Solved above.

11A - Sucker spins tablet in orbit (8)
"Sucker" is our definition and "spins tablet" = PILL in reverse > LLIP placed "in" a word for "orbit" = LOOP like this: LO(LLIP)OP.

13, 19A - Well-fed mobs swamp an active 4-across hit (6,3,3)
We are looking for a Cat Stevens hit.  "Well fed" = FAT "mobs swamp AN" = HERDS + AN  and maybe "active" = ON to give us FAT(HER(AN)DSON)

15A - Encounter cyber-ninny 22-downing back bottom line? (4,4)
"Encounter" is the definition and with help from Mort again "15A is yet another of those answers that are most easily parsed after getting the answer. There is a three-letter word meaning “bottom” – think skirt or trousers, backwards around a made up word for “cyber ninny”." Well we know for certain the word for "bottom" of trousers won't be "cuff" so that's one off our list. HEM > MEH works better and the "cyber-ninny" is an E-TWIT to give us ME(ET WIT)H.

17A - Solved above.

20A - Prize spot near a soft spot (6)
"Prize" is our definition and "spot" = AD  like an advertising spot, and a "soft spot" = MIRE for ADMIRE. I got stuck thinking of fontanelles and tissues.

22A - Frantically swam the circuit a bit... (8) Solved above. SOMEWHAT.

24A - ...and cramp foot limiting desire (4)
"And" is the definition, "cramP foot" = P as the last letter of "foot" of "cramp", "limiting desire" = LUST -T for P(LUS). They're ellipses clues so I think the connection is that the definition overlaps. I felt "and" as a definition was a bit short but "a bit and" is better.

25A - 4-across's own dysuria symptom discussed? (5,5)
Then comes the clue that makes all the face ripping frustration melt away and we're reminded to chill out and not be so serious. I looked up "dysuria" and found it was an inability or finding it difficult to urinate. Then go through the song list and a eureka lightbulb bring us to PEACE TRAIN which sounds like PEE STRAIN. You can't stay grumpy at someone who makes us laugh like that.

26,12A - Solved above.

27A - 10-across flabbergasted pilot (4) 
10-across is DOME and "flabbergasted" is an anagrind. Remix DOME to get DEMO for "pilot."

2D - Professional tips sorted out cosmic dwarf (5)
"Cosmic dwarf" is our definition  and "ProfessionaL tips" = PL, "sorted out" is anagrind and fodder to give us: PL(UTO)

3D - Walker in mud possibly suggests banner (9)
"Walker in mud" is our definition  which "possibly suggests" could be hinting to homophone or something heard and "banner" if we consider DATer Ann's hint "in 3D you are looking for a person who bans." we can get SQUELCHER. Is "suggests" hinting to something heard, as "squelch" is an onomatopoeia?

4D - Jovial one nearing green (7)
"Jovial" is the definition and I'd had a feeling this was golf related with the word "green" and with cross letters I could see CHIPPER. Solving otherwise I'm less sure. "One" usually hints to an I but how would "nearing green"  be CHPPER? Is it just a cryptic definition needing no more finagling?

5D - Bloomer essential to actual insolence (5)
"Bloomer" is our definition and we are looking for a flower.  "essential to acTUal," = TU as the middle or "essential" letters in "actual" and "insolence" = LIP for TULIP.

6D - Easily 12-across Mexican dish includes basic starter (7)
"Easily BROKEN," is our definition and we need to think horses. "Mexican dish" = TAMALE which "includes Basic starter" = B for TAMA(B)LE.

7D - Film drip ascending to Latin God (5)
I had the first and last letter and guessed VIRGO or VIDEO playing to either end of the clue. "Drip ascending" = IV > VI, leaving "Latin God" which got me stuck because I thought it was DEUS and that's too many letters.  Sandy tells us " think letters 3-5 of 7d is Latin for ‘to God’. God in the nominative would require 4 letters." so it's "to Latin god" which there makes VI(DEO) the right answer. (I think we knew RGO was not going to work)

8D - Crap deputy (6,3)
since we had a joke about number ones in 25A it would be wrong to not have a joke about NUMBER TWO as well to have balance.

14D - Plated one meat dish first off, adding herb on chop (9)
"Plated one" is the definition and "meat dish, first off" = PARMA - P, "adding herb" = DILL and "on chop" leaves us with O if we "chop" off the N, giving us ARMA(DILL)(O)

15D - Solved above.

16D - Solved above.

18D - Lower fraudster confined, twice wasting time (7)
"Lower" is the definition. I needed full help on this and Mort provided "Feather 18D, definition is “lower”. Letters 1-4 are “fraudster” – wasting time; 5-7 are “confined”, wasting time. Where time = t." so it's "fraudster" = CHEAT -T, "confined" = PENT - T for CHEAPEN. I hope that's right.

19D - Drifting vessel Miami unit retrieved (7)
Container: "Drifting" is the definition and "retrieved" the container signpost leaving "veSSEL MIAmi" which is AIMLESS in reverse. Hmm, how would I know this was a reverse container? Is that imperative in container clueing?

21D - Top writer seeing intermittent playwright (5)
"Playwright" is our definition and I think it's "Top writer" = NIB -N and "SeEiNg intermittent" = SEN for IBSEN.

22D - Trim squirrel casing tree (5)
"Trim" is the definition and "SquirreL casing" = SL and yes I'd missed that for a long time thinking of "casing" as surveillance which is not typical behaviour of a squirrel. The "tree" is an ASH for SLASH.

23D - Saw 17-across chopper lifting yours truly into Paris.
"Saw" is the definition and I needed help here, again Mort to the rescue "an American chopper is letters 1-2. We spell it with an “e” on the end. Yours truly = me = moi in Paris, lifted up." gives us AXIOM.

We are done! Shake off the grumps and have a victory lap around town. Particular thanks to Mort who was  extremely supportive to all in the forum. This puzzle has further distanced me from liking Cat Stevens and I'm pretty certain that was its intention. 25A has me convinced. I will not sway from that belief.

We are on school holidays and are having a staycation but we live seaside so every staycation is still a vacation. That should be our town's motto "Where every Staycation is still a Vacation." That's mine, you can't steal it!

Have a great weekend!

The Age Cryptic by DP #20,413

This was one of those puzzles that was broken into chunks. I had some time in the morning where I got a quarter of it done then had to get to other responsibilities. Then I went for lunch with my husband and the cafe had free newspapers and a fresh, untouched puzzle that the waitress assured me no one would mind if I filled in. I lie to think someone else couldn't resist a half-filled puzzle and went on to have a go at the rest. I put in the answers I knew then added a few more while we gossiped and enjoyed being in a busy environment that wasn't our house. (We both work from home)

I ended the night with seven clues unsolved and said as much on Twitter. Then almost the second I hit "send" I got 8D, which showed me 16A was wrong so I fixed that, then I saw 3D was wrong and I fixed that - oh and 17D was wrong too and I fixed that, too. All in about two minutes. Why does this happen? Why is it the moment we confess "I'm done, I can't solve this, I don't see how it works." the fog clears, the obstruction is gone and we can see the solution clear as day. What is it about a confession of weakness, the giving up the fight that breaks the barrier and offers resolution? There must be a psychological name for this phenomenon.

I was left with 4.5 unsolved: 14A, 21A, 9D, half of 12D and 25D which I was too lazy too google. I also did half of the Logodaedalus in the Guardian and was enjoying that before falling asleep in my pages.

Here's the pic:

1A - Flower is spotted within 24 hours (5)
"Flower" is the definition and "spotted" = SEE and "24hours" = DAY so we get SEE DAY. If we flip those to DAY SEE it sounds like DAISY. The clue doesn't have an obvious homophone signpost so how else are we to solve this?  Edit* Thanks to @Patrickavenell  on Twitter for helping me see this, "IS spotted in DAY = DAisY..." Much more straightforward than my cattwampus solve.

4A - How do egg-cooks hightail it? (8)
Cryptic Definition: SCRAMBLE.

10A - Starting higher up tongues get twisted by French Protestants (9)
"French Protestants" is our definition and "Starting Higher Up," = HU and "tongues get twisted," is fodder and anagrind to give us: HU(GUENOTS)

11A - Emblem may carry me first (5)
"Emblem" is our definition and "Carry" = TOTE and "Me first" = M for TOTEM.

13A - Dumpy mothers show the least amounts (8)
"Least amounts" is our definition and I can see "mothers" = MUMS but how does "dumpy" = MINI to give us MINIMUMS?

14A - How to overtax one's ancestry (6)
I didn't get this one. I guess this is a double definition and I can see how "How to overtax" can become STRAIN but "one's ancestry" as STRAIN? I guess if we use ancestry as an evolutionary mutation model.

16A - Exact copy of the late sexton (4,6)
Double definition: DEAD RINGER. I did have to look up what a Sexton was.

20A - Give weapons to Yankee Military (4)
Charade: "Military" is our definition and "give weapons to" = ARM and "Yankee" = Y for ARMY. In the pic I had ARMS and just ignored the Yankee Y, because...well I just did.

21A , 18A - Two wagons wrecked with vein of a native climber (5-5,4)
This bloody clue, I had a feeling "Two wagons wrecked," was hinting to an anagram and "with vein," was another part of the fodder to somehow get us a "Native climber," as our definition. I got the easy bit of  "vein" = VINE. "Two wagons" didn't have enough letters, Two of "wagons" had too many letters. We needed to remove the plural S and then double mix "wagon" to get:
WONGA-WONGA VINE which I've never heard of and did not get.

23A - Interfere with some eight amperes (6)
Hidden word clue: "Interfere" is our definition and I guess "with some" is the signpost
"eighT AMPERes," for TAMPER.

24A - A theoretical synopsis? (8)
I got this by searching around for synonyms of "hypothetical" and found ABSTRACT but I don't see how to solve this cryptically as it reads as a straight clue. I guess it's a double definition?

27A - Taxed at being in the red (5)
Container. "Taxed" is our definition and then we simply follow instructions and "AT being in the RED," become R(AT)ED.

28A - Cobbler perhaps might shake more (9)
Anagram: "Cobbler" is the definition and "perhaps might shake more" is  a wishy-washy, unsure, noncommittal, kinda-sorta anagrind and fodder to give us: SHOEMAKER.

29A - Depicts the left-hand beams (8)
Charade: "Depicts" is the definition and "the left hand" = PORT if we think of the left side of a boat and "beams" = RAYS for PORTRAYS.

30A - Give credit to a single battle-axe (5)
"Battle-axe" is the definition and "give credit" = CR if we think of ledger entry and "single" = ONE for CRONE. You ever see a wise crone wielding a Battle-axe you better run. Respect the crones!

2D - Muffles groan due to gas! (5)
Anagram: We are looking for a "gas" and "muffles groan" is anagrind and fodder to give us ARGON.

3D - Ships' wetsuits (8)
Double definition or is this an &Lit? STEAMERS which a kind of ship and a full body wetsuit.

5D - Throw actors in it (4)
Double definition of both "cast" and "actors in it" = CAST.

6D - Canny part of the least utensils (6)
Hidden word: "Canny" is the definition and "part of" is the hidden word signpost showing us
"leAST UTEnsils" gives us ASTUTE.

7D - Total ban I applied to unit within 20-across (9)
Anagram: I didn't need to look at 20-across (ARMY) to get this, "Total ban I applied," is fodder and anagrind to give us BATTALION. I'd had to look up the spelling to be sure because my accent says this as "B'Tillion" which my Scottish husband found hilarious. I couldn't explain why so I had to ask my Facebook friends to tell me how they pronounce it just to see if was a complete flake or if there was some New England/French Canadian influence.

8D - The threat from the crazy party host (3,3,6)
This was a post confession win. I'm still not sure how it's parsed but I got it by thinking of the "crazy party host," another way. THE MAD HATTER. Now "threat" is an anagram of hatter so could this be a reverse anagram where MAD is the anagrind?

9D - Who teases people between two rocky outcrops (9)
I didn't get this, although I have seen this clue reworded before. "Who teases" is our definition and "people" = MEN "between, two rocky outcrops" = TOR like this TOR(MEN)TOR

12D - Use polite words to say ground meat is important (5,7)
I had the first part of this clue but didn't know the second to make the phrase. I'm guessing that "Use polite words," is our definition and "ground meat" = MINCE and "important" = MATTERS but I've not heard the phrase MINCE MATTERS but it does sound like a good butcher's slogan.

15D - Single mob provides letters for Aussie star (3,6)
Anagram: We are looking for an "Aussie star," and " Single mob provides letters for," is fodder and not so much anagrind as open declaration of fact to give us: MEL GIBSON.

17D - Old school mother involved in change (4,5)
I'd had  "Home maker" lightly penciled and it worked with a few cross clues so I thought it was ok, but no. "Old school," is the definition and I'm not entirely sure but "mother" = MA and MATER - wait I see it now! I have to write these horizontal to get them sometimes. "Mother, involved in" = MAMA and "change" = ALTER for AL(MA MA)TER.

19D - It makes couple watch a dating cheat (3-5)
Charades: "Dating cheat" is our definition and "couple" = TWO and "watch" = TIMER for a
TWO-TIMER.

22D - A twister drinking spree (6)
Double definition: BENDER.

25D - Issue entry invitation to former Premier (5)
Double definition: ASKIN both as an "issue entry invitation," and the former NSW Premier, Robert Askin. Although he's from 1973 and not ever going to be on my radar as an answer.

26D - Credit cancelled for crispy kids' game (1,3)
Charade deletion: "Kids' game" is our definition and "credit cancelled" = -CR "for crispy" means to remove the CR from cr-ISPY leaving the game I SPY.

There, we are done, apart from gaps in 13A and 17D and not a bad effort. Looking forward to Friday but I have my NS printed and will give that a go today. Looking forward to the kids being on school holiday for the next two weeks. They are currently exhausted, bad tempered and grating. They need a couple weeks to slob about the house and forget school for a bit.

The Age cryptic by RM #20,411

This was a gift. A nice way to break into the week. Straightforward puzzle, no tricks, no themes. I did wake up quite early and had this printed off and started before 6am. I was finished by 9am with regular morning interruptions (my children). First clue in was 1D, last one in was 4A but that was because I'd put 8D in backwards.

I'm going to try and name the clue styles. More so I can get better at recognising them but we can learn together - it'll be fun. No really, don't make that face, it'll be good. If I get any wrong, please correct me. I struggle with bits on many of the clues even though they weren't hard to solve overall so help, guidance and information is always appreciated.

Lots of doodles:

1A - Disagree if, and only if, cover is red plastic (6)
"Disagree" is the definition. I'm not entirely sure how we get there. I knew that "if" and "red" were important. Having "cover" in Friday's DA, I wasn't sure if this was the same kind of clue where "red" is to "cover" something but it seems to split and go backwards - is that what "plastic" is for? To show "red" has some malleability? Answer is DIFFER. "if cover" could be like "discover" meaning to remove the first letter from "if" leaving the F, plus the original IF then the stretchy, reversed RED. Maybe?

4A - 20ml or less in deep end and soon almost full either side (7)
"20ml or less" is what we're looking for and "in deeP end" = P being put "in", "and SOON" = SOON, I'm not quite sure about "almost" but "FulL either side" is instructions to use the FL. So if "almost full" = FULL - U then why add "either side? I'm still pondering this one. Answer is S(P)OONFUL.

10A - Decayed meat, heart break and threadbare coat (4-5)
I don't think I like this clue, either. The phrase isn't one I know. I may have it wrong (I don't). "Decayed MEAT" is a hint the word MEAT is "further along" in the answer, "heart brEak" = E as the "heart" of the word "break,"and "threadbare coat" = WORN like this: WOR(MEAT)(E)N to give WORM-EATEN. But my way doesn't leave anything for a definition, which must be "Decayed." I'll have to come back to this one, too.

11A - Herb your old men use most (5)
This is a Charade clue but just goes to show it's easier to guess-solve the clues than to battle through breaking them down. I'm not sure how this one is solved either! Fat load-a-good I am to learners but let's have a crack: "Herb" is our definition, "your" = THY in biblical speak and "men, use most" is an instruction to not use all of MEN - N for THYME. See, we can get this. Just need some space to talk and hash it out. I got this by thinking "old man" = Father Time/THYME but that's way off as there's not even a homophone signpost, just a coincidence.

12A - Some morticians are bewildered by condolences (14)
Anagram clue and "Condolences" is our definition and "Some morticians are bewildered," is fodder and anagrind to give us: COMMISERATIONS.

14A - Members know ingoings are outstanding (5)
Hidden Word clue: "Outstanding" is our definition and we want to think in the sense of money not amazing. "knOW INGoings," gives us OWING as an "outstanding" balance. My computer is also freaking about the word "ingoings" which doesn't seem to be a known word.

16A - Feel nostalgic for that unrestrained writer whose letters are ill-formed (9)
I got this with cross letters and guessing the definition was "Ill-formed" which for most of the puzzle I thought was "ill-informed." I don't have all of this, I think "feel nostalgic" = MISS, and "writer" = PEN but where the middle letters  come from"unrestrained" = HA for MISS+HA+PEN as MISSHAPEN I'm not sure so there has to be more to this. Oh,  a day later and as I'm editing I see it's "that unrestrained" where we should take the first and last T off tHAt to get our HA.

18A - Artificial lunar tuna stew (9)
Anagram: "Artificial" is the definition and "lunar tuna stew" is fodder and anagrind for: UNNATURAL.

20A - Cheat church out of Triton's trumpet (5)
Charade: "Triton's trumpet" is the definition and "cheat" = CON, "church out" = CH or just an abbreviation of "church," to give us CONCH.

21A - Rosa gets maple sugar fresh from the brothel (7,7)
Anagram: "Brothel" is the definition and "Rosa gets maple sugar fresh," is fodder and anagrind to give us: MASSAGE PARLOUR.

25A - Gadget for soldiers' whiskers (5)
Charade: "Gadget" is our definition and "soldiers" = GIS plural and "whiskers" = MO short slang for a moustache to get GISMO. I always spell that with a Z so I didn't get this one straight off.

26A - Aim to cut a process till it becomes mechanical (9)
Anagram: "Becomes mechanical" is our definition and "Aim to cut a process," is fodder and anagrind to give us AUTOMATIC.

27A - As the sleigh went round the garden glistened (8)
Container clue: "Glistened" is our definition and "sleigh" = SLED to go "round" the "garden" = PARK for S(PARK)LED.

28A - British ladies nearly all like swords (6)
"Swords" is our definition and "British" = B as we tend to use the first letter from proper nouns. "Ladies nearly all," is a deletion indication that we don't want all the letters of LADIES -I for B+LADES. So is this a Charades clue or a Deletion clue or are deletion clues a sub-part of charade clues?

1D - And how curs resent carolling at sunrise (4,6)
Anagram: "Carolling at sunrise" is our definition and "And how curs resent," is fodder and anagrind to give us DAWN CHORUS.

2D - University intervenes in secondary students' conference (5)
Container or Charade? "Students' conference" is our definition and "University" = U which "intervenes" or is put into "Secondary" or is it "Secondary students'" to get FORM for FOR(U)M. We don't have "forms" in American schools so I'm unsure.

3D - Smoothing things out at the soiree (7)
"Smoothing" is our definition and...well I don't know. A "Soiree" is an evening party and "smoothing" also means to even something out so maybe it's a Double Definition clue with EVENING as its answer.

5D - Bear spends a penny and has a snooze on the way back (5)
Charade: "Bear" is our definition and I had cross letters to help get the answer. Where I know "a snooze on the way back," means NAP reversed to PAN, how does "a penny" = DA for PANDA. I looked into this closer and found a Wiki on pre-decimal currency in the UK "The symbol for the penny was "d.", from the French denier, from the Latin denarius (the solidus and denarius were Roman coins)" So that would get us the D and we can use the A from the clue "A penny/D" and reverse the whole thing.

6D - Host lost his head over wealthy bird (7)
Charade: "Bird" is our definition and "Host lost his head" = HOST -H, "Wealthy" = RICH for OSTRICH.

7D - Put small fish in the grill first then have a go at the skillet (6,3)
Charade: "Skillet" is our definition and "Small fish" = FRY + IN from the clue then "Grill first" = G, but here I get lost because "have a go at" = PAN and I'm not sure why to give us FRYING PAN. Is it like giving someone a bad review?

8D - Look sideways down a spool (8)
I'm not sure what the wordplay here is. It's like a double definition or is it a cryptic definition? "Look sideways at" = LEER but a "spool" = REEL and I'm not sure which one is the definition that's to be put "down" and I'd made the wrong choice first but we put in LEER from top to bottom.

9D - Ship without right banner (8)
I liked this clue, it's a deletion too. "Banner" is our definition and we want a "Ship" that when we add an R into it as it's currently a "ship without Right," then becomes a banner: STEAMER > ST(R)EAMER.

13D - Experiencing difficulties being neat on ice (2,3,5)
Double definition: ON THE ROCKS where the "neat on ice" bit refers to drinks making. I'd first guessed Skids because that's what I do on ice and thinking of Skid Row.

15D - Stretch of water in the Mediterranean and another one in Asia (6,3)
Anagram: "Stretch of water in the Mediterranean," is the definition and "another one in Asia," is anagrind and fodder to give us IONIAN SEA. "another" as an anagrind is a new one for me.

17D - Feeling sorry for yours truly is feisty plus in a way, un-American (4-4)
Part anagram and deletion: "Feeling sorry for yours truly," is the definition and anagrinds aren't easy to spot here but it's "Fiesty plus in a way" and "un-American" means -US or remove US from "plus" then scramble what's left FIESTYPL = SELF-PITY.

20D - Toffee-coloured dromedary bites a royal (7)
Container? "Toffee-coloured" is the definition and a "dromedary" = CAMEL but I don't know how "bites a royal" = RA I'm guessing there's a deletion involved but which abbreviation for royal gives is RA I'm not sure. Answer is CA(RA)MEL or is it C(AR)AMEL and the royal  = AR?

22D - Apprentice brought in to look at the glossy finish (5)
Charade or container - does a container have to be a full word inside another? Things to google later.  "Glossy finish" is the definition and "Apprentice" = L for "learner" to be "brought in" or inserted into "look" = GAZE for G(L)AZE.

23D- Chose to spit seeds evenly (5)
Odds/Evens clue: "Chose" is the definition and "tO sPiT sEeDs evenly," gives us OPTED.

24D - Matures for a long time (4)
Double Definition: Matures / a long time = AGES.

As done as I'm going to get. Quite a few gaps for a quickly solved puzzle (Quick for me is under three hours) and lots of chances to learn more tricks and pitfalls for these clues.

I printed off Monday's Rufus from the Guardian because I like Rufus a lot and have been missing him and I have today's Picaroon but I won't get a look at those until late tonight or even tomorrow. Too much Girl Guides stuff to get done. We are all looking forward to our two weeks off coming next week. We are going to be sofa slobs for the whole time doing the comatose regeneration method.

Have a good day! I mean it.

The Age Cryptic by DA #20,409

I got a few hours off and on to give to this on Friday and managed three confident answers and three lightly pencilled in probables. The D.A. Trippers were a bit quiet, one mentioning that as the puzzle was easy, not many people needed help. I'd like to disagree! Most assuredly not easy. I mean, if my getting three confident and three probable answers marks this as easy then, well, I'm going to go choke on my Newbie indignation for little while, excuse me...

Ok I'm recovered. I have 9A, 17A and 23A in first - my three confident answers. I'm typing this out in the hopes that as I do, more answers will come to me as I go along, it's happened before. In fact - as I type this, I just got the longest clue 5D,22A where I'd had a hint from Mort that the definition was "prepared." So it's going to be like that is it? Will this become my solving method?

As it's gone, through Friday and now it's about 8pm, I've left off with only 5A unsolved despite having all the cross letters. See, I perked up and got some hard solving done. Once 5D,22A was in the rest started falling into place. I always start out as such a miseryguts, don't I? Slap my hand...

1A - Herb begins English Unit (7)
Tad misleading from the start. We want an "herb" that's not really an herb. Are roots herbs? (Ok stand corrected as wiki calls this an "adaptogenic herb") "Begins" = GINS (scroll down to definition #3) and "English units" = ENG to give GINSENG. I took "Units" to be an abbreviation hint. I worked this backward thinking "begins English" = ENG at the end, and 'Does GINS mean begin?' Frantic dictionarying and yes, rework this a bit more. Is this right? Light pencil, erase, light pencil...

5A - Lumber has greenish bark enveloping a knot (7)
"Lumber" is our definition and we want the walking kind not the wood. I struggled with parsing and got help from Indy from DAT "5A defn is first word, but not in the sense of wood. Wordplay is “a knot” (as in your back or shoulder) inside bark of “greenish”"  I'm thinking "knot" = LUMP and "greenish" = GAH? Giving us GALUMPH. How is greenish GAH? Is that right?

9A - Spasm after surgery on eyes (5)
First clue solved! "Eyes" is the definition and "Spasm" = TIC and "surgery" = OP for OPTIC.

10A - One hint concerning appetiser (9)
"Appetiser" is our definition and "one" = AN, "hint" = TIP and "concerning" = AS TO for ANTIPASTO.

11,13A - Perhaps court intrigued focally in such a character (9,6,8)
Frustrating clue as it's pretty clear this was a long anagram (Perhaps being the anagrind "court intrigued focally in" the fodder)  requiring cross letters to crack into this. No anagram solvers worked for me so it was hard graft and patience. I got the middle word last and do not quite get the definition as a phrase for "Character" being COLOURFUL RACING IDENTITY. I'm told it's used to describe charismatic gangsters with a proclivity for gambling. It's been a week of very long anagrams, did the compilers have a lunch and plan this?

14A - Ready-made puree oddly delish! (6)
"Ready-made" is our definition. "PuReE oddly" is a partial odds/evens giving us PRE and "delish" = FAB playing on slangy synonyms, for PREFAB.

17A - Big Bang account (6)
Double definition: REPORT.

19A - Those folks calling Room at the Top topical (8)
"Topical" is the definition and "Those folks" = THEM and the "room at the top" of a house is the ATTIC but "calling" is a homophone indicator so we get THEMATIC instead.

23A - Local groom, when discombobulated (9)
"Local" is our definition and "groom, when discombobulated," is fodder and anagram giving us HOMEGROWN.

25A - Spotlit ostrich, very taken aback, has head in sand - that's expected (5)
This one was a guess, even with cross letters. We'll work it backwards, the answer is OSSIE which is a variant spelling of Aussie. That didn't seem to work with anything for a definition. Googling I found a classic Australian children's character called Ossie Ostrich. That would work if first two words are the definition - well not even sure about "spotlit". This was confusing for many solvers Mort tries to explain "Letters 1-2 are a word meaning “very” -taken aback. Letter 3 is “head in Sand”. Letters 4-5 mean “that’s” in its non-abbreviated form. I have no idea why “expected” is in the clue. " (bolds and italics mine)  So "very" = SO,  and "head in Sand" = S and "that's" = IE. How does "spotlit" work?

26A - Best friend pens short magazine story essentially upfront (7)
"Friend" = PAL, "short magazine" where short is a deletion signpost, so we want TIME -E for TIM, "StOry essentially upfront" = O as "essentially" hints to the middle letter of the word "story" and "upfront" tells us where the O should go to get O(P(TIM)AL) so where does "pens" come into play? Could that be the container signpost to put PAL into TIM? It must be.

27A - Great barfly repelled another (7)
I got this with cross letters and thought, no way. It couldn't be that. Too rude by far but Mort at DAT confirmed it for me. "Great" = TOPS as in old Rat Pack "You're the tops, kid" and "barfly" = SOT for TOSSPOT. Naughty words in the puzzles! Juvenile glee! Hey, that's almost a reverse Spooner, isn't it? Is it?

1D - Contracted band, nouveau riche and less amiable (9)
"Contracted band" = GROUP -P where "contracted" is a deletion signpost, "nouveau riche" is anagrind and part fodder to give us GROU(CHIER)

2D - Wood in Hollywood once picked up a Beat fiction (7)
I got this right off by definition but not sure how it's solved cryptically. "Wood in Hollywood" is the definition and the answer is NATALIE. I could see "fiction" = LIE  but I wasn't sure about how we get NATA but Jack at DAT suggested "to beat someone is to give them letters 4, 3,2,1. " that would be a A TAN, and is "tan your hide" "picked up" to put in reverse in the grid.

3D - Ran into bar, stopping dire need (11)
"Ran into" is our definition and I'm not very sure how we get there. I think "dire need" is anagrind and part fodder. I see it now - I find parsing down clues while vertical harder than if I write them horizontal then solve them. "Bar" = COUNTER (I'd love to know how Aussies came to call this a "bench") "Stopping" is a container signpost - is it? must be -  for "dire need" like this EN(COUNTER)ED.

4D - Bribery secures qualification, written up with Oxford's foremost tag (8)
"Tag" is our definition and "Bribery" = GRAFT, skip ahead to "Oxford's foremost" = O now the middle bit I have a question: Does "qualification" mean in F1 racing to get FI or is there some academic "qualification" that gets "written up" and is IF > FI? Answer is (GRAF(IT)T)O

5D, 22A - Prepare 74074, trebled? (3,3,4,5,2,1,3)
Oh this clue - putting math in the wordplay is not nice! I'm lucky I had a Eureka! on this or I'd have struggled. I had a hint from Mort the definition is "Prepared," leaving us with the distinct instruction to "treble 74074," which gives us 222222. When I write those they look like Zs, but they are supposed to represent DUCKS. Do you see it now? Get "prepared," or GET ALL YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW. Sneaky, wicked but will confess it's pure fun. Oh! Even worse! Husband just told me the bingo call for 22 is "Two little ducks."

6D - Child support circuit (3)
I had this in wrong. I didn't know what Australia's Child Support offices were called so I guessed AMP for "circuit" and then googled that with "child support" and found the Arrears Management Program (AMP) and thought that was a win. NO! Answer is LAP, so does that mean a child's support is a PAL? It's a pain as 5A was the only unsolved clue and the P being right for 10A made me think it was solid.

7D - When scaling, animated fireman spat at dog (7)
"Dog" is our definition and we're looking for a breed. "When scaling" is a reversal signpost to enter the answer backward in the grid. "Animated fireman" = SAM and "spat"  = TIFF for MASTIFF. Nice surface here, I'm happy no firemen are spitting at dogs.

8D - Asian tribe lasts in South Vietnam to northern Nanjing (5)
"Asian tribe" is our definition and "lasts" is an Initialism signpost and we don't get many of these from DA. "soutH vietnaM tO northerN nanjinG" for HMONG.

12D - First of all, 11-13-across plainly covers injury of melodic tart (11)
"Tart" is our definition. "First of all, 11-13across" is another initialism but we want the initials from the first three words for 11-13across's clue = CRI and I think "plainly covers" is a kind of container signpost. Then "injury of melodic" = HARMONIOUS - here I'm not sure if "injury" is a deletion signpost to get us to -H or if it's part of the clue to get HARM. If it's -H we can get A(CRI)MONIOUS. I'm not confident on how to solve this.

15D - Cereal (white) planted amid spring warmth (9)
Here's one I put in and erased many times. "Cereal" is our definition and I struggled to parse. I think "warmth" = HEAT and "spring" = BUCK if we think of the "bucking bronco" springing and jumping around at a rodeo, with "White planted amid" = W in the middle for BUCK(W)HEAT.

16D - Breast man? That's an old joke! (8)
No! Not Dirty Dad jokes. The horror. CHESTNUT. Stop making me grin over such things.

18D - 3-down, carrying first-class drop (7)
"Encountered carrying first-class drop" where "drop" is our definition. I got this with cross letters. Let's see: "encountered" = MET and "first class" = PLUM being "carried" by MET so PLUM gets put in the grid first for PLUMMET.

21D - Train tailors en masse? (6)
I'd pegged this as a double definition but then one of the DAT mentioned a "tailor" was a fish and Lo it is! Does that make this a cryptic definition instead? Answer is SCHOOL, meaning to train someone and also is a group of fish "en masse." Isn't that still a double definition? Oh it's rather confusing.

22D - Larrikin loves Down Under singer from Down Under (5)
I had this but couldn't figure out how to assemble the answer. "Larrikin" is our definition and "loves" = OO as love usually gives us O (for eternity like a wedding ring I like to think) and this is plural so we get two. "Down Under singer" is Colin HAY. I'm guessing  the "from Down Under" is a hint to enter the clue in reverse reading YAHOO, the icky people in Gulliver's Travels.

24D - Beam in pub, talking sport (3)
How can a three letter clue be so tricky? Gee wizz, right. "Beam in pub" alludes to the kind of "Beam" found in a pub to drink: JIM Beam, "talking sport" where "talking" is a homophone indicator so we want a JIM that sounds like sport, or a place to play sport = GYM.

We are done! Slain the mighty Friday beast. A few niggling bits but on the whole I'm happy with this effort. I still don't consider this easy but maybe that's because I go through the extra bit of breaking down all the clues.

I'm working on a few other projects and will stick to my three a week posting at this time as it works best for me. I've added a few extra links to my CrypTools list and on the right of the puzzlepic I listed a few of the rabbit holes I googled down, like 74074 is the ZIPcode for Stillwater Oklahoma which was not an anagram for anything useful here. Ok that would've been an Indirect Anagram anyway and they're a no-no.

I have a garden to rip apart and rebuild, peas and passionfruit to plant and a quarter ton of crab grass to pull out. Bunnings, my new best friend, let's get busy.