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.