Herald Scotland Cryptic Crossword, Friday 9th April 2010

I generally do the cryptic crossword in the Herald Scotland on weekdays and Saturdays and I got it all the way out again today with only two references to my favourite Crossword Dictionary for help. 🙂

I liked this one better than the one from Wednesday which I commented on in here as this one had better clues and a better variety of clues. You will appreciate some of the words which are made up of three or four separate parts of their clues when you come to them.

Here’s some spoiler space in case you’re still working on the crossword and you don’t want to see the answers just yet. 😀

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Across

1 Animal showing excessive display of hesitation [5]

OTTER
OTT = Over The Top = excessive display
ER = hesitation

4 Condemns senescent criminal [9]

SENTENCES
Anagram of SENESCENT (Senescent means ageing. I think it was just a handy anagram.)

9 Team’s leader organised athletics’ vehicles [9]

TRANSPORT = vehicles
T = Team’s leader – i.e. the first letter of Team
RAN = organised
SPORT = athletics
Good clue! 😎

10 Belts made from hose [5]

SOCKS – double meaning – hose as in hosiery

11 Signs nothing – people start shooting [5]

OMENS = signs
O = nothing
MEN = people
S = start shooting = i.e. the first letter of shooting
Another good one! 😎

12 A benefit of tennis [9]

ADVANTAGE – not all that cryptic

13 Take over, to experience again accepting point [7]

RELIEVE = take over
RELIVE = experience again… accepting
E = point (of the compass)

15 Ross worried about trouble from ship’s crew [7]

SAILORS = ship’s crew
Anagram of ROSS (because he is worried)
AIL = trouble

17 Contracts arrived during bad snow [7]

NARROWS = contracts
ARRived inserted in
NOWS = bad snow – i.e. an anagram of SNOW

19 Everybody in exam was most lofty [7]

TALLEST = most lofty
TEST = exam
ALL = everybody

21 Bound to accept mistake if scared [9]

TERRIFIED = scared
TIED = bound
ERR = mistake
IF = straight from the clue

23 Thinker, born to rule, reportedly [5]

BRAIN = thinker
B = born
RAIN = homonym of REIGN = to rule

24 Stars’ alternative – working around one [5]

ORION = star
OR = alternative
I = one
ON = working

25 Professional writer gets ban [9]

PROSCRIBE = ban
PRO = professional
SCRIBE = writer (I needed the crossword dictionary to get this part – it jumped straight out of the list as soon as I saw it!)

26 Carries old rushes for disposal [9]

SHOULDERS = carries
anagram of OLD RUSHED (for disposal signifies anagram)

27 Measures footprints [5]

STEPS – double meaning

Down

1 Banned party – alternative is alfresco [7]

OUTDOOR = alfresco
OUT = banned
DO = party
OR = alternative

2 Bank clerk gets hold of artist – very representative [9]

TRAVELLER = representative in the travelling salesman sense
TELLER = bank clerk
RA = artist (the initials stand for Royal Academy, I think)
V = very

3 Got up and started to smell the flowers [5]

ROSES = flowers
ROSE = got up
S = started to Smell

4 Warehousing rates go haywire [7]

STORAGE = warehousing
anagram of RATES GO – they’re haywire!

5 These people invest a different way [7]

NATIVES – anagram of INVEST A (signified by “different way”)

6 Line as set out is indispensable [9]

ESSENTIAL – indispensable
anagram of LINE AS SET (because it’s “out”)

7 Fifty per cent of cost doubled on a drink [5]

COCOA = drink
CO = 50% of COST – i.e. the first half
CO appears a second time, so it’s doubled
A – because the preceding letters are on A

8 Some nurses are nuns [7]

SISTERS – double meaning

14 Excited by energy movement on the borders of Argyll [9]

EMOTIONAL = excited
E = energy
MOTION = movement
AL – the borders of Argyll – i.e. the first and last letters

16 Worker’s work time – time given without limits [9]

OPERATIVE = worker
OP = work
ERA = time
T = time
IVE = given without limits – i.e. without its first and last letters, which is the opposite of the preceding clue
I got as far as OPERA with this one and had to trawl through the crossword dictionary for the rest!

17 Gifts do not make countries [7]

NATIONS = countries
DONATIONS = gifts
DO not so you take DO away

18 What a painter might do for second drink? [7]

STIPPLE – something a painter might do
S = second
TIPPLE = drink

19 Boring change is due to…[7]

TEDIOUS = boring
anagram of IS DUE TO, signified by “change”

20 son supporting cash offers [7]

TENDERS = offers
TENDER = cash, as in legal tender
S = Son supporting, as this is a down clue and the S is at the bottom

22 Animal that’s right at home in house [5]

RHINO = animal
R = right
HO = house
IN = at home

23 Resists cash from the United States [5]

BUCKS = double meaning – resists/Dollars

I don’t know when I’ll get to analyse another of these crosswords. I’ve made myself late for bed and there’s a cavity wall insulation man calling in the morning so I can’t sleep too late to make up for my late night. 😳

Herald Scotland Cryptic Crossword, Wednesday 7th April 2010

I generally do the cryptic crossword in the Herald Scotland on weekdays and Saturdays. Today was one of those days when I got it all the way out and only had to refer to my favourite Crossword Dictionary for help with one clue. (That help did enable me to go on and solve the final clue, though! 🙂 )

As I’ve just had a couple of days off and I’m not feeling under too much pressure, I’ve decided to sit down and explain how I came up with my answers.

I’ll just add some spoiler space in case you’re still working on the crossword and you don’t want to see the answers just yet, and then I’m going to explain the whole thing… 😀

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Across

1 Much was written on this once [7]

PAPYRUS – not particularly cryptic, just clever

5 Dialect around the Kremlin? [7]

CITADEL – anagram of DIALECT

9 Prepare to use again in secrecy clearly [7]

RECYCLE – the answer is contained within “secRECY CLEarly”.

10 This posting means trouble in China [7]

MAILING – posting
MING – China of the pottery variety
AIL – trouble

11 No permission for recesses [5]

NOOKS – recesses
NO OKS – no permission

12 Most foolish however? [9]

LEASTWISE – an interesting answer where we join together antonyms of MOST and FOOLISH (namely LEAST and WISE) and come up with a word which means most foolish and also means however. I like it!

13 Convince electors it’s the only way to vote [3,6]

PUT ACROSS – convince
PUT A CROSS – the only way to vote
Nice and topical!

15 Appropriate ceremonial form in speech [5]

RIGHT – appropriate
RITE – ceremonial, which when spoken sounds like RIGHT, which is the RIGHT answer. 🙂

16 Out of such groups one is miserable [5]

SORTS – out of sorts = miserable and groups = SORTS

18 Examination of litmus? [4,5]

TEST PAPER – double meaning

21 Rough site developed in a reasonable way [9]

RIGHTEOUS = anagram of ROUGH SITE – indicated by the word “developed”

24 Country has right to mountain range [5]

RURAL – country, as distinct from city
R – initial letter of Right
URAL – mountain range

25 Perplexing situation for retired cover girl [7]

DILEMMA – perplexing situation
LID – cover – retired presumably clues you in that it’s backwards, but someone might have a better explanation for this part
EMMA – girl

26 It doesn’t make sense but put it in anyway [7]

INANITY – it doesn’t make sense – IT inserted into IN ANY – not the best of clues!

27 Pull out in time [7]

STRETCH – double meaning – pull out or time, particularly as in serving time in prison

28 Poverty led to being irritated [7]

NEEDLED – irritated
NEED – poverty
LED – you don’t have to do anything to this, just put it on the end

Down

1 Mean to cut a vegetable [7]

PARSNIP – vegetable
PAR – mean, as in statistical average
SNIP – to cut

2 Recognise and select [4,3]

PICK OUT – double meaning

3 Bags of hikers [9]

RUCKSACKS – not very cryptic!

4 Brief period of enchantment [5]

SPELL – double meaning

5 They give directions to navigators [9]

COMPASSES – not very cryptic!

6 It isn’t corruption; but it is corruption [5]

TAINT – corruption, which is itself a corruption of IT ISN’T – I like it!

7 In such rain it’s better than walking [7]

DRIVING – what can you say

8 Support for a runner in the St Leger [3,4]

LEG REST – anagram of ST LEGER – and indeed it is a support for a runner

14 He works his fingers to the bone [9]

OSTEOPATH – clever but not that cryptic

15 Journalist’s work needs to be bang on time [9]

REPORTAGE – journalist’s work
REPORT – bang
AGE – time

16 Big steps tried out on board [7]

STRIDES – big steps
anagram of TRIED, signified by “out” in the clue; and wrapped in SS = on board (a Steam Ship)

17 Uniform – and its wearer? [7]

REGULAR – double meaning – the wearer is a regular soldier

19 Not just relating to some [7]

PARTIAL – this is the one I had to trawl the Crossword Dictionary for the answer.
PARTIAL = some
“Not just relating to” apparently means that there is more to the relationship, so you are PARTIAL – if anyone has a better explanation, I’ll be interested.

20 Passed through another station [7]

RELAYED – not very cryptic

22 Persuade an agency girl to start typing [5]

TEMPT – persuade
TEMP – agency girl
T – start of “typing”

23 Issue newly minted coins [5]

SCION – issue, as in offspring
Anagram of COINS, signified by the words “newly minted”

I hope that all made sense!

Glasgow Herald Cryptic Crossword, Thursday 23rd July

I generally do the cryptic crossword in the Glasgow Herald on weekdays. I usually get most of the way through it, although I have occasional days when I don’t even do well enough for it to be worth comparing notes with Buff in Australia.

However Thursday July 23rd was one of those days when I got the crossword right out! Yes, I answered every last clue, and I think I can even give you the explanation for all of them.

I’ll just add some spoiler space in case you’re still working on the crossword and you don’t want to see the answers just yet, and then I’m going to explain the whole thing… 😀

I won’t do this every day, as the Herald might take a dim view, but an occasional foray into how to solve their crossword seems like an interesting side-trip for my blog to make.

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Across

1 Research establishment for political party speech-making [10]

LABORATORY

political party = LAB
speech-making = ORATORY
I was also entertained that this reads as LAB OR A TORY

6 Break off for a photograph [4]

SNAP

double meaning

10 Went out with Father Ted [5]

DATED

father = DA

11 Vile attack [9]

OFFENSIVE

double meaning

12 Creates chaos about a source of garbled communications [8]

MESSAGES

chaos = MESSES
a = A
source of garbled = G
I originally thought that this might be an anagram of “creates” plus a G (source of garbled) as seeing “chaos” in the clue made me think that there was an anagram present. However, chaos was used rather more literally here!

13 Frenchman chasing single girl [5]

IRENE

single = I
Frenchman = RENE

15 Jumper who’s hardly sporting when not in front [7]

CRICKET

hardly sporting = “that’s not cricket”

17 Fearsome editor following key study [7]

DREADED

key = D (musical)
study = READ
editor = ED

19 Swarming bees can generate a lack of presence [7]

ABSENCE

anagram of “bees can”

21 One in charge warning worker [7]

FOREMAN

warning = FORE (golf)
worker = MAN
Worker is more commonly ANT, but not on this occasion.

22 Sign firm master after end of term [5]

COMMA

firm = CO
end of term = M
master = MA

24 Soldiers hurting, but getting there [8]

REACHING

soldiers = RE (Royal Engineers)
hurting = aching

27 One member rambling and getting better [9]

IMPROVING

one = I
member = MP (Member of Parliament)
rambling = ROVING

28 Pilot’s ordeal [5]

TRIAL

double meaning
This isn’t “pilot” in the sense of one who guides a ship or an aircraft, but “pilot” in the sense of a project undertaken to assess feasibility.

29 Delight at finding good shelter [4]

GLEE

good = G
shelter = LEE

30 Rulers’ gifts accepted one day [10]

PRESIDENTS

gifts = PRESENTS
one = I
day = D

Down

1 Woman or boy with ponytail? [4]

LADY

boy = LAD
ponytail = Y (last letter of pony)

2 Power sources that are best, it develops [9]

BATTERIES

anagram of “are best it” – “develops” is a clue that it’s an anagram
I tried hard to make BATTERSEA fit this, and it wasn’t until I wrote out the vowels in alphabetical order and then the consonants in alphabetical order that I “got it”.

3 Journeys in Kalahari desert [5]

RIDES

KalahaRI DESest

4 Time to support, however considered [7]

THOUGHT

time = T
however = THOUGH

5 Rejected by official [not new] [7]

REFUSED

official = REF (referee)
not new = USED

7 Inquire about individual racket [5]

NOISE

inquire = NOSE
individual = I

8 Acting quiet, get dinner ready [10]

PRETENDING

quiet = P (piano, Italian – used in music)
+anagram of “get dinner”

9 Manoeuvre royal train to front [8]

ENGINEER

train = ENGINE
royal = ER (Elizabeth Regina)

14 Withdrawing: result of itch! [10]

SCRATCHING

double meaning

16 One jumps court without legal authority [8]

KANGAROO

double meaning

18 First for length, and fourth for time, perhaps [9]

DIMENSION

“time is the fourth dimension”

20 Real change – one monarch from a previous time [7]

EARLIER

anagram of “real”
one = I
monarch from a previous time = ER (Elizabeth Regina, in this case meaning Elizabeth I)

21 Edges that project, initially from different angles [7]

FLANGES

initially from = F (first letter of “from”)
+anagram of “angles”

23 Man hiding quietly in tree [5]

MAPLE

man = MALE
quietly = P

25 Disliked heat setting and finished [5]

HATED

anagram of “heat”
and finished = D (last letter of “and”)

26 Regrettably said to be a girl [4]

ALAS

pun

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There! We’ve just been through a lot of mental byways together! 🙂