Author   JohninterredPosted on 1st July 2024 at 12:14 AM25 June 2024Categories Monthly Club Special
The usual delectation of weird words (top pick 3A), witticisms (e.g. “who’ll see to plates”) and tricky wordplay (top pick 17D). It took me just under an hour and a half, so about par for an MCS for me. I needed aids beyond the dictionaries to find 1A and my LOI was 12A. Thank-you clever setter.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Recalled emotional problem but not an antique that reeks (4) |
| PUGH – An old spelling of POOH. H{an}GUP (emotional problem) reversed and without the AN. | |
| 3 | Something to chew bearing downy coat: almost 50 per cent is primarily cudweed (10) |
| GNAPHALIUM – NAP (downy coat), HAL{f} (50%) [almost]. I{s} [primarily], all in GUM (something to chew). Phew! | |
| 10 | From sister in France, taking against English jobless? (9) |
| DESOEUVRE – DE (from in French), V (against) in SOEUR (sister in French), E (English). | |
| 11 | Tough leaves rear of High Court and Britain in turn (5) |
| KUTCH – Last letter of higH, CT (court), UK (Britain), all reversed -> KUTCH. | |
| 12 | Perhaps a tiny old Burmese knife to remove limbs (7) |
| CATLING – Double definition, the first a cryptic hint. | |
| 13 | Oz writer’s heading to last lines to be safe (6) |
| AUMBRY – BAUM (writer of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), moving first letter to last -> AUMB, RY (railway; lines). | |
| 15 | A train outbound circuitously skirts old hedging (15) |
| ROUNDABOUTATION – O (old) in (A train outbound)* [circuitously]. Chambers marks the word as “facetious”. | |
| 18 | On vessel home, order one private to reverse incompletely understood implication (15) |
| SUBINTELLIGITUR – SUB (vessel) IN (home) TELL (order) I (one) GI (private) TUR{n} (reverse) [incompletely]. A 6 part charade! And an unlikely looking word. | |
| 21 | Adjutant’s augmented reality celebration (6) |
| ARGALA – AR (augmented reality) GALA (celebration. | |
| 23 | Field officer’s excellent prospect in New Zealand (7) |
| FOSSICK – FO’S (field officer’s) SICK (excellent). | |
| 26 | Language used in Bhubaneswar formerly, and also Riyadh (5) |
| ORIYA – Hidden in alsO RIYAdh. | |
| 27 | And what have you brought back to divert ancient city? (9) |
| CTESIPHON – ETC (and what have you) reversed -> CTE, SIPHON (divert). | |
| 28 | Mild-mannered, half-lost, so I’d affected primness (3-7) |
| OLD-MAIDISM – (mild ma{nnered} so I’d)* [affected]. | |
| 29 | Without emotion, protecting European rodent’s nest (4) |
| DREY – E (European) in DRY (without emotion). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Dice bananas to feed punctilious person who’ll see to plates (10) |
| PEDICURIST – Ha ha! One who’ll see plates of meat, feet. (Dice)* [bananas] in PURIST (punctilious person). | |
| 2 | Husband drops in suddenly to stop contact with red meat (5) |
| GOSHT – GHOST (suddenly stop contact with) with the H (husband) dropping -> GOSHT. | |
| 4 | Maybe Reitman upset Hollywood actor that can be directed (9) |
| NAVIGABLE – IVAN (maybe Reitman) reversed -> NAVI, GABLE) (Clark Gable; actor). | |
| 5 | Mark to enter round ahead of seeing that standing (5) |
| PRESA – PRE (ahead of) AS (seeing that) [standing] -> SA. | |
| 6 | Military in early hours supported unlimited form of hybrid combat (3,4) |
| ACK EMMA – {b}ACKE{d} (supported) without its outside letters, MMA (mixed martial arts). | |
| 7 | Prevent electronic chip in Trident failing (9) |
| INTERDICT – I.C. (Integrated circuit; electronic chip) in (Trident)* [failing]. | |
| 8 | A gazelle, a second, then 3600 of them (4) |
| MOHR – MO (a second), HR (hour; 3600 seconds). | |
| 9 | Homer’s contemporary leads for initial Simpsons episode, with his annoyed grunt wrapping up (6) |
| HESIOD – First letters in Initial Simpsons Episode, in DOH (Homer Simpson’s annoyed grunt), all reversed -> HESIOD. Clever play on Homer Simpson. | |
| 14 | Burn out, just retaining kinetic energy without interruption (10) |
| UNBROKENLY – (Burn)* [out], KE (kinetic energy) in ONLY (just). | |
| 16 | Wader in northern estuary, not the first time (5-4) |
| UMBER-BIRD – {h}UMBER (northern estuary) [not the first] BIRD (time in prison). | |
| 17 | Taking place, though for the first time, delivers elevators (9) |
| UPLIFTERS – PL (place) IF (though) replacing the first T [for the first time] in U{t}TERS (delivers). Simple word but tricky clue! | |
| 19 | It’s no good on top of extinct volcano, mostly, for NZ lizard (7) |
| NGARARA – I had trouble tracking this down as it’s only in Collins, not Chambers or ODE. NG (No Good) on ARARA{t} (extinct volcano) [mostly]. | |
| 20 | Cycled, requiring muscular part of leg (6) |
| GASKIN – ASKING (requiring) [cycled] -> GASKIN. | |
| 22 | Tart filled with large seabird (5) |
| ALCID – L (large) in ACID (tart). | |
| 24 | Discharge angelic order when one has ascended (5) |
| ICHOR – CHOIR (angelic order) with the I (one) raised -> ICHOR. | |
| 25 | Sanction former pupil over snitch (4) |
| BOKO – OK (sanction) OB (old boy; former pupil) all reversed -> BOKO. A name for the nose. | |
Thanks for explaining 17d, which was one of my last in.
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See AlsoSunday, June 30, 2024 |I pondered for a long time over how this clue worked before the penny finally dropped.
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It was my last one to parse. Very clever.
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