A slightly strange grid with 20 across clues and only 16 down and hence quite a number of 4 letter words.
This puzzle appeared on 29th March which was Ximenes' birthday and I have two queries arising from the application of his rules. The first is minor where at 25A my Chambers does not support the padding phrase "for the croft" - possibly it's in the very latest edition. My second is at 6D where, if I'm reading the clue properly, I can't make the wording work. All explanations welcome.
This puzzle appeared on 29th March which was Ximenes' birthday and I have two queries arising from the application of his rules. The first is minor where at 25A my Chambers does not support the padding phrase "for the croft" - possibly it's in the very latest edition. My second is at 6D where, if I'm reading the clue properly, I can't make the wording work. All explanations welcome.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | CARABID - RAC reversed - A-BID; a real beetle, not the car; |
| 7 | ILEA - hidden I(so)L(at)E(d-c)A(se); |
| 10 | OTAKU - (out)* surrounds A-K(eyboard); Japanese computer geeks; |
| 11 | NOONERS - NO-ONE-RS; lust at lunchtime (congess=sexual relations); |
| 12 | STEGODONT - STE(GO-DON)T; bet=GO; extinct mammal; |
| 13 | FRAB - FR-AB(out); worry; |
| 16 | PITIER - P(IT)IER; |
| 17 | PYONER - P(YON)ER; PER=person; that=YON; old word for pioneer; |
| 18 | PRIAL - P-RIAL; good hand in brag; |
| 19 | UGLI - UG-LI(ke); old word for loathe=UG; fruit producer; |
| 21 | NENE - NE-NE; old word for not=NE; rare bird; |
| 22 | CADIE - CA-DIE; about=CA; old porter in Perth; |
| 23 | OBERON - (borneo)*; moon of Uranus; |
| 25 | ICKERS - (p)ICKERS; my Chambers just gives "ear of corn" as definition - nothing about "for the croft"; |
| 27 | ISIS - (cr)ISIS; crown=cr; |
| 29 | HORS,LA,LOI - HORS(e)-LALO-I; heroin=horse; French composer=LALO; independent=I; outlawed in Ostend; |
| 30 | LYOMERI - LYO(n)-MERI; club=MERI; |
| 31 | UTTER - (b)UTTER; baron=b; |
| 32 | ESTS - EST-S; special=S; awareness programmes; |
| 33 | FOSTERS - two meanings cobber; |
| Down | |
| 1 | COOF - C(O-O)F; centre-forward=CF; over=O; stupid in Sterling; |
| 2 | ATTRITE - A-TT-R-ITE(m); dry=TT; run=R (cricket); marmelize in Mildenhall; |
| 3 | RABATINES - RABAT-(l)INES; old collars; |
| 4 | BUTTER-COOLER - B-UTTER-COOLER; bravo=B (phonetic alphabet); can=prison=COOLER; |
| 5 | INEBRIANT - I(nquiry)-N(ot)-E(nough)-BR-I-AN-(Chilco)T; indeed=I; heady is definition; |
| 6 | BOOTYLICIOUS - I think this is (is absolutely cooing)* minus "gals" and "ne" from (o)ne; what is "such" doing?; how does the clue work? what is the definition - it means a girl with a nice arse; |
| 7 | INDY - (w)INDY: |
| 8 | ERNIE - ER(N)IE; nationalist=N; |
| 9 | ASTERIDS - (disaster)*; see Asterias in Chambers; |
| 14 | SPADILLIO - SPA-DILL-I-O; the ace of spades; |
| 15 | ANGLESITE - ANGLE-SITE; |
| 16 | PINOCHLE - PIN(OC-HL)E; OC=Officer Commanding; HL=House of Lords; long=PINE; a card game; |
| 20 | L-DRIVER - L(DR)IVER; |
| 24 | BUOYS - sounds like "boys" who are traditionally dressed in blue when babies; |
| 26 | ISMS - I-SMS; |
| 28 | SARS - S(e)ARS; |