9 minutes. I think most solvers will find this one fairly straightforward apart from a reference to a somewhat obscure 15th century poet, a French department and a crossword favourite that some newbies may not have encountered before. But as with most "cryptic" clues there were two ways to all these answers so hopefully they won't have prevented anyone from completing the grid. Thanks to Times IT for using the next url in sequence so that I was able to access the puzzle before midnight and prepare the blog an hour or two in advance. I don't know whether this was by accident or design but it's much appreciated.
Definitions are underlined. Deletions in curly brackets and indicators in the square ones.
Definitions are underlined. Deletions in curly brackets and indicators in the square ones.
Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Island fellow with headgear of yellowy-brown colour (9) |
| MANHATTAN - MAN (fellow), HAT (headgear), TAN (of yellowy-brown colour) | |
| 6 | Micro-organism found in creepy-crawly? (3) |
| BUG - Double definition | |
| 8 | Attractive-sounding collection of pieces (5) |
| SUITE - Sounding like "sweet" (attractive). I imagine the definition here refers to pieces of music, for example Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite" | |
| 9 | Unusually keen to drink? Do! (5-2) |
| KNEES-UP - Anagram [unusually] of KEEN, SUP (drink). The definition's in the sense of a party | |
| 10 | Tend towards inflation, giving her a vote, perhaps (8) |
| OVERHEAT - Anagram [perhaps] of HER A VOTE. An economy is said to overheat when increased demand leads to rising prices. | |
| 11 | Meet up with girl at home (4) |
| JOIN - JO (girl), IN (at home) | |
| 13 | Bill could be so exceptional! (11) |
| OUTSTANDING - A definition and a cryptic clue | |
| 17 | Stake forming part of elephant enclosure (4) |
| ANTE - Hidden [forming part of] in {eleph)ANT E{nclosure}. It's a bet or stake that's made in advance. | |
| 18 | Poet framing end of verse - the bare bones? (8) |
| SKELETON - SKELTON (poet) enclosing [framing] {vers}E. Showing my hignorance, I never 'eard of John Skelton, poet, 1463-1529. As contestants on quiz shows are so fond of saying "it's a bit before my time". I've no complaints though because the answer was quite capable of being "biffed" (bunged in from definition) without actually knowing his name. | |
| 21 | Second free member of Canadian police (7) |
| MOUNTIE - MO (second), UNTIE (free) | |
| 22 | Hindu teacher perhaps crawled before one (5) |
| SWAMI - SWAM (perhaps crawled), I (one) | |
| 23 | Reportedly be familiar with Japanese drama (3) |
| NOH - Sounds [reportedly] like "know" (be familiar with). This is a word that some solvers may not have met before but it's worth remembering as it crops up a lot in crosswords. Just to add confusion, it can also be spelt "no". | |
| 24 | Reserved, as cash in bank can be (9) |
| WITHDRAWN - A definition and a cryptic clue | |
Down | |
| 1 | Army doctor's business supported by wife's capital (6) |
| MOSCOW - MO'S (army doctor's), CO (business), W (wife) | |
| 2 | Racket from new French department (5) |
| NOISE - N (new), OISE (French department). Another answer that's easily biffed if one doesn't know the geographical reference. | |
| 3 | Oddly my taste embraces hot item of jewellery (8) |
| AMETHYST - Anagram [oddly] of MY TASTE which encloses [embraces] H (hot). I think strictly speaking this is a jewel rather than an item of jewellery for the purposes of a straight definition. | |
| 4 | Withdraw into subordinate position, unlike driver's adviser? (4,1,4 4) |
| TAKE A BACK SEAT - A definition and a cryptic clue by way of contrast | |
| 5 | Coward, possibly, initially nervous over entering lift (4) |
| NOEL - First letters of N{ervous} O{ver} E{ntering} L{ift}. Sir Noël Peirce Coward (1899-1973) playwright, composer and much, much more. | |
| 6 | Instrument supplied by graduates before long (7) |
| BASSOON - BAS (graduates), SOON (before long) | |
| 7 | Joke about secret number makes us open-mouthed (6) |
| GAPING - GAG (joke) encloses [about] PIN (secret number) | |
| 12 | Lois died unexpectedly, greatly adored (8) |
| IDOLISED - Anagram [unexpectedly] of LOIS DIED | |
| 14 | Country institution sacking husband over woman's falsehood (7) |
| UNTRUTH - {h}UNT (country institution) [sacking husband], RUTH (woman) | |
| 15 | Transport workers' opera? (6) |
| CARMEN - CAR MEN (transport workers). The opera by Georges Bizet. | |
| 16 | Popular girl - an inhabitant of Bhopal, perhaps (6) |
| INDIAN - IN (popular), DI (girl), AN | |
| 19 | It upset a painter, displaying jewelled headdress (5) |
| TIARA - IT reversed [upset], A, RA (painter - Royal Academician) | |
| 20 | Agitated state of boy giving up art? (4) |
| STEW - STEW {art} (boy) [giving up "art"] | |