Solving time 20 minutes
A pangram containing quite a mixture of characters and objects from a Cuban cocktail to a guided missile. On the easyish side of the spectrum I suspect but great fun to solve, even allowing for the short run of the groan-inducing clues.
A pangram containing quite a mixture of characters and objects from a Cuban cocktail to a guided missile. On the easyish side of the spectrum I suspect but great fun to solve, even allowing for the short run of the groan-inducing clues.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | GOSSAMER - GO-(RE-MASS reversed); on=RE; wings used for a trip to the moon; |
| 5 | SQUINT - S(QUIN)T; Rembrandt no doubt; |
| 9 | LOVESICK - L(voices)*K; LK from L(a)K(e); Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Casablanca; |
| 10 | MOJITO - MO(J-IT)O; white rum, lime juice and mint; |
| 12 | MENAGE,A,TROIS - MEN-(got a rise)* surrounds A; Mr and Mrs Hamilton and the lodger, Mr Nelson; |
| 15 | ILIAD - ILIA-D; the ilium is a bone in the hip; Homer's Trojan War epic; |
| 16 | GUSTATORY - GUST-A-TORY; Egon Ronay's world; |
| 18 | CATAMARAN - C(A-TAMAR)AN; the Portsmouth-Ryde ferry; |
| 19 | THEFT - THE-FT; |
| 20 | UPRIGHT,PIANO - cryptic definition of Sam's instrument; a piano has hammers and if it's upright it hasn't fallen over - aaagh!; |
| 24 | AMUSED - AM-USED; if "am" has been used perhaps "pm" is still available - geddit?; |
| 25 | SKITTISH - a SKIT is a sketch - groan - three in a row!; |
| 26 | EXOCET - TE(COX)E all reversed; Andy Murray's groundstrokes; |
| 27 | STALWART - ST(law)*ART; more Andy Murray; |
| Down | |
| 1 | GOLF - FLOG reversed; a game for the discerning; |
| 2 | SAVE - S-AVE; what Novak Djokovic does on match points; |
| 3 | AMSTERDAM - A-M(a)STER-DAM; lierally the dam on the river Amstel - home to world's oldest stock exchange; |
| 4 | EXCHANGE,RATE - EX-(the carnage)*; slightly odd definition; |
| 6 | QUOIT - QU(O)IT; used extensively on cruise ships; |
| 7 | INIGO,JONES - IN-I-GO-J(oint)-ONES; influential English architect 1573-1652; |
| 8 | TROTSKYITE - T(ROT-SKY)IT-E(ggs); a Marxist rather than a Stalinist; |
| 11 | SEASON,TICKET - (OK in test case)*; what you get to the doctor's surgery once you pass 65; |
| 13 | DISCOURAGE - DISCO-U(ncle)-RAGE; |
| 14 | VICTOR,HUGO - VICTOR-HUG-O; what Kim Sears gave Andy Murray; nothing=O; creator of Les Misérables, |
| 17 | ANTENATAL - ANTEN(n)A-TAL(k); Catherine's condition; |
| 21 | GREBE - GRE(B)E(n); freshwater bird; |
| 22 | GIZA - sounds like "geezer" = bloke = slang for man; |
| 23 | CHAT - two meanings; |