20 minutes, and as predicted I got off very lightly after a testing week of puzzles. One clue gave me pause for thought but otherwise it was more or less a write-in. If I'd not bothered to parse as I went I would certainly have achieved a personal best today. I just realised that this is the first blog following the 7th anniversary of my time here. It's frightening how time flies and worrying that my solving times have not improved and that I still feel apprehensive on blogging days!
* = anagram
* = anagram
Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | SPRINTER - S (small), PRINTER (peripheral - computing) |
| 6 | POPLAR - Double definition, the tree and London E14 |
| 9 | COSH - C |
| 10 | ANTIPODEAN - A, POINTED*, AN |
| 11 | TIE-BREAKER - (RETIRE BEAK). The tennis references on my blogging days continue! |
| 13 | OUST - Hidden amongst a lot of superfluous words. On edit: Thanks to janie for pointing out that it's hidden twice, which I hadn't spotted. That makes sense of all those extra words and the use of "repeatedly". |
| 14 | CASTAWAY - CAST (players), AWAY (on opponents' ground) |
| 16 | LIKELY - 1 + K inside LELY. Peter Lely was painter to the English court at the time of the Stuarts and also painted Cromwell "warts and all". |
| 18 | TENSER - TENSE (future), R (monarch) |
| 20 | OPPOSITE - OP (work), PO (work reflected), SITE (position) |
| 22 | IAGO - I ( one, of the Caesars), AGO (in the past). The "villain" in Othello. |
| 24 | SEE-THROUGH - (SHEER OUGHT)* |
| 26 | SHOPLIFTER - S |
| 28 | TROY - Innards of TORY (politician) switched round to make the Ancient Greek city. "Investment" means "siege" here. |
| 29 | SNATCH - S |
| 30 | GREENEST - GREENE (writer - Graham), ST (stumped - in cricket) |
Down | |
| 2 | PROXIMATE - O (old) + X (cross) inside PRIMATE (leader of church) |
| 3 | INHABIT - IN (home), H (husband), A BIT (to some extent) |
| 4 | TRADE - E (English) DART (river) all reversed |
| 5 | RUT - Double definition. The less familiar one refers to the mating habits of deer, the female of which are spelt 'doe' despite what Julie Andrews implied in The Sound of Mucus. |
| 6 | PAPER CLIP - PA (every year - Per Annum), PER (for each), CLIP (crop) |
| 7 | PADDOCK - PAD (walk), DOCK (weed) |
| 8 | ADAMS - ADAM (partner of first lady), S (second). I'm not sure what the definition is supposed to be here, but I guess there's a reference to 'First Lady' also being the title of the wife of the US President and there are two President Adams to choose from, assuming they both had partners. On edit: Thanks to Derek for further info that the first Adams was the second president, which ties in nicely. |
| 12 | KEYHOLE - Oh dear! Double definition of sorts. |
| 15 | WORDSMITH - OR (gold) + DSM (medal) inside WITH |
| 17 | LITIGIOUS - LIT (started burning), GI (soldier) inside IOUS (evidence of debts) |
| 19 | SHOTPUT - T |
| 21 | SHORTEN - NORTH* takes in E (opponent at bridge), underneath S (North's partner at bridge) |
| 23 | ASHEN - Double definition |
| 25 | HORSE - Double definition |
| 27 | TAG - |