This post discusses the answers to the cryptic crossword I posted on this blog a couple of weeks ago. There’s a sort of “ghost theme” – The 11a, 6a and The 15d all appear in 24, 22.
Across:
5. SHUCKS: Double definition
6. WALTER: (TRAWLE)*
9. GRAMMY: Cryptic definition
10. ABETTING: not A BETTING man
11. DUDE: “doubts initially” = D in “right” = DUE
12. DIMINISHES: “wheels?” = MINI in “choice of meals” = DISHES. I’m not sure this is really fair – lots of people don’t seem to like “on” to indicate inclusion and perhaps MINI for “wheels?” is a bit tough. However, the surface was nice enough that I wanted to keep it anyway.
13. STRAIGHTEST: “way” = ST around (THIS GREAT)*
18. PARTITIONS: Double definition. I’m not sure about the second definition, which is descriptive…
21. RAGS: “Kings” = RS hiding “silver” = AG
23. MINUET: swap last two letters of “almost too small to see” = MINUTE. Perhaps too easy?
24, 22. THE BIG LEBOWSKI: (GEEKS WITH BILBO)*. (This clue got a commendation in Paul’s clue competition.)
25. COWERS: “lower” = COW + “hesitations” = ERS. (It’s a shame that it had to be “lower” for this construction to work because it slightly spoils the surface.)
Down
1. YUMMIEST: “turn” = U in (“first” = IST taking E (“drug-taking” after “year” = Y “two-thousand” = MM)
2. OKAYED: (OAKED + Y)*
3. HAZELNUT: (LAZE)* in (HUNT)*
4. STATES: “Declare” = STATE + “the end of terms” = S
5. SPROUT: SPR + OUT
7. RUNNER: “character” = RUNE + “writing” = R (from the 3 Rs) has got “a bit of novelty” = N.
8. HAEMOGLOBIN: GLO[W] in (BOHEMIAN)*. “something of a glow” for GLO is a bit poor.
14. AUTISTIC: Hidden answer
15. STRANGER: “holy man” = ST + “Yogi’s nemesis” = RANGER (Smith)
16. LAMENT: AMEN in LT
17. AGREES: A + “thousand” = G + “engineers” = RE + “east” = E + “old Bob” = S
19. TROWEL: “can” = TIN + (LOWER)*, remove IN
20. SYMBOL: (“times” = BY)< in “the sun” = SOL about “a month” = M
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