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This is the first crossword I set. Reading it back now having set more it is quite clunky and I would definitely change some clues but I've left it as is for posterity. Sorry :-/
Maybe don't start here! If you've come here for a sample of my work why not try Crossword 2 instead!
Click the blacked out text for answers and reasoning or hit to reveal it all!
Please do give me feedback via @huggie@social.earth.li on mastodon or email if you hate it, like it, dislike a particular clue etc. I'm very interested in what people think so I can try and improve.
| Clue | Answer | Reason | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4,20 | Foreigner: not foreign taste but foreign food. (6,6) | DANISH PASTRY | DANISH [foreigner - see even here that's loose as foreign would work better] PAS [not foreign - not in French] TRY [taste] |
| 9 | Starts fainting at my enormous popularity (4) | FAME | Starts of Fainting At My Enormous |
| 10 | Lean towards rhythms: measure inclination with a couple of these (10) | TILTMETERS | TILT [lean towards] METERS [rhythm of peotry] |
| 11,1, 7d | I'll hoof RHS protestor out of musical (6,4,2,7) | LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS | (I'LL HOOF RHS PROTESTOR)* An anagram [out] of all the first four words for the world's best musical |
| 12 | Ignore balls glance (8) | OVERLOOK | OVER [balls in cricket] LOOK [glance] |
| 13 | Ban paid writer? (9) | PROSCRIBE | PRO-SCRIBE [paid writer] |
| 15 | Vegetable arguments left out (4) | PEAS | P(l)EAS [Pleas without L for left] Again this is a bit clumsy cluing with the definition of vegetable. Should that be plural? |
| 16 | Tore spread (4) | RENT | Double definition. I'm happy with the first definition. Rend can mean split/spread so spread is sort of ok but a bit tenuous. Sorry. |
| 17 | Goes parp parp, perhaps? | TOADSTOOL | Cryptic definition. Toad goes parp parp in Wind in the Willows or his car does so perhaps his tools do? Again I think I had half an idea and then committed to it and didn't edit enough before I published here. |
| 21 | Chieftain sent volunteer round French river with companion (8) | TOISEACH | TA [member of the territorial army; a volunteer] around OISE [French river] CH [companion of honour] for an obscure chieftain that I thought was the Irish leader. I was scrabbling for words to fit the grid I think. |
| 22 | Dinghy trip round Spanish port (6) | ZODIAC | (CADIZ O)* Again not a very good clue. CADIZ is a Spanish port and O is round using trip as an anagram indicator but this could definitely be improved. |
| 24 | Plant chemical found on short mower, perhaps in street legend read back (10) | SITOSTEROL | SIT O(n) [SIT ON mower shortened by a letter] ST [street] EROL [LORE legend backwards]. The mower is a bit obscure here and I don't know why I have "in" in the clue. And the chemical is obscure ;) |
| 25 | Hard song for a lock (4) | HAIR | H [hard] AIR [song] |
| 26 | Mrs Snell types last play with doctor cast in bad act returning (6) | NIMBYS | Y [last play] MB [doctor] as an anagram [cast] in NIS [SIN backwards]. I think I might be slightly maligning Lynda Snell here for those that advocate Not In My Back Yard |
| 27 | Neighbour having little joy in a blast (6) | ADJOIN | JO [litle JOY] in A DIN [a blast] |
| 1 | More wobbly as hiker upset (7) | SHAKIER | (AS HIKER)* An anagram [upset] of AS HIKER |
| 2 | Past time to be open (5) | OVERT | OVER [past] T [time] |
| 3 | Last longer in Tyne? Quite the opposite! (7) | OUTWEAR | Cryptic definition. I'm not sure the Wear is really the opposite of the Tyne but that's where I was going. Outwear is a contronym which also helps the opposite meaning. |
| 5 | Services raise million pounds (6) | ARMIES | (RAISE M)* An anagram [pounds] of RAISE M [millions]. Slightly dubious definition again as the army is a service like the RAF or navy but I'm not convinced it works as a plural. |
| 6 | Grasp one point to tell court with last judge (9) | INTELLECT | I [one] N [point] TELL [tell] E [last judge] CT [court] but there isn't anything to tell you to put the E before the CT and intellect as a synonym for one's grasp of something is a little stretched too. |
| 8 | Bound by an oath to gore siblings (5,8) | BLOOD BROTHERS | BLOOD [gore] BROTHERS [siblings] |
| 14 | Planes first mayday about hill makes flying difficult (9) | SANDSTORM | SANDS [planes] M [first Mayday] all around TOR [hill]. I quite like this one for a change! |
| 16 | Scot we hear arrived on horse first from an island (7) | RHODIAN | IAN [Scot's name common in crosswords if not the Scots I've met] RHOD [sounds like rode - arrived on horse which goes first] |
| 18 | Blinded when camouflage painted on (7) | DAZZLED | Double definition with a reference to dazzle camouflage |
| 19 | Standing perhaps eggs on into frenzy (7) | OVATION | OVA [eggs] TION (INTO)* An anagram [frenzy] of INTO |
| 23 | Homer's regret and son's greeting in wrestling place (5) | DOHYO | DOH [Homer Simpson's regret] YO [Bart Simpson's greeting] |