One more blog from last Saturday’s S&B: Neil @ Cambridge. A crossword that’s themed but not around the Cambridge event.
The title of the puzzle (Easter 2014) leads the way and then 7ac makes it all clear. As a pop music fan I couldn’t see any Manic Monday, Ruby Tuesday or Friday On My Mind ….. 🙂
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 2 | DEFATTED |
Was beaten, lost energy, took time, and shed weight? (8)
{DEFEATED (was beaten) minus E (energy)} around T (time) |
| 7 | DAZE |
Shock of hearing all seven themed here (4)
Homophone (‘hearing’) of: DAYS (all seven themed here) See 16d, 25/27, 18/4, 19d/9, 1/32, 12/3 and 33/36. |
| 8,35 | SNOWBALL |
Dance after bearing present – a cocktail (8)
BALL (dance) coming after {S (bearing, South) + NOW (present)} |
| 10 | EROS |
Lover is partly heterosexual (4)
Hidden solution (‘partly’): [het] EROS [exual] |
| 11 | IN SPADES |
How doctors, spies and bridge partners could play their hand (2,6)
(SPIES AND)* [* = doctors] |
| 12,3 | GOOD FRIDAY |
Nice fish needing aid organising a date for cucifixion (4,6)
GOOD (nice) + FRY (fish) around (AID)* [* =organising] |
| 13 | DRUG |
Good end to game, good start to remedy (4)
[en]D + RU (game, Rugby Union) + G[ood] |
| 15 | TYPIFY |
Sound hint, provided you start to be representative (6)
TYP (homophone (‘sound’) of TIP (hint) + IF (provided) + Y[ou] |
| 18,4 | SHROVE TUESDAY |
As youth served tossed pancakes (6,7)
(AS YOUTH SERVED)* [* = tossed] The setter adds: “Vague definition, but obvious, given the theme”. |
| 19 | AYR |
Scottish port broadcast on the radio (3)
Homophone (‘on the radio’) of: AIR (broadcast) |
| 21 | ATLASES |
They chart the world‘s sea salt potential (7)
(SEA SALT)* [* = potential] |
| 22 | ALTERED |
Modified keynote address (just the middle section edited) (7)
ALT (key) + E (note) + ([ad]DRE[ss])* [* = edited] |
| 23 | HIT |
Strike hard, a single time (3)
H (hard) + I (a single) + T (time) |
| 25,27 | EASTER MONDAY |
Discovered Mary seated on the day after the resurrection (6,6)
(MARY SEATED ON)* [* = discovered] |
| 30 | NEVE |
Frozen 8 reflects a smooth surface (4)
Reversal (‘reflects’) of: EVEN ((a) smooth (surface)) Neve is frozen snow, apparently loved by snow and ice climbers! |
| 31 | LENT |
The French books begins after 18, 4 (4)
LE (the, in French) + NT (books) Lent begins after Shrove Tuesday (i.e. 18,4). |
| 32 |
See 1 Down
|
|
| 33,36 | HOLY SATURDAY |
Like a sieve, we hear, creating a dust ray marking the end of a fast time (4,8)
HOLY (homophone (‘we hear’) of HOLEY (like a sieve)) + (A DUST RAY)* [* = creating] |
| 34 | DRAW |
Pull and pour (4)
Double definition |
| 35 |
See 8 Across
|
|
| 36 |
See 33 Across
|
|
| Down | ||
| 1,32 | MAUNDY THURSDAY |
Composed 36 hymn with rude middle for the Last Supper (6,8)
(SATURDAY (solution to 36ac) + HYMN + [r]UD[e])* [* = composed] |
| 2 | DELPHI |
Greek city where one can find Godel (philosopher) (6)
Hidden solution (‘where one can find’): [go]DEL PHI[losopher] |
| 3 |
See 12 Across
|
|
| 4 |
See 18 Across
|
|
| 5 | EXODUS |
Journey to the south of France, steers in reverse, losing direction (6)
Reversal (‘in reverse’) of: SUD (south, in French) + OXE[n] (steers, minus N (direction)) |
| 6 | UNCOLOURED |
Awkward, rude, uncool and grey (10)
(RUDE UNCOOL)* [* = awkward] |
| 9 |
See 19 Down
|
|
| 14 | GHETTO |
Rearrange the time in turn for slum city (6)
(THE T (time))* inside GO (turn) [* = rearrange] |
| 15 | TRAVELLED |
The leading French composer conducted and went on tour (9)
T[he] + RAVEL (French composer) + LED (conducted) |
| 16 | PALM SUNDAY |
Foreign uplands may indicate start of 25 week (4,6)
(UPLANDS MAY)* [* = foreign] The start of Easter week. |
| 17 | FASTEN |
Observe 31 with its centre secure (6)
FAST (observe LENT (i.e. 31ac) + [l]EN[t] |
| 19,9 | ASH WEDNESDAY |
31 has dawned? Yes, exceptional restraint now required (3,9)
(HAS DAWNED YES)* [* = exceptional) The solution refers to the start of Lent (i.e. 31ac). |
| 20 | RAT |
Regularly roasts in desert (3)
Odd selection (‘regularly’) of: R[o]A[s]T[s] |
| 24 | I BET YOU |
Wager divides setter and solver; setter has no doubt who’s right (1,3,3)
BET (wager) coming in between (‘divides’) I (setter) and YOU (solver) |
| 26 | REMORA |
Capital return accepted by artist depicting a suckerfish(6)
EMOR (reversal (‘return’) of ROME (capital)) inside RA (artist) |
| 27 | MAULED |
Beaten up having been directed to follow half the Kenya terror gang (6)
MAU [Mau] (Kenyan terror gang, only half) followed by LED (directed) |
| 28 | NASEBY |
Northern and southern enemies begin near battlefield (6)
First letters of (‘begin’): N[orthern] A[nd] S[outhern] E[nemies] + BY (near) |