20 across: Wicked climber corks key bubbly with bit of tissue (9)
Corks key bubbly = skyrocke and bit of tissue = t so that wicked climber = skyrocket = corks key bubbly with bit of tissue. Here, the explanation is reasonably easy, but the direct clue is a piece of crap. Wicked climber for skyrocket is too ridiculous a synonym even for a cryptic.
Update: In the comments, NC comes to the rescue again and brings to light DA’s dastardly chicanery.
Posted in DA Nastiness
Maybe there’s more gold in the confusion, but, for now, all I’ve got is the following:
25 across: Hip exercises inverted formal wear in recital (3, 2)
Nice sounds-like clue. Formal wear = bow tie so that inverted formal wear in recital = tae bo = hip exercises.
9 down: Have sex, then hit the hay for Spooner’s big breather? (8, 5)
Prurient and Spoonerismatic, it’s as if DA wrote this clue especially for me. Have sex = hump (already deserving of gold), hit the hay = whack bale, hit the hay for Spooner’s = back whale so that have sex, then hit the hay for Spooner’s = humpback whale = big breather.
And did you notice how appropriate hit the hay was? Hay always brings sex to mind, at least to my mind, because of the expression a roll in the hay, and when the clue begins with have sex, hit the hay is perfect. Gold, gold, gold I tells ya!
Posted in DA Gold
And here’s the longest list of confusion yet!
5, 18 down: Outer kiss wasted? An instrument of conflicted love (7, 8)
The answer is eternal triangle, so triangle = an instrument, but outer kiss wasted = eternal? What?
11 across: Heard a prompt snarl in 18-down (triangle) (5, 5)
Acute angle = in triangle, but the rest?
14, 29 across: Case for surgery field continues stunning turn-out! (9, 7)
I managed to guess based on cross clues that case for surgery = caesarean section, but I had no further explanation for it.
19, 10 across: Design principals dispatch documents (5, 4)
I’m wondering whether or not this one is a mistake, but before doing so, I thought I’d make sure I haven’t missed something. It seems to me here that dispatch document = order form, so design = order, but I can’t see how principals = form, although I would be willing to accept principles = form. Did DA make a boo-boo, or am I just confused?
22 across: Seeing that article about rock music covering the Wings release (8)
Is this where I lose all respect for DA? Has he really made reference to McCartney’s Wings? I don’t really know because I don’t have an explanation for how seeing that = inasmuch = article about rock music covering the Wings release.
24 across: Sweet baker once rejected some mutton rations (6)
Sweet baker = Arnott, but other than mutton containing a fair whack of Arnott, I ain’t got nuthin’.
27, 16 across: Computer coterie offering American fish, tail first (4, 5)
A computer coterie = user group, and American = US. After that, I need help.
2 down: Backstab as much as you like (1, 4)
A gogo = as much as you like, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how that could mean backstab.
21 across: Jam courier swallowed rum, cap off (6)
Jam = muddle, and rum cap off = um, but that’s all I’ve got.
Posted in DA Confusion