Monthly Archives: November 2009

1 down: Cast, with or without one! (5)
It’s the ball-tearer: three clever, conceivable solutions, yet only one of these three fit within the crossword and is truly &lit. I wonder if DA knew of the following three possibilities:

• cast, with or without one = cast with or – i = cast wthor = throw = cast
• cast, with or without one = sling (a sling might or might not contain a cast) = cast
• cast, with or without one = shied (shed) = cast, with or without one

Great clue made even harder by more than one feasible solution.

6 down, 21 across: Spooner’s out of depression with 15-down (deep fryer) snack (5, 5)
This took me a long time because it’s, as far as I’m aware, a first: a Spoonerism that passes two phonemes of a word over to the next: Spooner’s out of depression = Spooner’s from pit = pomme frite = deep fryer snack.

7 down: Buckle fast cinching little zip (5, 1. 1.)
Ridiculously good, and blasphemous to boot!: buckle fast cinching little = stfa cinching wee = sweet F.A. = zip.

16, 10 across: Acting as an extra principle of creative accounting (6, 2, 3, 7)
Wonderfully worded and humorous: acting as an extra = making up the numbers = principle of creative accounting.

19 across: Burmese remark about hound she buys? (9)
A brilliant way to hide purr: burmese remark about hound = purr about chase = purchaser = she buys.

13 across, 5 down: It crushes crims boarding vessel with scaler, say? (3, 11)
Especially difficult wordplay for a excellent clue: crims boarding vessel with scaler, say = cons boarding boat with Richter, say = boa constrictor = it crushes.

12 down: The Mafia deviant suits current one-sided band (6, 5)
No surprise that the mind-bending word-turner would refer to mind-bending mathematical shape-shifting: the Mafia deviant suits current = mob iusst rip = mobius strip = one-sided band.

22 down: Fault Flynn finally swapping hands (5)
I really like an elegant swapping of letters: Flynn finally swapping hands = Errol – l + r = error = fault.

17 down: Audience bear Cockney’s corny music machine (7)
Wonderful aural clue that’s a little surprising because the letters don’t look like they should be homophonic: audience bear Cockney’s corny = audience carry Cockney’s hokey = audience carry hokey – h = karaoke = music machine.

24 across: Just 31 days, trading places in London (7)
Excellent sleight of hand from the surface reading: just 31 days trading places = fair may trading places = mayfair = in London.

14 down: K-kinky assumption lessened (9)
You just don’t expect one letter is gonna be the direct definition: kinky assumption lessened = potassiumn lessened = potassium = K.

15, 16 across: Daughter suggests London custom (8, 2, 3, 5)
The pick of the bunch, and another excellent example of the answer being the wordplay: daughter = changing of the guard (the guard is an anagram of daughter) = London custom.

11 across: - cryptic clue? (9)
Very nice indeed, and almost &lit: - cryptic clue = minus cule = minuscule = - cryptic clue.

12 down: Timeless African people climbing of mountains intact? (10)
Nice: timeless African people climbing of mountains = timeless Bantu climbing ridged = timeless utnab ridged = unabridged = intact.

8 down, 13 across: Briefly make 2-down (saga) droop? (3, 1, 4, 5, 5)
Nice double definition: make saga droop = cut a long story short = briefly.

Update: NC set me straight in the comments: this is a much cleverer clue than I was giving it credit for, and is another brilliant example of the answer being the wordplay: make saga droop = make saga sag = cut a long story short = briefly.

21 across, 1 down: Hollywood creep to defect, seizing Israeli plane abroad to central China (4, 6)
I loved the direct clue: defect, seizing Israeli plane abroad to central China = bug seizing el al os i = Bela Lugosi = Hollywood creep.

4 down: Romcom’s Richard accepts new romcom, for one (5)
Brilliant: DA got a star of romantic comedy into the answer concerning romantic comedies: romcom’s Richard accepts new = Gere accepts n = genre = romcom, for one.