20 across: Cash in sport notice way short (3)
DA’s short clues are notoriously difficult, and I’m not even sure I’ve got this one right – with both cross clues and little in the way of enlightenment, I figure I had a 20% chance (it could be PAT, PIT, PET, POT or PUT). Which one? Why?
27 across: One flees weird insular habitat for the Christian sect (9)
Sure, the Lutherans are a Christian sect, but where does the rest come from? Maybe “weird” = LURID, which somehow loses its ID (“one flees”). But if “flees” is included there, where does the “RAN” come from? Ideas?
19 down: Falls for new wife (7)
The direct clue is obviously “falls” – NIAGARA – but the rest?
They did things different in them days.
Cash in sport = Pat Cash. But “notice way short?” Don’t know.
One flees [weird] insular => nsular; weird nsular => lurans;
lurans habitat for the => lutherans = Christian sect.
“Falls for new wife” is just a cryptic definition for “Niagara [Falls]”, a famous spot for honeymooning i.e. somewhere you would take a new wife. (There’s probably one or two new new husbands there, too.)
Can someone explain 6A and 7D for me? And I don’t really like my explanation for 21A…
Falls for new wife.
Hunt down the 1933 version from 42nd Street. It’s gold.
6A bemuses me, also.
7D Affects degrees = touches.
A weak double definition, I think:
1 “Affects” = touches, in the sense of “this touches on that issue” ~= “this affects that issue”.
2 “degrees” = touches, in the sense of “doing something by degrees” i.e. a small bit at a time ~= touches == touches up == making small changes.
21 Across: Completely overturned footwear in empty barrel
Empty barrel = B L
Footwear = sandal
? = oot
Completely = b oot sandal l
? = oot
I’m assuming oot = too turned.
6A:
second = mo (as in moment)
sexy = fit, turned = tif
motif = design
20A:
Cash in sport = Pat (Cash)
way short = path – h = pat
re 21 across: “over” = too (in the sense of “you are too critical”. so “over ” = “too” turned gives “oot” + footwear (sandal) in empty barrel (bl) gives boots and all. DA really stretches things at times.
Put “too” for “over” in the same bracket as last week’s “sped” for “ran”.
I’m less skeptical about “egg” for “encourage”, probably because it’s fairly common in cryptics.
Ah, so that’s where the “oot” came from – I was wondering about that. RC and I wanted it to be BALLS AND ALL, but couldnae make it work.
As usual, I feel like I’ve arrived at the party far too late. All the best girls have been taken. There’s hardly any beer left, and even that’s warm! However I do have something to add about 7D. Another way of looking at “affects” = “touches” is in the sense of acting on someone’s feelings, bringing about an emotional response.