Globe and Mail Cryptic 20171222

Friday December 22, 2017

Difficulty: med-easy

Across

5. It may be cut and pickled
Caper [double def.]: A caper is a pickled flower bud of the caper bush, and to cut a caper (or just to caper) is to frolic and dance about.

21. Little swimmer that can also do the crawl?
Eft [cryptic]: A newt is also called an eft during its terrestrial juvenile phase. A newt is amphibious and can both swim and crawl on land.


Down

3. Cattle without water
Neat [double def.]: a bovine (cow) is also called a "neat". I didn't know that, though I've heard of neat's leather. And a "neat" drink has no water added.

Globe and Mail Cryptic 20171221

Thursday December 21, 2017

Difficulty: medium

Again, just a quick summary of the more interesting/challenging ones. I suppose
this will likely become a habit - it takes too much time to type them all up all the time!

Across

20. Part of one's defence in boats, perhaps
Bastion [anagram]: of "in boats". A bastion is a protruding fortification from a castle's wall that enables an attack from the side against anyone attacking the walls.

22. Almost drain a pitcher
Ewer [deletion]: A drain can be a "sewer"; remove the "S" to get ewer.


Down

2. A nutcase?
Cranium [cryptic]: Your brain is your "nut". This took a while to figure out.

3. Widespread emotionalism at the church service?
Mass hysteria [cryptic]: the clue seemed a little weird to me: "mass" is clued twice (widespread and church service), but hysteria only once.

6. Plea for bail to be arranged, I conclude
Alibi [anagram]: of "bail", plus "I" at the end. Plea as a definition for alibi seems a little tenuous to me.

7. Controlling factors
Managers [cryptic?]: A factor can be an agent (like a manager).

12. King and priest qualified to be trustworthy
Reliable [charade]: I had to look this one up: King = R + Priest can be "Eli" (a priest in the Bible) + able = qualified.

19: Become extremely ragged
Fray [cryptic?]: Not sure if there's anything more to this than the (cryptic?) definition.

Globe and Mail Cryptic 20171220

December 20, 2017

Difficulty: medium

I don't have much time today, so I'm doing just the highlights:

Across

1. A measure for hayseeds?
Took me a while to figure out measure stood for dance.

18. Naturally they have a shaky reputation as writers
The crosses eventually gave me "pens" for writers. But I was thinking of animals, not trees. Finally "as" jumped out at me.

21. A number put a match to the fuel
Did not know what lignite was, but I guessed the "L" out of the numeric options to put before "ignite". It is a brownish low-quality coal.

23. One is careful making them
Economies. I don't get it, and I'm out of time to figure it out.


Down

3. Dope put in the soup
I guess you can call a dope a "noodle". Slightly obscure for me.

That's all for today!

Globe and Mail Cryptic 20171219

Tuesday December 19, 2017

Difficulty: Medium

Adding red stars below to questions that were difficult for me.

Across

1. Uncle Arthur's day off? It isn't apparent.
Unclear [hidden word]: Remove "thurs" (day) from "Uncle Arthur's" to get "unclear".

* 4. Ranks as a creature of Carroll's imagination
Snark [anagram]: of "ranks". A snark is a mysterious animal featured in The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll.

7. Politician is about to see mischief-makers
Imps [charade]: "mp" (politician - Member of Parliament) with "is" around it gives "imps".

8. Overtures returned with interest
Advances [double def.]: An overture could mean a proposal towards a new relationship (making advances), and "advances" can mean to increase in price (such as increasing due to an interest rate).

10. Don't remain wholly calm
Go to pieces [cryptic]: Perhaps "&lit" style? It seems to me that "Go to pieces" is a bit more than "not wholly calm".

12. A fighting man I leave to join up
Solder [charade or deletion?]: A soldier (fighting man) with the "I" deleted leaves solder, which is joining metals with solder.

13. Rigid habit of the medieval ages
Armour [cryptic]: habit as attire

15. Minds leaving the country
Brain drain [cryptic]

* 18. Held out longer
Extended [double def.]: To hold out is to extend, and a longer version of a song (e.g.) is an extended version.

* 19. Birds that may be eaten hot or cold
Pies [cryptic/double def?]: Pies can be eaten hot or cold, and a pie is a short-form for "magpie". This one was difficult for me - I didn't think of "pie" as magpie, and we have no magpies around here.

20. It's the herb season, we hear
Thyme [homophone]: Thyme sounds like time, which can be a time of the year like a season.

21. Yet it's a misplaced feeling of gratification
Satiety [anagram]: of "Yet it's a". Satiety is a feeling of fullness.

Down

1. Being an employer helps to make you single-minded
Using [hidden word]: inside "you single"

2. Head south for the big cities
Capitals [charade]: A capital can be the head of a column or pillar + "S" for south. Not all capitals are big cities though...

3. Free to think again
Redeem [cryptic/double def?]: If you free someone by paying a ransom, you are redeeming them. Think again might be "re-deem".

* 4. People used to be knocked down in this traffic
Slave trade [cryptic]: This was tough, since I didn't know that "knock down" can mean "to sell at auction by a blow of the hammer or to a bidder," which would fit with the slave trade.

5. A way through on foot
Arch [cryptic]: your foot has an arch of course, and it's a way through a wall (e.g.).

6. His mark was made in India
Kashmir [anagram]: of "his mark". Kashmir is the north-most part of India and parts of surrounding countries.

9. It's put in by an attendant
Appearance [cryptic]: If you attend something, you put in an appearance.

* 11. Sincere Latin
Bona fide [cryptic?]: Bona fide means in good faith, which is fine for sincere.

12. A reptile makes an unusual present
Serpent [anagram]: of "present".

14. Several kinds of birds
Divers [double def./cryptic]: "Divers" is an old word meaning several or various; and there are many kinds of diving birds.

16. Dirty point on a pen
Nasty [charade]: N (compass point) + a + sty (a sty is a kind of (pig) pen)

17. Wait for support
Stay [double def]: A stay is a kind of support (for stiffening corsets and such, as well as more general supports or braces); and of course to wait is to stay.

Globe and Mail Cryptic 20171218

Monday, December 18, 2017

Difficulty: easy-med

Across

1. Stick to the point with an argument that may be open and shut
Attache case [charade]: stick = attach + E (compass point) + argument = case (as in "he presented a good case against the motion"). And an attache case can be opened and shut I suppose.

9. I follow a serial about a Jew
Israeli [anagram]: of "a serial" with "I" after

10. Moslem leader said to be virtuous
Moral [charade]: M (leader (first letter) of Moslem) + oral ("said")

11. Cover used by an American gangster
Hood [double def.]: a hood is a cover and a slang term for a gangster (derived from "hoodlum")

12. He paints badly so becomes an actor
Thespian [anagram]: of "he paints"

14. One result of eavesdropping in winter
Icicle [cryptic]: If your eaves are dripping in winter you'll get icicles

16. It's in our blood
Plasma [cryptic]: Only slightly cryptic, but it's also an expression meaning something inherent in you.

18. Eat green fresh produce
Generate [anagram]: of "eat green"

19. Workman in stone
Opal [charade]: work = "op" (opus) + man = "al" (just the name "Al" I suppose)

22. Language of a quarter of Parisians
Latin [double def.]: Paris has a "Latin Quarter," a university district where Latin was commonly spoken when it was the language of learning.

23. His work can be a matter of life and death
Actuary [cryptic]: An actuary calculates insurance rates (etc.) based on statistical data, and for life insurance is involved with life expectancy.

24. Showing off, so attention is diverted
Ostentation [anagram]: of "so attention"

Down

2. So rot affected the trunk
Torso [anagram]

3. The top copy required and ten more
Apex [charade]:ape = copy + x = ten

4. The full extent of the rise
Height [double def.]: height can mean "the full extent", and a "rise" (or high area) can be called a height.

5. Lois came out in her underwear!
Camisole [anagram]: of "Lois came"; a camisole is a sleeveless undergarment for women, normally extending to the waist (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camisole).

6. Melodies to practice on board
Strains [?]: Got this just from the definition and crosses. I can't figure out the cryptic part.

7. See 13 Down

8. Lanes that lead out of sight?
Blind alleys [cryptic]

13 (and 7D). Flit on cheering angel! It turned out she did lightly.
Florence Nightengale [?]: Part anagram ("angel it"), but couldn't really suss out the rest. She was "The Lady with the Lamp" making rounds of wounded soldiers at night (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale).

15. Fires badly singe it
Ignites [anagram]: of "singe it"

17. A trust set up by a royal house
Stuart [anagram]: of "a trust"

20. National gallery discovered by a drop-out
Prado [anagram]: of "a drop". Prado is the main National Gallery of Spain, located in Madrid.

21. Unchanging instruction written in haste to printers
Stet [hidden word]: stet is an instruction editors use to let content that was marked to be changed instead stand as in the original. It is hidden in "haste to".

Globe and Mail Cryptic 20171216

Saturday, December 16, 2017

I had trouble with: 13A (investment of capital possibly), 17A (assemble and call for a lady), 23A (harbour transport), 31A (be sorry for sounding like an angry dog to one lady), 19D (hand over a representative).

 

Across

1. One who has taken cover on a hill
Captor [charade]: A captor is one who has taken (a prisoner); cover = cap + tor = kind of rocky hill

4. Not quite free to give the result of the division
Quotient [anagram]: Of "notquite"

9. Girl in coma is out
Monica [anagram]: Of "incoma"

10. A way of drawing liberal applause
Freehand [charade?]: "freehand" is a way of drawing; "free" is liberal, "applause" is hand.

12. What dogs do around trees
Bark [double definition/cryptic?]: Obvious once you see it! It took me a while though :)

13. Investment of capital possibly?
Siege: I don't get it.

14. Site of intrigue
Plot: [double definition]: plot is a site (area of ground), and an intrigue.

17. Assemble and call for a lady
Come together [double definition?]: How does "call for a lady"  mean "come together"?

20. The height of wrath
Towering rage [cryptic]: Maybe more of an English expression.

23. Harbour transport
Bear [double definition]: Both definitions are slightly unusual to me.

24. Intends to give me a short answer
Means [charade]: means (intends) = "me" + (short) "ans"

25. Honest expression of acknowledgement
True [double definition]: (expression of acknowledgement = "true!")

28. Dog raves after fruit
Currants [charade]: fruit (currants) = "cur" (dog) + "rants" (raves) (after "cur")

29. Parents separated by an ebbing waterway
Panama [charade]: Parents ("pa" and "ma") separated by "an". I suppose the Panama Canal is "ebbing" because it is connected to ocean tides?.

30. Insecure sort of job many would like to have
Sinecure [anagram]: Of insecure; a sinecure is actually a "secure" job which has little actual work to do.

31. Be sorry for sounding like an angry dog to one lady
Grieve [charade?]: Dog says "gr" ("grrr") + "eve" (one lady)?

Down

1. Quick reply made to a welcome guest
Comeback [double definition/cryptic?]: "Come back!"

2. 29 Across holds an alternate view
Panorama [cryptic/charade?]: The answer to 29 across ("Panama") contains "or" (alternate) resulting in a view (panorama).

3. One time or one-time
Once [double definition]: "Once" means one time (before) or only once.

5. It's noted for being honest and quiet
Upright piano [charade?]: An upright piano has notes(?) = "upright" (honest) and "piano" (quiet in music notation).

6. They are nailed on the foot
Toes [cryptic]: Toes have nails and are on your feet.

7. Allow the Spanish poison to be brought up
Enable: [charade] enab (bane = poison backwards) + el ("the" in Spanish)

8. Hitherto the aim of boys wanting to go out with girls
To date [double definition]: "hitherto" means "to date" (up till now), and of course boys will want "to date" girls.

11. It takes one for a ride
Single seater [cryptic]

15. Increase keenness
Strop [cryptic]: A leather strop sharpens typically a barber's razor

16. Condescend to be Hamlet we hear
Deign [homophone]: Hamlet was a Dane of course

18. Deportment of unusual air and grace
Carriage [anagram]: Of "air" and "grace"

19. Hand over a representative
Delegate [double definition?]: A delegate is a representative and also means to hand over responsibilities to others.

21. You can count on a taxi turning up with us
Abacus [charade]: "a" + "bac" (taxi "cab" backwards) + "us"

22. Two men; one customer
Patron [charade?]: "Pat" and "Ron" (two men) I guess.

26. Mica in metal containers
Talc [hidden words]: Mica was historically called talc (I guess that's the point)

27. Just show
Fair [double definition]: A fair is a show, and to be fair is to be just

Inaugural Post

Hello World,

I have recently started solving cryptic crosswords, and I find a lack of information and explanations out there, especially for Canadian solvers (who have to deal with many British idioms).

So I'm starting a blog to help others with the solutions and the meaning of the clues, and I hope you will add corrections and explanations for things I don't understand.

Since the Globe and Mail puzzles are freely available online (https://www.theglobeandmail.com/puzzles-and-crosswords/cryptic-crossword/), I'm going to focus on those. But I will add Sunday Toronto Star puzzles and any others I might work on.

Thanks for visiting, and please add any comments you might have!