Posted by scchua on February 12th, 2013
Another enjoyable puzzle from Tuesday regular Jason. Thanks to Jason. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links to the puzzle.]]
1 Tasteless clothing before school (6)
KITSCH : KIT(clothing in general, as in “get one’s kit off”) placed before(before) SCH(abbrev. for “school”).
Answer: Of a tacky or lowbrow condition or quality.
5 Gran sits knitting for Leo, say (4,4)
STAR SIGN : Anagram of(knitting) GRAN SITS.
Answer: Any one of the 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided; in this case, Leo.
9 What’ll cause sticky end for smart red-top? (8)
FLYPAPER : FLY(smart;cunning) + PAPER(a newspaper, a genre of which is the tabloid, characterised by sensationalism – derived from the colour of the masthead on them).
Answer: Paper coated with a sticky substance and poison hung to kill flies in mid flight.
10 Note annual? The first’s gone more or less (6)
NEARLY : N(abbrev. for “note”) + “yearly”(once a year;annual/annually) minus its first letter(first’s gone).
11 Ran into resistance with one about measuring system (6)
METRIC : MET(ran into;encountered) + R(in physics, the symbol for electrical resistance) plus(with) I(Roman numeral for “one”) + C(abbrev. for “circa”;about, with reference to dates).
Answer: The measuring system where the larger units are multiples of 10 of smaller units, much to handle than the multiples of eg. 2, 3, 4, 8, 12, 14, 16, 112 in the Imperial system.
12 Satisfy men after new extension’s close to hand? (4-4)
NEXT-DOOR : [DO(to satisfy;to be enough, as in “A light snack will do me”) + OR(abbrev. for “other ranks”;men in the military who are non-commissioned)] placed after(after) [N(abbrev. for “new”) + EXT(abbrev. for “extension”)].
14 Desktop tool which could be dear, eg (6,6)
LETTER OPENER : Double defn: 2nd: Cryptic – you could start;open a letter with eg. “Dear …….”.
18 Accuse them if out of order. They’ll have to . . . . (4,3,5)
FACE THE MUSIC : Anagram of(out of order) ACCUSE THEM IF.
Answer: Figuraively, what they’ll have to do, if they are out of order, and are subsequently charged. A WIWD(wordplay intertwined with defn.) clue.
22 Curve a throw with a flick back (8)
PARABOLA : Reversal of(back) [LOB(a throw making the projectile go high in the air) plus(with) A + RAP(a quick knock or tap;a flick)].
25 Dance bar’s bustling, getting in is a buzz (6)
RHUMBA : Anagram of(bustling) BAR containing(getting in is …) HUM(a buzz;a low steady murmuring sound).
26 Give a clue in that anagram (4,2)
HINT AT : Anagram of(anagram) IN THAT.
27 One going on quiet train? (8)
PRATTLER : P(abbrev. for “piano”;musical direction to play quietly) + RATTLER(a fast freight train, probably North American in origin).
Answer: One who goes on and on talking foolishly or childishly.
28 Supply once more engineers ahead of assault (8)
RECHARGE : RE(abbrev. for the Royal Engineers) placed before(ahead of) CHARGE(a head-on assault).
29 Refuse to accept husband’s belt (6)
THRASH : TRASH(refuse;garbage) containing(to accept) H(abbrev. for “husband”).
Answer: To beat;flog, eg. with a belt.
2 Fashionable fiction on Universal instead (2,4)
IN LIEU : IN(fashionable, as in “the in thing nowadays”) + LIE(a fiction) placed above(on, in a down clue) U(abbrev. for “universal”, as in the film classification).
3 Stick in plug and reuse mobile (9)
SUPERGLUE : Anagram of(mobile) [PLUG +(and) REUSE].
Answer: As a verb, to stick with superglue, a trade name that has been adopted as a generic term.
4 Skips bed over child’s game (9)
HOPSCOTCH : HOPS(skips;jumps over) + COT(a small bed, especially for a child) placed above(over, in a down clue) CH(abbrev. for “child”).
5 Queer Street to cover a wide area (7)
STRANGE : ST(abbrev. for “street”) placed above(to cover) RANGE(a wide area of land).
6 Connect with a girl, one who’s been dumped (5)
ANNEX : ANN(a feminine name) + EX(short for, say, ex-partner, ex-spouse, etc. who has been dumped;no longer partner, spouse, etc.)
7 Calm patient chap with support (5)
STAID : ST(abbrev. for a saint;a person of virtue, patience being a virtue) plus(with) AID(help;support)
8 Parking in Allegro’s chaotic – it’s a quick animal! (8)
GALLOPER : P(abbrev. for “parking”) contained in(in) anagram of(chaotic) ALLEGRO.
Answer: A quadruped that runs quickly with a stride that involves all four legs off the ground at the same time.
13 Every other one at camp’s mine (3)
TAP : 2nd, 4th, and 6th letters of(Every other one) “at camp”.
Answer: To mine, as in “to mine/tap a database”.
15 Batman supporting old bishop is one with a keen eye (9)
OBSERVANT : SERVANT(a batman;a military officer’s personal servant) placed below(supporting, in a down clue) [O(abbrev. for “old”) + B(abbrev. for “bishop” in chess notation)].
16 Unexpectedly meet marker after a short dash (9)
ENCOUNTER : COUNTER(a marker;a small disc used in some games to mark a player’s position) placed below(after, in a down clue) EN(I think, though I can’t confirm it, the short form for an en dash, a short dash that is one en – a unit of spacing in print – long).
17 Bliss is getting into show (8)
PARADISE : IS contained in(getting into) PARADE(to show;to display, as in “she was parading/showing her assets”).
19 What one ranting thumps, however uplifting (3)
TUB : Reversal of(uplifting) BUT(however;signifying a contrast).
Answer: From the term “tub thumper”, a noisy, violent or ranting public speaker.
20 Snack item ape chewed (4,3)
MEAT PIE : Anagram of(chewed) ITEM APE.
21 One born Elizabeth, she’ll care for sisters (6)
ABBESS : A(one;an indefinite single item) + B(abbrev. for “born”) + BESS(a form of the name Elizabeth).
Answer: The superior in a convent of nuns;sisters.
23 Adult craving what some drop? (5)
AITCH : A(abbrev. for “adult”) + ITCH(a craving waiting to be satisfied;scratched).
Answer: The letter “H”, the sound of which is dropped in speech by some people.
24 Page on this creature could make a children’s writer (5)
OTTER : “p”(abbrev. of “page”) placed on the answer gives “Potter”, Beatrix, an English writer and illustrator of children’s books.
Answer to pic#2: please click here.