(click on the clue number to see the hint)
Click on underlined text for explanation of terms.
Need more hints for these or other clues? Just leave a reply below.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
A type of clue that involves the mixing up of letters without the inclusion of a letter or letters. This clue will have an anagram indicator to signify jumbling and a subtraction indicator to signify the removal of a letter or letters.
A removed letter may be as seen in the clue, an abbreviation for a word in the clue, or the result of another cryptic device like taking the initial letter from a word. Removed letters may be a whole word as seen in a clue, the synonym of a word in the clue (if that synonym is contiguous within the anagram fodder), or the result of another cryptic device like taking the middle two letters from a word.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
A type of clue that involves the mixing up of letters without the inclusion of a letter or letters. This clue will have an anagram indicator to signify jumbling and a subtraction indicator to signify the removal of a letter or letters.
A removed letter may be as seen in the clue, an abbreviation for a word in the clue, or the result of another cryptic device like taking the initial letter from a word. Removed letters may be a whole word as seen in a clue, the synonym of a word in the clue (if that synonym is contiguous within the anagram fodder), or the result of another cryptic device like taking the middle two letters from a word.
A pointer that signifies the placing of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents) around the OUTSIDE of one or more parts of a clue (or their equivalents).
Examples: holding, keeping, embracing - anything that creates the image of containment.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
Part or all of the answer is found by replacing a section in a word (or its synonym) with a word (or its synonym), letters, or letter. An appropriate indicator like "for a", replacing, switching etc will be present
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
The answer is hidden among the words of the clue. No spare words should be present. A suitable hidden indicator will point to the buried text.
Examples: part of, associated with, types of.
Either a mixture of letters is placed inside or outside other letters, or letters are placed inside or outside a mixture of letters. An anagram indicator and containment indicator will be present.
The answer is found by removing a letter, letters, or a word (either found directly in the clue or derived) from a word or words (or their synonyms). Subtractions involving synonyms must be done with contiguous letters, that is, a word will subtract directly unless specifically indicated. A subtraction indicator is present to initiate the action.
The entire answer is found by reversing part of the clue, or a synonym for part of the clue. A suitable reversal indicator will be present.
The answer is hidden among the words of the clue. No spare words should be present. A suitable hidden indicator will point to the buried text.
Examples: part of, associated with, types of.
Either a mixture of letters is placed inside or outside other letters, or letters are placed inside or outside a mixture of letters. An anagram indicator and containment indicator will be present.
A type of clue where the WHOLE clue defines the answer, and the WHOLE clue also is the wordplay (a mechanism to derive the answer through various cryptic devices). "&lit" is short for "and literally".
To qualify as an &lit, a clue must have no unused components either in the definition or the wordplay - it must be readable one way as a definition, and another as the wordplay.
The structure of the answer involves either letters placed outside other letters, or letters placed inside other letters. Which type of container clue is determined by an appropriate container indicator.
The entire answer is the result of removing the first or last letter from part of the clue or its synonym. A truncation indicator will be present.
Another great puzzle David, thank you. 13a is particularly good and 21a a new word for me, previously I thought it only belonged in Vienna.
Thank you David. As always a great way to start my Wednesday. It was a real teaser today. I thought 10a, 3d, 7d, 13d and 17d brilliant. I’m still not happy with my parsing for 13a ….. can only parse one way.
Cheers. Can’t wait for next week’s now.
Joy – regarding 13a: “Australian loafers” was a new word for me. It’s in both the Chambers and Macquarie Dictionaries.
A hugely satisfying solve, mainly due to a few ‘lucky hits’. Plenty of mis-direction, a few obscurities and some surprisingly straightforward clues. Ticked 20a, 7d, 15d and 17d for ingenuity and eventually found the final piece of parsing for 13a, unknown to me – in Chambers of course!
20a had me bemused. Even with David’s hint, at first I did not appreciate the significance of a “replacement clue”. Later, I realized this was a device I’d not met before; another wonderful example of David’s craft.
Difficult one for me this week David, and as Patrick says, got congratulated only due to a few lucky “letter choices” but on the other side some surprisingly simple but well crafted clues, 1a being a prime example.
Also liked 10a, 13a, 13d and 22d.
Thank you ??
This proved to be a collection of challenging clues and some which fell easily into place.
Likes this week
1a good word play
9a feeding unit
10a a meander up the garden path
13a So far the parsing eludes me. The crosses helped with the word.
20a Lloyd’s comment clarified the parsing. Impressive clueing. My last in.
24a Could only be one thing, but I had to confirm
1d and 3d It took a while for the penny to drop in parsing. Great wordplay.
5d very droll
13d One of my favourites.
Thank you David.
Most of my Picks of the Week are here Arthur, rest elsewhere.
Agree, great selection of challenges as always. Thank You David.
However (there’s always a however) I too am confused with 13a & 20a.
13a – Can only assume that first three plus last three letters together = bludger.
Would be slang but can’t find it.
20a – Even with substitution, can’t make sense of the remainder “exam’s”???
Richard 20a the substitution is for part of exam. 5 letters playing a specific role. It is in the word play. Mentally place inverted commas somewhere in the clue. Lloyd pointed me to it. I suspect I have given the game away, but it is in the parsing. so maybe I’ll be forgiven.
13a It seems we are on the same wave length. I can find the word in relation to people who drive boats on the stream in Christchurch. They are dressed for an English summer complete with boater hats. I have not exhausted all my resources yet – a Macquarie dictionary is next.
I, too, had been struggling with 20-ac. It didn’t help that I’d filled in the verb rather than the noun for “release”, but I needed the extra help from “place inverted commas somewhere in the clue”.
Thanks again,
Steve = : ^ )
G’day Arthur, Richard and all.
Re. 13a – though I do not possess any hard-copy of Chambers dictionaries as yet, there is an online search facility at https://chambers.co.uk/search/ – however it came up with zilch for this missing word. Nevertheless, I found a google reference to Chambers Crossword Dictionary in google books which gives it as synonym of ‘shirker’. However this was at ‘books.google.co.th’ as I am in Thailand, and includes a search facility for this dictionary too. A great find, but whether this is available from Australia I don’t know, as many sites on google seem to be specific to one’s location.
13a – that will do of me Patrick, confirm my (our) thinking
Still pondering 20a, now with some extra thoughts to assist
by the way presume we are talking “ogre” not “orge”?
13a. I reluctantly consulted Macquarie Dictionary – Australian Word Map, after “phone a friend” directed me to bullock teams, and a pair of animals at the rear, which appeared not to be working hard, but merely holding up the pole. References indicate that it is unique to Australia and New Zealand. Apparently the term was regularly used in Tasmania for a (human) slacker with an example sentence ‘Come on you selfish ????? do your share of the cleaning or we’ll not be allowed out to play. The term is new to me, but makes sense in this context. Patrick’s reference comes to the same conclusion.
20a David’s clue reveals that ogre = orc – one of those nasty mythical character. Some would argue that Tolkein invented them. I always thought that orc was an alternative name for orca.
Yes, ogre – Lord of the Rings style. Then which part/role is it playing/replacing in ‘exam’? The clue tells us. Thanks Arthur for the Australian context in 13a. We never stop learning, eh?
PS. I spent two years in Tasmania a few years back but never heard this word used once. Mind you, I didn’t see any bullock teams either !
But wait. there is more.
An article in the Advocate – a Tasmanian Newspaper reported on a bullock team demonstration. Each bullock has its place in the team and the lead and last pair have a name. The pair closest to the wagon have a 3 letter name which is the first 3 letters of our solution.
From discussions with a collector of horse drawn carriages I understand that they do less of the pulling but more of the steering. Therefore they are perceived to be bludging.
What a wonderful way to improve our education.
Just discovered that my son’s year 9 Australian Pocket Oxford Dictionary (circa 1981) reveals
“(Aust) horse, bullock &c., harnessed alongside the pole (&leaving most of the pulling to others); (sl) sponger, idler.”
I should have gone to specsavers two days ago.
Amen to that issue.
Ditto from me regarding all of the above puzzlement, bouquets etc. My highlights:
10a, 13d: nice definitions
13a: another nice definition; “Australian loafers” was a new one for me – but easily found in both the Chambers and Macquarie
20a: “playing a part” – my clue of the week
21a, 3d: new words for me
1d: last in – tricky wordplay
5d: of course
8d: “charming person”
Thank you Greg for the dictionary definition. I’ve been MIA since Wednesday and just read the blogs. I wasnt happy getting the “congratulations” without being able to fully justify it. Now I cam. Thank you.