Thursday Times Cryptic

 

Beastly Clues T. S. Eliot, Torquemada, and the Modernist Crossword

 https://publicdomainreview.org/essay/beastly-clues/

3D Crosswords

http://www.calendarpuzzles.co.uk/

Mr. Jock, TV quiz Ph.D., bags few lynx.

26 letter pangram.

Thursdays are hard

Best clues:

10A Quite unable to top her inter city in UK (10)

Quite unable to (CANT) top (ie replaces the top of) hER inter (means BURY) city in UK = CANTERBURY

11A Clairvoyance about final days - so have a coffee (8)

Clairvoyance (ESP) about (RE) final day(S) SO = ESPRESSO, a coffee

1D Gus covers two points, one with brilliance (6)

GUS covers (is spread around) two points (E, N - two points of the compass) one (I) with brilliance = GENIUS

7D Exercise and art. Again, with direction, it bears fruit (4,4)

Exercise (PE) and ART. Again (RE) with direction (E) it bears fruit = PEAR TREE

16D To start discussion, bring in her work with a dinosaur (8)

TO start discussion (D, first letter of discussion) bring in (has inserted the following) HER work (OP, or operation which is work) with a dinosaur = THEROPOD

Reveals that lady would insult

Sheds Light (She'd Slight)

Oh ho!

Tuesday's Solution

Royalist sympathies at the SMH?

Tuesday's Crossword: Rachel's theft, sir, upset old king (7,3,5) - CHARLES THE FIRST

Friday's Crossword: King has relic restored (7,1) - CHARLES I

Devious dons abandon unschooled models

Let’s look at today’s Cryptic

Across

      1. First pairs of little birds don’t produce vital urge (6)  = LIBIDO. First two letters (pair) of ‘little birds don’t’. Libido is a ‘vital urge’.

     10. Pretty poor, like a butchers that’s nearly sold out (3,4,4) = NOT MUCH CHOP. Double meaning

      12. Partypooper ruins the wine (10) = SPOILSPORT. i.e spoil sport and spoils port.

      

      17. Divided garden set off (9) = ESTRANGED. ‘off’ means anagram of ‘garden set’ which means divided.

      

      21. Don’t include the captain (4) = SKIP. Means not to include as well as captain.

      

      22. Shippers of supporting screws (10) = FORWARDERS. To ‘support’ is to be ‘for’ something. Screw is a gaol ‘warder’.

      

      27. Emu’s heart, small but uprising (6) = MUTINY. The middle (heart) of E(mu)s and small (tiny) is an uprising.

Down

3. Musical note in a two bed apartment (6,4) = DOUBLE FLAT. Which is a note and a two bed apartment.

6. Wine produces Irish fighters (7) = MADEIRA. Produce (made) plus irish fighters (IRA) is a sweet white wine.

14. Musical blonde belonging to me (2,4,4) = MY FAIR LADY.

15. Eddy the smart mole, perhaps (9) = MAELSTROM. ‘Perhaps’ means an anagram of ‘smart mole’ which is an ‘eddy’ or whirlpool.

20. Section of emblem is hiding a scar (7) = BLEMISH. Part of em(blem is h)iding.

24. A portent of love for the males (4) = OMEN. Love is ‘O’ (as in ‘O’ Romeo) and males is MEN. A portent.