Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie No 910 by Excalibur

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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Everything you expect from an Excalibur puzzle.

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Across

1a    Each even may be very dry inside, done to mush outside (5,6)
{EVERY SECOND} – a phrase meaning each even-numbered item in a sequence is derived by putting VERY and a term used to describe a dry wine with an anagram (to mush) of DONE outside

9a    Took heart, call having come through US state (4)
{OHIO} – the inner letters (heart) of tOOk with a two-letter call inside (having come through)

10a    Microphone should be used for this coaxing? (7,4)
{TALKING INTO} – two definitions

11a    Bringing back drinks from trip (4)
{SPIN} – reverse (bringing back) some small drinks of spirit

14a    Put in the post as promised (7)
{ENGAGED} – took on for a job and promised to someone in matrimony

16a    Quiet and apt to be easily manipulated (7)
{PLIABLE} – the musical notation for quiet followed by a word meaning apt

18a    Composed bars ending with note that’s sharp (5)
{SABRE} – an anagram (composed) of BARS followed by the third note of the diatonic scale of C major gives something that is sharp

19a    Great figure — like the top (4)
{VAST} – the Roman numeral (figure) for five followed by a preposition meaning like and the initial letter (top) of The

20a    Underwear reveals boob? (4)
{SLIP} – two definitions, the second being a mistake

21a    After party passed fool hiding, having taken drugs (5)
{DOPED} – a party followed by PassED without (hiding) a fool

23a    Wood, perhaps, for which there’s no pressing need (3-4)
{NON-IRON} – wood could be an example of this and it’s a description of a shirt that doesn’t need pressing

24a    Daily drink in twilight (7)
{SUNDOWN} – a daily newspaper followed by a verb meaning to drink or swallow

25a    Pull in when I will have left built-up area (4)
{TOWN} – a verb meaning to pull followed by iN without the I (I will have left)

30a    Complete lack of form in seconds (2,4,2,3)
{NO TIME AT ALL} – could describe a criminal who has never gone to prison

31a    Tend  to resent (4)
{MIND} – two definitions

32a    Keep canoodling, being very close (4,3,4)
{NECK AND NECK} – this phrase could mean to keep canoodling or kissing

Down

2d    Crucial time is lost obtaining bottle (4)
{VIAL} – drop the T(ime) from an adjective meaning crucial

3d    Reprobate that’s long in the tooth? (4)
{RAKE} – cryptically defined as a long-toothed garden implement

4d    Match left burns on the outside (7)
{SINGLES} – a match in, for example, a tennis tournament is derived from L(eft) inside a verb meaning burns

5d    Crack  shot? (4)
{CHIP} – two definitions – a crack on a piece of porcelain and a golf shot

6d    Restaurant full, even for celebrity? (7)
{NOTABLE} – split as (2,5) this could indicate that a restaurant is full

7d    Man, that’s sore! (4)
{CHAP} – two definitions

8d    Come back with glass. It’s for the bedroom (11)
{COUNTERPANE} – a verb meaning to come back or retaliate followed by a piece of glass

12d    When tennis play begins in prison (7,4)
{SERVING TIME} – this could indicate when to start a game of tennis

13d    As an illustration, rollicking song is encouraging (4,2)
{EGGS ON} – the Latin abbreviation of AS an illustration or for example followed by an anagram (rollicking) of SONG

15d    He‘s got confounded ball through! (5)
{DAMON} – a man’s name is derived by putting an interjection meaning confounded around (through) the letter that is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional ball (I still detest this construct)

16d    Forces to give said award (5)
{PRIES} – sounds like (said) an award

17d    Thunder and lightning beginning to come in further south (6)
{BELLOW} – the initial letter of Lightning inside a word meaning further south or under

21d    If you sniff it, will it sniff back? (3,4)
{DOG ROSE} – a truly dreadful cryptic definition of a flower

22d    Having done wrong with gun, cast into prison (7)
{DUNGEON} – an anagram (wrong) of DONE around an anagram (cast) of GUN

26d    Wanting insect removed — fly (4)
{WING} – drop an insect from the first word in the clue – similar to 17 down in last Saturday’s puzzle

27d    Blushing caused by something shocking? (4)
{PINK} – the colour of which shocking is a variation

28d    Touched up, are amazing (4)
{STUN} – reverse a word meaning touched or mad

29d    Combine to form sound barrier (4)
{BLOC} – this combination of nations to achieve a common purpose sounds like a barrier

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