Colgan's Cryptic Crossword
Across
1. Partisan has one out-positioned (5)
4. Reduced the rent and prospered (7)
8. Worker has land, part of WA (7,6)
9. Directions for entrée of fish and shellfish (8)
10. Book of Hansard? (4)
12. Where Israelis can study lots of grouper, not flathead (6,7)
13. Scarcely two-thirds of songbird is seen (4)
14. One in religious committee rejected American god (8)
17. High-flying fellow has several days leave before getting sporting
accolade (4,2,3,4)
18. Placed lower, with disappointment (7)
19. Trojan leader appeals for Herculean efforts (5)
Down
1. Wash the baby’s top half first! (5)
2. Stitch up imprisoned chief with complete authorization (6,7)
3. Everlasting, like a wallflower, perhaps (8)
4. Scared stiff, slips hand inside 10 (6,7)
5. An extreme of rampant dishonest practice (4)
6. Virginia is captivated by evil spirit (13)
7. Irritates squealers (5)
11. Article about local street is of least substance (8)
13. Fellow with a head-start upbringing (5)
15. Interests held in drinks (5)
16. Decision of emigrè from here? (4)
Wine to win
For your chance to win a bottle of fine wine, fax your completed
crossword to (08) 8302 5785 by Friday August 19.
Solution
Explanations (C = cryptic part of clue + S = straight part of clue;
or S + S = clue holding answer twice with two different straight meanings;
or POW = play on words.)
Note that joining words may or may not be an integral part of the clue.
Punctuation and capital letters are irrelevant.
The art of the setter is to make it non-obvious how and where to split the clue,
and to mislead the solver along an irrelevant path.
Across
1. C: partisan (biased) has one out (remove I)
S: positioned = based
4. C: reduced the (th) rent (riven)
S: prospered = thriven
8 C: land (tract) part of WA (Ord River)
S: worker = tractor driver
9. C: directions (E,S) for entrée (before) fish (callop)
S: shellfish = escallop
10. POW: Book (Acts, in Bible) of Hansard? (contains “acts”)
12. C: lots of grouper (jewfish schools), not flathead (remove “f”)
S: where Israelis can study = Jewish schools
13. C: two-thirds of songbird (two-thirds of “canary”)
S: scarcely = nary
14. C: one in religious committee rejected (“I” in “synod”, backwards) American
(US)
S: god = Dionysus
17. C: high-flying (aloft) fellow (he) several days (week) leave before (go, in
front)
S: sporting accolade = goal of the week
18. C: placed lower (let down)
S: disappointment = letdown
19. C: Trojan leader (T) appeals (asks)
S: Herculean efforts = tasks
Down
1. C: the (the) baby’s top half first (“ba’ in front)
S: wash = bathe
2. C: stitch up (sew) imprisoned chief (surrounding “arch”) complete (arrant)
S: authorization = search warrant
3. S: everlasting = dateless
S: like a wallflower, perhaps = dateless
4. C: slips (errors) hand (mitt) inside 10 (inside “ten”)
S: scared stiff = terror smitten
5. C: an extreme of rampant (“r” or “t”)
S: dishonest practice = rort
6. C: Virginia (VA) is captivated by evil (inside “viciousness”)
S: spirit = vivaciousness
7. S: irritates = narks
S: squealers = narks
11. C: article about local (“the” around “inn”) street (st)
S: of least substance = thinnest
13. C: head-start upbringing (leg-in, brought upwards)
S: fellow = Nigel
15. S: interests = sakes
S: drinks = sakes (Japanese)
16. C: decision of émigré (to go)
S: from here? = Togo