Easy Cryptic Crossword from Simple Daily Puzzles, 2020-01-04 (18/23)
Still trying to really understand these clues:
- 7a – Season of mellow fruitfulness? (1,4,3,3)
- 11d – Diagnose suffering (8)
- 19d – Let it remain as typescript’s first laid out (4)
The clues:
7a Season of mellow fruitfulness? (1,4,3,3)
A RIPE OLD AGE *
Probably cryptic definition, not very clear.
8a Dark times – but things have altered (6)
NIGHTS
Dark times is the definition, with altered as an anagram indicator for things
9a Scandinavian taking a short run round Ulster (6)
DANISH
Scandinavian is the definition, with round as an indicator that NI (a bits and pieces clue for Ulster, meaning Northern Ireland) should be contained in a word for short run (DASH)
10a Aprons designed for clergyman (6)
PARSON
Clergyman is the definition, with designed as an anagram indicator for aprons
12a Airborne youth leader gets cast out (6)
FLYING
Airborne is the definition, with gets as an indicator that Y (youth leader, the first letter of youth) should be put into a word for cast out (FLING)
13a Sheep found in sewer (3)
EWE
Sheep is the definition, with found in as a hidden words clue for s(ewe)r
14a River, lake and country (6)
POLAND *
Country is the definition, with the rest as a charades clue: PO (a river in Italy) + L (bits and pieces clue for lake) + AND
16a Making a cat sit still (6)
STATIC
Still is the definition, with making as an anagram indicator for cat sit
18a Starfish (6)
PISCES *
Cryptic definition: Pisces is the star sign with fish
20a Frail, but part of the business? (6)
INFIRM
Frail is the definition, with the rest as a charades clue: IN (part of) + FIRM (business)
22a List composed by crazy mountaineer (11)
ENUMERATION
List is the definition, with crazy as an anagram indicator for mountaineer
1d A country farm, a little part (4)
MALI
A country is the definition, with part as a hidden word indicator for far(m a li)ttle
2d Dismounts for the illuminations (6)
LIGHTS
Double definition, with lights meaning both dismounts and illuminations
3d Thought logically about a red nose (8)
REASONED
Thought logically is the definition, with about as an anagram indicator for a red nose
4d Caught boy getting dressed (4)
CLAD *
Dressed is the definition, with the rest maybe a charades clue: C (bits and pieces for caught? i thought it was usually a containment indicator) + LAD (boy)
5d Quarrel with little Barnabas (6)
Double definition, with barney being British slang for quarrel and also a nickname (little) for Barnabas
6d He and I are joined by odd links, making capital (8)
HELSINKI
Capital is the definition, with the rest as a charades clue: HE (he) + LSINK (odd is an anagram indicator for links) + I (I)
11d Diagnose suffering (8)
AGONISED
This doesn’t seem like a full clue. Diagnose is an anagram of agonised and sort of means suffering, which could be an anagram indicator.
12d Celebration may be fast and live (8)
FESTIVAL
Celebration is the definition with may be as an anagram indicator for fast live
15d A lot of sailors, we hear, accumulate (6)
ACCRUE
Accumulate is the definition, with we hear as a homophone indicator on something meaning a lot of sailors (a crew)
17d The raffia-weaving business? (6)
AFFAIR
Business is the definition with weaving as an anagram indicator for raffia
19d Let it remain as typescript’s first laid out (4)
STET
Cryptic definition? It seems kind of like the regular definition of the stet proofreading symbol, meaning let it remain (ignore the correction)
21d Call the band (4)
RING
Double definition, with ring meaning call, and a band being a kind of ring (like a wedding band)