This time it is my turn to provide the fortnightly amateur weekend quick cryptic crossword. You can try and solve it interactively here or download a PDF to print here. Alternatively you can copy and print the image below. Comments and queries welcome here or with the solution post (see below). Note that comments here are no longer moderated so should appear immediately and I will react to them as soon as I can.
Loved it even though I ran out of vocabulary / ability a clue or two from the end and had to resort to aids. Another reminder that I need to brush up on my Central American amphibians and pronunciation of reptiles. Took a while to get going, followed by the best ten minutes of my crosswording week as previously baffling clues yielded one by one, before the slow crawl to the finish. Great penny drop moments for 10a and 19a but my favourite bit was (very slowly) unraveling 12d. Your best yet I'd say John, many thanks, Mendesest
ReplyDeleteThere’s usually a Live Journal blog & comments somewhere. I’m struggling to find it. Can you add a link to that?
ReplyDeleteIt's at the bottom of the blog post labelled "here". Solution
DeleteNow updated to include explanation of the clues.
DeleteLovely - but I still can’t parse 11across!
ReplyDeleteIt's a homophone.
DeleteHowever Tortoise is pronounces Tor-tus non Tore-Toys. It is just spelled that way.
DeleteThe dictionary shows both pronunciations. I happen to pronounce it to rhyme with "toys", but I see many don't, so yes, it's a bit of a duff clue. Sorry!
DeleteThought I might be on for a pb here as I raced through the animals (very much my thing), but I slowed down a bit when they ran out. It might still have been my second sub-15 though, had it not been for my LOI 18d which took nearly three minutes to see, so I ended up with 17:14. Plenty to enjoy but COD to 6d. Thanks John
ReplyDeleteCrispian (crispb)