Answers to Crosaire No. 13781 - 28 Feb 09

I’m really mad at myself today. I raced through the puzzle in just over 20 minutes, and then sat staring at one 4-letter word for half-an-hour. In the end I guessed, was wrong, and when I saw the answer I had to kick myself. The clue in question was 33D: FOOT, which really wasn’t that hard, but it just eluded me.

A favorite clue didn’t really jump out at me today, but I did like 8D &9D, “Panting” and “Pants”. The clues weren’t cryptic at all, but they had a certain elegance when seen side-by-side.

My lesson of the day came from 13A: DEPOT. I had never heard of the word ‘tope’, to drink alcohol habitually and excessively. And on that note, it’s Friday night here, so I am off to open up a bottle of Guinness to get me in the mood for the weekend.

Here are my answers. Please jump into the conversation using the comment box below, or send me an email.

Across
1: SHORTHAND NOTE
Isaac Pitman made his money from developing what’s now known as the Pitman Shorthand System. Pitman was a famous vegetarian, and a vice-president of the London Vegetarian Society (somewhat of a hero of mine; I’m a veggie too).
10: HARDIER … anagram of “her” and “raid”
11: THE WASH
THE WASH is the square-shaped estuary on the east coast of England between Norfolk and Lincolnshire.
12: REEL
A nasty look (leer) turns back into REEL, which also means to “turn”.
13: DEPOT
One who has drunk too much has ‘toped’, which backwards is DEPOT, a store. I guessed this one, because being the sober type that I am, I had never heard of the term ‘toped”.
15: CHAR
CHAR is the shortened form of ‘charwoman’, someone who works at cleaning houses particularly in Britain. CHAR is also a fish, similar to trout and salmon.
17: SON
A dam-SON is a small, black, sweet plum. And a male child is a SON.
19: OYST(E)R
‘E placed in an anagram of “story” (OYSTR) gives OYSTER, something which might loosely be described as “shelley”.
21: TRUANT
A boy not in class (in-form) is a TRUANT. It’s such a lovely word, I think.
22: LUSTING
Feeling a lot of NEED for something is LUSTING.
25: TATTOO
A TATTOO is a picture marked on the skin (hide), as well as rhythmic beating on a drum (more hide!).
27: COS
A COS is a type of lettuce (sounds like “let us”) green.
29: ELLS
An ELL is a peculiarly British measure, equal to 45 inches in “length”.
30: B(ON)US
ON in the BUS, gives BONUS, something extra.
31: LO-SS
Behold! (LO!) + the vessel, steamship (SS) = the opposite of a win (LOSS)
34: THIMBLE
35: SHORTER
Fewer ELLS is SHORTER
36: THE SHORT STORY

Down
2: HARNESS
A HORSE(S) would be seen “wearing” a HARNESS
3: RE-IN
About (RE) + IN = part of a HARNESS, a REIN
4: HORSES
A HORSE(S) is “a-mount”, and there aren’t so many around today.
5: NOT-ION
NOT + a charged particle (ION) = NOTION, an idea.
6: NEED
A bit “legged” is ‘knee-ed’, which sounds like NEED, a want.
7: TR(ACHE)A
A pain (ACHE) in an anagram of art (TRA) = TRACHEA, the windpipe, found in the neck.
8: SHORT OF BREATH
Not cryptic, but perhaps forgiven when seen in tandem with the next clue …
9: SHORT TROUSERS
14: PORT-I-ON
Left, on board a ship (PORT) + one on (I ON) = PORTION, a share.
16: BELLY
Sort of ringing, bell-like, BELL-Y. And one gets rumbles in one’s BELLY.
18: ORGAN
Still-ORGAN is a suburb of Dublin, which ends in ORGAN, pipes. I won’t tell you what we used to call Stillorgan …
20: RUE
RUE is a herb, not used very often in western cuisine, and to RUE is to regret.
21: TNT
The explosive TNT with an I inserted is T(I)NT, a shade.
24: SELFISH
Molly Malone might not have been selfish, but she did try to sell fish (sounds like SELFISH).
26: TROTTER
A TROTTER is a pig’s foot, and a type of HORSE(S).
27: COME T-O
A visitor from outer space (COMET) + a-round (O) = COME TO, arrive at.
28: SUNSET
SUNSET follows “dusk”.
32: EBBS
The opposite of “flows” is EBBS.
33: FOOT
12 in (12 inches) = a FOOT, which on a pig is called a TROTTER. I missed this one, and I don’t want to talk about it!!