Crossword solution
To 2180: Superfluous
FURBELOWS — given by initial letters of superfluous words in clues — can be read as FUR BELOW S, indicating…
To 2179: Cos
The unclued lights are abbreviations of seven English and one Welsh county, which themselves are inflected headwords in Chambers. (Consequently,…
To 2178: Saint and playwright
In Vanity Fair (18/2), George Osborne is associated with 6/30 and 10/31. As Chancellor, he was preceded by 8, 26…
To 2177: Amaze
Songs by KATE BUSH include WUTHERING HEIGHTS, HAMMER HORROR, HOUNDS OF LOVE and CLOUDBUSTING in the perimeter, and (defined by…
to 2176: ,
The unclued lights are BUTTERFLIES (as is the ‘comma’ in the title). The pairs are 7/34A, 13/24, 33/6 and 35/25.…
to 2175: Elated grunt
The four works were Waverley (anagram of 12/21), Kenilworth (15/8), The Talisman (29/2) and Ivanhoe (38/37) by SIR WALTER SCOTT (diagonally…
To 2174: Difficulty
The key phrase is KNOW WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES (12 38 43). Each of the partially indicated answers is pinched…
to 2173: Men of note
The unclued lights are COMPOSERS whose surnames start with the letter C. First prize C.R. Haigh, Hassocks, West Sussex…
Solution to 2172: Para
Gerry Goffin, popular LYRICIST (40), died on 19 June 2014. He wrote the perimetric songs IT MIGHT AS WELL RAIN…
to 2171: 31 Across
The seven 2×2 squares each used the letters STAR in order, and depicted the seven major stars that make up…
to 2170: Hector’s summer nights
The unclued lights are the titles of the six movements of Nuits d’Eté (Summer Nights in translation) by Hector Berlioz:…
to 2169: Land
The grid represents Germany, with six bordering countries round the edge, and four cities in the interior, positioned roughly appropriately…
to 2168: History exam
Initial letters of superfluous words in clues give nightingale, quail and cuckoo, specimens of AVIFAUNA (5) represented by FLUTE (43),…
to 2167: Groupies
The unclued lights are ‘nouns of assemblage’, all listed on page 6 of the Word Lover’s Miscellany section in Chambers…
To 2166: Somewhere X
Somewhere next to GUYANA (34) and BRAZIL (12), DUTCH (33) is SPOKEN (25), the highest mountain is JULIANA TOP (1D),…
to 2165: Not far off
According to Fred HOYLE (24), SPACE is ‘only an hour’s drive away if your car could go straight upwards’ (10…
to 2164: Blank crossword
The unclued lights are types of CROSS. Solver were required to indicate clearly the FYLFOT at the centre of the…
to 2163: Muscle
The LITERAL QUINTET (13/22) was TERSE (37). 7A suggests ‘reest’, 40 steer, 5 stere, 6 ester, 19 trees and 26…
to 2162: Stand in
Superfluous letters in definitions form the phrase HOLD THE FORT. Thematically created entries at 5, 10, 17, 19 and 38 are defined…
to 2161: Appellation contrôlée
The unclued lights begin with DOC (the Italian abbreviated equivalent of APPELLATION CONTRÔLÉE). First prize Dennis Cotterell, Carlisle Runners-up…
to 2160: 18 down
The unclued lights are all CHARACTERS (18D) in Plato’s dialogues, all but SOCRATES (1A) appearing in titles. In six cells,…
to 2159: Wine, woman & song
The three groups associated with EMPEROR (24) were MOTHS (1A, 25D, 39), PAPER SIZES (9, 16A, 44), and PENGUINS (13,…
to 2158: Late bloomers
The unclued lights are the surnames of people (nine of whom were botanists) who gave their names to flowers. …
To 2157: Song X
If the grid were a TIMEPIECE (13/12), the six perimetric words (GRANITE, LIMESTONE, SERPENTINE, GREYWACKE, DALRADIAN and HORNFELS) might collectively…
to 2156: Shoreline
The perimeter is occupied by seven SANDPIPERS. First prize Tim Hanks, Douglas, Isle of Man Runners-up Hilda Ball, Belfast;…
