Crossword 806 solution
John Graham, aka Araucaria, is widely regarded as the world’s top cryptic crossword setter. He hit the headlines beyond the bounds of crossword-dom recently with his semi-cryptic announcement of cancer.
Araucaria’s puzzles are tests of both ingenuity and erudition, always formidably witty and superbly built, if a little cavalier with the rules (such as they are) of the game.
I have not attempted them often and I’ve completed them even less frequently, but they have always elicited my stunned admiration. Araucaria is, to me, very close to being a perfect hero.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | SPOOFS | |
| Parodies score points off old folk’s silly leaders (6) | Acrostic (“leaders”): S core P oints O ff O ld F lks S illy (leaders = acrostic indicator) | |
| 4 | BASSISTS | |
| British leader helps people with big fiddles (8) | British leader = B, helps = ASSISTS | |
| 10 | LOTTERIES | |
| Tall tales about an aquatic mammal making drawings (9) | Tall tales = LIES, an aquatic mammal = OTTER | |
| 11 | SCRUB | |
| Credit given in sinking boat to make it thoroughly clean (5) | Credit = CR, sinking boat = SUB | |
| 12 | OLD-AGE PENSIONER | |
| A SuperGold card user in Singapore led one astray (3-3,9) | Anagram of SINGAPORE LED ONE, astray = anagram indicator | |
| 13 | TIGHTLY | |
| How I packed it in with little time and lousy light at the end of the day (7) | little time = T, lousy light = anagram of light = IGHTL, end of the day = Y | |
| 15 | COPPERY | |
| With a tan complexion like a police officer? (7) | Double definition | |
| 17 | SPORRAN | |
| Pros ran off with a pipe player’s purse (7) | Anagram of PROS RAN (off = anagram indicator) | |
| 19 | SORRIER | |
| Errors I could make more lamentable (7) | Anagram of ERRORS I | |
| 21 | HIGH COMMISSIONS | |
| Very generous percentage fees paid for certain diplomatic posts (4,11) | Double definition | |
| 24 | LEARN | |
| Study renal collapse (5) | Anagram of RENAL, collapse = anagram indicator | |
| 25 | NO PROBLEM | |
| A turnaround for Melbourne, pot and ecstasy removed, porn production added (don’t mention it) (2,7) | A turnaround = reversal indicator, pot = URN, ecstasy = E removed from Melbourne backwards leaves OBLEM after porn production = anagram of PORN = NO PR | |
| 26 | RASCALLY | |
| Put everybody in scary arrangement, being mischievous (8) | everyone = ALL inside anagram of SCARY | |
| 27 | HEADED. | |
| In charge previously and hit the ball with a shock possibly (6) | Double definition (shock might be shock of hair). | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | SOLD-OUT | |
| Abandoned principles having exhausted the stock (4-3) | Double definition | |
| 2 | OPTED | |
| Chose some toyshop teddy bears (5) | Hidden word: toysh OPTED dy bears | |
| 3 | FREIGHTER | |
| Container ship had reef right? Wrong! (9) | Anagram of REEF RIGHT | |
| 5 | ARSENIC | |
| A pure poison is nicer as mixture (7) | Anagram of NICER AS | |
| 6 | SUSHI | |
| The boat endlessly goes around America to get a Japanese dish (5) | The boat endlessly = SHI, America = US | |
| 7 | SERENGETI | |
| Green site organised as a large wildlife reserve (9) | Anagram of GREEN SITE | |
| 8 | SOBERLY | |
| Loser, by mistake, appears in a grave manner (7) | Anagram of LOSER BY, mistake = anagram indicator | |
| 9 | SIMPLY | |
| Merely start to slip and make a subtle suggestion (6) | start to slip = S, make a subtle suggestion = IMPLY | |
| 14 | GEORGIANS | |
| Atlantans organise dancing after golf (9) | Anagram of ORGANISE following golf = G | |
| 16 | PERISCOPE | |
| How underlings might get an overview when the first bit of sultana is put in rice pudding eaten by church leader (9) | first bit of sultana = S inside anagram of RICE (“rice pudding”) inside (“eaten by”) church leader = POPE | |
| 17 | SCHOLAR | |
| Small choral composition by a learned person (7) | Small = S + anagram of CHORAL | |
| 18 | NOMINAL | |
| Nitrous oxide the Queen extracted from mineral is insignificant (7) | Nitrous oxide = NO + MIN -er- AL (Queen = ER removed from mineral) | |
| 19 | SKIMPY | |
| Ms Hill gets stuck into someone with intelligence being rather mean (6) | Ms Hill = KIM + stuck into = containment indicator, someone with intelligence = SPY | |
| 20 | RESUMED | |
| Revolutionary is about to ponder getting up, having started again (7) | Revolutionary = RED + is about = containment indicator + to ponder = MUSE, getting up = reversal indicator = ESUM | |
| 22 | CONGA | |
| Dance can go wrong (5) | Anagram of CAN GO | |
| 23 | OILED. | |
| Prepared for massage like a well-maintained machine (5) | Double definition. |
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