Puzzle 8/21/22 — Explained
The solution and explanation for this week's puzzle.
Here’s the solution to this week’s “Cryptic Definitions, Double Definitions, and Spoonerisms” puzzle, with the parsing of each clue explained and the completed puzzle below.
Definitions are italicized (though, in many of the Double Definition clues, it’s impossible to tell the definition from the rest of the clue, as they mean the same thing), “clue-type” indicators are shown in parentheses, and anagram indicators are additionally marked with an *.
Feel free to comment or reach out if you liked something, didn’t get something, or spotted an error!
Across
5/7 Spooner's quiche shortage is completely fabricated! (4,2,4)
PACK OF LIES
Spoonerism (Spooner’s): Quiche shortage = LACK OF PIES
8 Judge an insect race so the day goes by quickly (4,5)
TIME FLIES
Cryptic definition: One way to “judge an insect race” would be to time flies.
10 Prison complex phones terrorist groups (5)
CELLS
Double (actually triple) definition: “Cells” can mean prison complex, phones, and terrorist groups.
11 Tall bird's big machine to stretch neck (5)
CRANE
Double (actually triple) definition: “Crane” can mean pall bird, big machine, and to stretch one’s neck.
13 Enthralls in corridors and ravishes in hallways (9)
RAVISHES
Quadruple definition: to enthrall and to ravish are both synonyms for “entrance,” as are “corridor,” and “hallway.”
15 Fired for wearing big shoes (6)
BOOTED
Double definition: “Booted” could mean fired or wearing big shoes.
16 Very very mediocre (2-2)
SO-SO
Double definition: “So,” means “very,” and “so-so” means “mediocre.”
Down
1 Sounds like Spooner's in the mix again for President's team (7)
CABINET
Spoonerism (sounds like Spooner’s): Spooner might say Cab-in-et instead of “Back in it” for “in the mix again.”
2 Rather Britishly convivial (5)
JOLLY
Cryptic (or Double) definition: Brits say “Jolly” to mean “rather,” i.e., “rather, Britishly.”
3 Sonic and Wright leave these behind? (10)
BLUEPRINTS
Cryptic definition: Sonic (the blue Hedgehog) and Frank Lloyd Wright (the architect) might both leave blue prints (or blueprints) behind.
4 Want money (3)
YEN
Double definition: “Yen” means both “want” and [Japanese] “money.”
6 Like some shorts or a measured cap? (4-6)
KNEE-LENGTH
Cryptic definition: Some shorts are knee-length in that they come down to your knees, and if you wanted to know the length of your knee, you might measure your (knee) cap.
9 This smells like anger? (7)
INCENSE
Cryptic definition, playing on the smell of burned incense and the fact that “to incense” means “to anger.”
12 Famously deadly lions (5)
PRIDE
Cryptic definition, relying on the fact that lions form a pride, and “pride” is, famously, a deadly sin.
14 Prize weed (3)
POT
Double definition: Pot could be a prize (as in Poker), or some marijuana (weed).
