Conditions | swelter | with | competition exercise (7)
[anagram {as 'puts into a condition'}] [SWELTER] [=] [WRESTLE]
Showy | pock-marks | cover | most of each (7)
[{metaphorical} PEACOCK] = [POCK] [contains] [EACh]
Maybe a donkey specialist | could | help? (6)
[ASS-IST] [=] [ASSIST]
I doubt you'll find any ass-ists in the yellow pages, but it would be a grammatically legal construction.
Spill | cups etched | in side (5)
[UPSET] = [cUPS ETched] [hidden]
In rough conditions, | turn | bad feelings | around | and head | east (5)
[EROSE] = [reverse [SORE]] [+] [E]
 LAT |
Cryptic clues today very roughly suggest a story about birds getting drunk with acrostic, anagram, double definition, things not so easily named.
All five are from LAT:
Problems getting loaders to be orderly (7)
Get low down right in upholstered bench (6)
Barmaids suffered vowel play from cranes (7)
Book crane and start interrogation, 'cause he's already been over details (7)
Jury has controls for investigation (5)
I got 3, maybe 3-1/2 of Nice Cuppa's clues from yesterday:
ReplyDeleteIn short: cut off head, spun around, and led the race for some time (5).
[shortened] [DE-CAPitate] [reversed] [=] [PACED]
Tricky, since "cut off head" is cryptic for "drop the first letter".
Inclination of half of European capital to follow variable rate projection (6).
[CAMBER] = [BERlin] ⇆ [CAM, an odd cog for variable rates of rotation]
Lecture fails to work but is turned around to a degree (4).
[SERMON] [MINUS] [ON] [reversed], but what "to a degree" has to do with [MealS Ready to Eat] I don't see.
Lobbies Missouri Senator? (9)
[ANTEROOMS] = [MO][SENATOR] anagram
No indicator that an anagram was involved here, but it's such a common technique that that's not unusual.
Piece of post-Eden covering lost? What a joke! (3).
Nope, this one has me stumped.
Owen
ReplyDeleteWith regards my clues yesterday in response to your comments:
1. Glad you appreciated the misdirection of "cut off head".
2. Yes, "cam" is a difficult word to clue. European capital was an attempted misdirect to EURO, but you were not fooled.
3. I checked, and MRes is a common degree (Master of Research) in UK and Commonwealth, but not very common here; so my apologies.
4. I considered the question mark to suffice as an anagram indicator. I am glad you agree.
5. Piece of post-Eden covering lost? What a joke! (3)..
This was intended to be a little more esoteric.
post-Eden covering = COD-PIECE. This is defined in the MACdictionary as "a pouch, esp. a conspicuous and decorative one, attached to a man's breeches or close-fitting hose to cover the genitals, worn in the 15th and 16th centuries.", hence post (Garden of) Eden covering.
COD-PIECE loses PIECE => COD = joke. This meaning of COD might be chiefly Brit & Commonwealth, so apologies if it is unknown in the U.S. I will be more careful with my definitions in future.
NC
And my comments on your clues:
ReplyDeleteLAT1: 1. Problems getting loaders to be orderly (7)
No problems here, just a little readjustment needed.
LAT2:Get low down right in upholstered bench (6)
Nice misdirect. My first thought was that “upholstered” was pointing to an anagram of “bench” and “r”. Not so!
LAT3:Barmaids suffered vowel play from cranes (7)
Splendid old (now “archaic or humorous”, certainly derogatory) term. Interesting use of “vowel play” without further details. Clear enough though.
LAT4:Book crane and start interrogation, 'cause he's already been over details (7)
I was not familiar with this book or character. I am (starting) now. Nice clue.
LAT5: Jury has controls for investigation (5)
I am missing something here. I assume the answer is PANEL, since this is both a jury and an investigative body, but I do not understand the “has controls” linker. Is there anyone else out there who can help me?
NC
Here is my set. Less challenging today.
ReplyDeleteIt takes a third out to make oxygen invigorating (5).
So I switched schools when wood lice were discovered (7).
Furious French summon native-born to return (8).
Home-from-home following the Great Consonant Switch (5).
Marx makes a comeback as celebrity host (5).
NC
NC: you're correct that MRes degree and COD as slang for a joke are both British-isms. MRes was first in a list of acronyms, but the list was arranged alphabetically, so that doesn't really say much. Cod was more difficult to find, but I eventually did. BTW, I complained about BES the other day, looked it up and the original cluing was "wanna-___".
ReplyDeleteYour clues today, I again got only 3 out of 5, with maybe partial credit on the other two.
It takes a third out to make oxygen invigorating (5).
[OZONE] based on atomic properties and purported effect. Sort of a double definition, except that both are for the same sense of the word.
So I switched schools when wood lice were discovered (7).
[E-TICKET] I guess, since wood lice and TICKs are similar bugs, but how any of the rest of it is worked out I can't figure.
Furious French summon native-born to return (8).
[FRENETIC] fits furious as a direct, and French would provide the first 1-4 letters, but the rest I don't see.
Home-from-home following the Great Consonant Switch (5).
[ADOBE] = [ABODE] [consonants switched]
Marx makes a comeback as celebrity host (5).
[OPRAH] = [HARPO] [reversed]. Harpo is also the name of her production company, so she capitalizes on the reversal, making this one a gimme.
Owen
ReplyDeleteThe COD definition was obscure, but I assume that COD-PIECE is well-enough known from Shakespearean and acting.
BES was admittedly obscure, but I had assumed we were not limited by the original definition of words.
Today's clues:
It takes a third out to make oxygen invigorating (5).
[OZONE] based on atomic properties and purported effect. Sort of a double definition, except that both are for the same sense of the word.
Yes, Oxygen is O=O, + third Out = O => O=O=O = OZONE, the definition of invigorating. But I suppose people sniff oxygen now, so I see your point.
So I switched schools when wood lice were discovered (7).
[E-TICKET] I guess, since wood lice and TICKs are similar bugs, but how any of the rest of it is worked out I can't figure.
Guess I got you there. The answer is ISOPODS = wood lice.
SO I switched => ISO + schools (of whales) = PODS.
Furious French summon native-born to return (8).
[FRENETIC] fits furious as a direct, and French would provide the first 1-4 letters, but the rest I don't see.
FRENETIC = furious is correct.
French = FR + (summon native-born = CITE NÉ; returned = EN ETIC) => FRENETIC
Home-from-home following the Great Consonant Switch (5).
[ADOBE] = [ABODE] [consonants switched]
Correct. That was inspired by your vowel switch clue.
Marx makes a comeback as celebrity host (5).
[OPRAH] = [HARPO] [reversed]. Harpo is also the name of her production company, so she capitalizes on the reversal, making this one a gimme
Yes, I had a feeling I was not the first person to notice that.
NC