Say it with Flowers

The 8 have all done well identifying mythical characters from Ancient Greece.So have others.Keep it up.
This time the theme is flowers.

Jay

"Greek Myths" Answers

Visual Key to Clue Analysis :
Definition : BOLD
Wordplay : Italics with keywords underlined as well
Link : Normal

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Answer Explanation to “Greek Myths”

2A Sugar high

‘high’ is anagram indicator

Answer : Argus

4A Operates without a doctor

‘doctor’ is anagram indicator

Operates ‘without’ a = opertes

‘Opertes’ anagrammed gives us Sterope

Answer : Sterope

6A Protection racket which ends in ….

Protection = Lee

Racket which ‘ends’ = T H ( ends of racket and which )

TH ‘in’ Lee  = Lethe

Answer : Lethe

7A …driver’s capture subsequently

Drivers = AA ( Automobile Association )

Subsequently = then

AA capture then  = Athena

Answer : Athena

10A Laos at first was taken over by China

Laos ‘at first ‘ refers to L

L is replaced ( taken over ) by CH ( China)

Answer : Chaos

13A Energy and mass halved after long time

Energy = Chi

Mass ‘halved’ = MA

‘After’ is juxtaposition indicator

This means that ‘long time’ which is ERA comes after Chi and ma

Answer : Chimaera

14A Young Conservatives turning 150 having no second thoughts

Young = Y

Conservatives = C

YC ‘turning’ = CY

150 = CL

No = O

Second thoughts = PT ( postscript )

Answer : Cyclops

1D Chosen by God

Chosen = Elect

God = Ra

By is juxtaposition  indicator

Answer : Electra

2D  Awfully queer as its back for inevitable song!

‘awfully’ is anagram indicator and applies to “queer as”

Its ‘back’ refers to answer being inverted

Inevitable song is “Que Sera Sera” ie whatever will be will be – an inevitability

“Que Sera” is anagram result of ‘queer as’  and ‘sera’ is the result of answer which after reversing gives us ARES

Answer : Ares

3D On the subject of snake-bites, she’s foremost

‘on the subject of’  = RE as in regarding

Snake = boa        boa bites ‘re’ giving us BO  RE A

She’s foremost = S

Answer : Boreas

5D Rhea laboured …

‘laboured’ is anagram indicator

Answer : Hera

8D … for me to be hers’

Apostrophe sign is the container indicator

Me goes into Hers

Answer : Hermes

9D Name I had taken before

Name = N

I had = I’D

‘taken’ is container indicator

Before = ere

Hence we have N   ERE   ID

Answer : Nereid

11D  Oprah’s last instead of her first comeback

‘last’ refers to Oprah Winfrey’s last letter which is Y

‘Instead’ means that we exchange her name’s first letter with Y

SO, OPRAH becomes YPRAH

YPRAH comeback to HARPY

Answer : Harpy

12D  First off – Fate or Accident?

‘first off’ means take off the first letter of Fate which is F

What remains is ATE OR  and ‘accident’ is anagram indicator

Answer : Erato

Jay

Crossword 41

Here is crossword 41

It's Greek to me

Check your email to know whether you have qualified for the next round.
Only 8 now stand in the arena! Gird up your loins and take a trip to ---no, not Ancient Rome- but even earlier - to mythical Greece and do battle with the characters of Greek Mythology - They form the theme for the 7th crossword in the series.On guard!

"Drinks" Answers

Visual Key to Clue Analysis :
Definition : BOLD
Wordplay : Italics with keywords underlined as well
Link : Normal

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Answer Explanation to “Drinks”

1A Twice or thrice, it's the same dance

Twice indicates that the answer is repeated.

Thrice indicates that the answer is mentioned 3 times.

And in both cases, result is the same dance.

 Such a dance is the cha-cha or cha-cha-cha

Answer : Cha

3A Drink to it and my game!

Drink = GIN

GIN to it means that GIN is added to answer

And together with MY will reveal a game

GIN XXX MY  = GIN RUMMY

Answer : Rum

4A Its bacronym is Taxed Enough Already

Bacronym refers to an acronym to which the longer version is ascribed after the fact.

Initials of Taxed Enough Already = TEA

Answer : Tea

5A General – short, singular, special

‘short’ is end deletion indicator for General and so we get Genera

Genera in singular form is Genus

‘special’ is anagram indicator and refers to Genus

Answer : Negus

7A Beverage that’s timeless-very nearly!

Timeless in reference to beverage means we take ‘age’ out

So we are left with BEVER

VERY = V

‘nearly’ is deletion indicator and hence V is removed from BEVER

Answer : Beer

8A It rebelled alongside  English fictional heroine

‘rebelled’ refers to answer which is reversed

‘alongside’ is a juxtaposition indicator

English = E

With the above operations, we will get a fictional heroine, in this case EYRE ( from Jane Eyre )

Remove E from Eyre , we have Eyr which when reversed gives us rye

Answer : Rye

9A Change tack during tumult

‘change’ is anagram indicator

‘during’ is insertion indicator

Tumult = coil

So rearrange Tack in coil giving us CO CKTA  IL

Answer : Cocktail

12A No worries about taking leak outside

No worries = OK

OK about = KO ( as about is reverse indicator )

Leak = Pee

Pee ‘taken outside’ KO gives us PE KO E

Answer : Pekoe

13A  Second runner

Second = S

Runner = tout

Answer : Stout

14A Strange to be welcomed by Tory – or not ?

TORY – or ‘not’ means take out OR from Tory giving us TY

Strange = odd

Odd is 'welcomed' ( insertion indicator ) by TY

Answer : Toddy

1D Clear cut solution to primary problem

‘solution’ is anagram indicator and refers to ‘clear cut’

‘primary’ is head indicator and refers to “problem” giving us P

Answer : Claret Cup

2D Capone’s first and last

Capone’s first refers to his first name which is AL

‘last’ refers to the last letter of his name giving us E

Answer : Ale

3D On the contrary, one hour news includes one-liners heartily!

‘heartily’ is centre indicator and refers to central letters of LINERS giving us NE

One = I

Together , we have INE

One hour = IHR and ‘on the contrary’ it reverses to RHI

Hence we have RHI NEWS  ‘includes INE  giving us RHINE  W  INE  S

Answer : Rhine Wines

6D  Streep’s first - “Sophie’s Choice”

Sophie’s Choice within quotes can be understood as an example of her bet, where Sophie is ‘her’ and choice = bet

Streep’s first refers to the first letter of her name and gives us S

Together, we have S herbet

Answer : Sherbet

7D  10 star fashion icon

Star of 10 was Bo Derek – hence BO

Fashion icon = Calvin Klein – hence CK

Answer : Bock

10D Talk back to leader

Talk = YAK

Back is reverse indicator and refers to YAK which gives us KAY

Add TO in front as indicated by ‘leader’

Answer : Tokay

11D No choice really when you look it up

‘when the answer is seen from below , it looks like there is no choice

Choice indicates that the word “OR” is in there

Since we are talking about drinks , the only letter to fit outside OR is G

Grog  when reversed gives us G OR G ( so you take G or G – no choice, really )

Answer : Grog

Jay

Crossword 40

Here is crossword 40

Drinks all round

Congratulations to the 10 who had earlier qualified to continue to vie for the final crossword. All are on track after the club sandwich.
A few other who submitted have got correct answers and can continue with the remaining crosswords.
We have crossed halfway point! So to celebrate - lets have drinks all round!
The sixth crossword in the series has drinks as its, hic, theme.
Cheers.

Jay.

"Clubs" Answers

Visual Key to Clue Analysis :
Definition : BOLD
Wordplay : Italics with keywords underlined as well
Link : Normal

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Answer Explanation to “Bands”

2A Second blood group stained drapes

Second =  S

Blood group = B

Stained = grimy

 Grimy drapes SB ( drapes is containment indicator )

GRIM SB  Y

Answer : Grimsby

5A Left note about union overtime raise

Left = L     Note = N

Union = U     overtime = OT   overtime raise = TO ( raise is reverse indicator )

L N  is about ( around )  U  TO

Answer : Luton

6A By any means , it’s a sound choice between bum and creep

Bum = beg   creep = steal

Between beg and steal , we put in BORROW

Then we have BEG, BORROW or STEAL  ( ‘choice’ justifies presence of OR )

By any means = beg, borrow or steal

Homonym indicator tells us answer sounds like BORROW

Answer : Boro

7A River search interrupted

River = WYE   search = COMB

‘interrupted’ is insertion indicator 

We have WY  COMB  E

Answer : Wycombe

8A Early Valanginian tree made a comeback about old Norway

Early Valanginian = E  

Tree ‘made a comback’ = EERT

Then we have  V   EERT  about  giving us   E  V ERT

Old = O  Norway = N

Answer : Everton

9A Halter rustic put together

‘rustic’ is anangram indicator and applies to ‘halter’

Halter changes to HARTLE

Put together = POOL

Answer : Hartlepool

10A Check out in the end by “Rogers and Evans”

Check = CH   out is deletion indicator

So CH must go out of the answer

The end by refers to the last letter of by which is Y

‘In Y’ means that we insert Y

Then we get Rogers and Evans who are Roy Rogers and Dale Evans

That is ROYDALE 

Y is in ROYDALE , so original answer is ROCHDALE  ( CH is replaced by Y )

Answer : Rochdale

1D Who will listen to its longer version?

Listen is a homonym indicator and refers to WHO WILL

‘who will’ is the longer version of who’ll

Who’ll sounds like hull

Answer : Hull

3D Head you rub the wrong way

Head of you is Y

Y RUB the wrong way is BURY

Answer : Bury

4D  Shot Cech lost again back-pedalling

Shot is anagram indicator and applies to Cech lost

Cech lost becomes  COLCHEST

Again = re   

RE back-pedalling = ER

Answer : Colchester

6D Gun model exchanged for early automobile

Gun = BREN

Early automobile = MODEL T FORD

When model is exchanged for Bren, we have BREN T FORD

Answer : Brentford

7D Wasilla misses independent Palin – central to reform

 Independent = I

‘Wasilla’ misses I gives us  WASLLA

Palin ‘central’ gives us L

We have WASLLA  L  to be reformed ( anagram indicator )

Answer : Walsall

Jay

Club Sandwich

10 entries qualified this time around. All have been notified by e mail.
The "bands" crossword has been the toughest one so far.
So the 10 are to be congratulated for their persistence.
Others are requested to continue trying as they can still qualify for the lesser prize.
Even if you are not competing for the prize, do send in your entries.
Fifth in the series is a crossword which has English Football Clubs as its theme.

Jay

"Bands" Answers

Visual Key to Clue Analysis :
Definition : BOLD
Wordplay : Italics with keywords underlined as well
Link : Normal

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Answer Explanation to “Bands”

1A Fifty back! Not bad in the upshot

Fifty = L

Not bad = so so

So so ‘back’ = OS OS

 Upshot = lob

‘in’ OS OS we have LOB giving us  OS LOB OS

Answer : Los Lobos

6A Auntie, not British but Australian

Auntie = BBC

Not British ( B ) but Australian ( A ) means take out B and replace with A

Answer : ABC

8A Look back in anger – oddly changing sides

Anger , oddly = AGR

Changing sides refers to R which is right ; when changed it becomes L

So we have AGL

Look = SEE ; SEE back = EES

Place AGL in EES giving us E AGL ES

Answer : Eagles

10A Basketry is such a job!

Basketry involves weaving of rushes

As such it a RUSH job

Answer : Rush

13A Moment of clarity!

Such a moment is an AHA moment

Answer : A-Ha

14A Way of life followed by guild

Way of life = culture

Guild = club

‘followed’ is a juxtaposition indicator

Answer : Culture Club

18A Zero to thousand?Its average!

Zero =O thousand = M

Its average is 500 = D

So we have OMD

Answer : OMD

19A Never very content

‘content’ is a hidden indicator

neVER VE ry

Answer : Verve

2D Lovebirds

Love = O

Birds = JAYS

Answer : O’Jays

3D  X-rated entertainment

X-rated = blue

Entertainment = cheer

Answer : Blue Cheer

4D Suspect holds the keys

Suspect = sus

Keys = GG

SUS holds GG = SU GG S

Answer : Suggs

5D Can outrank king and queen

 Ace can outrank king and queen

Answer : ACE

7D Freely elocute without limits

ELOCUTE without limits = LOCUT ( take out the letters at the limits )

LOCUT freely = CLOUT

Answer : Clout

9D Bachelor-clutching straws

Bachelor = B

STRAWS clutching B = STRAWBS

Answer : Strawbs

11D Fine a couple of learners

Fine = F

A couple of learners = A LL

Answer : Fall

12D In ’92, primarily

’92 is ninety two

Two ‘primarily’ = T

T is put in ninety ( XC )

X T C

Answer : XTC

15D “For all to see?”  “For most”

For all to see = U ( classification of movie suitable for universal viewing )

For most = FO ( most is deletion indicator )

Answer : UFO

16D You too on radio

On radio is homonym indicator

You too  sounds like U2

Answer : U2

17D Carbon credit

Carbon = C

Credit = CR

Answer : CCR

Jay

Crossword 39

Here is crossword 39