Across |
1 |
Cheat black American — drink outside rear of hotel (9) |
|
BAMBOOZLE - B (lack) AM (erican) BOOZE (drink) insert L = rear of hotel. A jolly sort of a word, origin apparently unknown but it was recorded in use much more in the 1700s than nowadays. |
6 |
Composer has change of heart seeing German river (5) |
|
WESER - Baron Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von WEBER, the composer not the barbeque chap, has his B changed to an S, the Weser being a river in NW Germany. |
9 |
Dark end of mall in part of industrial estate (5) |
|
UNLIT - industrial UNIT has L the end of mail inserted. |
10 |
Petty thief left with dangerous criminal, we hear (9) |
|
LARCENIST - L for left, ARCENIST sounds like ARSONIST. |
11 |
Those honourably discharged, one after army corps backed appeal (7) |
|
EMERITI - REME a British army corps, is reversed, IT = appeal, I. |
12 |
Variable bit of punk now neglected (7) |
|
UNKNOWN - Hidden word, in P(UNK NOW N)EGLECTED. |
13 |
Riding fan got on badly, moving back and forth (5,3,6) |
|
TOING AND FROING - (RIDING FAN GOT ON)*. |
17 |
Amphibious troops choose to cut men in charge, producing power (14) |
|
THERMOELECTRIC - A bit convoluted, this wordplay. I think it goes: THE RM (Royal Marines) ELECT inside OR (choose cuts men) IC (in charge). |
21 |
Fashion associated with posh doctor occasioning offence (7) |
|
UMBRAGE - U (posh) MB (doctor) RAGE (fashion, as in all the rage). |
23 |
Something positive about Ben’s element (7) |
|
SULPHUR - PLUS reversed, then HUR as in Ben Hur. The official British spelling is now SULFUR, not just in America, the RSC changed it in 1992. Sulfur is the 10th most abundant element in the universe and the 5th most, by mass, on / in the Earth. |
25 |
Understanding crowd (9) |
|
GATHERING - Double definition. |
26 |
Bitter account to deliver! (5) |
|
ACRID - AC (account) RID (deliver, as in "who will rid me of this...") |
27 |
Suspect youth leader replacing drug in Kansas City? (5) |
|
DODGY - Y replaces E (drug) in DODGE a city in Kansas. |
28 |
Terrible shortage limiting introduction of powerful ammo once (9) |
|
GRAPESHOT - (SHORTAGE P)* |