Cryptic Crossword 1-18

Theme: Car makes on Indian roads in 70’s and 80’s

Solution Across

1 Material with alloy that’s colorless

• Stuffy, stuff (material), y (alloy), colorless (def)

4 Igloo perhaps for Italian church folks?

• Icehouse, igloo perhaps (def), I (Italian), CE (church), house (folks)

10 Help with boiled sausage

• Assuage, help (def), boiled (anagram of) sausage

11 Group of E. African languages derived from a pair of ciphers with a twist

• Nilotic, group of E. African languages (def), nil + o (pair of ciphers), tic (twist)

12 Condemn the state for going after the lawman

• Damn, condemn (def), MN (state), going after (position), DA (lawman)

13 Tax mokes and blokes entering the street

• Assessment, tax (def), asses (mokes), men (blokes), entering (insertion in) St (street)

15 Come back, and enlist again

• Rejoin, DD as in come back (retort) and as in join again (enlist again)

16 Consistently, though not initially disinterested about America

• As usual, consistently (def), casual (disinterested), not initially (delete 1^st letter from casual), about (container), US (America)

20 Awful chief engineer is still the chief?

• Premier, awful (anagram of) prime (chief) + RE (engineer), chief (def)

21 S. American country changing vote for dead physician

• Medico, Mexico (S. American country), changing (swap one letter with another), in this case swap X (vote) for D (dead), physician (def)

24 A business grad’s depressing alternative to become diplomat

• Ambassador, a (a), MBA’s (business grad’s), sad (depressing), or (alternative), diplomat (def)

26 Resent Nevada say

• Envy, resent (def), say (homophone of) NV (Nevada)

28 Oliver and Edward jointly carved up a protruding sculpture out of the surface

• Relievo, carved up (anagram of) Oliver + E (Edward), protruding sculpture out of the surface (def)

29 Fans briefly jeer at the bogey

• Bugaboo, bugs (fans), briefly (delete last letter), boo (jeer), bogey (def)

30 One who grapples with odd role in short western hit

• Wrestler, one who grapples (def), hit (anagram of) RL (odd role i.e., odd letters in role) + short (delete last letter in) western, so anagram of RL + western - n

31 Live on terrace by habit

• Bedeck, be (live), on (juxtaposition), deck (terrace), habit (def)

Solution Down

1 Every-day, tolerate a gutted road

• Standard, every-day (def), stand (tolerate), a (a), RD (gutted road i.e., delete middle letters in road)

2 The great bear of golf lost to amateur Sam, a Jordanian golfer?

• Ursa major, the great bear (def), of (running), rest is fodder

3 Directive for being economic about capital investment

• Fiat, directive (def), fat (economic), about (container), I (capital i.e., 1^st letter in investment)

5 Italian noblewoman to cheat the opponents with sex appeal

• Contessa, Italian noblewoman (def), con (cheat), t (the), ES (opponents as in bridge game), SA (sex appeal)

6 How do you get sis, a sibling with one parent in common?

• Half-sister, how do you get (meta), sis (target), sibling with one parent in common (def), one way to get sis is take half of SISter

7 Undo swapping positions of Italy with Thailand in the league

• Untie, undo (def), swap positions of letters (swapping position), I (Italy), with T (Thailand) in unite (league)

8 Instigate with late notice

• Excite, instigate (def), ex (late), cite (notice)

9 Nazi master concealing the bomb?

• Beast, Nazi (def), best (master), concealing (container), A (bomb)

14 50 smuttiest perversions as blue/red decider

• Litmus test, perversions (anagram of) L (50) + smuttiest, blue/red decider (def)

17 Foreign sailor with the French transferrable rights for example

• Alienable, alien (foreign), AB (sailor), Le (the French), rest is def

18 Fine! No late lunch? Though on the contrary some never mind

• Let alone, some (running), contrary (reverse scan), never mind (def), rest is fodder

19 How to make clone B, with perfect (as in) cricketing shot

• Copybook, how to make (meta), clone B (target), perfect (as in) cricketing shot (def), one way to get clone B is via copy (clone), book (B)

22 Long drive for hog litter

• Farrow, far (long), row (drive), hog litter (def)

23 Quartet in Asian capital? Didn’t see

• Combo, quartet (def), Colombo (Asian capital), lo (see), didn’t (deletion) so Colombo – lo

25 Force lead free option? What rubbish

• Bilge, oblige (force), lead free (delete 1^st letter in oblige), option (anagram of) oblige – o, rubbish (def)

27 Leer at some Google search results in incognito mode?

• Ogle, leer at (def), some (running), rest is fodder