Word Puzzle 63

Word Puzzle 63 – Solution with Explanation

Theme: Spot the idiot: All thematic clues make use of a synonym of “idiot”

1. Break the bank, Cost more than one can afford (def), to (meta), “bet Hank” (target), one way to get the target is anagram (break) of “the bank”

2. Cyclotron, CY (see why), clot (the idiot), r (resistance), on (operating), particle accelerator (def)

3. Ad-lib, Fake (def), inside (hidden), rest is the fodder

4. Play the fool, Get (meta), hooflet (target), behave in a silly way (def), one way to get the hooflet is via anagram (play) of “the fool”

5. Diplomat, Lo (look) after (position), dip (the bonehead), accompanying (juxtaposition), mat (dim), foreign minister (def)

6. Endodontics, EN (disheartened Ellen, i.e., drop middle letters), dodo (stupid), antics (pranks), dropping (deletion of) a (advanced), specialization in root canal e.g. (def)

7. Brobdingnagian, Tortured (anagram of) Bond + bargaining, Titanic (def)

8. Lenient, Merciful (def), in (hidden), rest is fodder

9. Developer, Dope (moron), revel (spree), could be (anagram), inventor (def)

10. Dragoon, Muscle (def), Dr (doctor), a (a), goon (jackass)

11. Eloquent, Pregnant (def), doctor (anagram of) queen + lot (body)

12. Pantaloons, Nap (sleep), around (reversal), TAs (Teaching assistants), admitting (container), loon (idiot), breeches (def)

13. Galumphed, Pounded (def), gashed (ripped), lump (knucklehead), substituting for (replacing) S (old Bob) with lump.

14. Momentary, NT (book), a (a), RY (transport), to go after (position), mome (birdbrain), fugitive (def)

15. Outspoken, How to transform (meta), Frank (def), dolt (target), one way to get dolt is anagram of (out), told (spoken)

16. Prattled, Chatted (def), prat (dummy), mostly (last letter deletion of) delta (Greek character), confused (anagram of) delta – a

17. Passel, Bank (def), in (hidden), reversal (reverse scan), rest is fodder

18. Concreting, Mingling (def), cretin (a yahoo), touring (insertion), Congo (African nation), hampered (deletion of last letter)

19. Play hard to get, “In a reverse … lack of interest” (def), building (meta), ghetto (target), one way to get ghetto is anagram (play) of, h (hard) + to + get

20. Smuttiness, Vulgarity (def), mutt (ratbag), in (insertion), sin (debauchery), uninitiated (delete first letter of) Bess

21. Burgeon, B (British), surgeon (theatre operator), loses (deletion of) s (his), flourish (def)