Word Puzzle 73

Word Puzzle 73 – Solution with Explanation

Theme: As indicated upfront the thematic clues yield an answer which is to be treated as another clue.

1. Secret number without mostly genuine backing (7)

a. Furtive, secret (def), five (number), without (container), mostly (delete last letter from) true (genuine), backing (reversal)

2. Big dollar London area donation (8)

a. Largesse, large (big), S (dollar), SE (London area), donation (def)

3. Breaks when very strong nodes are reconfigured to transmit? (4) (7)

a. Send, thematic clue, breaks (intermediate def), reconfigured (anagram of) ff (very strong) + nodes, this yields “offends”, when offends is solved like a clue you get, off (anagram of) ends, transmit (def)

4. Epic about fruit pyramid? (8)

a. Limerick, epic (def), lime (fruit), rick (pyramid)

5. Exterior counter without a number, destroyed the tug (4) (7)

a. Draw, thematic clue, exterior (intermediate def), untoward (counter), without a number (deletion of n), destroyed (anagram of) untoward – n, which yields “outward”, when you solve outward as a clue, out (anagram of) ward, tug (def)

6. Work in, wearing brief accepted through Saturday? (11)

a. Intersperse, work in (def), in (wearing), terse (brief), accepted (container), per (through), S (Saturday)

7. Calming northern chill around Ohio (8)

a. Narcotic, calming (def), N (northern), arctic (chill), around (container), O (Ohio)

8. Vain attempt to somehow cut active losses, detailed with audacity (5) (4,5)

a. Sauce, Thematic clue, vain attempt (intermediate def), somehow (anagram of) cut + a (active) + losses – s (detailed), this yields “lost cause”, solving it as a clue, lost (anagram of) cause, audacity (def)

9. Old style player is buff after weight operation (10)

a. Gramophone, old style player (def), hone (buff), after (position), gram (weight), op (operation)

10. Cheat to get flu? (11)

a. Shortchange, cheat (def), to get (meta), flu (target), one way to get flu is flux – x, i.e. delete last letter from (short), flux (change)

11. Candid post on UK energy, edited by a dummy (4) (9)

a. Dolt, thematic clue, candid (intermediate def), edited (anagram of) post + on + UK + E (energy), this yields “outspoken”, solving this as a clue, out (anagram of) told (spoken), dummy (def)

12. Big aunt Letitia exhibits fire inside (8)

a. Gauntlet, inside (hidden), fire (def), rest is fodder

13. Littoral house offers swimming? Gee!! (5) (8)

a. Horse, thematic clue, littoral (int. def), swimming (anagram of) Ho (house) + offers, this yields “offshore”, solving it as a clue, off (anagram of) shore, Gee (def)

14. Dirty Bob and I, somehow, cutting a tree (8)

a. Besmirch, dirty (def), S (Bob), me (I), somehow (anagram of) s + me, cutting (insertion), birch (tree)

15. Dirge for virus order (8)

a. Coronach, dirge (def), corona (virus), ch (order)

16. Crimes of guards reportedly, on intention? (5) (8)

a. Sense, thematic clue, crime (int. def), of (of), fences (guards), reportedly (homophone) yields “offenses”, solving it as a clue, off (anagram of) “enses”, intention (def)

17. Secret hole? (6)

a. Riddle, DD

18. Planet IX tipped to be cold (9)

a. Saturnine, Saturn (planet), nine (IX), tipped (delete first letter in nine), cold (def)

19. Thrilled to dupe a politician in court? Upset the queen (4) (6,2)

a. Diva, thrilled (int def), upset (anagram of) dupe + MP (politician) + up (in court), yields “pumped up”, solving it as clue, avid (pumped), up (reversal), queen (def)

20. Mend a gushing crack in capsule (11)

a. Compendious, crack (anagram of) mend + copious (gushing), capsule (def)

21. Catch-22 to start off, with square accepting odd gambit (8)

a. Quagmire, catch-22 (def), start off (delete 1^st letter in) square, accepting (container), GMI (odd letters in gambit)