Word Puzzle 77

Word Puzzle 77 – Solution with Explanation

Theme: Russian origin words in English.

1. Bachelor genius welcoming President in Madras (8)

· Babushka, BA (bachelor), KA (genius), welcoming (container), Bush (president), Madras (def)

2. Depressed about labor caucus (8)

· Conclave, concave (depressed), about (container), L (labor), caucus (def)

3. Classic note on standard East Italian articles (9)

· Nonpareil, classic (def), N (note), on (on), par (standard), E (east), il (Italian articles)

4. How to get almond from a curmudgeon? (6,3,3)

· Cranky old man, how to get (meta), almond (target), curmudgeon (def), one way to get almond is anagram (cranky) of “old man”

5. Only on green light enter the course, instruction for racecar driver in brief (9)

· Enlighten, in (hidden), brief (def), rest is fodder

6. Literati elected! Report by a man on Singapore airline (14)

· Intelligentsia, literati (def), in (elected), tell (report), by (juxtaposition), gent (a man), on (juxtaposition), SIA (Singapore airline)

7. Chariot operated at constant rate (6)

· Troika, chariot (def), operated (anagram of) K (constant) + ratio (rate)

8. Mostly unnecessary taunts (7)

· Needles, mostly (delete last letter in) needless (unnecessary), taunts (def)

9. Hickory cayenne to the max (5)

· Knout, hickory (def), KN (cayenne), out (to the max)

10. Span the second crest (6)

· Bridge, span (def), B (second), ridge (crest)

11. Plain inside? On the contrary, it’s a hard nut to crack (6)

· Tundra, plain (def), inside (hidden), on the contrary (reverse scan), rest is fodder

12. Insightful case study on last American IT honcho (9)

· Sagacious, insightful (def), saga (case study), US (American), last (positionally put US last), CIO (IT honcho)

13. Grand old lady lost in calculus (7)

· Mammoth, grand (def), lost (anagram of) mom (old lady), in (insertion), math (calculus)

14. Leaders in Germany unionized labor at Guttenberg prison camp (5)

· Gulag, leaders in (acrostic i.e., first letters in) “Germany unionized labor at Guttenberg”, prison camp (def)

15. Weariness for rate on expert’s time? Not initially (11)

· Prostration, weariness (def), ratio (rate), on (juxtaposition), pro’s (expert’s), T (time), n (not initially i.e., 1^st letter in not)

16. Fancy tea urn or odd vase with fishy aroma? (7)

· Samovar, fancy tea urn (def), fishy (anagram of) VS (odd vase i.e., odd letters in vase), + aroma

17. Scream at terrible brats causing a bit of trouble (6)

· Matter, a bit of (hidden), trouble (def), rest is fodder

18. Special courage about the beginner in lake (7)

· Darling, special (def), daring (courage), about (container), L (beginner in lake i.e., first letter in lake)

19. Pass to rove? (4,4)

· Blow over, implicit meta, pass (def), rove (target), one way to get rove is via anagram (blow) of “over”

20. Reservation for Bill was cut short (7)

· Proviso, reservation (def), pro (for), visor (bill), cut short (drop last letter in visor)

21. Woman with a hideous guy? Must be truelove (5)

· Flame, F (woman), with (juxtaposition), hideous (anagram of) male (guy), truelove (def)