Word Puzzle 81

Word Puzzle 81 – Solution with Explanation

Theme: None

1. Blue wildebeests are known to be gnu ancestors showing subtle variations (7)

· Nuances, subtle variations (def), showing (hidden), rest is fodder

2. Taut from treason? (6,5)

· Double cross, meta, taut (target), treason (def), one way to get taut is t (cross) + tau (cross) i.e., double cross

3. Support boxer during victory run (8)

· Validate, support (def), Ali (boxer), during (insertion), V (victory), date (run)

4. Jr. Trump receiving college money ? That’s odd! (9)

· Eccentric, Eric (Jr. Trump), receiving (container), C (college), cent (money), odd (def)

5. Given brief for all to see, once!! (9)

· Postulate, given (def), post (brief), U (for all to see), late (once)

6. Get a rag with more expensive yet environment friendly option at the pump? (4-4, 3)

· Lead-free gas, meta, rag (target), rest is def, one way to get a rag is by dropping first letter (lead-free) of brag (gas)

7. Mysterious organization of Serbian cult (11)

· Inscrutable, mysterious (def), organization (anagram of) Serbian + cult

8. Surly Ann’s open university racket busted (12)

· Cantankerous, surly (def), busted (anagram of) Ann’s + OU (open university) + racket

9. Teem with informal gathering? (6)

· Meetup, meta, teem (target), informal gathering (def), one way to get teem is meet reversal or meet-up

10. Relative with a very quiet empty place (8)

· Apposite, relative (def), a (a), pp (very quiet), o (empty), place (site)

11. Flame the list without me and Eastwood by mistake (11)

· Scintillate, flame (def), slate (list), without (container), by mistake (anagram of) I (me) + Clint (Eastwood)

12. Free from commitment keeps guys youthful, so men go to great lengths to make excuses (7)

· Fulsome, free (def), from (hidden), rest is fodder

13. Funky award in gossip (7)

· Noisome, funky (def), OM (award), in (insertion), noise (gossip)

14. President with hesitation on the final policy for poor (8)

· Trumpery, Trump (president), er (hesitation), y (final i.e. last letter in) policy, poor (def)

15. Race protest (7)

· Contend, DD

16. Come a cropper while getting a crate (4,5)

· Fall short, meta clue, come a cropper (def), crate (target), one way to get a crate is by deleting last letter (short) of crater (fall)

17. Clubby jailbird with half dozen short, small bottles (9)

· Convivial, clubby (def), con (jailbird), vi (half dozen), short (delete last letter in) vials (small bottles)

18. Roguish German soldier involved in a hold up (7)

· Waggish, roguish (def), G (German), GI (soldier), involved in (insertion), wash (hold up)

19. Perhaps compress neatly to obstruct (5,4,5)

· Cramp one’s style, perhaps (anagram of) compress + neatly, obstruct (def)

20. Take issue over hiding of witness identity in public interest cases (7)

· Dissent, take issue (def), over (reverse scan), hiding (hidden), rest is fodder

21. Advice on cycling from dictatorial president? (5)

· Input, advice (def), cycling from (move 1 or more letters in circular fashion in) Putin (dictatorial president)