Word Puzzle 90

Word Puzzle 90 – Solution with Explanation

Theme: None

Clues:

1.     To make matters worse, former artist associated with R&B deviously put away (10)

Exacerbate, to make matters worse (def), ex (former), ace (artist), RB (R&B), deviously (anagram of) eat (put away)

2.     Hangman Ali’s myth made up by this writer (1,5,9)

M Night Shyamalan, made up (anagram of) Hangman + Ali’s + myth, writer (def)

3.     Anxious to find a room? (5)

Upset, implicit meta, anxious (def), room (target), one way to get “room” is via reversal (up) of moor (set)

4.     Crafty display to win rubber over Portugal at home (7)

Vulpine, crafty (def), V (win), ule (rubber), over (container), P (Portugal), in (at home)

5.     During the conference one could always find Marg in a lecture hall or at a booth exhibiting, outside (8)

Marginal, exhibiting (hidden), outside (def), rest is fodder

6.     After Martin’s hope went to pieces, he became a pessimist (11)

Misanthrope, went to pieces (anagram of) “Martin’s hope”, pessimist (def)

7.     Stubborn monkey on a rope touring the city (10)

Implacable, stubborn (def), imp (monkey), on a (juxtaposition), cable (rope), touring (container), LA (city)

8.     Curve around the crooked turn lead one down the garden path (8)

Hoodwink, hook (curve), around (container), crooked (anagram of) wind (turn), rest is def.

9.     Friend of Joe in agony (7)

Paladin, friend (def), lad (Joe), in (insertion), pain (agony)

10.  Mysterious report about working with the dead (9)

Recondite, mysterious (def), recite (report), about (container), on (working), with the (juxtaposition), D (dead)

11.  Talk about someone maliciously when they are not present to win the pin (8)

Backbite, implicit meta, pin (target), rest is def, one way to get pin is via reversal (back) of nip (bite)

12.  Study alternate current (12)

Contemporary, con (study), temporary (alternate), current (def)

13.  Lag in arrival at estimated time?  (6)

Latest, lag (def), in (hidden), rest is fodder

14.  First weigh the candy (not hard) and then accept it (11)

Countenance, first (position), count (weigh), enhance (candy), not (deletion of) h (hard), accept (def)

15.  Retirement sanctuary (7)

Retreat DD

16.  Fortification via mammoplasty perhaps (10)

Breastwork, fortification (def), breast work (slang for mammoplasty procedure)

17.  Sally used articles in talk (6)

Sashay, sally (def), SH (used as in second hand), a (articles), in (insertion), say (talk)

18.  Speak out to get to a nut (4,2)

Pipe up, meta clue, speak out (def), nut (target), one way to get nut is via tun (pipe) reversal (up)

19.  Converts at cocktail parties (7)

Pirates, converts (def), cocktail (anagram of) parties

20.  King Lear’s daughter Regan a mischievous maiden, took over secretly the control (6)

Manage, over (reverse scan), secretly (hidden), control (def), rest is fodder

21.  Kenneth’s pig trashed the pen (7,4)

Stephen King, trashed (anagram of) Kenneth’s pig, pen (def as in writer)