Word Puzzle 94

Word Puzzle 94 – Solution with Explanation

Theme: None, though several clues use soldier and several answers has six in them.

Clues:

1.   Novel about pitfall in soldier falling short due to horseplay (11)

      Shenanigans, she (novel), about (reversal of) (snag (pitfall), in (in), falling short (delete last letter in) ant (soldier)), horseplay (def)

2.   Reject to fight back? (5)

      Leper, reject (def), repel (fight), back (reversal)

3.   Ban on gay pride march ended due to secret political maneuver (8)

      Demarche, secret (hidden), political maneuver (def), rest is fodder.

4.   Disqualify as a judge to secure outcome (6)

      Recuse, disqualify as a judge (def), outcome (anagram of) secure.

5.   Record setter coming first by backing an idiot (5)

      Golem, log (record), me (setter), coming first (positionally first), backing (reversal of) me + log, idiot (def)

6.   Chew up a Metamucil to become virgin? (10)

      Immaculate, chew up (anagram of) a Metamucil, virgin (def)

7.   Distinctive underworld standard followed by FED (9)

      Disparate, distinctive (def), dis (underworld from reference to Roman God), par (standard), ate (fed)

8.   2 states with incorrect and incomplete decals for fleet (9)

      Cavalcade, CA + VA (2 states), incorrect (anagram of) (incomplete (delete last letter in) decals), fleet (def)

9.   GI with sexy hit? Turned out to be junk!! (6-3)

      Eighty-six, turned out (anagram of) GI + sexy + hit, junk (def)

10. Quiz a NY congressman besides George Santos (he is essentially insane) (4)

      Zany, essentially (hidden), insane (def), rest is fodder.

11. My bio is questionable in leading successful sales partnership (9)

      Symbiosis, questionable (anagram of) “my bio is”, in (insertion), leading (acrostic i.e., 1st letters in) “successful sales”, partnership (def)

12. Stony Bud blazing during the lecture (8)

      Obdurate, stony (def), blazing (anagram of) bud, during (insertion), orate (lecture)

13. Drool color? (4)

      Fawn, DD

14. How to moor (as in secure) behind the scenes? (8)

      Backroom, how to (meta), moor (target), behind the scenes (def), one way to get moor is via back (reversal) of room.

15. Drought causing gulf to become cape in California beach resort city (6)

      Lacuna, drought (def), g (gulf), become (replace g with) c (cape in), Laguna (California beach resort city)

16. Endless shadow from deep (4-2-3-4)

      Bred-in-the-bone, implicit meta, target = “Shado” (endless shadow), deep (def), one way to get the target is via had (bred), in (insertion), 

      so (the bone as in, to a great degree)

17. Discard the low number (4-3)

      Deep-six, discard (def), deep (low), six (number)

18. Compensation for broken dresser (7)

      Redress, compensation (def), broken (anagram of) dresser.

19. Juvenile playing with train carrying soldier (9)

      Infantile, juvenile (def), in (playing), file (train), carrying (container), ant (soldier)

20. American soldier with well-developed abs is a slob? (3, 3-4)

      Joe six-pack, Joe (American soldier), six-pack (well-developed abs), slob (def)

21. Get to Brian (Queen guitarist) with this Floyd number (5,6)

      Brain damage, get to (meta), Brian (target), Floyd number (def), one way to get Brian is via brain, anagram (damage), note the reference to Queen

      guitarist is frivolous, added to make the clue interesting.