April 2020

Set by Māyā (www.mayaofauckland.com)

Across 1 Translate satire by Heliogabalus, perhaps (8) 5 Kind folk in line issue blood (also for bears, I’m told) (6) 10 Shrewd of James to disregard name… (5) 11 …once a charge is clear (9) 12 The 1 down 16 from one end of a gun to the other? (10) 13 The back of a deer? (4) 15 Lockdown liaison felt so wrong… (4,9) 17 …possibly err in behaving like this? (13) 19 Heaps take back something one shouldn’t do (especially during lockdown) (4) 20 Liberate volunteers in epic sign-over (10) 23 Freshly minted coin found on Pacific island (3,6) 24 Maya eaten by crow? Things that keep us amused (5) 25 Note – my bubble for a root? (6) 26 Angry? Yes, irritated by lack of cooperation (8)

Down 1 Event agency in the Sun (6) 2 Exclamation of Yorkshireman in a sticky situation? (2,3) 3 Hand heard after rising from the throne? (5,5) 4 You old fashioned Nevada athletes with time for one possible winner from the pandemic (3,11) 6 Primate cross at the top (4) 7 I catch one burning with – yes, ineptitude (9) 8 Creeping edgily in to become docile (8) 9 Monday hosts fun, perhaps, after this long wait (5,2,7) 14 What people were found doing to walking tracks: talking at length and to little point (8,2) 15 Remove a foot held by wandering animal (5,4) 16 Reserve Princess Laurel, say, with Church attached… (8) 18 …jumper leads to cattle? (6) 21 Marie set out to be one who controls fire (5) 22 Neuromuscular extract for Wallaroo (4)

 

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Christmas 2019

Across 1 Its charm’s obscure to 9 6 across (9) 6 See 9 Down 10 Metal boyfriend? On the contrary, I’m holding uranium (9) 12/23 Drink, and French police turn cold on trouserless Scot and actress (7,8) 13 Love rural town dropping the limits (5) 14 Add cash to crash? (5) 15 Past like to pot and going, going? (6) 16 Constellation of the Timeless Grape? (5) 19 The Doctor’s Doctor? (4,3) 20 Teed off about 10, easing the tension (7) 22 Wet-on-wet painting defacing a rail lamp (4,5) 27 Drink tea to obtain happiness (almost) (7) 28 Pacify with fresh sausage (7) 29 A song of praise to motor lubricant? You can leave me out (5) 31 Old knight is brought back by Isis (6) 33 Cash boy with directions to follow? (5) 34 Hound game, and how it may lie (5) 37 “The best bang since the Big One” ? (3-4) 38 12/23’s character assassination of tawny foal (3,2,4) 39 Finished with girl in Ireland (7) 40 Spooner described what this insect does (9)

Down 1 City of superheroes? (4,4) 2 Organise Oriental congress (8) 3 A 40 may imitate Ouroboros? (11) 4 Dunedin suburb reverses a McCahon statement (4) 5 Wrestler, 14-love (4) 6 Epic tale of climbing Swedish cookers (4) 7 What Bill de Blasio currently does like a fluid (5) 8 Retiring yet sociable? (8) 9/6A A 1 across 29’s producer of sour humbugs (8,7) 11 Do your duties, holding tongue (4) 16 We object after Bonnie, for example, caught without a backbone (7) 17 A 40 jumping (though not ship, presumably) (7) 18 A 40 of higher rank than the last one (7) 21 Fastener used to hold ref back from payment to switch teams (8,3) 23 See 12 Across 24 A 40 who escaped Devil’s Island (8) 25 Prince’s companion, female, a Pole, about 50 (8) 26 Being representative of French heritage (8) 30 Revelry of Oliver Gray after vacation (4) 32 I’m tuneful, they say, over cakes (5) 34 Hollow l-light raised (4) 35 Lump of earth? Not quite (4) 36 Trying to solve a problem operating computers (2,2)

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Christmas 2017

Across 1 Rude, aphoristic wit deployed on 15 (5,4,8) 10/42/16 God, Amy’s on 15! (3,8,8) 12 Until now, Yeats was obscure (2,3) 13 A dull finish? (6,3) 14 All about a female of the species philomachus pugnax (5) 15 Romantic novelties I put in box (10) 16 See 10 19 Hog’s got the southern vintages (6) 21 Ragtime beat a detective on 15 (7) 22 The Mail Letter Gang? (5) 23 Ford on Tweed, or vice versa? (8) 24 Our Eve’s fabulous body! (6) 25 See 27 Down 28 A hint of bullying and I’d be out of there (10) 30 Deny senate dashed into icy water (7,3) 32 Rock band’s endless publicity (4) 33 Retreat from tree and animal (6) 34 Odd squizzy at Roman senator seen on 15 (4,4) 38 Writer for hire concealed drug in inverted hat (5) 39 One who gives President Trump a hill (7) 40 Cockney offers sailor for incarnation (6) 42 See 10 44 Male with oral yearning for scarcity (10) 48 Give sisters a ring to name words (5) 49 Outflow from Mrs Peel’s country, they say (9) 50 Drink with a type of queen (5) 51 Len comfortably ensconced in here? (3) 52 Excessive wealth Hamlet complained of on 15 (10,7)

Down Type of 15 I avoided to reach land (6) 2 Puritan vessel subtracting 500 from leader for spiderwort (9) 3 A broomstick on 15 initially spelling trouble for Chancellor (4,3,8) 4 Mischievous child is going to join Zulu battalion (5) 5 Room where French note cheese (8) 6/47 Let’s meet to describe fruit (3,1,4) 7 God taking water in France becomes American writer (4) 8 Heaps owned by femme fatale painted by Géricault (4,2,3,6) 9 Père Noël left femme fatale (5) 10 Say destroyers of ball support abstainers in the US (11) 11 Cat Stevens on Gnosticism in religious music (8) 17/31 One of the 10 down with drink catches Lorde on 15 (5,5) 18 See 26 20 Curt withholding drag for a hospital on 15 (9,6) 22 Courtly dance ran and ran on 15 (7,8) 23 See 46 26/18 It’s all-important on 15! (7,7) 27/25 Dear Italian employer making merry (8) 29 Go to work on 15? (11) 31 See 17 35 Almost as mature in pursuit of a Japanese goddess (9) 36 Lose yourself, say, in quick German vocal fragments (8) 37 Use leverage on one E.U. bench (4-4) 41 Mark Oliver Everett’s headland – Steve McQueen had a great one (6) 43 Eating with this could give you wind, love (5) 45 Rescue unfortunate lad from wizard taking drug, the scoundrel (5) 46/23 Suspended treasury seen on 15 (4,4) 47 See 6

 

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June 2017

Across 9 Mother Theresa’s first one to put Kira back in the Eyes of God (8) 10 Ken Barlow and boy from “Only fools and horses” on a peninsula (10) 11 Witch conjures up a wicked dessert (3,5) 12 I’m in one going over board with perfect style (10) 13 Using map-reading skills, I enter region in an unorthodox manner (12) 15 Reaches destination with modified toast (4,2) 16 Picasso, for example, might take sugar? (6) 18 Drain pipe (7) 20 Could one be me? (4) 21 Well-thumbed, like a best friend (3-5) 22 Marge: “I do work with graphic character!” (8) 26 Fight for a piece of wood (4) 29 Steel girl, say, for a state of bliss (7) 30 Miscellaneous way to prepare tomatoes? (6) 31 China’s location of minor weather event (6) 32 No one about Ninety-Mile beach, say, can be easily heard (5,2,5) 34 Mock serenade: name it what’s on a camel’s back (10) 35 How a church mouse might manage financially (6,2) 36 Turncoat turned and ate, as Doctor Who does occasionally (10) 37 Did F.D.R. give out more than one fresh hand of cards? (3,5)

Down 1 Beached, as person in charge of a stadium did (3,7) 2 Tea, love? Jeeves regularly imbibed (10) 3 English and French quarters (6) 4 What do you call a girl with a frog on her head? (4) 5 Berlin composer and Washington writer (6) 6 Astride buxom savage, one may use either hand (12) 7 Characters from here sprint, and emerge one behind the other (2,6) 8 French Maya with a poor, jaundiced eye (8) 10 Break ice, add cover before he’s content to leave Irish social gatherings (8) 14 Say I put on glasses (7) 17 What Severus Snape, for example, does to a hobbyist (12) 19 Increase enlistment as a result of hot air? (7) 23 Call head of the Circus Gang? (10) 24 Top drawer party after spirit knocked back by bar (6,4) 25 Fruit I supplied to folk losing a form of O.E. (3,5) 27 Perhaps I’d please 9 with a different name (8) 28 Named again, as faulty products may be? (8) 32 This cat might like a catamite? (6) 33 Brave women? (6) 35 Air extracted from poison gas (4)

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A Chrissie Crossie

Set by Māyā

Across 1 Sprite originally loved danger (5) 4 Auckland suburb of equal value to Mistress Gwyn (7) 8 Prime Minister? (5) 11 Soldiers in hamlet collected Swiss cheese (9) 12 “The Saint” – new film set around part of Auckland (9) 13 Beat any fiction in suspense (7) 14 Peeved about points stuck in old bicycle (10) 16 We grow older: it’s accepted practice (5) 17 Critic used to announce presence (7) 19 Love food? Try muesli (but skip the Spanish chicken starter) (5) 21 Sex pot undressed? Armageddon outta here! (4) 23 Dearest Candy… (7) 24 …make precious curtains at this point (so to speak) (6) 27 Other ranks admonished “The Colour Purple” (6) 28 Be sure once heartless Keith accepts present (7) 29 Personal assistant bent over backwards for Murdoch (4) 32 Mercenary seen in Japanese disguises (5) 33 Ordinary photo includes SMERSH colonel (7) 34 Spirit being issue knocking me back (5) 36 Do they think they will salivate if shown meringue desserts? (10) 39 Americans may get pulled (7) 41 Prince has wings clipped in Aboriginal story (9) 42 About fire over pit: look into it again (2-7) 44 Park a ship on the rocks (5) 45 “Ee, it’s Wednesday!” (7) 46 Urge to have a fundraiser (5)

Down 1 Love food? Try 5.92439… (3) 2 Rare problem, trapping a flightless bird in part of Auckland (7) 3 Connections leaking fluid on bearing (8) 4 Northern branch owner often dresses in red around now (10) 5 Heart of true love, extremely 31 (4) 6 Leading experimental researcher, nuclear? That is Rutherford, familiarly (5) 7 Two possible tennis venues (not new) where trials held (8) 8 Think about Paddington? (4,2,4) 9 Trim pink leg for attractive strip (5) 10 Flyer could hardly circulate much more widely, at present time (6,9) 13/38 I sleep during wild karaoke one, and get up for Xmas song (1,6,2,1,5,4) 15 Break, say, and enter (4,4) 18 Brief Auckland winter fashion? (8) 20 Cut short first two letters to “The Listener” (5) 22 Write about buried nut (5) 25 Fix current ball boy a cocktail (10) 26/35 Difficult to judge article on King tribe’s Xmas song (6,4,3,4) 30 Decide 999 is 1000? (8) 31 An ensign of acceptable quality (8) 35 See 26 37 Zeal and passion may be found in cover version! (5) 38 Go on, why isn’t Tring trending? (2,3) 40 See 13 43 Lady tempted – could go either way (3)