Crossmyword: Answers and Explainers to Greater Govanhill's First Crossword
Elusive local group The Anymen published their first Govanhill-themed cryptic crossword in our latest issue. Over the past month, some locals have been sending in their completed crosswords while many more are scratching their heads with where to start. Take a look at the answers below along with an explainer of each clue.
by The Anymen
Congrats on having a go and hopefully completing the first Anymen crossword! We have written the solution to each clue below accompanied by step by step breakdowns of the answers. In case you’re not familiar with the core premise of cryptic crosswords, the clues tend to (although not always!) break down into a literal definition and wordplay. The definition can either be at the start or the end of the clue, and the wordplay consists of the remainder of the clue, with a series of words that can be played around with to fit the definition.
Key concepts
Indicator word: a word or phrase which tells you to play around with some of the other words or letters in the clue. For example, jumbled, in the mix or muddled are classic words which indicate an anagram. Similarly, in reverse or subverted indicates that you should flip the letters so they are back to front. Finally, the word audibly or out loud indicates that the sound of a word out loud will have the same meaning as the one written down.
Content words: this is referring to the literal letters that will be used to create the answer. So in a clue that has an anagram indicator, the word/s next to the indicator will be the ones that you anagram!
Double definition: these sorts of clues don’t have any wordplay in them. Instead the clue states two things which have the same definition.
The explainers below are formatted so that the word in bold is the literal definition, words in italics are indicator words, and words underlined are content words.
Across
1. Saucy container for sexual orientation
PAN
This clue is a double definition. In this instance a pan is both a saucy container and a type of sexual orientation.
3. As well as to arrive audibly
You can contact the team if you want an explainer to this one… 😬
5. Papa’s not down with pastries giving young canines
PUPPIES
Papa is shorthand for P in the phonetic alphabet. Not down equals UP with PIES as pastries giving the solution of “young canines”.
9. No more lava eruption, disregarding Etna for local organisation
ROMANO LAV
The word “eruption” is an anagram indicator for the letters NO MORE LAVA, with the letter E removed (disregarding Etna), which gives us the definition.
10. Fabric woven together at the start by locals in No Evictions Network
LINEN
“At the start” indicates that you take the first letters from the following phrase to reveal the solution. Here, the phrase “Locals In No Evictions Network” provides us with starting letters for LINEN.
11. Shy! Did I get confused with another language
YIDDISH
“Get confused” is the anagram indicator for the letters SHY DID I. It’s also worth noting that the exclamation mark means nothing in this clue - punctuation within the clue is often included by the setter to throw you off!
12. First refusal, then it’s fine - that’s hollow
NOOK
The wordplay in this clue is a type of charade, which means that you are looking for synonyms that can be chained together (charaded) to make up the definition. In this instance, you would first find a word for refusal - NO - then a word meaning it’s fine - OK - to give you the definition.
14. Useless nun alters jumbled lights
LANTERNS
Useless indicates that the U is removed from “nun” resulting in the letters NN. Combine this with ALTERS and you now have the letters required for an anagram of “lanterns” (as indicated by “jumbled”).
15. Endless 30a. and peel back for slumber
ASLEEP
This clue references the answer to another clue in the crossword - 30 across. So taking the answer from 30a, ASS, and then combining with LEEP (“peel” reversed) gives us “asleep”.
17. Exist back in romantic meeting for discussion
DEBATE
BE (“Exist”) reversed and then put inside DATE (“romantic meeting”) gives D-EB-ATE or a discussion.
18. Chaotic dare! Gran organised
ARRANGED
This clue, with an evocative surface reading, is simply an anagram (indicated by “chaotic”) of DAREGRAN for “arranged”.
20. Some of Glasgow with sunny vitamin for feeling happy
GLAD
GLA (part of “Glasgow”) with D (sunny vitamin) gives us our literal definition.
21. First of Ginesi’s is cart in a whirl of the stomach
GASTRIC
This clue combines G, the initial letter of Ginesi’s with ASTRIC, an anagram of “is cart” indicated by “in a whirl” for gastric as a definition of the stomach.
26. Muddle. What the!?
FUDGE
Muddle is the literal definition, ‘What the!?’ is a cryptic reference to What the Fudge, dessert hotspot
27. Sound of TV with reserve provides novel recording
AUDIO
Here you can take a synonym of ‘Sound of TV’, AUDIO, and a synonym of ‘reserve’, BOOK, to give you “audiobook”, which is a novel recording.
28. Putting energy into domains of responsibility makes sound again
RE-EMITS
Energy is abbreviated to E, which when “put” into REMITS (“domains of responsibility)” gives the definition.
29. Desolate initial Scottish promotion
SAD
Taking the initial letter of Scottish, S, and a synonym of promotion, AD gives you sad, i.e. desolate.
30. Article starts strike solidarity for donkey
ASS
Putting A, an indefinite article with the “starts” of strike and solidarity give you ASS.
Down
1, 23. Fresh tacky pears in delightful patisserie
PARTY CAKES
Here the “fresh” is the anagrind (shorthand for anagram indicator) for TACKY PEARS, which can be re-ordered for “Party Cakes”, one of Vicky Road’s most delightful patisseries.
2. Itinerant Bourne actor climbs
NOMAD
Words like “climbs”, “rises”, “sets up” are good ones to watch out for in down clues. Here “climbs” indicates the reversal of actor Matt Damon’s surname to give us nomad for the definition.
3. Tory element before corrupt dental lie for beloved local eatery
CONTINENTAL DELI
A reference to a personal favourite spot of the Anymen, and donor of the very first Crossmyword prize voucher! Here “Tory” and “element” get replaced with synonyms (CON and TIN), and “corrupt” indicates an anagram of “dental lie” (ENTAL DELI) to give us our definition.
4. Green fingers around the Southside might be doing this?
MULCHING
This type of clue is commonly known as a cryptic definition, the question mark indicating that the normal structure of wordplay/definition might not be followed so strictly here. In this case mulching is simply what green fingers might be doing!
5. Vaping quietly, victor switched giving what’s on Victoria Road
PAVING
“Switched” is the wordplay indicator here, with “quietly” being shortened to P (as written in sheet music conventionally), and “victor” shortened to V. Swap the two of them around in “vaping” to get the definition.
6. Long tributary is fish, charlie removed followed by poet’s avenue
POLLOKSHAWS ROAD
“Fish” gets clued as POLLOCK with C (alpha, bravo, charlie) removed, before “poet” gets replaced with SHAW (either George Bernard or Robert will do the trick) and “avenue” with ROAD for the Southside’s longest tributary.
7. Primarily island of national acclaim?
IONA
Like 10a, an example of a “primarily” clue. The question mark at the end indicates that the definition is contained by the wordplay, so Island Of National Acclaim taking the first letters (“primarily”) comes out as Iona.
8. Lock in bathroom fixture loudly
SYNC
Here the bathroom fixture, “sink” could be mistaken for SYNC or “lock in” if said out loud.
13. Is there potato in this pudding?
SPUD
This clue ends with a question mark, suggesting an unusual placement of the definition. “Potato” is the definition and the answer is found within 'this pudding'.
14. Supermarket I would hide in 50/50
LIDL
A small bit of background knowledge on Roman numerals required here, which would give you LL for “50/50”. With I’D as an abbreviation of “I would” tucked, we get our 4-letter word for a supermarket.
16. One with the revolutionary badgers battalions — Brigades
BRIGADES
Again, a bit of Roman numeral based wordplay here, I for “one” placed in BRGADES, a “revolutionary” anagram of badgers for a definition of “battalions”
19. Pact is about principles
IDEALS
DEAL (“pact”) placed within IS for a handy definition of “principles”.
22. Wine in Brazilian city initially juicy, appetising
RIOJA
This clue is a charade comprised of two parts. “Brazilian city” is a synonym for RIO, then “initially” prompts you to take the first letters of “juicy” and “appetising” resulting in JA. Put them together and you have wine.
23. See 1d.
24. Jafar throws his hat a long distance?
AFAR
Here, the indicator phrase is “throws his hat”, which means to take the first letter from the word JAFAR.
25. Fringe Irish guitarist
EDGE
Just like 1a, this clue is a double definition, with EDGE meaning both “fringe” and being a famous Irish guitarist from little-known band U2.