Cryptic crossword No 4,031
Sat 17 Oct 2026, set byPodger
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Well now Podger, one was certainly playing fast and loose with one here! It beat me in 16a but I was wise to it in the brilliant 15d. All round top notch, with faves being 14a (simple but effective), 21a, 2d (clever), 3d, 15d! 17d, & 22d (the r word!) Nice work with the theme- maybe highlighting the thematics would ensure none overlooked? And for some reason I find it comforting when definitions are underlined in the annotations. One quibble and one chiding to follow…
Hi Podger. That went without a *hitch* apart from not seeing the extensive theme! 16a took a while and I bunged in 26d and even after reading the annotations, I still don't understand the parsing. To me, 'stripped cork' would be 'or' since to strip would be to take off the outer layers. Lot's of excellent clues as usual. I could say 8a is a belter and the other standouts for me were 16a, 20a, 27a, 28a, 1d and 2d. Thanks again.
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