The M&G's cryptic crossword

Welcome to the Mail & Guardian’s new cryptic crossword. Compiled by Professor George Euvrard of Rhodes University, it has been piloted in Grocotts Mail for the past 18 months as the first South Africanised cryptic crossword. The perspective is proudly South African, decolonised, and full of local references and words.

Although it’s still in the classic English cryptic crossword tradition, forget “artist” being “RA” (Royal Academy) or a “river” being “Exe”.

Here you will need to delve into your Dictionary of South African English (free online at dsae.co.za) to confirm bhuti and windgat, and to take out your South African atlas to check the spelling of Nossob!

The solutions will appear in the next M&G, but in the meantime you can also come here to see explanations of each solution (at the right time), as well as engage with other solvers and the compiler on particular clues, solutions and related crossword matters.

JDE 156

Across:

1. BOERIE: Part of a braai is a tipsy bore with limitless lies (6)

bore anag + LIES

4. USUFRUCT: Fur flies between you and me, and the University of Cape Town

regarding lifelong access and use of facilities (8)

US (fur anag) UCT

9. ACCEPT: Take a small amount of energy to exercise (6)

A + CC + E + PT

10. OVERCAST: Spread too much grey (8)

OVER + CAST

12. DEANSHIP: Martin’s joint becomes office of university leader (8)

DEAN’S + HIP

13. BOOHOO: Cry loudly at hobo going off with specs (6)

hobo anag + OO

15. SITTING DUCKS: Easy - victims are brooding shirks (7,5)

SITTING + DUCKS

18. BIRTHDAY SUIT: Delivery date to be convenient for nudist’s cozzie (8,4)

BIRTHDAY + SUIT

21. RUSTIC: Unrefined crust I take cold to the end (6)

CRUST + I + C

22. BODY BLOW: Moeruva klap from bloody brawl in outskirts of Bedfordview (4,4)

B (bloody anag) W

24. NAUTILUS: Travel until Aus to find mollusc (8)

until aus anag

25. FAVOUR: I’ve almost restrained a very good deed (6)

F (A + V) OUR [I’VE = FOUR]

26. UTENSILS: Instruments make us silent (8)

make us anag

27. ASTERS: A way everyone’s roses symbolise foremost flowers (6)

A + ST + E + R + S

Down:

1. BRANDISH: Marque is hot exhibit (8)

BRAND + IS + H

2. ENCHANTS: Delights when bankie loses black insects (8)

BENCH + ANTS

3. IMPOSSIBILITIES: They don’t happen to mobilise ISIS tip-off (15)

mobilise isis tip anag

5. SAVE: Preserve small road ... (4)

S + AVE

6. FOR DONKEY’S YEARS: ... over a long time, in favour of animals’ ages (3,7,5)

FOR + DONKEY’S + YEARS

7. USAPHO: States hop around the family (6)

USA + hop anag

8. TATTOO: Drumming in design that will never leave you (6)

double definition

11. FIDGETS: Squirms about ‘gifted student’ at first (7)

gifted anag + S

14. GUMDROP: Sweet dorp shaken after getting stick (7)

dorp anag, after GUM

16. FULL-BORE: Entire drill goes flat out (4-4)

FULL + BORE

17. STEWARDS: Caretakers cook a radish oddly (8)

STEW + A + RaDiSh

19. GRUNAU: Did Keating run Australia confined in this little town in Namibia? (6)

keatinG RUN AUstralia containment

20. ASTUTE: Shrewd when trading original New Zealand bakkie (6)

AS + T + UTE

23. HURL: Launch hotel website address (4)

H + URL