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Irish Independent Cryptic Updated Answers for May 7, 2024
by Sivasankari
Updated May 07, 2024
Crossword puzzles can be big or small and easy or hard. You might find easy ones in newspapers and harder ones in books or online. They are about all kinds of stuff like facts, words, fun facts, jokes, and special themes. Check the answers and explanations in the below article.
Respite in which everyone curtails hostilities, retrospectively (5)
Answer: TRUCE
Everyone curtails hostilities implies a ceasefire, but retroactively, meaning it's a term that could be applied to past conflicts. The answer is TRUCE, fitting both criteria.
Threatening nothing less, nothing inside (7)
Answer: OMINOUS
Nothing inside implies emptiness, emphasizing the intensity of the threat. The answer is OMINOUS, conveying both a sense of menace and the absence of anything reassuring.
New limit and first-class return for the servicemen (7)
Answer: MILITIA
New limit hints at a boundary, while first-class return might imply a journey back to a starting point. The answer is MILITIA, representing both the military aspect and the concept of a new boundary or limit.
Leads round the uplands (5)
Answer: DALES
Leads round suggests movement or direction, while the uplands implies a specific type of terrain. The answer is DALES, which refers to valleys or lowlands often found in upland areas.
Narrow escape for the fast borrower? (5,3,2)
Answer: TOUCH AND GO
Fast borrower hints at someone who borrows quickly, possibly in a tight situation. The answer is TOUCH AND GO, indicating a precarious situation where success is uncertain.
Less hirsute – rubbish! (10)
Answer: BALDERDASH
Less hirsute suggests a lack of hairiness, while rubbish implies something of little value. The answer is BALDERDASH, which fits both the idea of being less hairy and the notion of being nonsensical or worthless.
Possible strength? (5)
Answer: MIGHT
Possible strength? suggests a potential ability or power. The answer, MIGHT, reflects the capacity or potential for strength or force, indicating the possibility of exhibiting power or influence.
Dog makes parent rigid (7)
Answer: MASTIEF
Dog makes parent rigid is a cryptic clue indicating a specific breed of dog. MASTIEF refers to a Mastiff, a large and sturdy breed known for its imposing presence, which could indeed make a parent, or anyone, feel rigid or intimidated.
Shoot a number who take unfinished exercise on the barrack square (7)
Answer: TENDRIL
Shoot a number who take unfinished exercise on the barrack square hints at a military term. TENDRIL here refers to a squad, a group of soldiers who may undertake exercise or drills in a barracks square, with shoot indicating action and unfinished suggesting they're in training.
Fish corner (5)
Answer: ANGLE
Fish corner is a straightforward clue for a specific term related to fishing. ANGLE refers to the act of fishing or to the fishing rod, reel, and line arrangement often used in angling, where one aims to catch fish, fitting the concept of a cornered pursuit.
If its contents are not new, they've been posted! (5,5)
Answer: STAMP ALBUM
If its contents are not new, they've been posted! hints at a collection that typically contains old items. STAMP ALBUM fits perfectly as stamps are often collected and pasted into albums, and if they're not new, they've indeed been 'posted'—both in the sense of being placed in the album and having been sent through the mail.
Erect and charged, we hear (5)
Answer: BUILD
Erect and charged, we hear suggests a term associated with construction and energy. BUILD aligns with erecting structures and can also refer to a sense of being charged or full of energy, indicating the process of creation or construction.
Handled the material (4)
Answer: FELT
Felt refers to the tactile sensation of handling material, where one perceives its texture and consistency through touch, often associated with fabrics or objects.
In reverse, some of the fascia, some of its composition perhaps (6)
Answer: MOSAIC
Mosaic, when reversed, suggests a rearrangement or reversal of parts, akin to turning tiles of a mosaic upside down. The clue hints at a composition or structure, indicating a puzzle where different elements come together.
Beathless girl! It's nautical equipment (8)
Answer: WINDLASS
Windlass hints at a nautical theme and equipment associated with sailing or boating. The addition of Breathless girl! adds a playful twist, suggesting wordplay or a pun. Combining these clues, one arrives at the answer WINDLASS, a device used on ships to raise anchors, incorporating the idea of both nautical gear and the playful hint.
Clash with sick returns in cipher (7)
Answer: COLLIDE
Clash with sick returns in cipher suggests a collision or conflict involving something unwell or returning in a hidden or encoded manner. The term cipher hints at encryption or a secret code. Putting these elements together leads to the answer COLLIDE, signifying a clash or impact occurring within a hidden message or code.
Very strong thief, apparently (10)
Answer: SHOPLIFTER
The phrase very strong could imply resilience or skill, while apparently implies that the thief's true nature might not be immediately obvious. The answer, SHOPLIFTER, encapsulates these ideas, representing a thief who steals from stores, often employing stealth or deception.
Upset public vessel (8)
Answer: OVERTURN
The term public vessel suggests something widely known, maybe even government-owned. Upset could mean overturned or capsized, often used in nautical contexts, hence OVERTURN.
Bottles need no return in paving stones (7)
Answer: FLAGONS
Bottles need no return implies they are disposable, perhaps suggesting another word for them. Paving stones might indicate a surface or pathway. FLAGONS fits as it's a synonym for bottles and doesn't require return.
An often attractive hollow, and I'm pleased to include it (6)
Answer: DIMPLE
Often attractive hollow could refer to a feature on someone's face. Pleased to include it suggests satisfaction with its presence. DIMPLE fits as it's a charming hollow often associated with smiles.
Game bird loses part of hill range (5)
Answer: RIDGE
Game bird refers to a bird often hunted for sport. Loses part of hill range implies removing a section of elevated land. RIDGE fits as it's a synonym for hill range.
Cricketers return to inflict a wound (4)
Answer: STAB
Cricketers return suggests a reversal in cricket or a movement backward. Inflict a wound implies causing harm. STAB fits as it means to wound and can be formed by reversing bats (cricketers) to stab.