I’ve been steadily losing crossword work since the GFC. Two big chunks were puzzle-book work for APC (now Bauer Media) and then, of course, all my News Ltd work which included The Stickler. Various online puzzles have come and gone, and work through a media agency has been reduced bit by bit. I’ve written crosswords for just about every type of publication you can think of: fishing magazine, pay TV channel, gardening magazine, church publication etc etc – all now, sadly, résumé items never to return. One area that has been consistent, but low frequency, has been airline magazines. I went from one airline to another and have done sixty crosswords over the years. Last January I received word from the magazine company that the crossword was no longer needed as the airline asked them to get rid of it, however, there was a plan to include a similar crossword in one of their other publications. Two weeks ago I was asked to create the first one of these and the magazine company gave me some feedback on why the original crossword had been axed. Apparently it was TOO POPULAR, and the airline had been replacing the inflight magazines that had filled-in crosswords with fresh copies, costing them more in printing costs. (I don’t fly often but rarely do I find an inflight magazine with the crossword untouched – most airlines don’t seem to care whether it’s been filled in or not). I’ve had crosswords cancelled for all sorts of reasons but never because they were too popular. Sometimes you lose even when you win.
| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | ROCK-BOTTOM | |
| Low music, time and time again used in big sound (4-6) | ROCK + (TT inside BOOM) | |
| 6 | APES | |
| A deadly epidemic disease nearly finished off parrots (4) | A + (PES)T | |
| 9 | PESTO | |
| Selection of canapes topped with sauce (5) | canPES TOpped | |
| 10 | ART LOVERS | |
| Dilettantes left on high in presence of excited star (3,6) | (L + OVER) inside anagram of STAR | |
| 12 | STANDING | |
| Joiner in smart position (8) | AND inside STING | |
| 13 | UPTIME | |
| Corrupted computer dies without coders working hours (6) | Anagram of COMPUTER DIES minus CODERS | |
| 15 | LEAPER | |
| Outcast providing shelter for a bounder (6) | LEPER outside A | |
| 16 | UPRIGHT | |
| Honest old maid living in ramshackle hut (7) | PRIG inside anagram of HUT | |
| 18 | ACT | |
| One part of Australia to do something (3) | Double Definition | |
| 19 | NOVICES | |
| Trainees turned on tools (7) | ON reversed + VICES | |
| 21 | FOUGHT | |
| Stronghold soundly defended (6) | Sounds like FORT | |
| 24 | GANTRY | |
| Annoying one returned to test a supporting framework (6) | NAG reversed + TRY | |
| 25 | VERIFIER | |
| Contender, filled with passion, pushed around official checker (8) | VIER outside (FIRE reversed) | |
| 27 | ASSEMBLED | |
| Gathered masses mostly scattered and ran (9) | Anagram of (MASSE)S + BLED | |
| 28 | ICTUS | |
| Some involved in conflict used a sudden attack (5) | conflICT USed | |
| 29 | SUNK | |
| Brown kelp primarily on the rocks (4) | SUN + (K)ELP | |
| 30 | IMPRESARIO | |
| Company director reviewed primaries before heading to office? (10) | Anagram of PRIMARIES + (O)FFICE | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | RAPIST | |
| Trained healer not supporting the sex offender (6) | THERAPIST minus THE | |
| 2 | CASCADE | |
| Fellow not liked in boxing, falls (7) | CAD inside CASE | |
| 3 | BROAD-SPECTRUM | |
| Wild cats probed with spirit having a wide range of uses (5-8) | Anagram of CATS PROBED + RUM | |
| 4 | TRAIN CRASH | |
| Rubbish written about beaten-up car in transport accident (5,5) | TRASH outside anagram of CAR IN | |
| 5 | OATH | |
| Promise made to athlete taking part (4) | tO ATHlete | |
| 7 | PEEKING | |
| Noble clipped king having a quick look (7) | (PEE)R + KING | |
| 8 | SUSPECTS | |
| Country with power in the hands of religious groups and questionable people (8) | (US + P) inside SECTS | |
| 11 | OPPORTUNITIES | |
| Surgery unit, fitted with port that is small, breaks (13) | (OP + UNIT) outside PORT + IE + S | |
| 14 | OUTFIELDER | |
| Equipment largely used by senior baseballer or cricketer (10) | (OUTFI)T + ELDER | |
| 17 | ANAGRAMS | |
| A fault-finder strikes hard setter’s work, perhaps (8) | A + NAG + RAMS | |
| 20 | VENISON | |
| Meat from oven is whisked back to kitchen (7) | Anagram of OVEN IS + KITCHE(N) | |
| 22 | HOISTER | |
| Lift operator is in hotel unloading left and right (7) | IS inside (HOTEL minus L) + R | |
| 23 | PRESTO | |
| Nine crossing river’s rapid? (6) | PESTO outside R | |
| 26 | PLUM | |
| Four slices of fleshy fruit (4) | (PLUM)P |
7d I kept the noble intact and clipped the King, to get peering which is more likely to be more than a quick look.
I liked your number clues (23 and 26d). Recalled one of my favourites from many years ago.
There are four in the RAAF (8)
I am intrigued by your airline story. I can almost guarantee I get to do the Cryptic on Qld Rail, at the hairdresser and in the doctor’s waiting room, even though most of them have been dumbed down. Just as well I can’t fly very often. They must have a different class of passenger.
23d had us stumped (I and my work chums). Presto seemed to be the answer but we couldn’t work out why – until I saw the comment above!
Glad it’s not just me still wondering, whilst well into this weeks offering.
Can see why 1d now tho not nice. THINK I can see 6a & 26d.
Really on look-out now for anything remotely resembling a ‘number’ clue!!!
Liked your 7d rationale Arthur.
6a I came up with “apes” for “parrots” My parsing uses the clue as a charade. “a” “deadly disease nearly finished off”. Crossword Solver provided 3 options for PES?, one of which is “pest” with the description “noun” any epidemic disease with a high death rate. I googled pest and found that the bubonic plague was alternately called “the pest”. Mirriam Webster confirms the definition of pest as Definition of pest. “1 : an epidemic disease associated with high mortality; specifically : plague”
So pest nearly finished off is “pes” which conforms to David’s solution.
26d is four slices (pieces) of fleshy (plump). Maybe I misled you with the reference to numbers in 26 because it has nothing to do with clue 4 whereas 23d depended on clue 9
Pity my 7d was off, because it fitted the spaces.