ACROSS 1A: bully job?: COW ("bully") + B,Y ("those flanking bully") around O ("have love") 4A: protection for a young human: Bs in the odd spots ("oddly, bees") and A[ngry] Y[ellow] I[nsects] otherwise 9A: Bay: NITE* ("shift") around ("guards") L ("the latest from Michael") 10A: administer vaccines: ICLEANOUT* ("cracks") 11A: from the Gem State: IHADONA* ("makeup (i.e. letters) ordered") 12A: it was a way to treat depression?: nude ("naked") eel ("individual wriggling around") homophone 14A: it's noble: LIU ("one of Charlie's Angels") in ("wearing") HEM ("a dress, at the border") 16A: Work together: reverse hidden ("turn in") writinG NO LATE Grade 18A: video game company: INTEND ("mean") in ("to break into") NO ("New Orleans") 19A: Half-dozen: EX ("old") in ("cracks") STET ("that shouldn't be changed") 20A: Takes in: ABS ("muscular six pack") + ORBS ("eyes, poetically") 21A: Disreputable individual: I ("one") taken in by ELFOWL* ("flight") 23A: South Asian animal: SLO[-b] ("ass-scratching") + BREATH* ("bad") 24A: Gospel: C ("music ending") + REED ("small saxophone part") 25A: that "come hither" look: DO ("styled hair") + [-f]EE[-t] ("bare feet") + YES ("consent")
27A: ready: POISONED ("having venom") [-on] ("on leaving")
DOWN 1D: Deep-fried burrito: CH[in]A, but the "in" becomes MICHIGAN* ("strangely") 2D: Fred's wife: (MAN + TINTS + 21=LOWLIFE)* ("bananas") 3D: Best: way to turn TUXE[-do]S into TUXES (in a cryptic)? OUT "DO" 4D: Dessert: BRIES ("cheeses") get OWN ("personal") 5D: Huge singer: BLEW ("played the trumpet") WAIL ("let out a cry") homophone ("on the radio") 6D: responsibility: (A + MEW ("cat's cry") + OR ("otherwise") + THIN ("small")) "breaks" into BLESS ("honor") 7D: Honey: BA[-dg]E[-r] loses DG ("heart") and R ("tail") 8D: Wizard of Oz character: N ("finally unfrozen") after LIO< ("putting back oil") 13D: dizzy: spoonerism of HEIGHT ("altitude") LEADED ("like old paint") 15D: Alien: U ("you") + NEARLY around ("caught") TH ("the abridged") 17D: Ancient Greek: ODY ("every second mOnDaY") + SEUSS* ("doctor") 21D: Don't chat: LUKE ("Jesus' biographer") around ("about") R and without E ("energy being censored") 22D: eccentric: OK ("fine") + CAW ("what a crow says") in reverse ("about") 23D: me when my TV show wouldn't load: ADS* ("diverted")
If you're curious, Dilly, I solved this one live on stream last night (https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2360087147?t=02h56m20s). Overall, I might've fought you a bit on some of the fill (like 2D or 11A) or for an easier version of a clue like 6D, but this puzzle was filled with clever ideas, solid executions, and joyful variety. I particularly liked 4A, 7D, 15D, and 21D, and now that I see how 1D works (I've never seen an anagram + swap, but why not?), I like it as well. Puzzles like this are why I keep telling others to solve and explore more of the Crosshare offerings!
Wow, very surreal to watch somebody solve my puzzle! Thanks for choosing to highlight mine & repping Crosshare more generally. Your feedback has been the most helpful thing for me in improving my setting.
This puzzle definitely would have benefited from a second pair of eyes. I actually had a couple people test solve my first full-sized cryptic, but then it got like 3 solves in the first month after I published, so I kinda thought, why bother? Now I definitely wish I had for this as well lol. Apologies for 6D especially, but probably all of the long down clues should have just been broken up. Really glad you like 4A & 21D, those were a couple of my favorites.
I usually go to bed at like 8, but I'll try to catch a stream sometime, seems like a good time. And I am hoping to submit some stuff this year, thanks!
1A: bully job?: COW ("bully") + B,Y ("those flanking bully") around O ("have love")
4A: protection for a young human: Bs in the odd spots ("oddly, bees") and A[ngry] Y[ellow] I[nsects] otherwise
9A: Bay: NITE* ("shift") around ("guards") L ("the latest from Michael")
10A: administer vaccines: ICLEANOUT* ("cracks")
11A: from the Gem State: IHADONA* ("makeup (i.e. letters) ordered")
12A: it was a way to treat depression?: nude ("naked") eel ("individual wriggling around") homophone
14A: it's noble: LIU ("one of Charlie's Angels") in ("wearing") HEM ("a dress, at the border")
16A: Work together: reverse hidden ("turn in") writinG NO LATE Grade
18A: video game company: INTEND ("mean") in ("to break into") NO ("New Orleans")
19A: Half-dozen: EX ("old") in ("cracks") STET ("that shouldn't be changed")
20A: Takes in: ABS ("muscular six pack") + ORBS ("eyes, poetically")
21A: Disreputable individual: I ("one") taken in by ELFOWL* ("flight")
23A: South Asian animal: SLO[-b] ("ass-scratching") + BREATH* ("bad")
24A: Gospel: C ("music ending") + REED ("small saxophone part")
25A: that "come hither" look: DO ("styled hair") + [-f]EE[-t] ("bare feet") + YES ("consent")
27A: ready: POISONED ("having venom") [-on] ("on leaving")
1D: Deep-fried burrito: CH[in]A, but the "in" becomes MICHIGAN* ("strangely")
2D: Fred's wife: (MAN + TINTS + 21=LOWLIFE)* ("bananas")
3D: Best: way to turn TUXE[-do]S into TUXES (in a cryptic)? OUT "DO"
4D: Dessert: BRIES ("cheeses") get OWN ("personal")
5D: Huge singer: BLEW ("played the trumpet") WAIL ("let out a cry") homophone ("on the radio")
6D: responsibility: (A + MEW ("cat's cry") + OR ("otherwise") + THIN ("small")) "breaks" into BLESS ("honor")
7D: Honey: BA[-dg]E[-r] loses DG ("heart") and R ("tail")
8D: Wizard of Oz character: N ("finally unfrozen") after LIO< ("putting back oil")
13D: dizzy: spoonerism of HEIGHT ("altitude") LEADED ("like old paint")
15D: Alien: U ("you") + NEARLY around ("caught") TH ("the abridged")
17D: Ancient Greek: ODY ("every second mOnDaY") + SEUSS* ("doctor")
21D: Don't chat: LUKE ("Jesus' biographer") around ("about") R and without E ("energy being censored")
22D: eccentric: OK ("fine") + CAW ("what a crow says") in reverse ("about")
23D: me when my TV show wouldn't load: ADS* ("diverted")