8x8 Checked Cryptic: Grant

CROSSHARE

Sublime, as cipher could be (8)

Orizzontali

1A
Sublime, as cipher could be (8)
9A
Three articles master detested (8)
10A
Getting out now, even against wishes of leaders (4 4, abbv.)
11A
Are Spanish first couple leaving fiestas? (5)
12A
Hand over little bit of a roof (5)
16A
Key, two rings, empty tote, and rubbish first for Bird or Lime? (8, hyph)
19A
Avoiding striking, trading time for hostages first (8)
20A
Three, a bit more, and nothing for R2's familiar friend (8)

Verticali

1D
Laughing, perhaps, returning with Eastern wise man (4)
2D
Biblical figure's nose slightly out of joint (4)
3D
Cut Grant, shouting (4)
4D
A shade of blue on Everest's peak, and something you might have done there? (3 5)
5D
At the outset, receiver takes a direction (5 3)
6D
Cut Grant, shouting (3)
7D
Slangily, my thoughts about one listless Stooge(3)
8D
Inca legend contains energy, in short (3)
13D
My advice: Flip over flatbread (1 3)
14D
I came once upon a time in Tesla, perhaps going north (4)
15D
Therefore, Shrek's overturned (4)
16D
Is Latin set confused? (3)
17D
Don't make a sound in stylish heels (3)
18D
Acquire regularly-ignored dog (3)

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Scrapheap costruttore · 8 mesi fa

Solutions below:

Across:

1A: (ASCIPHER)* = SERAPHIC 9A: Three articles = AN, A, THE + master = MA -> ANATHEMA 10A: First letters of clue = GONEAWOL 11A: First two letters removed from FIESTAS = ESTAS 12A: Little = L + bit of a roof = EAVE -> LEAVE 16A: Key = ESC, two rings = OO, empty T[ot]E, rubbish first = R -> ESCOOTER 19A: Striking = STUNNING, swapping time = T for hostages first = H -> SHUNNING 20A: Three = THREE, bit more = PI, nothing = O -> THREEPIO

Down:

1D: Laughing = GAS, returning = SAG + eastern = E -> SAGE 2D: NOSE, slightly out of joint (anagrind) = ENOS 3D: Cut one letter off GRANT = RANT 4D: A + shade of blue = TEAL + ON + Everest's peak = E -> ATEALONE 5D: Receiver = PHONE, taking A + direction = SE -> PH[ASE]ONE 6D: Grant = Hugh Grant, Hugh sounds like "HEW" 7D: One = I, Stooge = MO -> IMO 8D: In[CA L]egend contains CAL 13D: Flatbread = PITA, flipped over = ATIP 14D: IN + Tesla = EV, reversed = VENI 15D: Shrek = OGRE, overturned = ERGO 16D: (SET)* = EST (anagr.) 17D: In styli[SH H]eels -> SHH 18D: aCqUiRe, regular letters ignored = CUR

Aaron Riccio 🤓10:19 · 8 mesi fa

Very gracious of you to fully check a cryptic, and I liked the fill you chose.

Pros:

I disliked 1D at first until [Laughing, perhaps] finally clicked (as something you might find at an old-school dentist's). Nice!
I got a kick out of the duplicate clue at 3D and 6D, enough so that I didn't mind that you were using [Cut] as a beheadment rather than curtailment.
Very nice &lit at 10A, though I think GONE (past) doesn't quite match [Getting out].

Nits:

7D has a neat concept, but the stooges are Larry, Curly, and Moe. I don't see how you get MO here without indicating a deletion.
14D is, I think, missing some indicators. [Tesla] isn't 1:1 with EV, and [I came] is VENI, but I think some sort of indicator of Latin is needed.
16A is cryptically correct, but the surface seems like gibberish; am I missing a reference?
20A has me torn on the use of [a bit more], as it means that [Three] is essentially being used twice. It's an obvious enough answer, and because it's fully checked I think you have the freedom to push the envelope a bit, but it did stick out to me.

Thanks for the fun puzzle!

Scrapheap costruttore · 7 mesi fa
Thanks for the feedback! I've modified 7D/14D to hopefully correct for these.

The surface for 16 is a bit disappointing - the best I could come up with was "bag of mixed garbage being got at by a bird", but you've (rightly) sussed out that this was a bit of fill..

8x8 Checked Cryptic: Grant

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