i Cryptic Crossword 3086 Math

Yoohoo! It’s me again, and no longer self-insulating. I have the run of Batarde Towers and environs, but will be sticking with the Plague Turret as my operational base because … jacuzzi. Celebrated my freedom yesterday by taking myself off for a walk to Hurling Hill to have a look at the Trebuchet. It stands on a rocky outcrop overlooking Aunt Sally’s Cottage (in ruins): I always wanted to have a go but unfortunately all the ammo’s down there. As Aunt Scarlet says, it’s small wonder that the locals have been referring to the family as the Silly Batardes for generations.

And so to the crossword, and then we can do the fun bit. Math has presented us with a theme of Phi-ish obscurity, so that’s safely ignored, then. For details, you’ll find a link in the comments on the original Fifteensquared blog from October 2016 which may well be fascinating. Mr B says that fish boosts brain function, so perhaps all those codfanglers have done some good ‘cos I found this trivially straightforward; not unentertaining though, despite a few sigh inducing clichés. All told a bit heavy on anagrams and elementary wordplay, but I liked 5 and 13d and 22ac well enough. 8d is Clue Of the Day mostly on grounds of being one of those that you’d think would’ve been done before, but if so I can’t remember it:

“Drifting off, flat fish has raised tail section (9)”

Competition Time! There might even be an honest to goodness real-world prize, and a celebrity judge. All you have to do is comment in the form of a haiku (you can bang on prosaically afterwards of course). For the rules, see Google, or check out this little number:

Five, seven and five
Syllables; three lines and that’s
A haiku, innit?

The winner will be announced when Mr B finally gets around to posting his list of 2020 Tuesday themes, so probably New Year’s Eve. I’m expecting great things of you, folks.

Charmaine xx