Saturday, May 19, 2012 - Any Route Will Do

Introduction

In today's puzzle from Cox and Rathvon you may have to go over, under, through or around - but you should reach your destination in the end.











Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted; "†" explicit in the clue

Across

1a   RAM|A - RAM (run into) + A (†)

Rama^[5] is the hero of the Ramayana, husband of Sita. He is the Hindu model of the ideal man, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, and is widely venerated, by some sects as the supreme god.

3a   S(MOOT)H OVER_ - SHOVER (pusher) containing (maintains) MOOT (debatable)

9a   CART(O)ON or CARTO(O)N - O (doughnut) contained in (in) CARTON (box)

11a   F(AINT)LY - FLY (insect) containing (outside) AINT (isn't)

12a   {PUTTER AROUND}* - anagram (oddly) of RAP TURNED OUT

15a   _OGRES_ - hidden in (in) prOGRESs

16a   TIGHTROPE* - anagram (wrong) of RIGHT POET

18a   A(BUN)DANCE - BUN (roll) contained in (in) {A (†) + DANCE (ball)}

20a   SHELL - double definition; "this lady is going to" [she'll (she will)] & "bomb"

21a   {BREAK|THROUGH}~ - sounds like (in the sound) {BRAKE (stopper) + THREW (tossed)}

25a   {RAN WILD}* - anagram (mobile) of DRAWL IN

Mobile^[7] is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama. As is typical across the Southern US, residents of Mobile speak with a characteristic drawl.

26a   ASPIRIN_ - ASPIRING (shooting) with the final letter deleted (mostly)

27a   {GOING UNDER}* - anagram (badly) of NUDE GRINGO

28a   _UZIS_ - hidden in (stocks) HormUZ ISland

An Uzi^[5] is a type of sub-machine gun of Israeli design. Hormuz Island^[7] is an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, located in the Strait of Hormuz.

Down
1d   RECIPROCAL* - anagram (adjusted) of PRICE CAROL

2d   M(ORATOR|I)UM - {ORATOR + I (†)} contained in (caught in) MUM (silent)

4d   MAN(HAT)TAN - {MAN (mister) + TAN (brown)} containing (obtains) HAT (lid)

5d   OR(F)EO - OREO (cookie) containing (bearing) F (female)

Orfeo is the title character from L'Orfeo^[7], a Baroque opera by Claudio Monteverdi, with a libretto by Alessandro Striggio which was written in 1607. It is based on the Greek legend of Orpheus, and tells the story of his descent to Hades and his fruitless attempt to bring his dead bride Eurydice back to the living world.

British readers should substitute "biscuit" for "cookie" in the clue, as that is what a cookie is known as in Britain. Oreo^[7] is a trademark for a popular sandwich cookie marketed in the US by the Nabisco division of Kraft Foods and in Canada under Kraft's Christie brand. Since its 1912 introduction, Oreo has become the best selling cookie in the United States. The Oreo has only been widely available in the UK only since 2008.

6d   HAIRNET* - anagram (ruined) of THE RAIN

7d   VET|O - VET (old soldier) + (with) O (nothing)

For the benefit of British readers, vet^[5] is an informal North American term for veteran.

8d   RAYS~ - sound like (audibly) RAISE (lift)

10d   O|PENS - O (old) + PENS (prisons; penitentiaries)

13d   {ROSE| QUARTZ}~ - sounds like (to an audience) {ROWS (line's) + QUARTS (measures)}

14d   CELLPH|ONES - sounds like (in conversation) SELF (personality) + OWNS (possesses)

17d   {GREAT DANE}* - anagram (destroyed) of TEA GARDEN

19d   DAR(L)ING - DARING (brave) containing (acquires) L (large)

20d   S|TRIP - S (southern) + TRIP (excursion)

22d   A(U)DEN - {A (†) + DEN (room)} containing (outside) U (university)

W. H. Auden^[7] (1907 – 1973) was an Anglo-American poet, born in England, later an American citizen, regarded by many as one of the greatest writers of the 20th century.

23d   DR|AG - DR (Doctor) + AG ([chemical symbol for] silver)

24d   ANT|I - ANT (member of a colony) + I (†)

Key to Reference Sources: 

^[1]   - The Chambers Dictionary, 11th Edition
^[2]   - Search Chambers - (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary)
^[3]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (American Heritage Dictionary)
^[4]   - TheFreeDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)
^[5]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford Dictionary of English)
^[6]   - Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford American Dictionary)
^[7]   - Wikipedia
^[8]   - Reverso Online Dictionary (Collins French-English Dictionary)
^[9]   - Infoplease (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
^[10] - CollinsDictionary.com (Collins English Dictionary)

Signing off for today - Falcon