Saturday, August 8, 2009 - Magic

Introduction

In today's puzzle Cox and Rathvon use sleight of hand and cast magical spells to create a pleasant diversion perfect to wile away a lazy summer afternoon.

Commentary on Today's Puzzle

21d Compose a work containing bit of humourous twist (6)

This was the last clue to be solved as I got hung up on "compose" possibly being an anagram indicator - which it isn't.

25d Playwright Ben is troubled (5)

If, like me, your first thought is playwright Ben Jonson, you had best guess again.

Solution to Today's Puzzle

Legend:	"CD" Cryptic Definition; "DD" Double Definition
	"*" anagram; "~" sounds like; "<" letters reversed
	"( )" letters inserted; "_" letters deleted

Across

1ac A|BRA(CAD)A|BRA - on either side (containership indicator)

9ac R|I|P INTO

10ac LEGIBLE* - edited {LIBEL EG}*

11ac CONJURING* - transformed {CORN IN JUG}*

12ac {SI|T-UP}< {PUT (place) IS} coming back

13ac S|TRUCK

15ac S(TAM)P OUT - in (containership indicator)

18ac MA|LADIES

19ac TR(ASH)Y - in (containership indicator)

22ac PUMAS* - wrecked {US MAP}*

24ac C(ARDT*)RICK - C^RICK {about (containership indicator)} {errant (anagram indicator)} DART*

26ac DID|ER|OT

27ac T(URNS) IN - coated (containership indicator)

28ac LEGERDEMAIN* - change of {REGIME LADEN}*

Down

1d AS|PEN

2d REN(OUNCE)D - in (containership indicator)

3d COO(L I)T - around (containership indicator)

4d DELE(GA)TE - absorbing (containership indicator)

5d BOG|US

6d A(L|BAT)ROSS - picked up by (containership indicator); Sir John Ross: Scottish explorer

7d CROCUS* - OCCURS* in mutant form

8d S(EXPO)T - beset by (containership indicator); Expo: former Montreal baseball player

14d {ROLE MODEL}* - turning {OLDER ELMO}*

16d M(ORATOR)IA - taking in (containership indicator); Mia Farrow: ex-wife of Woody Allen

17d MER|CA(TO)R - put aboard (containership indicator); Gerardus Mercator: Flemish cartographer

18d MOP|EDS

20d YO|KING - yo: exclamation used to attract attention

21d WRIT(H_)E - WRIT^E (compose a work) {containing (containership indicator} {bit of (truncation indicator)} [H]umerous

23d SP|RIG

25d IBSEN* - {BEN IS}* troubled; Henrik Ibsen: Norwegian playwright

Signing off for today - Falcon