Easter Crossword

[Charlie Reams]

Something to keep you amused once the novelty of talking to relatives you only see once a year wears off:

http://www.apterous.org/Easter_Crossword_2009.pdf

[Michael Wallace]

Wow Charlie, it's so big!

[David Williams]

the novel of talking to relatives you only see once a year

The Brothers Karamazov? My Family and Other Animals?

[Charlie Reams]

the novel of talking to relatives you only see once a year

The Brothers Karamazov? My Family and Other Animals?

Very good. And now fixed.

[Phil Reynolds]

Thanks for this Charlie; it kept us out of mischief for an hour or so when we got back from Wales on Monday. Did you have a hand in setting it or was the clue for 11 down just a felicitous coincidence?

I've finished it apart from two clues which are really bugging me: 2 down and 98 across. I don't even understand the clue for the latter; it sounds like a sporting reference (but it doesn't say which sport), or a solitary cryptic clue in an otherwise plain crossword. Please put me out of my misery!

[Charlie Reams]

Thanks for this Charlie; it kept us out of mischief for an hour or so when we got back from Wales on Monday. Did you have a hand in setting it or was the clue for 11 down just a felicitous coincidence?

Glad you enjoyed it It's something of a family tradition that I set them an Easter crossword, and this year I thought I might as well share it with the world.

I've finished it apart from two clues which are really bugging me: 2 down and 98 across. I don't even understand the clue for the latter; it sounds like a sporting reference (but it doesn't say which sport), or a solitary cryptic clue in an otherwise plain crossword. Please put me out of my misery!

2 down is GROG BLOSSOM (apparently this phrase isn't as well-known as I thought, a youthful fascination with pirates distorted my personal lexicon) and 98 across is LIBEROS (the sport referred to is football, I thought "central defenders" was enough of a pointer for that but maybe not.)

[Phil Reynolds]

It's something of a family tradition that I set them an Easter crossword, and this year I thought I might as well share it with the world.

Wow - I'm seriously impressed. It's huge! I don't actually know whether setting a grid this size is any harder than a conventional one, but I imagine it must be, thinking back to the problems I had getting my cryptic one to behave (I kept painting myself into corners and ending up with lights for which no actual word or phrase would fit the already checked squares and having to backtrack).

2 down is GROG BLOSSOM (apparently this phrase isn't as well-known as I thought

Correct.

a youthful fascination with pirates distorted my personal lexicon

Not a phrase you hear every day. Excuse me a moment while I relish it.

98 across is LIBEROS (the sport referred to is football, I thought "central defenders" was enough of a pointer for that but maybe not.)

Ah. It wouldn't have helped even if you'd begun the clue with the words "In football", since I've developed ignorance of the sport to something approaching an art form. For what it's worth, HWMBO was as baffled as I was, and he knows rather more about most sports than I do.

I'm quite chuffed I only missed out on two though, assuming I've got the rest right - I'm doubtful about 96 across, which the ball-and-chain insisted must be SPONGE CAKE even though the clue didn't sound quite right (a sponge cake isn't really a pudding).