Upstairs Downstairs: Cryptic Puzzle Answers Explained

This cryptic crossword puzzle, ‘Upstairs Downstairs’, by Emily Cox and Henry Rathvon was published in The Atlantic, January 1986.

See “Cryptic Clue-Solving for Beginners” for a guide to cryptic crossword solving. Basic guide:

Ever clue has 2 parts: the definition part and the cryptic part (or another definition). The cryptic part may indicate a homophone (sometimes a string of words) of the definition, may camouflage a clue, ie, the answer is hidden within or at the edges of the clue (sometimes in reverse), may specify a reversal of a definition, may describe parts of the answer, may describe a part (word(s) or letter(s)) that goes inside or around another part to construct the answer, may indicate an anagram, may involve bits and pieces of the clue words, or addition or subtraction of bits and pieces, and may indicate abbreviations that contribute to the answer.

The extra challenge in this Upstairs Downstairs puzzle is that there are two clues for each numbered entry, and each number appears twice in the puzzle, the top half exactly duplicated by the bottom half. Except for an unclued vertical entry going from top to bottom. You have to guess at the latter as the clued answers are filled in, except you can't place the latter until you have the former to determine if they go in the top or the bottom half! As for checked squares (where entries cross, such that one entry may help to solve another), each clue answer may be crossed by either of the two corresponding answers (whether top or bottom).

Following are the answers, explained.

1A. Celebrated having “Upstairs-Downstairs” arrangement (7)
answer: storied (double definition: ‘celebrated’ and ‘upstairs-downstairs arrangement’)

1A. Building around back is fitted with beams (7)
answer: shafted (fitted with beams)
clue: ‘building’ = shed, around ‘back’ = aft)

5A. Thin wooden poles attached to rear of house (6)
answer: sparse (thin)
clue: ‘wooden poles’ = spars, attached to ‘rear of house’ = e (the last letter))

5A. Pigs holding down building material (6)
answer: boards (building material)
clue: ‘pigs’ = boars, holding ‘down’ = d)

10A. Love Bug seen from behind steps (5)
answer: tango (steps)
clue: ‘love’ = o, ‘bug’ = gnat, seen from behind, ie, reversed)

10A. Crest adorning barnyard bird (5)
answer: capon (barnyard bird)
clue: ‘crest’ = cap, ‘adorning’ = on

11A. Pairs left sitting in cars (7)
answer: couples (pairs)
clue: ‘left’ = l, sitting in ‘cars’ = coupes

11A. Country bumpkin finally goes in date with young lady (7)
answer: senegal (country)
clue: ‘bumpkin finally’ = n, in ‘date’ = see, plus ‘young lady’ = gal

13A. Announced alternatives to rough stufF (4)
answer: ores (rough stuff)
clue: ‘alternatives’ = ors, announced, ie, homophone

13A. Male name in the fashion of Norway’s leader (4)
answer: alan (male name)
clue: ‘in the fashiion of’ = ala, ‘Norway’s leader’ = n

15A. Oklahoman holding church vessel (8)
answer: schooner (vessel)
clue: “Oklahoman” = sooner, holding ‘church’ = ch

15A. Green copper hamper (8)
answer: cucumber (green (color))
clue: ‘cooper’ = cu (element abbreviation), ‘hamper’ = cumber

17A. Some time with a mouse! (4)
answer: week (some time)
clue: ‘some time’ = w, ‘a mouse! = eek (the exclamation point does double duty as contributing to the clue and indicating that part of the clue also does double duty, as both definition and clue)

17A. Look about for knowledge (4)
answer: lore (knowledge)
clue: ‘look’ = lo, ‘about’ = re

18A. Notice jailbird with extra serving? (13)
answer: consideration (notice)
clue: ‘jailbird’ = con, ‘extra serving’ = side ration (the question mark indicates a bit of liberty taken with the clue)

18A. Spanish officer turned missile range round (13)
answer: generalissimo (Spanish officer)
clue: ‘missile range’ turned, ie, anagram, plus ‘round’ = o

19A. Gardener gives litte cherry back (6)
answer: weeder (gardener)
clue: ‘little’ = wee, ‘cherry’ = red, back, ie, reversed

19A. “Blue Moon” halfway amplified (6)
answer: morose (blue)
clue: ‘moon’ halfway = mo, ‘amplified’ = rose

20A. Undercover man pockets one plastic (6)
answer: pliant (plastic)
clue: ‘undercover man’ = plant, pocketing ‘one’ = i

20A. Painter of mammoth, framing one (6)
answer: titian (painter)
clue: ‘mammoth’ = titan, framing ‘one’ = i

1D. Wooden corral imprisons wild dog (6)
answer: stodgy (wooden)
clue: ‘corral’ = sty, imprisoning, ie, enclosing wild (ie, anagram) ‘dog’

1D. Short cow eats cape (6)
answer: scarce (short)
clue: ‘cow’ = scare, eating, ie, enclosing ‘cape’ = c

2D. Fat bear follows rabbit’s tail (6)
answer: tallow (fat)
clue: ‘bear’ = allow, following tail (ie, last letter) of ‘rabbit’

2D. N.Y. neighborhood kept women outside of Love’s debut (6)
answer: harlem (N.Y. neighborhood)
clue: ‘kept women’ = harem, outside of, ie, enclosing, debut (ie, first letter) of ‘love’

3D. Scratch on circle raised in stone (4)
answer: opal (stone)
clue: ‘scratch’ = lap (to cut glass or gems), ‘circle’ = o, raised, ie, reversed (as a vertical entry)

3D. An antelope sounds differently (4)
answer: anew (differently)
clue: ‘an antelope’ = a gnu (sounds = homophone)

4D. Bullfighter ripped or flipped (6)
answer: torero (bullfighter)
clue: ‘ripped’ = tore, ‘or’ flipped = ro

4D. Woman's name in Network (6)
answer: ingrid (woman’s name)
clue: ‘in’ plus ‘network’ = grid

6D. Foot soldier has cut flower (4)
answer: peon (foot soldier (in India))
clue: ‘flower’ = peony, cut

6D. Work to eat donut up (4)
answer: opus (work)
clue: ‘eat’ = sup, ‘donut’ = o, up (ie, reversed)

7D. Practically a thousand appearing in Missing (6)
answer: almost (practically, as in nearly or virtually)
clue: ‘a’, ‘thousand’ = m (metric system, mega) in ‘missing’ = lost

7D. A pain in the toe I got from a rodent (6)
answer: agouti (rodent)
clue: ‘a’, ‘pain in the toe’ = gout, ‘i’

8D. Southern soldiers concerned with bees (4)
answer: rebs (southern soldiers)
clue: ‘concerned with’ = re, ‘bees’ = bs (more than 1 b)

8D. Luxuriantly growing row (4)
answer: rank (double definition: ‘luxuriantly growing’ and ‘row’)

9D. Address in Rome’s changed number (6)
answer: sermon (address)
clue: ‘romes’ changed (ie, anagram) plus ‘number’ = n

9D. Manager ran the shows wrong (6)
answer: errant (wrong)
clue: shows = camouflaged clue: manag[er ran t]he

12D. Fruit in Christmas stocking mother initially put up (5)
answer: lemon (fruit)
clue: ‘christmas’ = noel, stocking (ie, containing) ‘mother initially’ = m, put up, ie, reversed

12D. Tree in small American town (5)
answer: selma (town)
clue: ‘tree’ = elm, in ‘small american’ = sa

14D. Hearing is associated with sensor (4)
answer: nose (sensor)
clue: ‘is associated with’ = knows (hearing = homophone)

14D. Heartlessly cut prophet (4)
answer: seer (prophet)
clue: ‘cut’ = sever, heartlessly (ie, remove the middle letter)

16D. Instrument cutting head off (4)
answer: harp (instrument)
clue: ‘cutting’ = sharp, head off (ie, remove the first letter)

16D. Court interrupted by greeting from saucy girl (4)
answer: chit (saucy girl)
clue: ‘court’ = ct, interrupted by, ie, containing, ‘greeting’ = hi

You can match each of the paired answers with other of the paired answers, for example, 1D, scarce, must cross 10A, capon, rather than tango, but you still don't know whether they go in the top or the bottom half until you guess the unclued vertical entry. Both answers numbered 1A end in D, so you have the first and a middle letter, but those are the only easy ones to fill in. For the others, you just have to try combinations of the 2 possible letters in each square. For example, the answers for 11A are couples and senegal, so the letters after each D are O and E, but which is on top and which on the bottom? With all the answers provided, the unclued vertical entry is thus:  D  O/E  C/U  _  E/L  R/E  D  O/E  C/U  _  E/L  R/E. Remember, the instructions state that it is a phrase appropriate to the puzzle.

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