Guardian 24502/Orlando
Posted by Eileen on September 24th, 2008
I think I’m fortunate to have been allocated a reasonable puzzle for my first blog – straightforward and fair without being too easy to be interesting. A couple of old crossword favourites, 12ac and 24dn, but no words I hadn’t met before. There were some ingenious anagrinds, too.
Across:
1 MATISSE: IS< in MASS [service] + E: Henri Matisse, artist [1869-1954]
5 CARPEL: R in [place]*
9 MARINADE: DAN< in MARIE: cow-pie eating Desperate Dan appeared in the first edition of the Dandy in 1937. [I'd always thought one marinated food in a marinade but I find that marinade is an alternative form of the verb.]
10 FAR-OFF: OR< in FAFF
12 APPREHENSION: An old favourite double definition
15 PARTICULAR: cryptic / double definition
17 ETA: ET [extremes of eloquent] + A: Greek letter E for Ephesians, which is rather neat.
19 OBI: initial letters of Osaka being inscrutable: an obi is a Japanese sash.
20 ARCHDEACON: [once had car]*
22 INCONSOLABLE: [nice balloons]*
26 IRISES: I + RISES [and no mention of girls or flags!]
27 IN CHARGE: [reaching]*
28 NODDED: NO + DD + ED
29 WOMBATS: WOM[an] + BATS
Down
1 MAME: = “maim”. ‘Mame’ is a musical and film.
2 TARN: TAR [salt] + N [end of Mormon]: a tarn is a mountain lake, e.g. the lovely Tarn Hows in Cumbria.
3 SYNOPSIS: IS PONY [£25 in bookmaking] < in SS
4 ELDER: double definition
6 AVAUNT: archaic ‘Begone!: A + V + AUNT [short for auntie?]
7 PROVIDENCE: PRO + eVIDENCE: capital of Rhode Island
8 LA FONTAINE: [a final note]*: La Fontaine [1621-1695] a French poet who wrote fables, hence ‘fabulous’
11 THRASH: double definition
13 OPPOSITION: O.P + POSITION
14 BRAINCHILD: BRAIN + CHILD
16 UPROOT: [our top]*
18 SEALYHAM: EA[r]LY inside SHAM
21 ANNEXE: ANNE + X + E
23 AS NEW: A + S + N + E + W
24 ORCA: O + RCA
25 SEES: palindrome
September 24th, 2008 at 9:38 am
Welcome to the Dark Side, Eileen
In 6dn I thought the “small” referred to “very” rather than “relative”.
I had the same thought as you about marinade vs marinate – maybe it’s another case of noun-verbing…
September 24th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Of course it does, Andrew. Thank you. Put it down to first-day nerves.
[I think it's time to draw a line under the noun / verb thing.
]
September 24th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Apologies for the typo in 1ac: of course, it should read IT< in MASS.
September 24th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Congrats on your maiden blog, Eileen. I rather liked 16d.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Yes congratulations Eileen. You’ll be a real asset. And good to have a treat from Orlando to kick off with.
PS At least you won’t be first with the comments when you are blogging.
)
September 24th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Congratulations on your first blog post, Eileen! I thought ETA was very nice as well.
September 24th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
11d: Thrash as the verb? To thrash around all night = party?
September 24th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
18D ‘… Pretended to go out with’.
Surely ‘outwith’ = ‘outside’ is one word not two?
15A It had to be ‘particular’, but please could you explain ‘nice point’?
September 24th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Don, I think in 15 across the two meanings are “nice” in the old sense of “precise” (as in “The Nice and Accurate Prophesies of Agnes Nutter, Witch”
) and “point” as in a particle (which is particular).
Trench Adviser, Chambers has “thrash” as a noun meaning “a party (inf)”. I’ve never heard that in real life ever, I think…
September 24th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
I’ve never been to a 21st birthday thrash…
September 24th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Sorry, of course it’s “point” for the noun sense of “particular”, which I suppose you mostly hear as a plural…
September 24th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Thanks Mhl. Nice one, but it was rather too obscure for me to get the particular, although I do get your point!
September 24th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Well done Eileen, it’s great to see keen commentors coming through as bloggers.
And well done Orlando I say, not a hugely difficult puzzle but an enjoyable one. I have noticed that I’ve been enjoying Orlando’s offerings more of late.
The only area I had trouble with was due to putting APPREHENDING in for 12A which troubled my 8D till I saw the problem.
Thrash: I am familiar with thrash in the sense of party, but I suspect it is more 60s or 70s slang, e.g. “Curly’s having a thrash over at his place next saturday”. In my experience, a thrash is guaranteed to involve loud music, sufficient quantities of largely dubious alcohol, and many people you have never met before, though a fight is optional.
September 24th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
According to Partridge, the slang use of “thrash” (meaning a party with drinks, supper and dancing) dates to the 30s, originating with servicemen (poss. RN?)
September 24th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Well done Eileen.
Isn’t Auntie a “diminutive” of Aunt rather than the other way round? Like “shortening” John to Johnny?
Interesting that 11 dn could also clue a four letter answer, i.e. “bash”. I’ll look out for it.
September 24th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I had exactly the same thought myself, John, as I wrote it. I knew it wasn’t right but couldn’t see the wood for the trees until helped out by Andrew. See comments 1 and 2.
Thanks for all the nice comments – and especially to Orlando for a very enjoyable initiation.
September 24th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
I haven’t even got round to today’s crossword yet, but I logged to find the missing answers to yesterday’s Gordius , then got swept up in the comments, re gerunds etc. Poor Geoff, did he get dissed? I was worried for him. But back to today, Eileen, I always read your comments, and so it was nice to see you in the top spot. When I get round to today’s puzzle I’ll be back. ps, are you an English teacher by any chance?
September 24th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
As another fairly new member of the team, (and one who couldn’t quite finish today’s puzzle!) can I add my congratulations, Eileen.
September 24th, 2008 at 9:53 pm
Yes, congrats, Eileen. When shall we be able to click on your name to read your resume?
September 25th, 2008 at 12:39 am
Congrats from me too Eileen on your first blog. I always enjoyed your comments before.