Independent 7,371/Virgilius
Posted by Ali on June 1st, 2010
A typically brilliant puzzle from the master of the themed daily, cleverly using the idea of multiple word ‘see x‘ grid entries as the basis for some diocesan double definition deception. This exposed a fairly big hole in my knowledge, so I found this one pretty tricky. Lovely clueing as always though.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BROADER – ROAD in B(ritish) E.R | |
| 5 | THANKS – T(om)HANKS | |
| 8 | TOFFS – Hidden in currenT OFFShore | |
| 9 | PRESIDENT – I’D in PRESENT | |
| 11 | LA ROCHELLE – L + (LOCAL HERE)* | |
| 12 | SHOE – ScHoOnEr | |
| 14 | BATH AND WELLS – The first diocese – BATH (wash) + WELLS (author) | |
| 18 | ON ONE’S METTLE – (ELEMENT NOT SO)* | |
| 21 | DOOM – MOOD rev. | |
| 22 | WINCHESTER – Our 2nd see – A Winchester is a a narrow-necked bottle | |
| 25 | NEURALGIA – (A REAL GUN I)* | |
| 26 | OSCAR – Hidden in PicassO’S CAReer | |
| 27 | AUTHOR – U(niverse) in A THOR | |
| 28 | LINCOLN – See no. 3 – Ref. Abe! | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | BOTTLE – Double def. | |
| 2 | OXFORD – See no. 4 – An Oxford is a low-heeled laced shoe | |
| 3 | DESICCATED – CAT in (DECIDES)* | |
| 4 | RUPEE – P in RUE + E(uropean) | |
| 5 | THE PLANET – T + (ELEPHANT)* | |
| 6 | ARIA – [-m]ARIA | |
| 7 | KNEEHOLE – Cryptic def. | |
| 10 | THEIST – T(rain) + HEIST | |
| 13 | TWELVE NOON – (LOVE NO. TEN + [[po]W[er])* – A very deceptive use of PM! | |
| 15 | HUMDINGER – M.D + 1 in HUNGER | |
| 16 | LONDON – See no. 5, ref. Jack London (and possibly others) | |
| 17 | HONOLULU – Cryptic def., ref. Hawaii as the 50th US state | |
| 19 | STUCCO – CUTS rev. + CO. | |
| 20 | DRY RUN – I think this is a charade of DRY (forget) + RUN (lines) | |
| 23 | CRAWL – C[ar] + RAW + L | |
| 24 | WASH – W(ife) + A S(econd) H(usband) | |
June 1st, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Yet another 15dn from Virgilius – sheer brilliance! Many thanks, Virgilius, for a most enjoyable solve and Ali for the blog.
Wonderful variety of clues [I loved 'be accepted' for 'WASH'].
Re 22ac: I’m forever getting these wrong: this time, I was sure the answer was MOOD – but I can see how I’ve been fooled again, bamboozled by the commas!
In 20 dn, I think it’s DRY = ‘forget lines’ + RUN ‘be performed’.
June 1st, 2010 at 1:36 pm
I wouldn’t go as far as brilliant, but certainly very good.
June 1st, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Another very pleasing puzzle from the master, quite a lot had to included in grid answers to carry the theme.
June 1st, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I enjoyed this. The penny-drop came late. Always a good sign. I got as far as ?Cathedrals and still didn’t twig see. I, too, initially entered MOOD, which had me scratching my head over the last author, see – LONDON
June 1st, 2010 at 4:11 pm
Thanks, Ali, and to Virgilius for a most enjoyable hour early this morning before setting off to earn a crust. Sometimes with themed puzzles (though not, to be fair, with Virgilius as a rule) my complaint is that the gateway clues are too tough to get – for me anyway – which leaves you high and dry for the rest of the puzzle. But with this one, WASH and AUTHOR were pretty straightforward, which got me BATH AND WELLS, and away you go with the theme uncovered when OXFORD and LINCOLN are solved.
Frustratingly, I couldn’t get LONDON, which is silly really because by then you could see the sees, so to speak.
WINCHESTER gave me a flashback to A-level Chemistry days (glass was invented then, just) and I too liked the ‘be accepted’ definition of ‘wash’.
June 1st, 2010 at 6:59 pm
A very clever puzzle.When I first looked at it online I thought there was a fault on the website,usually if you’re directed to another clue it is for a two part answer!
Some lovely,well concealed, anagrams – particularly liked 11 across and 13 down.
Like Derrick @4 I thought the link was cathedrals(I didn’t see see either),which made 16 down difficult.
Nice use of unfamiliar definitions at 21 across.
June 1st, 2010 at 8:37 pm
Carpe Diem, See’s the day indeed, I initially thought there was a production problem until it twigged. Very nice, thanks all.
June 1st, 2010 at 10:11 pm
Having fallen into the “MOOD – DOOM” pothole, I put “MORMON” for 16D. I still think its a wittier solution.
June 1st, 2010 at 10:31 pm
An entertaining stroll, but I didn’t like the ambiguity in 21ac. Was HONOLULU even cryptic?
June 1st, 2010 at 10:45 pm
Flashling @ no 7, that is the most rubbish joke on this thread since eimi had something about ‘for catcher’ being Italian bread a few days ago. You’re both as bad as each other. Although actually it was quite funny.
June 1st, 2010 at 11:07 pm
Enjoyable puzzle and blogs brought a smile to our night time solve.
Puzzled by comment by TRIALNERROR @ 8. Can someone explain how ‘MORMON’ is a wittier solution or even a solution at all?
Or perhaps it is just getting too late!
June 1st, 2010 at 11:48 pm
Wonderful as always, but I can’t see that anyone fell into the MOOD-DOOM trap — it just seems to me that it’s a faulty clue where either of two answers is equally plausible and one only knows via the checkers — not to my mind satisfactory.
June 2nd, 2010 at 9:05 pm
BertandJoyce @ 11:
Puzzled by comment by TRIALNERROR @ 8. Can someone explain how ‘MORMON’ is a wittier solution or even a solution at all?
Well, some bits of the Book of Mormon were supposedly written by, er, Mormon. Which would make him an author…you know?
June 2nd, 2010 at 11:24 pm
@KD Sorry but I’d just read Terry Pratchett’s Carpe Jugulum which is so full of dreadful punes(sic) I couldn’t resist. I could get wurst.