Independent 7389/Radian
Posted by John on June 22nd, 2010
A very nice offering from Radian. I’m a bit unsure about one or two of the clues, either because I simply don’t understand them or because I have my own doubts about them.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | DODD ER ER — a dodderer is I suppose a person who shuffles |
| 5 | FISCAL — s in (Calif{ornia})* |
| 9 | B AL(L)COCK — Brown and Alcock made the first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic |
| 10 | CASINO — (a coin’s)* — nice &lit. |
| 12 | TROP E — for Sarkozy (i.e. in French) overly is too much which is trop |
| 13 | SIXTEENTH — (the next is)* — referring to a round of golf |
| 14 | PURDAH — (hard up)rev. with guts (i.e. rd) reversed |
| 15/25 | ROYAL ASSENT — (one’s salary t)* |
| 18 | ODOUR — it’s smell and it’s also the Douro with one end put on the other |
| 19 | TIN CAN — (ancient – e)* |
| 22 | ELSEWHERE — ({f})reewheels)* |
| 24 | DREAM — dr (Mae)rev. — Radian is very free-and-easy about using people without any sort of perhaps etc — he does it here and in 1ac — perhaps it’s fine, but I know some setters who wouldn’t do this |
| 26 | TAX({b}AT{h})I ON |
| 27 | TITHES — (it’s)* around the |
| 28 | SELLOFFS — I really can’t parse this beyond the fact that on board puts s at the beginning and the end |
| Down | |
| 1 | DEB(A)T E |
| 2 | DALTON — he was a Chancellor but the rest of it is a complete mystery |
| 3 | EX CHEQUER{s} — as stated above, Hugh Dalton was a Chancellor of the Exchequer |
| 4 | EXCISE DUTIES — 2 defs, remove obligations and … |
| 6 | IMAG{in}E |
| 7 | CHI M{o}NEYS |
| 8 | LOOPHOLE — loo (help)* around o |
| 11 | EXCHANGE RATE — (Greece tax)* around han{d} |
| 15 | ROALD DAHL — (had)rev. in (dollar)* |
| 16 | FORECAST — (fe actors)* but where the fe comes from I’m not sure |
| 17 | HO USES IT |
| 20 | RE(LIE)F |
| 21 | AM ENDS — 12 noon as an indication of the end of am is OK, but ‘am ends’ is not the same as 12 noon, which is ‘when am ends’ |
| 23 | WIN CE — a wince is a small start |
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:00 am
Hi John
28ac is [w]ELL OFF (with abandoning rich) in SS (on board)
2dn is [t]A[b]L[e]T[s] in DON (professor)
16dn is FORE (homophone of 4) CAST (actors)
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:28 am
This has a budget theme to entertain us while we wait to see what Mr Osbourne has in store for us.
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:55 am
Re 24 across, I believe the general rule is that the surname in the clue does not need an example indication, but the first name does. Had MAE been part of the clue rather than the solution, then example would need to be indicated. Our editor clarified this for me when I defined FRENCH as DAWN, originally without ‘possibly’.
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:26 am
I was unclear for a while about the need to specify names as examples, but I eventually took the view that e.g. Mae is a West, just as beagle is a dog or frog an amphibian, and likewise West is a Mae, I suppose. But I’d be interested to hear what solvers think.
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:45 am
Eimi,
I think that there is a difference in that all beagles are dogs but not all Wests are Maes. My ancient edition of “Anatomy of the Crossword” talks about Generic Definitions and Exemplary Definitions. But this is neither, as not all Maes are Wests either.
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:59 am
I understand that the particular cannot define the general, thus beagle cannot define dog, but isn’t there a sense in which Mae is a variety of West, and likewise West a variety of Mae?
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:07 pm
In 16 dn Fore is a warning you should hear on a golf course.I have no problems with Ken indicating Dodd, once I’d given up on forcing Livingstone into the space remaining.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:15 pm
Pleasing thematic puzzle, which I found ranged from very easy to extremely difficult. Favourite clues, ROYAL ASSENT, TITHES, HOUSE-SIT. In 16 down, I thought FORE referred to the golfer’s shouted warning on a golf course when a golf ball goes astray.
June 22nd, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Hi jp and nmsindy
Was there a different clue in the paper for 16dn? The on-line version makes no reference to golf, the clue being “4 actors read out tomorrow’s weather”.
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:00 pm
The clue was “Tomorrow’s weather possible warning actors”
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Sorry possibly not possible
June 22nd, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Many a slip twixt cup and lip. Re: 16Dn, just a case of me failing to transplant a newer version of the clue. Apologies.
June 22nd, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Very nice, topical crossword two days running. Lots and lots of budget related answers, doubt I’ve spotted them all. Couldn’t see why purdah was right but thanks to John for the blog. I do the dead tree version so 16d seemed fine to me. Was there a different well done message on line?
June 22nd, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Thanks John.
I enjoyed this puzzle from Radian,and I am quite happy with 1 and 24 across.
I also liked 21 down,which while perhaps not being an exact fit,as John points out,is the sort of clue which manages to raise a smile for me.
June 22nd, 2010 at 5:14 pm
Indeed, very topical and an unusual but enjoyable theme. I did get DALTON from the wordplay but then to my shame had to check that he was an ex-chancellor. I’m too young, obviously.
All mackerel are fish but not all fish are mackerel kind of clue? I’m relaxed either way, eimi, as long as the person is not too obscure.
Good puzzle. What’s tomorrow’s theme? We’re rubbish and we know we are?
June 22nd, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Haven’t heard of the excellent phrase ‘dead tree version’ before – flashling 13! We’re currently suffering the on-line version which we are using in Greece at present! Hate to say it, but the Grauniad on-line crossword site is better than Indy!
Indy crosswords are however always better, especially the Saturday Inquisitor!!
June 22nd, 2010 at 9:10 pm
I’m a big fan of Radian’s excellent work, and enjoyed this one a lot. Can’t say I’m all that bothered about what’s correct and proper and whatnot if it’s solvable and good fun, which this certainly was.
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Re comment 15, K’s D, you might have learned that chant from the Sheffield Wednesday fans on their way out of the Stadium of Light after defeat in their relegation season 1999/2000 – tho if I recall there was a difference in one word…
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:52 pm
Always like to maintain a certain decorum on this blog, nms … but whichever word you choose, I fancy that might be the theme of the match tomorrow, if not the crozzie.
June 22nd, 2010 at 11:14 pm
I found this mostly easy but with one or two I really had to think about, the trickiest being chimneys and trope. The trick of of using an individual person to identify a term used by a whole group always seems to catch me out, no matter how many times I see it, so I’m obviously in the camp that would prefer a perhaps. My favourite clue was purdah.
June 23rd, 2010 at 1:10 am
@Bertandjoyce, wish I could claim it as my own but I suspect I’ve borrowed it. As to the footy to misquote the song “we’re going home, we’re going home, England’s going home”. Again. At least France didn’t prosper from the hand of Henry.
June 23rd, 2010 at 7:47 am
West = Mae might be conventional. Dodd = Ken might not be. Go figure. But boy = Ken (etc), etc. Cor! Crosswords, eh?
June 23rd, 2010 at 8:37 am
Re 24a, ‘west’ is sometimes used as a reversal indicator for across clues, so one could have had a clue someting like: “Dr Mae West? – Imagine!” (which might have got some imaginations going!)
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:21 am
Was it pure coincidence that Ken Dodd appeared in a puzzle themed on taxation…?