Radian is a setter who appears frequently in the Independent series ands his puzzles are always entertaining
There is a clear theme today with many entries referring to food, methods of preparing food, and the possible effects of too much food. I reckon that over 70% of the entries could be linked to the theme.
I think I have seen a quadruple definition before, but I am not sure that I have ever seen a quintuple definition like the clue for TENDER at 7 down. All five of the definitions are listed in Collins dictionary.
I think the indication of LIE containing T in 23 down for LITE is OK, but I had to read the clue a few times to see how it worked. I think the apostrophe S indicates the containment.
Good fun, so thanks to Radian
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 9 |
Second secretary with oil magnate picked up dish (9) SPAGHETTI (type of pasta, or a dish of food involving this type of pasta) S (second) + PA (personal assistant; secretary) + GHETTI (sounds like [picked up] GETTY [reference John Paul GETTY [1892 – 1976], oil tycoon and industrialist) S PA GHETTI |
| 10 |
The type that regularly gobbles suet? (5) OBESE (descriptive of a person who is significantly overweight) OBESE (letters 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 [regularly] of GOBBLES SUET) OBESE |
| 11 |
Fit to swallow tablet protem (7) INTERIM (the meantime; for the time being; protem) IN TRIM (fit) containing (swallowing) E (ecstasy tablet) IN T (E) RIM |
| 12 |
A Spanish swimmer died without help (7) UNAIDED (without assistance) UNA (Spanish for the indefinite article, a) + IDE (fish of the same family as the carp) + D (died) UNA IDE D |
| 13 |
I count 50 leaving country (5) ITALY (country in Europe) I + TALLY (count) excluding (leaving) L (Roman numeral for 50) I TALY |
| 14 |
I’d once drunk spirit, breaching etiquette (9) INDECORUM (improper or impolite behaviour breaching etiquette) Anagram of (drunk) I’D ONCE + RUM (an alcoholic spirit) INDECO* RUM |
| 15 |
A Northern Irish lady brings in large man for stock control (6,9) ANIMAL HUSBANDRY (business of rearing livestock; stock control) A + NI (Northern Ireland; Northern Irish) + (MARY [lady’s name] containing [bringing in] L [{large} + HUSBAND {man}]) A NI MA (L HUSBAND) RY |
| 19 |
For one German hosting buffet it helps to make omelette (9) EGGBEATER (kitchen accessory which is helpful when making an omelette) EG (for example; for one) + (GER [German] containing [hosting] BEAT [buffet]) EG G (BEAT) ER |
| 21 |
Some Londoners devour fruit (5) MELON (type of fruit) MELON (hidden word in [devour] SOME LONDONERS) MELON |
| 22 |
China must ask about revolutionary Japanese ware (7) SATSUMA (SATSUMA ware is a yellowish pottery with gilding and enamel made in SATSUMA Province, Japan from the end of the 16th century) SATSUMA (reversed [revolutionary] hidden word in [about] CHINA MUST ASK) SATSUMA< |
| 23 |
Wind from the rear outside recalled pasta dish (7) LASAGNA (a pasta dish) (ANAL [from the end of the alimentary canal; from the rear] containing [outside] GAS [wind]) and all reversed (recalled) (LA (SAG) NA)< |
| 24 |
Toddler munches a small piece of brown bread (5) TOAST (piece of bread that has turned brown by heating) TOT (toddler) containing (munches) (A + S [small]) TO (A S) T |
| 25 |
Canal complaint? It is on record (9) ENTERITIS (inflammation of the intestines, especially the small intestine; complaint affecting the alimentary canal) ENTER (put in a register; record) + IT IS ENTER IT IS |
| Down | |
| 1 |
I avoid tips in a former digest (10) ASSIMILATE (absorb; digest) (I + MISS [avoid]) reversed (tips; down clue) contained in (in) (A + LATE [former]) A (SSIM I)< LATE |
| 2 |
Old mate in Paris welcomes rare beef (8) PASTRAMI (smoked, highly seasoned [especially shoulder] cut of beef) (PAST [old] + AMI [French for friend {mate}]) containing (welcomes) R (rare, abbreviation in Collins) PAST (R) AMI |
| 3 |
Woman’s keen to bottle fruit (6) CHERRY (type of fruit) CRY (keen lament over the dead]) containing (to bottle) HER (woman’s) C (HER) RY |
| 4 |
Staunch supporter of plant (4) STEM (stop; check; staunch) STEM (leaf-bearing axis of a plant; support for a plant) double definition STEM |
| 5 |
£51 is exceptionally dear for a kitchen device (10) LIQUIDISER (kitchen device) LI (Roman numerals for 51) + QUID (slang term for pound sterling, £) + IS + ER (letters 2 and 4 [excepting letters 1 and 3; exceptionally]) LI QUID IS ER |
| 6 |
Foreign Office spies nicking a cricket club’s bread (8) FOCACCIA (flat round loaf of Italian bread topped with herbs and olive oil) FO (Foreign Office) + (CIA [Central Intelligence Agency; spies] containing [nicking] [A + CC [Cricket Club]) FO C (A CC) IA |
| 7 |
Offer kind young nurse a dinghy (6) TENDER (offer) TENDER (kind) TENDER (young) TENDER (one who cares; nurse) TENDER (dinghy) – all definitions in Collins Dictionary -quintuple definition |
| 8 |
Charge by the day for fodder (4) FEED (food for cattle; fodder) FEE (charge) + D (day) FEE D |
| 14 |
Where to do some poaching, beset by trouble (2,3,5) IN HOT WATER (in trouble) IN HOT WATER (eggs are poached in hot water) double definition IN HOT WATER |
| 15 |
I am anyone’s after refreshment and dressing (10) MAYONNAISE (dressing for food) Anagram of (after refreshment) I AM ANYONE’S MAYONNAISE* |
| 17 |
Pretty good commercial match (8) ADEQUATE (competent; pretty good) AD (advertisement; commercial) + EQUATE (match) AD EQUATE |
| 18 |
One who represents Georgia during strike (8) DELEGATE (representative; one who represents) GA (Georgia) contained in (during) DELETE (strike [out]) DELE (GA) TE |
| 20 |
Sweet drink in most of France once (6) GATEAU (dessert; sweet) TEA (drink) contained in (in) GAUL (former [once] name for France) excluding the final letter (most of) L GA (TEA) U |
| 21 |
Killjoy is boring drunk, having ejected one Republican (6) MISERY (doleful person; killjoy) IS contained in (boring) MERRY (drunk) excluding (having ejected) one of the Rs [Republican) M (IS) ERY |
| 22 |
Son put away stuff (4) SATE (satisfy fully; glut; stuff) S (son) + ATE (put away) S ATE |
| 23 |
Time-consuming story’s less powerful (4) LITE ([of food and drink], low in calories, alcoholic content, etc [less powerful]) LIE (story) containing (is consuming) T (time) LI (T) E |
There’s a sort of mini theme within the them today with FEED from ITALY specifically being LASGANA, PASTRAMI, FOCACCIA and SPAGHETTI which seems a fairly specific subset of the overall them.
I saw the parsing of LITE differently with ‘consuming’ as the containment indicator. The story (LIE) is time (T) consuming. The ‘s just abbreviates ‘is’ for the definition.
TENDER is, indeed, a sublime bit of clueing. I was also taken with EGG BEATER, the clever construction of ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, MAYONNAISE with its slightly lewd surface, INDECORUM – just a lovely word and neatly done and IN HOT WATER for the neat double def.
Thanks Radian and duncan
Given that it was Radian, I was initially worried the theme might be Shakespearean (a subject in which I am hopelessly lacking) but thankfully not the case. An impressive grid fill.
In 23d, the hyphen is all important. So the story is time-consuming (consuming time).
Comparatively easy for Radian, for me anyway, finished halfway through breakfast. As well as Italian food (heralded by 13A), there’s another mini-theme within a theme for fruit/desserts. ANIMAL HUSBANDRY might also be considered part of the theme. The quintuple definition TENDER was outstanding. Thanks Radian and Duncan.
Loved the quintuple definition, and as a bonus an appealing theme that didn’t require any knowledge of Shakespeare, as pointed out by Hovis @2. A few ATE(s) added to the enjoyment of the theme spotting.
If you really do want a clue with multiple definitions, see if you can get your hands on Sunday Times Puzzle No 4939 from Jan 24th of this year (sorry, but you need to be a Crossword Club member to access the unsolved version, or if you wanted to take a short cut, you could go to the Times for the Times blog of the puzzle 6 days later), set by our very own Hoskins / Slorgorm.
Thanks to Duncan and Radian
As soon as I’d solved TENDER I knew which clue we’d all be writing about – outstanding!
Needed a bit of help as ever towards the end but thought that most of this was entirely do-able by someone with limited skill and some fun clues
Thanks a lot to Radian and Duncan
Radian (and his alter egos) can be tricky at times but we found this at the easier end of his difficulty spectrum and it was a pretty quick solve – helped by twigging the theme early on. A few answers which were obvious from the theme nevertheless took a bit of parsing – such as ASSIMILATE and LASAGNA.
No problem nominating TENDER for CoD.
Thanks, Radian and Duncan.
What PostMark said, including on the parsing of lite. The quintuple definition was my last one in and, when I realised what was going on, I just sat back in admiration. Missed the point of tips in 1d, so that was a did not parse. Thanks to Radian and to Duncan.
Can I echo the praise for TENDER? I enjoyed LIQUIDISER, too. Like Jayjay I didn’t get tips in 1d until I came here.