Another crossword where the last answer (correctly) written in is the first clue you look at, i.e. 1A or equivalent. This seems to have been happening to me a lot recently. Is it just that these instances and more memorable? Are setters purposely making 1A clues harder than the rest? Or is it simply that my brain is less in tune with cryptic thinking, more easily misled or fixated, early on in a solving session?
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 7 | FRILLIES ILL inside FRIES (homophone Fry’s ref Stephen Fry). I had TROLLEYS initially on the basis of a couple of crossing letters and as they are slang undies, without any justification from the clue besides the def. Then when the other crossing letters checked (espec. after I changed my spelling to trollies) I might have left it in if I wasn’t going to do this blog. Finally I thought of the only Stephen likely to be mentioned only by first name: Dicky gets into Stephen’s (so it’s said) girly underwear (8) |
| 9 | RETAIL (ER)< TAIL |
| 10 | NON-VIOLENT [brow]N (LOVE IN)* all inside (TON[y])< Complex wordplay – quite satisfying to work out |
| 11/23 | RIFF RAFF RIFF (FAR)* F |
| 12/13 | PARTY POLITICS PARTY (TOIL)* inside PICS |
| 15 | MARILYN (MAINLY R)* By a short head this simple solid clue picks up my favourite clue award: Film star mainly gets screwed without resistance (7) |
| 16 | PLAINLY LAIN inside PLY |
| 19 | BACKSIDE BACKS[L]IDE |
| 21 | RUDDY [c]RUDDY |
| 22/25 | STAR TREK (RATS)< TREK Again I got fixated on an answer – in this case “This Life” – brought on by thinking it was an anagram of “shits + something else” – that was was obviously wrong but wasted time wondering if a “White South African” is known as a “efi” or a “fil” and so on. |
| 24 | LEGAL COSTS CD Were we supposed to think of Jeremy Paxman and … (shudder) … his briefs ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7199696.stm ): From which briefs get more than adequate support? (5,5) |
| 26 | SNIFFY SN (poles) IFFY (unsettled) |
| 27 | REVOLVER CD Nice one: Spin exponent likely to get fired? (8) |
| Down | |
| 1 | TRIO RIOT with T sent to the front. I over-thought this (i.e. got it completely wrong initially) and wrote in RIOT thinking it was (TRIO)*. Crossing letter put me right |
| 2 | CLEVER DICK C[onservative] LEVER DICK |
| 3 | MISOGYNY (GISMO Y N Y)* But isn’t misogyny synonymous with sexism rather than sexist? |
| 4 | BRUTAL RUT in LAB reversed Definition slippage here too I reckon. Brutal is surely at less one notch up from Blunt which is nearer merely Tactless. |
| 5 | STIR DD Very standard clue for this (bit too easy really): Prison unrest (4) |
| 6 | DIFFICULTY (CLIFF DUTY I)* One of the last to go in. I had been suitably misled into thinking about Cliff Richard and wondering if he had a nickname I didn’t know, and even considering if there are other famous Cliffs – Michelmore and Thorburn were all I could come up with – and even even if there are famous enough cliffs – such as Beachy Head or Golden Cap – before eventually spotting the anagrind “everywhere”: Cliff: “Duty everywhere engulfs one” – pain in the arse! (10) |
| 8 | SHERPA ER inside (PASH)* Another extremely easy clue here I thought. Gives me a chance to slip in a link to one of my childhood heroes: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenzing_Norgay |
| 12 | PLAY-ACTING P LAY AC TING I thought the clueing of TING by “ding-a-ling” was sweet. |
| 14 | THIRD WORLD DD First def is nice, as the Earth is “Third rock from the Sun”, but I’m not sure about the other def. these days (and neither is Cyclops we assume from the “?”): It could mean the earth in Sun circulation terms, much of Asia? (5,5) |
| 17 | LORD LEVY (LOVELY)* with RD (road = way) inside. I notice “too zealous a supporter of Blair!” is effectively presented as a def. without a question mark – maybe Cyclops has more information that may help the Met Police with their enquiries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cash_for_Honours |
| 18 | MERGER VERGER with M for V Nice smooth clue: Church official against getting changed for male union (6) |
| 20 | INLAYS IN (A SLY)* |
22/25 A. Knew it was Star Trek by other clues but like you spent too long thinking about political organisations. Thought it was TS (end of SHITS) or SA (for South Africa). Thought TREK was a bit too obscure.
8 D. Way over my head. Left blank till now.
1 D. Made exactly the same mistake as you.
18 D. Blimey, that was tough.
My first comment here as I’m new to this crossword lark. Will be checking the site frequently from now on. Keep up the good work!