A rare treat: Virgilius on a Saturday. About the same level of difficulty as we’ve come to expect from Virgilius and a theme of course: this time, it’s centred around two well-known phrases at 3/28 and 1/7.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | L(IE)N |
| 3/28 | LEFT,RIGHT AND CENTRE – the answers referenced in the clue are all synonyms for LEFT, RIGHT and CENTRE. |
| 9 | C,L in (RECTORY)* – CORRECTLY |
| 10 | (BEING)* – BINGE. Not really an &lit as “It’s being drunk” doesn’t really mean BINGE, which can only be a noun (meaning a period of excessive indulgence) or a verb. |
| 11 | S(OLD)UP – a reminder that SUP doesn’t always mean “drink”. It’s outdated now but it used to mean “to eat supper”. |
| 12 | (CLUE)* in SUN< – NUCLEUS |
| 14 | (I CITED TO BAR)* – OBITER DICTA. A remark made by a judge on a point of law which has no binding legal authority. |
| 16 | BOA – double definition. |
| 18 | hidden in “liKE Guiness” |
| 19 | (APPRAISED)*,ED – DISAPPEARED. |
| 21 | RESERVE – double definition. |
| 24 | CI(MEN) |
| 26 | STERN – which can mean both “hard” and “back”. |
| 27 | ON ONE’S EAR – at first I thought this was a cryptic def, albeit not a very good one, but I’ve just spotted that it’s a double definition: you can have your ears boxed and be thrown out ON ONE’S EAR. |
| 29 | CUR,L |
| Down | |
| 1/7 | LOCK,STOCK AND BARREL – like 3/28, the answers referenced are all synonyms for LOCK, STOCK and BARREL. |
| 2 | [-m]EN,ROLLING |
| 3 | ET AL (going up) |
| 4 | FLY,IN |
| 5 | REBECCA – one of the last couple of answers to go in for me, despite having all the checking letters in place. |
| 6 | GEN,RE |
| 7 | [-s]TRESS |
| 8 | U in (PETER)* – REPUTE. |
| 13 | odd letters from “OdDnEsS” |
| 15 | CAPE – similar clue to 26 |
| 16 | B(ORDER)EAU – new word to me but fairly easy to guess from the wordplay. |
| 20 | EX[-c]ITED |
| 21 | A TSAR (going up) |
| 22 | SPEED – “on which some can get high” is a reference to the drug. |
| 23 | (TO BE A)* – E-BOAT. A fast torpedo boat used by the German Navy. |
| 25 | C,OR,E |
This is the first Virgilius xwd I’ve completed and I enjoyed its straightforward cluing and surfaces, rather like an Everyman or a Rufus. One highlight: 20 ‘Went hot, not cold.’
I particularly appreciated the thematic clues: look forward to more.
BINGE
I’m not absolutely sure about this – it’s either brilliant or unsound and since it’s Virgilius it’s probably the former. But OK it isn’t an &lit because ‘It’s being drunk’ doesn’t really mean binge, but would it be an &lit if it were simply ‘Being drunk’? Presumably yes, but still ‘Being drunk’ doesn’t mean binge. In that case what is added by the addition of ‘It’s’?
The usual excellent themed puzzle from Virgilius showing again that they don’t necessarily have to be hard to be good.
Must say I’ve no problems with BINGE = it’s being drunk – I think that’s quite OK as a definition (period of excessive drinking, say).