* = anagram
< = reversed
“” = homophone
d.d. = double definition
c.d. = cryptic definition
Across
8. AL JOLSON. JLOALSO* + N
9. TINGE. GET* around IN.
11. OXFORD CLAY. OX + FORD + C + LAY.
12. PASS ON. [NOS + SAP]<
14. INDICATE. IN DI(CAT)E.
16. THE TOPS. TH(an) + E + SPOT<.
18. JERICHO. J + ERIC + HO.
21. DECREPIT. DE(CR)E + PIT.
23. PETALS. c.d.
24. MORTIFYING. d.d.
26. LIMN. “LIMB”. A form of painting.
28. AQUARIST. AUSTRIAS* around Q.
Down
1. SLAPDASH. SLAP + DASH.
3. ESSOIN. NOISES*.
4. SNUFF IT. FUNS< + FIT.
5. STARFISH. STAR + FISH.
6. UNICYCLIST. L(a)CYTUNICIS*
7. DEPART. Not sure about this one
13. SUTURATION. SUITRANOUT*.
15. DIE. (l)(a)DIE(s).
17. POP YOUR CLOGS. d.d.
19. HALF MAST. HAMSFLAT*.
20. STOICAL. OALISTC*.
22. EROICA. (h)EROIC + A.
23. PEG OUT. PEG + OUT.
26. LARKSPUR. LARKS + “PER”
Thanks Ciaran. 7dn is TRAPPED< less P.
I found this pretty hard, though fun, if you don’t mind the slight tastelessness of the theme. LIMN seems excessively obscure, though guessable from the homophone (the clue is slightly ambiguous – LIMB could conceivably be the answer, I think)
Ciaran,
7d. “Trapped”, reversed, – P(arking).
Oh, sorry Andrew; didn’t see your first line…
I really enjoyed this but I am annoyed that 24A isn’t LIMB.
Foiled by the homophone again.
I have never heard of LIMN and didn’t understand “making pictures the old way”, but even if I did surely the clue could be read either way. It certainly would’ve been better for the difference in the two words to have been a checked letter.
Thanks Ciaran.
I found this pretty hard too.
Re 26dn+10ac LARKSPUR
I took this to be LARKS + “PUR” (almost PURR like a Persian!)
I agree, Andrew, about the ambiguity in 26ac.
I wish compilers would make it absolutely clear which of the homophones should be entered in the grid.
Hi Polecat: I took 26,10 that way, too.
I think the intended reading of 26ac is also the most natural one, but the combined ambiguity and obscurity are a blemish on an otherwise excellent puzzle. Perhaps Brummie could have done something thematic with LIMB(O), or LIME (used for “dissolving” corpses).
I agree with Polecat and Eileen about LARKSPUR.
Thank you for this. A small note of dissent: the explanation is a bit thin for one of the trickier clues – can someone please explain what on earth “PETALS” refers to? I got it from the checking letters but had no idea what the reference was! Thanks again!
NeilW
This refers to an old practice of pulling the individual petals off a flower (often a daisy) whilst alternately reciting, with each petal, ‘s/he loves me’ or ‘s/he loves me not’. Whatever is said when the last petal is removed is assumed to be true.
In 23dn why does PEG = ‘Margaret briefly’?
Thanks
Thanks for the blog. I found this hard to start with, then got into it. ESSOIN is a new word for me, but I did know LIMN. I thought it was more likely to be the answer because it was more obscure. 26,10 was the last one I got. Nice clue.
Peg is a nickname for Margaret.
Well that and ESSOIN are my learnings for the day.
Thank you liz
Gaufrid, thank you very much for the elucidation – now you say it, it’s obvious: I suppose that’s the mark of a really good c.d. clue. By the way, I loved “POP YOUR CLOGS”.
Didn’t get on with this at all today, but I find that normal for Brummie. It’s not that there is anything to complain about, or anything too hard, it seems to be more his word associations are not always ones I would use, even though they are correct. Oh well, never mind.
Just out of general interest, is Peg still used? I know it was when I was a kid, but nowadays all the Margarets that I know have other diminutives. Listening to Buddy Holly is about the only time I here it now!
How does “pop your clogs” fit in with Lancastrian dancing? – I thought clog dancing was a traditional Welsh activity. Cheers Chuck
Sounds like you need a lesson in Lancastrian Clog dancing Chuck
Clog dancing is traditional in Wales and is a regular feature of both local and national … English clog dancing started in the Industrial Revolution. …
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clogging
Chuck
As immortalised, for those who haven’t seen it, in Bill Tiday’s Private Eye strip “The Cloggies, an Everyday Saga in the Life of Clog Dancing Folk”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cloggies. Loved that clue.
I missed 18ac, so my new discovery for today is Eric Morecambe.
26ac. Does no-one read The Bard anymore?
Look when a painter would surpass the life
In limning out a well-proportioned steed,
His art with nature’s workmanship at strife,
As if the dead the living should exceed;
So did this horse excel a common one
In shape, in courage, colour, pace and bone.
Venus and Adonis
Hard and not always fair.
Pop your clogs just doesn’t work for me. Firstly it means die and not dies as clued. Furthermore, whilst I’m happy with the Lancs association, can someone help me with the “dated advice” or “hard up” parts?
Starfish have legs not arms.
Where is Charlie in 12 ac?
etc…
15A Pop y’clogs: The clue is: “15’s dated advice …” which must be read “Die, is dated advice …”, so the def. is singular.
> Starfish have legs not arms.
Try telling that to Spongebob’s pal Patrick!
12A Charlie = idiot = SAP (backwards, rejected)
Paul (not Paul)
17,2,27 The clue was “die’s” indicating “die is” so the definition is simply ‘die’. The ‘dated advice’ and ‘hard up’ refers to ‘pop’ which is an old word for ‘pawn’, which a dancer short of cash might need to do with his/her footwear.
5,25 Chambers, COED and Collins all state that a starfish has five arms. Here is the full Collins definition “any echinoderm of the class Asteroidea, such as Asterias rubens, typically having a flattened body covered with a flexible test and five arms radiating from a central disc”.
12a is NOS (numbers) SAP (Charlie) reversed, ‘sap’ as in a ‘foolish person’ or ‘right Charlie’
Iknow it’s a bit late, but I have been out living. One (1) down “messy cuff that’s annoying”(8) and all are satisfied with “SLAPDASH” – wise up, and lay of the “cheat” button.
1d seemed fairly straightforward to me – “messy” is a reasonable definition of “slapdash,” which the dictionaries define as meaning careless, hasty, or hurried; to cuff (“to strike with an open hand”) is to slap, and “dash” is a mild epithet that can mean “that’s annoying,” among other things. Am I missing something?
Hi Dgnabit
I don’t think you’re missing anything!
Oops, sorry, except an ‘a’! 🙂
Thank you for the vote of confidence, Eileen. I should also add that I didn’t need to use the Cheat button for 1d, either. 🙂
I agree slapdash is finely clued, dash being a mild oath
stiofain
That’s how I saw 1dn too.
I thought there was a bit more to it (1d) than that. There is a – (ie dash) there, too.
And to have a messy cuff would be annoying, I should have added
Yes Dave it is an excellent clue on several levels
I didn’t find the tastelessness slight. Perhaps it’s old age creeping up on me!
This is my first attempt at doing an online puzzle and apart from LIMN and ESSOIN I didn’t have a problem.
My second attempt was todays Araucaria puzzle which I solved easily. I’ll look forward to the comments tomorrow….
This is fun!!!!!!!!