Am I alone in finding this not too hard this time?
I was getting a bit worried as my subscription copy did not arrive till Friday – which is at least a day late even allowing for the Bank Holiday Monday – so I didn’t see it till I returned home that night. I always make a rule to read the mag before tackling the crossword, else I feel I’m buying it just for the crossword, and where will that end! In fact I didn’t look at it till gone midnight – an unusual time of day for me, I’ve normally been visited by the sandman before then.
Then I was surprised to find myself writing in the last answer.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 8 | VIAGRA VIA (by way of) GR (King George) A[dvanced] |
| 9 | NEUTERED EU in side (TENDER)* AInd: falsified Very quickly seen Anagram – first entered answer |
| 10 | ANCESTOR Hidden in circumstANCES TORy Very slowly spotted Hidden – last entered answer. Not sure why I didn’t see this earlier. Nice surface: In circumstances, Tory hides old family member (8) |
| 11 | TOYOTA Convoluted Anagram fodder here: (TORY TO [clim]A[x] – R)* AInd: excites |
| 12/1 | DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT DD using as its first def the subject of the year – I can’t bring myself to describe this as a cryptic def |
| 17 | BADMOUTHING (BOUGH AND TIM)* AInd: off. For its conciseness and clarity this was a contender for the favourite clue medal, but the only Bough and Tim I can think of are Frank and “C’mon” Tim Henman who are surely from different generations: Knocking off Bough and Tim (11) |
| 19 | ACCENT AC (Bill) C[linton] (TEN)* AInd: screws. Nice clue effectively using Bill Clinton in full to clue ACC |
| 21 | UNTANGLE (NUT)* AInd: out. ANGLE (view) Strange long definition part: Not what one saying “get knotted” expects you to do |
| 23 | PROFOUND PRO (tart) FOUND (spotted) |
| 24/14 | THROWN OUT TH[e] (The endless) [b]ROWN] (blowing of top by PM) OUT (abroad) |
| 25 | KNEE-TREMBLER CD I suppose this is a CD but it is a bit obvious despite the hint that it is about the Indian Congress party. Ah heck, it gets my Top Clue award for the answer really – I’ve always found this an evocative descriptive phrase. |
| Down | |
| 1 | ONIONS O and O (Balls) going round (IN)< (cycling in) NS (two directions) |
| 2 | PIGHEADED DD “Babe-like” referring to the excellent children’s book by Dick King Smith: Babe, the Sheep Pig. The film was good too (though the manufactured sequel was, err, a pig) |
| 3 | REACT (ER)< (Brenda’s gone arse up) ACT (be a luvvy) |
| 4 | INNER [s]INNER (offender spurning society) Now: Would an archer really be “reasonably satisfied” with an inner? |
| 5 | MOUNT FUJI (UFO NUT JIM)* AInd: messed with. This brings to mind Hokusai’s famous “Wave” over Fuji and my first encounter with it on the cover of a Stomu Yamashta LP of the early seventies. Later edit: I’m mistaken. I found that LP and it wasnt that Wave or Mount Fuji at all but this by Gakutei |
| 6 | NEEDY First letters of: Nooky Every Evening Disturbed Youth |
| 7 | SEXTANT SEX (facts of life) TAN (Brown) T (end of GovernmenT) |
| 13 | SHORT FUSE SHORT (ex-minister, ref. Clare Short) F[emale] USE (exploitation) |
| 15 | IN GENERAL IN (popular) (ENLARGE)* AInd: bust |
| 16 | OBSCURE S[un] CUR (arse) inside OBE (an honour) |
| 18 | BLOWER DD One somewhat cryptic: Arthur Daley’s dog, refers to the cockney slang “Dog and Bone” = phone, of which blower is also a slang synonym |
| 20 | ELFIN (LIFE)* AInd: sad. [gordo]N A more usual spelling of this word compared to ELVIN seen recently in a crossy |
| 21 | UNDER [bo]UNDER (arse) with BO “personal problem” removed |
| 22 | TOTEM TOT (kid) ‘EM (those vulgar, i.e. “them” pronouced ’em) |
I agree it was easier than normal. Similarly to you I did it last thing at night and would usually put down an unfinished puzzle before turning in. For me Mount Fuji brings to mind Atari. I always understood their logo to be the Japanese character for Mount Fuji but it is likely to be more general than that.
We too couldn’t really work out 12/1 either. Strange clue.
Nick & Lorraine
We did this between Clapham Junction and Basingstoke, so probably quicker than average for us. Last one in was 10 ac., brilliantly hidden with wording that suggested a container-contents clue. Enjoyed 25 ac., although Cyclops has clued this recently in a similar fashion.
I completed the grid, but there were a few I entered without fully understanding the cryptic element of the clue at the time (16D, 21D). Funnily enough 10ac was my first entry, not sure what that says about me. I found the rest fairly tough going, although a few raised a smile once I eventually had the “aha” moment (4D, 18D).
1ac was given as 12 long in the downloadable Across Lite version, rather than 2,10. Aghh!
Cyclops has been far too easy recently. I pick up my PE at Sainsbury’s and solve while we’re doing the weekly grocery shop.