Fifteensquared

Day: 5 September 2011

  • Independent 7765 by Quixote

    Fairly typical puzzle from Quixote.      Not too difficult – solving time, 20 mins.     Enjoyed it.

    * = anagram

    ACROSS

    1 PEDALO       ED (editor = journalist) in PAL (friend) O (round).       A boat operated using foot pedals

    4 CRACKLED    L (litres)  in CRACKED (crazy)

    9 LENINGRAD    (learning)* D (first letter of democracy).       &lit type clue which refers, I guess, to the city changing its name back to St Petersburg after the fall of Communism in Russia in 1991.

    11 NAVVY    V  (very briefly) in NAVY

    12 HATTERS     fall apart = shatter with 1st letter moved to the end

    13 STEPSON    steps on

    14 RAVEN-HAIRED     (harridan Eve)*

    18 MARLBOROUGH    marl (rock) OB (Old Boy) – reversed    rough (unwell)

    21 OVEREAT      get too ‘ot     = over ‘eat ie heat with the h dropped

    22 TENSE UP   Very good surface reading here.     ? in the clue, I guess, as ‘future’ is just one example of a tense (from English grammar).    up = at University

    24 KYOTO   City in Japan     model = toy (reversed)    KO = knockout = ‘stunning act in arena’ (boxing)

    25 UNDERLINE      in a fraction (maths) the denominator goes under the line

    26 HASHEESH       Has he e (ecstasy)?   sh (say nothing)

    27 REGRET     re (about)   Gret(a) Garbo     inadequate = take last letter off

    DOWN

    1 PILCHARD      clip (catch) upwards   hard (not easy)

    2 DONATIVE      do (cheat)  native (local inhabitant)    ‘providing’ here is a not a link but part of the definition of the adjective

    3 LANCE    C  (first letter of cut) in lane (passage)

    5 REDISTRIBUTED    red (left-winger) is tribute (accolade)  d (dough’s beginning)

    6 CONTENDER     con (look in the sense of con = study, I think)  tender (offer)

    7 LAVISH    lav (little room = toilet) is  h (hotel – code word for the letter h)

    8 DOYENS     ye (you once) in Dons (academics)

    10 RESTAURATEURS     (rue a starter us)*

    15  NUMBER ONE    Amusing double definition  with clue dividing at wee/fellow

    16 SUPERIOR    refers to Lake Superior on US/Canada border    Rio (port – in Brazil) in sup (drink) and er (hesitation)

    17 SHIPMENT    hip (trendy) men (guys) in st (street)

    19 HOOKAH     posh sounding “hooker”

    20 VENOUS     “Venus”    homophone of the goddess

    23 NERVE      answer hidden in ‘inner vestibule’.    nerve  in the sense of bottle, courage.

  • Guardian Quiptic 616 / Moley

    Apologies, a bit late on parade today.  I don’t recall having had a Moley to blog for a while, but I always enjoy her Quiptics, and this was no exception.  I’ve got a couple of niggles, but see what you think.

    The other thing I noticed (more while writing the blog than solving the puzzle, to be fair) was that there was a surfeit of anagrams today.  But I’m not going to be critical about that, because I think in an entry-level crossword, a few Easy Annies allow you to get a foothold in the puzzle, which then encourages you to crack on with the rest.

     

    cd  cryptic definition
    dd  double definition
    (xxxx)*  anagram
    anagrind = anagram indicator
    [x]  letter(s) removed

    Across

    1 One last doctor in a political dynasty
    MEDICI
    A charade of I for ‘one’ after MEDIC for ‘doctor’ gives you the Italian dynasty.  They founded the Medici Bank, which was responsible for introducing double-entry bookkeeping, I discovered this morning.  You don’t learn that kind of stuff doing sudokos, do you?

    5 Pundit’s malty hop compound
    POLYMATH
    (MALTY HOP)*  ‘Compound’ is the anagrind, but for me a POLYMATH is someone who has wide-ranging knowledge, whereas a ‘pundit’ is someone who chunters on about football on Match of the Day, demonstrating a complete lack of wide-ranging knowledge.

    9 Neckwear to top, on reflection, chef’s basic requirement
    STOCKPOT
    A charade of STOCK and TOP reversed.  I couldn’t see the STOCK bit for a while, but it’s referring (I think) to what most people would call STOCKS, the old punishment where the frame was clamped around your neck.  The SOED gives the singular, but marks it as ‘rare’.

    10 More obedient, displaced marketeer’s lost art
    MEEKER
    (MKEEER)*  Moley’s asking you to take the ART out of MARKETEER and then use that as the anagram fodder.  ‘Displaced’ is the anagrind.

    11 Plays music to back son, wife and former student
    BOWS
    A reversal (‘back’) of S, W and OB for ‘old boy’, a former student.

    12 Posed at university to share the maximum concentration
    SATURATION
    A charade of SAT, U and RATION.

    13 Nasty burn that is recalled somewhere on Borneo
    BRUNEI
    The sovereign state on the island of Borneo is a charade of (BURN)* and IE (id est, ‘that is’) reversed.  ‘Nasty’ is the anagrind.

    14 Security items pack sold irregularly
    PADLOCKS
    (PACK SOLD)*  ‘Irregularly’ is the anagrind.

    16 Epicure in rough sea takes the test? No way!
    AESTHETE
    Probably the toughest clue.  A word for someone who enjoys the finer things in life is a charade of (SEA)*, THE and TE[ST].  The ‘No way!’ part of the clue is inviting you to take ST for ‘street’ or ‘way’ out of TEST.

    19 All join in exclamation of surprise and revel in it!
    WALLOW
    An insertion of ALL in WOW!

    20 First-class porridge cooked for animal
    PRAIRIE DOG
    (AI PORRIDGE)*
    You need to supply AI for ‘first class’ and then make the anagram fodder with ‘porridge’.  ‘Cooked’ is the anagrind.  The little critter is too cute for his own good.

    22 Five lie in assembly — that’s abominable!
    VILE
    (V LIE)*  I hope I’m not the only one who messed up here by first entering EVIL.  ‘In assembly’ is the anagrind.

    23 Firm gets her point — stick together!
    COHERE
    A charade of CO, HER and E for East, a point of the compass.

    24 Romantic music in shop yard, perhaps
    RHAPSODY
    (SHOP YARD)*  ‘Perhaps’ is the anagrind.

    25 States split by Utah’s laws
    STATUTES
    An insertion of UT, the abbreviation for Utah, in STATES.

    26 Paint handle held by the Spanish
    ENAMEL
    An insertion of NAME in EL, one of the definite articles in Spanish.  ‘Handle’ is an informal word for ‘name’: the setter’s handle here is Moley.

    Down

    2 Get jealous: feed on second person’s courage until it’s gone
    EAT YOUR HEART OUT
    A charade to start us on the down clues: EAT for ‘feed’ (are these synonyms?); YOUR for the grammatical term ‘second person’; HEART for ‘courage’; and OUT for ‘gone’.

    3 Ancient people imprisoned in Dublin Castle
    INCAS
    My favourite surface today.  The solution is hidden in DublIN CAStle.

    4 I’m tense and motionless
    IMPASSIVE

    A charade of IM and PASSIVE, but I’m afraid the clue is faulty.  When referring to verbs, PASSIVE is not a ‘tense’; together with ‘active’ it’s a voice.  ‘The dog bit the man’ (active voice).  ‘The man was bitten by the dog’ (passive voice).  Tense refers to when the action of the verb occurred.  ‘The dog bites the man’ (present).  ‘The dog bit the man’ (past).  Here endeth the grammar lesson.

    5 Mines surface where vehicles park
    PIT STOP
    Another one I especially liked.  It’s a dd, with PIT’S TOP for ‘mine’s surface’.

    6 Comparatively disabled, poor earl married
    LAMER
    (EARL M)*  ‘Poor’ is the anagrind.

    7 Master nothing new, yet become a virtuoso
    MAESTRO
    Come to think of it, I liked this one as well.  It’s (MASTER O)* and ‘new’ is the anagrind.

    8 Growth of learning in the Bible
    TREE OF KNOWLEDGE
    A cd.  The answer comes from Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, and refers to the tree from which Eve took the forbidden fruit and then encouraged Adam to do the same, resulting in God banishing them both from the Garden of Eden.  And we all know what happened afterwards.  That’s women for you …

    15 Relegate dog warden, perhaps
    DOWNGRADE
    (DOG WARDEN)*  ‘Perhaps’ is the anagrind.

    17 Make effort, say, to damage a weapon
    TRIDENT
    A charade of TRI (a homophone of TRY) and DENT for ‘damage’.  ‘Say’ is the homophone indicator.

    18 Tolerates the final ruse, after a fashion
    ENDURES
    Another charade of END for ‘final’ and (RUSE)*  ‘After a fashion’ is the anagrind.

    21 Incompetent at home with ill-treated pet
    INEPT
    Put IN for ‘at home’ in front of (PET)* to get a synonym for ‘incompetent’.  ‘Ill-treated’ is the anagrind.

    22 Very interesting: soft texture initially a prospect
    VISTA
    The first letters (‘initially’) of Very interesting soft texture, and A.

    A good Quiptic from Moley in my opinion, which I think newer solvers could grapple with and enjoy finishing.

  • Guardian Cryptic 25419 Rufus

    An apt and enjoyable start to the week, thanks to Rufus.  Nice surfaces.  As usual, definitions are underlined in the clues.  Hidden connections are in 3 of the picture sets.

    Across

    1 Writer shares out novel development (9)

    AUTHORESS :  Anagram of(novel development) SHARES OUT

                

    6 Flight path incomplete (4)

    ROUT :  Path,route minus its last letter,incomplete

    Defn:  An overwhelming defeat accompanied by flight,dispersal of the defeated

    8 Successfully manage an abduction? (5,3)

    CARRY OFF :  Double defn: 1st: Successfully manage, say,?, an abduction; and 2nd: Abduct someone without consent, usually by force.

          

    9 A man’s entitled to them, but they’re not left to son (6)

    RIGHTS :  RIGHT(not left) plus(to) S(son)

    10 Bring the match alive with shot at goal (6)

    STRIKE :  Double defn:  1st: What you do to light,bring alive, a matchstick

    11 Frighten with errors and bloomers (8)

    COWSLIPS :  COW(intimidate,frighten) plus SLIPS(mistakes,errors)

    Defn:  Plant with white and yellow flowers,bloomers, not to be confused with its relation, the oxlip, another crossword staple.

       

    12 Detectives in US agency retired, remaining sharp (6)

    ACIDIC :  CID(Criminal Investigation Department, filled with detectives) contained in(in) reversal of(retired) CIA(the US Central Intelligence Agency)

    15 Put on heavy music symbolic of Ireland (8)

    SHAMROCK :  SHAM(fake,put on) plus(on) ROCK(heavy music)

    Defn:  Symbol of Ireland, together with leprechauns and Guinness?

    16 The kindly feeling of its beneficiaries? (8)

    GOODWILL :  Cryptic defn:  The beneficiaries of a GOOD WILL, descriptive of one with no nasty surprises, such as a “beneficiary” being left $1, will show a lot of GOODWILL all round.

    19 This by itself is only a gradual process (6)

    LITTLE :  Cryptic defn:  This, the word LITTLE plus by plus itself, the word LITTLE, ie. “little by little” denotes a gradual process.  Edit.note: to make my intended meaning clearer in view of comment#1.

    21 Shadow boxing, a contest between fighters? (8)

    DOGFIGHT :  DOG(to follow,tail,shadow) FIGHT(one form of which is boxing)

    Defn:  An aerial combat,contest between fighter planes.  Hesitated a bit because of “fight” in both clue and answer.

    22 Feast on one’s bed in the dormitory? (6)

    SPREAD :  Double defn:  1st: Food and drink,a feast spread large on the dining table; and 2nd: The linen cloth spread over one’s bed, also known as a bedspread.  Edit.note: Ditto as 19A

    24 Italian banger unfortunately going the wrong way joining the motorway (6)

    SALAMI :  Reversal of(going the wrong way) ALAS(unfortunately) plus(joining) MI(=M1, first major motorway in England, running north-south)

    Defn:  Italian sausage,banger, not to be confused with banger = old car.  Nice surface.

    25 Substantial list includes gin cocktail (8)

    TANGIBLE :  TABLE(list) containing(includes) anagram of(cocktail) GIN.

    26 A venerable name in our illustrious past (4)

    BEDE :  Cryptic defn:  7/8C monk, Saint BEDE, our,English historian,a chronicler of the illustrious past, also known as the Venerable BEDE

           

    27 Stomach is churning — but he enjoys it! (9)

    MASOCHIST :  Anagram of(churning) STOMACH IS.

    Defn:  He who enjoys pain inflicted on himself, eg. when his stomach is churning, and whatever else there is!  Yet another nice surface with intertwining definition and wordplay.

    Down

    1 Fit girl given bodybuilding exercises (5)

    ADAPT :  ADA(girl’s name) plus(given) PT(physical training,bodybuilding exercises perhaps)

    Defn:  Verb, to fit into the environment or circumstances, as in “Adapt or die”

    2 Delayed sailor with dire consequences (7)

    TARRIED :  TAR(sailor,tarpaulin) plus(with) anagram of(consequences) DIRE.

    Defn:  Past tense of tarry,linger,delay.

    3 One’s put on weight – it’s something in the air (5)

    OZONE :  OZ(abbrev. for ounce,unit of weight in the Imperial system) placed before(put on) ONE

    Defn:  An allotrope of the element oxygen with 3 instead of the common 2 atoms in a molecule, great for protecting earthly life against cosmic rays.

    4 Impressions left by the dead (7)

    EFFECTS :  Double defn:  1st: The resulting effects,impressions, usually mental or emotional, on you when something, well, affects you.  An example could be the consequential effect of someone’s death,left by the dead; and 2nd: The personal effects of some person, left by him/her when he/she is dead, the subject of a 16A maybe.

    5 Idiot – to get tight and then dance (9)

    SCREWBALL :  SCREW(verb, to tighten, using, say, a screwdriver; unsure about compatibility with the adjective “tight” in this case) plus(and then) BALL(an event with dancing and feasting mainly)

    6 Soldier‘s uniform? (7)

    REGULAR :  Double defn:  1st: A fulltime soldier

    7 Restoration play in cut that’s not normal (9)

    UNTYPICAL :  Anagram of(restoration) PLAY IN CUT.

    13 Drink most commonly sold in bars (9)

    CHOCOLATE :  Double defn:  1st: The (liquid) drink made from cocoa; and 2nd: the solid form commonly sold in the shape of bars, not to be confused with bars that serve drinks.  Nice surface.  It could be a single cryptic defn. depending on how different one considers the liquid from the solid form.

    14 Put hold on the picture – it’s a wrap! (9)

    CLINGFILM :  CLING(verb to hold on to,stick to) placed before(put…on, in a down clue) FILM(moving pictures,movie)

    Defn:  Modern plastic product used mainly in the kitchen, but outside it as well, as an airtight wrap, not to be confused with the movie director’s jargon, to be satisfied with what’s been filmed, and thus no more re-takes of a scene.  Nice surface.

              

    17 Lose wind when seeking muddy shoal in Cheshire estuary (7)

    DEFLATE :  FLAT(sand bank in shallow water,muddy shoal, commonly found in eg. an estuary) contained in(seeking…in) DEE(the estuary in Cheshire where the river Dee flows into the sea).  Another nice surface.

    18 T.S. Eliot play shows understatement (7)

    LITOTES :  Anagram of(play) T.S.ELIOT.

    Defn:  An understatement playing down on affirmation.  Would I not be wrong in saying that the English are generally not bad at using understatements?

    20 There’s merit in unhappy endings (7)

    TERMINI :  Anagram of(unhappy) MERIT IN.

    22 Describing a boom in the travel industry once (5)

    SONIC :  Cryptic defn:  The boom that one gets when an airplane breaks the sound barrier, once heard in the aviation travel industry when the Concorde flew passengers at supersonic speed.

    23 Share out a tax rise (5)

    ALLOT :  A plus reversal of(rise) TOLL(tax,levy)