Simple rubric starting with the encouraging words “Having completed the grid”. So no immediate need to think about the puzzle element, get on with the clues. The answers were pretty straightforward but we still have trouble with the wordplay in 1Across. Any helpful comments welcome.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| Clue | Answer | Definition: Wordplay |
| 1 | FREUDIAN SLIP | Error: FREUD (I might analyse) + ??? SLIP is next to the keeper (cricket)?? |
| 10 | RELY | Bank (on): RE(P)LY (heartless response) |
| 11 | ALAMEDA | Walk: A + LAME (hobbling) + D(uke) + A |
| 12 | EREMITICAL | Solitary: RE, MI and TI (three notes) in EC (city) + A (one) + L(eft) |
| 13 | EAGLET | Nestling in eyrie: LET (permit) follows [AGE]* |
| 16 | BLUE RUIN | Alcohol (actually gin): BLUE (fruity) + RUIN (crush) |
| 17 | ADIT | Passage: Past tense of French dire – (Il) A DIT |
| 18 | FOREEND | Front: [ENFOR(c)ED]* |
| 20 | DASHPOT | Part (of engine??): DASH (hit) and POT (cannabis) are both types of blow |
| 23 | AVER | What declarer does: AVER(T) – prevent losing T(ricks) |
| 24 | INKBERRY | American native (plant): IN (elected + B(orn) in KERRY |
| 28 | OMNIUM | Aggregate value: OM (order) + I (one) in NUM |
| 29 | AURICULATE | Relating to listeners (ears): [A CURI(o)U(s) TALE]* (not SO) |
| 30 | LEANING | Preferring: one of the three R’s removed from LEA(R)NING |
| 31 | EGOS | Things that can be massaged: EG (such as) OS (bone) |
| 32 | SINGLE PARENT | I’ll have to deal with the issue (child) myself: [SLEPT GRANNIE]* |
| Down | ||
| 1 | FREE RADICALS | Double definition: Groups (of atoms) mostly (bonded??) and slogan of oppressed reds (radicals) |
| 2 | RETARDANT | Slowing down: TAR in RED ANT – stingy six footer (excellent!) |
| 3 | ELEGY | &lit clue, term for verse: E (term – end – for versE) + L(ik)E + G(ra)Y |
| 4 | DWEEBS | Fools: DEBS (those coming out) round W(est) + E(ast) (partners) |
| 5 | ALIQUOT | Factor: IQU (one question) in A LOT |
| 6 | NATTER | Rabbit: NAT(ural) + TER(rain) Ural and rain are two types of water |
| 7 | SMIRR | &lit-ish; Scotch mist: first letters of Scotch Mist Is Really Rain |
| 8 | LECH | Desire: hidden in steepLECHase |
| 9 | PALINDROMIST | Characters I’ve rejected staying the same: [A MISPRINT OLD]* |
| 14 | LATH | A little support: hidden in welL AT Home |
| 15 | DINE OUT ON | Socially exploit: DINE OU sounds like DIE NOW + TON |
| 18 | FORTUNE | Success: FOR (because of) + TUNE (strain) |
| 19 | EARN | Make: sounds like URN |
| 21 | PENCIL | You can keep this in case: NC (no charge) replaces R (king) in PERIL (danger) |
| 22 | AYMARA | Language: AY (undoubtedly) + MA (old woman) round AR(ab) |
| 25 | BRING | Institute: O (nothing) removed from B(o)RING |
| 26 | SIEGE | Double definition: Company of herons or bitterns (high fliers)and investment (to invest is to besiege) |
| 27 | BRAN | Arable produce: CH(ildren) removed from BRAN(ch) |
Now we had to replace eight unchecked letters by the letters of a US president’s surname.
Van Buren, Harrison (twice), Fillmore, Buchanan, Garfield, McKinley and Coolidge was my Googled list of possibilities.
I spotted that BRAN could become IRAN, so eliminated Van Buren and Buchanan. After that I boringly replaced each unchecked letter in each clue with a wild-card, and my searches resulted in:
C – aver, aCer
O – lath, lOth
O – leaning, lOaning
O – earn, eaOn
L – siege, Liege
I – bran, Iran
D – eaglet, eagleD
G – retardant, reGardant
E – bring, bEing
Note that there are three possibilities for O, so a slight problem for the editor when giving the correct solution. I decided to choose LOANING and LOTH, as EAON is an abbreviation, unmentioned in the rubric.
So the completed grid was as below. No colours this week, so I have shown the altered letters in red and left all three of the Os in – you can choose your own two!
I think the clue to 1ac. should be read more as a cryptic suggestion that a slip (fielder), if he (or she) was a Freudian, might analyse the (wicket)keeper’s thoughts.
If that’s right it’s a bit over-cryptic for me!
It seems that my experience very much mirrored Hi’s: a little quizzical about 1a, thankful for the mention of “country” in the preamble which gave me IRAN & narrowed down the list of possibilities, further reduced by guessing REGARDANT replaced RETARDANT. (And discarding EAON as an abbreviation.)
And whilst I admire anyone who can construct and fill a symmetrical 13×13 grid with words that are not utterly obscure, and include some thematic material, I must admit to feeling somewhat underwhelmed at the end, thinking to myself “Is that it?”
PS The definition in 11a is “walk”.
So it is HG! I’ll alter 11A accordingly.
It was the simplicity of the preamble that encouraged me to attempt this, my first Inquisitor, so although it might not satisfy more experienced solvers, it did at least add to the audience.
When solving, I didn’t think overmuch about 1ac, just pleased to get such a useful clue; I assumed it had something to do with “many a slip twixt cup [catch] and lip [howzat]” but maybe that’s a bit whimsical.
Thanks for the blog.
Glad this one attracted a new solver, jmac. We long-term solvers occasionally complain when there are “easy” weeks or the reverse, but this crossword has given us all enormous pleasure over many years, and the creativity of our setters is a source of continuous wonder to me!