Our first Thursday blog! We’re new to blogging and were somewhat apprehensive given the reputation of Thursday puzzles. Recent Indy puzzles have generated quite a bit of activity – almost as much as in ‘Another Place’. Will this be the same?
We prepared ourselves for a difficult solve but in the end the puzzle was reasonably accessible. We cannot see any theme but as we missed two recently we will wait for someone else to give us a clue if we have.
We enjoyed the smooth reading of 26a and thought that 9a and 25a were cleverly written!
| Across | ||
| 1 | MURDER | The collective noun for crows is murder = shoot dead |
| 5 | INTERIMS | I + N (note) + TERMS (‘fixed periods’) around or ‘will be separated by’ I (one) = ‘these’ – cryptic definition of breaks between ‘fixed periods’ as ‘in the interim’ |
| 9 | STEALTH TAX | STEAL (‘appropriate’ – as a verb) + anagram of THAT (anagrind is ‘crook’) + X (multiplied ‘by’) = sneaky way of gaining money |
| 10 | CAMP | A + MP (politician) behind (‘to the right of’) C (Conservative) = party (as in a group of people with a certain set of beliefs etc.) |
| 11 | RENOUNCE | RENOUN (sounds like renown – ‘soundly celebrity’) + CE (empty or ‘vacuous’ C(ultur)E) = reject |
| 12 | ABOARD | ABROAD (‘to the Continent’ with R moved or ‘running late’) = on the boat |
| 13 | ACRID | ACID (sharp) around R (right) = sharp |
| 15 | LIBERTINE | I BERT (‘one chap’) in LINE (queue) = Don Giovanni in Mozart’s opera is an example of a libertine |
| 18 | BOONDOCKS | N (new) + DOC (medic) inside or ‘invested in’ BOOK (reserve) + S (first letter of supplies) = remote area |
| 19 | CROAT | R (rule) inside or ‘introduced’ into COAT (Ulster) = European |
| 21 | GOETHE | GOETH (old English version of ‘goes’ – ‘doth travel’) + E (Spain) = German writer |
| 23 | FORWARDS | FORD (former president) + S (first letter or ‘heading’ for senility) around or ‘keeping’ WAR (fighting) = on |
| 25 | WARP | WAR (raw or ‘naked’ reversed or ‘brought back’) + P (initial letter of pictures) = pervert (as a verb) |
| 26 | INIMICALLY | Anagram of ICILY MALI(g)N (not good) anagrind is ‘treated’ = ‘thus’ – cryptic definition of being ‘treated icily’ or in an unfriendly manner |
| 27 | PENZANCE | Anagram of CEZANNE and P (painting originally) anagrind is ‘lost’ = place famous for pirates as in this! |
| 28 | METHYL | M(onarch)Y (‘disheartened’) around or ‘embraces’ anagram of THE anagrind is ‘loony’ + L (left) = radical (chemical) |
| Down | ||
| 2 | UNTIE | UNITE (to join) with I ‘dropping’ = free |
| 3 | DRACONIAN | DRAC (card – ‘king perhaps’ as in a deck of cards – reversed or ‘uprising’ + (i)ONIAN (Greek beheaded) = severe |
| 4 | RATING | RAG (scrap) around or ‘retaining’ TIN (metal) = assessment |
| 5 | IN THE NICK OF TIME | IN THE NICK (jailed) + OFT (frequently) + I’M (I am) + (contrit)E (‘at last’ – last letter) = almost too late |
| 6 | TAX HAVEN | TAEN (neat or ‘cattle’ reversed) around X (ten) + HA (hectares) = Jersey (an example of a tax haven) |
| 7 | RECTO | RECTO(r) (clergyman missing final letter) = page |
| 8 | MEMORANDA | MAN (employee) + D(isplay) A(bsenteeism) (‘starts’ or initial letters) around or ‘obtaining’ an anagram of MORE anagrind is ‘sick’ = notes |
| 14 | CHOCOLATE | COLA (drink) within or ‘stocked by’ C (cold) + HOTE(l) (Ritz mainly) = you can buy bars of chocolate |
| 16 | TERMAGANT | Anagram of RATE and TAM(i)NG (abandoning one) anagrind is ‘poorly’ = shrew |
| 17 | BOHEMIAN | An artist who defies convention can be called ‘bohemian’ and if you are from Bohemia you are Czech |
| 20 | TRUISM | IS (one’s) within or ‘wearing’ TRUM(p) (top – as a verb – shortened) = commonplace (as a noun) |
| 22 | TOPAZ | TOP (excellent) + AZ (street guide) = gem |
| 24 | DELAY | Railway tracks are laid, so if you remove them you would ‘de-lay’ them which could cause a hold-up on a train! |
Very enjoyable thank you Klingsor. Judging by my handwriting, I obviously found it fairly straightforward (it’s a long time since first thing this morning and I have done 5 other cryptics and some work so it’s hard to remember). Thanks to Bert and Joyce too.
Thanks, Klingsor, for an enjoyable puzzle with a couple of musical references; and to B&J for the blog. With only 18a and 17d left as my last two I thought we were on course for a pangram, but no J or Q. And 19a set me on the wrong track at first looking for something beginning with N and ending in I; the term Ulster for a type of coat isn’t so often encountered these days.
This was excellent with a great flow to the clues in the Klingsor style. I too found it quite accessible, solving it more quickly than I would usually solve the Indy. Favourite clues, METHYL, RATING, IN THE NICK OF TIME, MEMORANDA, BOHEMIAN. Thanks, Klingsor and B&J.
Thanks for the blog. I’m always a bit apprehensive about the Thursday puzzles as well, but I found enough here to get me going and then with a bit of perserverance I was able to finish. I haven’t heard BOONDOCKS for ages (is it American?) and I also liked the &littishness of INIMICALLY. And the characteristic Czech and musical references too.
Good stuff – thanks to Klingsor.
No huge pile of comments alas, rather easier I felt than most Thursdays, perhaps after Tuesday Eimi is being a little kind. Boondocks is certainly American, first encountered by me here in an Indy puzzle.
I know Klingsor lives in the Czech republic now so had a moment of dread thinking are we expected to know Czech artists now. Nice little diversion, thanks Klingsor and Marge&Homer (Sorry private joke between us).
K’s D: In support of flashling, I recall BOONDOCKS cropping up in a crossword not too long ago. Can’t remember where or when; it might have been in Another Newspaper.
Btw anyone baffled by 6d in yesterday’s i cryptic can find the blog for its original Indy appearance at http://fifteensquared.net/2007/03/01/323/
Re Allan_C’s comment I’ve viewed a few of the older blogs and am surprised at how sparse they were, these days it’s all answers, full explanations and commenters who can fill in any gaps we have. Not sure where the change happened though.
Re flashling at #7, as one involved in the site from the start, it’s just that’s it’s grown steadily over the years as more have discovered the site. In the early days also, there was a policy of not giving all answers as newspapers had premium rate lines you could phone for them. This became less relevant as the answers became available on their websites.
It was a huge day when a blog attracted 20 comments for the first time, with the editor (Gaudfrid’s predecessor) making the comment to bring up the total.
Very nice crossword, lots of good clues. I’d have thought that with a little jiggling it could have been a pangram, for what that’s worth nowadays with everyone seeming to do it. 25ac could have been QUIP, 14dn COMPOSURE, then 18ac AMEN SOCKS. Or something. Perhaps Klingsor tried and failed.
I was dipping into this one at various times yesterday, and found it quite hard going; this morning I made much use of the reveal button. Absolutely nothing to complain about – the puzzle required more from me than dipping in and out, and I simply wasn’t on the right wavelength. When I revealed some of the ones I’d been stuck on, my reaction was generally appreciation of a very clever clue, fair if convoluted! One or two I couldn’t see, so many thanks for the blog.
Re blogs, it’s the quality of the blogging that is so useful for an improver. Since finding this site, my solving ability has leapt forward, simply because I now recognise certain devices and usage that I’ve probably been staring at for years but never seen explained. I bet there’s a raft of people out there who find it equally useful, but don’t really feel they have anything to contribute to the forum. So many thanks to all the bloggers on behalf of the (relatively) silent mob out there!
Cumbrian, I’d suggest you have a look at one of the ‘how to solve’ books eg Don Manley’s Crossword Manual or others. These explain all the clueing devices used (with examples).
Thanks for the suggestion nmsindy – I’ll look out for the book. I’ve read one in the past (can’t remember what it was) but there’s no substitute for learning “on the job” (on the solve I suppose) and an instant explanation for something I’m struggling with is ideal. As an example, I doubt I’d ever have recognised “gam” as a school without having it explained here – since when I’ve seen it lots of times, given a knowing and smug little smile, and solved the clue! A bit like the reference to Ulster in this puzzle – I was trying to fit NI into the answer, and it wasn’t until I checked the blog that the alternative use of coat hit me. Yes, I knew it, but I hadn’t thought of it. Every time something like that occurs, I can shift my lateral thinking box a little bit more.
A belated thanks for the excellent blog and the supportive comments. I wish you all a pleasant weekend.
Missing from the blog in 6D and not commented on by contributors is the “v” in “tax haven” – villa at first.