Nothing fancy (that I could see, anyway) from Anax here, in terms of thematics, ninas, etc. – which is quite rare in a Saturday prize Indy, recently. Just a nice, enjoyable cryptic workout.
There was some good quality clueing, with diverting surface readings – especially on the longer entries, like 9A, 3D. And enjoyed 13D ALTISSIMO as a reversed hidden word!
All in all though, I found this a relatively quick solve to get to all but the last few entries – although I didn’t help myself by lazily putting in TRIAL SEPARATION at 9A, without fully working the anagram through. Early on I could see K, V, W, X, Y and Z – and suspected we were heading for a pangram, but in the end there was no J or Q to complete the set.
Last in was 6A WHIFF – which I had never known as a type of boat – so Chambers was called in to play there.
I also hadn’t known that 11D EDELWEISS could be pluralised – it sounds like a word that could function for singular and plural, with those two esses already there at the end.
Maybe a slight theme – with references to Thatcher, wearing the trousers, God Bless America (her special relationship?) and sell short/low-spirited, or satisfied – depending on your political hue and your dislike/admiration for the Iron lady?
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
| 1A | GALAPAGOS | Funny tale describing a part of a race, thus about tortoises (9) | tortoises / GAG (funny tale) around (describing) A + LAP (part of a race), plus OS (so, or thus, about) |
| 6A | WHIFF | A boat’s draught (5) | double defn / WHIFF can be a draught (of air), or a light outrigger boat |
| 9A | LEGAL SEPARATION | Q: Why do we live apart? A: It’s all gone pear-shaped (5, 10) |
&lit/why do we live apart / anag (i.e. shaped) of A: ITS ALL GONE PEAR |
| 10A | AFOOT | Twelve inches in the air (5) | double defn / A FOOT = twelve inches, AFOOT = happening, in the air |
| 11A | EYESTRAIN | Problem for pupils, of course, in English school (9) | problem for pupils (eyes, not schoolkids) / E (English) + TRAIN (school) around YES (of course) |
| 12A | THATCHERITE | The one to quote lines of female Tory (11) | (of female) Tory / THAT (the one) + CITE (to quote) around (lining) HER (of female) |
| 13A | AXE | Old wheels on a chopper (3) | chopper / EX (old) + A – all wheeling round |
| 14A | IVY | Climbing plant’s pale yellow leaves (3) | climbing plant / IVorY – pale, less OR (gold or yellow, heraldic) |
| 15A | LOW-SPIRITED | Slippery wet oil drips down (3-8) | down (in the dumps) / anag (i.e. slippery) of WET OIL DRIPPS |
| 17A | SATISFIED | It’s a word of criticism in 19 that makes you happy (9) | happy / SAD (upset, 19A) around TIS (it’s) + FIE (interjection, word of criticism) |
| 19A | UPSET | Delivery company starts to examine theft complaint (5) | complaint / UPS (delivery company, United Parcel Service) + ET (first letters of Examine & Theft) |
| 20A | GOD BLESS AMERICA | Ambridge closes off area by request of country lover (3, 5, 7) | &lit?/request of one who loves the USA / anag (i.e. off) of AMBRIDGE CLOSES, plus A (area) |
| 22A | THRUM | It takes some time to fill in stomach tattoo (5) | tattoo (as in drums, not skin decoration) / TUM (stomach) around HR (hour, some time) |
| 23A | SELL SHORT | Make light of scrap after drinking binge, having drunk a couple of litres (4, 5) | make light of / SESH (drinking binge) + ORT (scrap) around (having drunk) LL (a couple of litres) |
| Down | |||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
| 1D | GALLANT | Hostility on accepting new lover (7) | lover / GALL (hostility) + AT (on) around N (new) |
| 2D | LEGIONARY | Soldier in house – not a soldier (9) | soldier (second one!) / LEO (astrological house) around GI (solder) plus NARY (not a) |
| 3D | POLITICAL ASYLUM | Power corrupt, you’ll claim it as refuge? (9, 6) | &lit/refuge / P (power) + anag (i.e corrupt) of YOU’LL CLAIM IT AS |
| 4D | GEE | Fridge empty? It’s full of crumbs (3) | crumbs! (interjection) / hidden word in fridGE Empty |
| 5D | SNAKE-HIPPED | Slender son and nude nurses in gym (5-6) | slender / S (son) + NAKED (nude) around (nursing) HIP (in, trendy) + PE (gym) |
| 6D | WEAR THE TROUSERS | Lead us to rather stoned druggies (4, 3, 8 ) | lead (in a relationship) / WE (us) + anag (i.e stoned) of TO RATHER + USERS (druggies) |
| 7D | IBIZA | I trade with a holiday island (5) | holiday island / I + BIZ (business, trade) + A |
| 8D | FINANCE | Intended to invest new funds (7) | funds / FIANCÉ (intended) around (investing) N (new) |
| 11D | EDELWEISSES | Earth is weedless for cultivating plants (11) | plants (does edelweiss have a plural?!) / E (earth) + anag (i.e. for cultivating) of IS WEEDLESS |
| 13D | ALTISSIMO | Very high 19 in radio – miss it lately? (9) | very high / hidden word, reversed (upset, 19A) in radiO MISS IT LAtely |
| 14D | IN SIGHT | I start to see in he dark, just ahead (2, 5) | just ahead / I + NIGHT (dark), around S (start to see) |
| 16D | DETRACT | Temperature moved upwards making you take away (7) | take away / T (temperature) + CARTED (moved) – all upwards |
| 18D | TUDOR | Party in the same old flipping house (5) | (royal) house / TUR (rut, same old, flipped) around DO (party) |
| 21D | AWL | Tool missing? Nothing’s missing (3) | tool / AWOL (missing, absent without leave) less O (nothing, missing) |
A wonderful puzzle with superb clueing and great surfaces.
As mc_rapper67 says, just a nice cryptic workout. 6a held me up for a while, thinking it had to be ‘skiff’ – not that I could parse it if it was. And I too thought that edelweiss was one of those words that’s the same in the singular and plural.
A minor quibble about 14d. ‘In sight’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘just ahead’. If your objective is in sight it may be just ahead or equally well it may be just a speck on the distant horizon.
But thanks, Anax, for the puzzle and mc_rapper67 for the blog.
Yes, this was excellent, not quite as difficult as some by Anax – thanks to him and mc_rapper67. Favourite clue POLITICAL ASYLUM.
Thoroughly enjoyed this. Favourite was LEGAL SEPARATION, although I have a slightly different reading — I think it’s an anagram of A: ITS ALL GONE PEAR, with shaped on its own as the indicator. I thought the Q&A device very clever. POLITICAL ASYLUM also superb.
Many thanks to mc_rapper67 and to Anax for some excellent fun.
Excellent puzzle. I’m glad I wasn’t alone in putting in TRIAL rather than LEGAL and then paying for my laziness later; I also initially entered SKIFF based on its second Chambers definition of “a puff” which could be a draught at a stretch. Many ticks but the clues to the long answers were in my opinion the best, notably POLITICAL ASYLUM. Thanks Anax!
Thanks for all the comments and feedback – looks like it was a well-received puzzle.
Wanderer at #4 – you are right – I talked myself into another lazy anagram there – my suggestion didn’t quite have all the right letters! Have updated accordingly…
Allan_C at #2 – without my glasses or contact lenses, for me ‘in sight’ means about 2 feet away!
Hello all
Many thanks to mc_rapper67 for a great blog and to all for your comments. Only one query to address. For 14d the intention of the def was figurative – in fact the original clue had used ‘around the corner’. All three are probably close to each other without being precise.
Just a setter’s note on THATCHERITE. It went into the grid because I immediately centred my thoughts on THAT + CHERIE, hoping to get in some reference to Tony’s unusually-mouthed spouse, only to find myself unable to do so. It was a huge relief to spot the wordplay breakdown I eventually used.
If anyone fancies trying the THAT CHERI(T)E idea…
Glad I wasn’t the only one to put Skiff not whiff, which rather messed up wear the trousers. Apart from that it was quite a quick solve for an Anax prize puzzle. Nice blog TY and to Anax for the workout.
Possibly…
Tory whom Blair follows, Tony’s first to admit (11)
Not so easy to actually bring her mouth into it:
Coverage of the ruling class has its work cut out: Tony’s head gets swallowed by his wife, in accordance with right-wing principles (11)
(T(op)hat + T in Cherie)
Thanks for dropping by Anax at #7 – and for the updates.
Thomas99 at #9 – all this talk of Thatcher, Tony Blair and Cherie’s mouth is making me feel rather queasy…please desist!…