A very enjoyable crossword, a lot easier to write the answers than to explain why they are are correct.
Crosswords from Monk usually have some clever theme worked into the grid, hidden words, pangrams etc (which usually go over my head). I can’t see anything going on here, but if anyone else can spot something then please let us know.
Thank you Monk.
| Across | ||
| 1 | RENOWN | NOW (the present) in RE (note of the musical scale) and N (note, abbreviation) |
| 4 | SWIFTEST | Jonathon SWIFt (satirist, unfinished) TEST (exam) – removing then replacing the same letter T feels a bit odd here (though quite allowable) |
| 9 | AQUILA | A QUILl (large feather, almost) by A – the Eagle constellation |
| 10 | INNER EAR | INN E (key, music) REAR (placed behind, e.g. rear seats) |
| 12 | OBESE | Or BeEr SeEn (alternately=every other letter) |
| 13 | NANOMETRE | symbol for nanometres is nm, first letters (signs) of ‘near’ and ‘miss’ – definition is ‘distance’ |
| 14 | INLET | ISLET (small island) with South changed to North – definition is ‘bay’ |
| 16 | ARCHSTONE | Hard in ANCESTOR* – a voussoir is a wedge shaped stone in an arch |
| 17 | ASCERTAIN | A Subject (origin=first letter) on CERTAIN (confident) |
| 18 | NAAFI | Northern AA (alchoholics anonymous, drinkers) Fade (begining of) and I (1, one o’clock, lunchtime) – the Navy Army Air Force Institutes, caterers to the armed services |
| 19 | IRIDACEAE | IE (that is) housing (ARCADE I)* – the Iris family (flags are flowers) |
| 20 | PANDA | P AND A make PA (dad) |
| 21 | CLIMATIC | CLIMA (climber, mountaineer) TIC (tick, credit) both spelled badly |
| 22 | GROTTO | GROOm (horseman, short) with TT (races) inside – the word ‘with’ is implied rather than explicitly written in this type of clue. I have never found this construction completely satisfactory, though I suppose it does extend the ways if saying ‘one thing is inside another’. |
| 23 | EVENTUAL | EVEN (just) and puncTUAL (on time) missing the first letter. |
| 24 | FAUCET | mUsClE (regularly) in FAT |
| Down | ||
| 1 | REASON IN A CIRCLE | REASON (justification) IN A CIRCLE (part of a theatre) |
| 2 | NOUVELLE CUISINE | (ONE UNVEILS CLUE I)* cooked=anagram |
| 3 | WILDE | Line in WIDE (morally lax) |
| 5 | WIN IN A CANTER | (IN ANCIENT WAR)* |
| 6 | FREEMASON | FREE (frank) MA (parent) SON (child) – one in a masonic order |
| 7 | ELECTROMAGNETIC | (IN RACE MEETING COLT)* – of the electric and magnetic fields |
| 8 | THREE MEN IN A BOAT | THREE MEN (quartet, 1 down, one missing) IN A BOAT (on board) – book by Jerome K Jerome. Excellent misdirection here! |
| 11 | ANNA KARENINA | ANNA (girl) on top of (dominating) KAREN (another girl) IN A (adult) – book by Leo Tolstoy |
| 15 | TERMAGANT | TERM (call) a GiANT (huge person) missing I (one) – a scolding woman |
| 20 | PARKA | P (piano, soft) tARKA The Otter (missing first letter) |
*anagram
don’t ask me to spot a Nina – I usually miss them even when I remember that I ought to be looking for one. Very enjoyable the LH side took ages but I got there in the end. Thanks to setter and blogger.
Thanks for the blog PeeDee.
After a while contemplating the completed grid, I have now spotted the four hidden NINAs.
Thanks for letting us know Pandean. I’m glad somebody can.
I thought I wouldn’t be more specific, in case anyone else wanted to find them for themselves. They are however NINAs rather than Ninas, and are hidden within symmetrically placed solutions.
There are also some hidden NINA anagrams, presumably deliberate.
I see them now, there are four NINAs in here. This explains why Monk didn’t use “win at a canter” which seemed a much more natural choice. I thought it seemed funny at the time.
Personally I would rather have the cleaner word choices and do without the Ninas etc, but I know many people really like them.
Can someone please explain why TARKA is an otter? Kind find that word anywhere.
Tarka The Otter is a novel by Henry Williamson. It has spawned various spin-offs, though as a character Tarka is now a bit dated I think.
Many thanks for blog , PeeDee, but just to point out re comment at #6 that the phrase “win in a canter” — but not “win at a canter” — is in both (my electronic version of) Chambers, Tea[2.10] and Sympathy[3.3]. As for your 2nd point at #6, apologies for the obscure 19ac, which was indeed forced in by the Nina(s!).
Monk, thank you very much for dropping in, it is always always nice to hear back from setters. No problems with 19ac, I knew Irides so IRIDACEAE was an easy guess from there. A rather pleasing word I think.
I see that ‘win at a canter’ is not listed in my hardback Chambers either, so you are absolutely corect there. My apologies. Odd, as I have never heard ‘winning in a canter’ spoken. One lives and learns!