So, six clues have the correct wordplay for the grid entry but the definition is that of a word or phrase formed by combining the grid entry with one of the unclued entries. Should be straightforward enough.
And so it proved, despite the setter being Brummie. A lot of the normal clues fell during the first pass and I was also able to identify at that stage three of the six ‘combination’ clues. Another pass through the clues and I had enough checked letters to be able to fill in most of the unclued lights, having already determined the other part of the word/phrase combination. After a third look at the unsolved clues the grid was full.
A pleasant way to spend an hour whilst digesting breakfast on a Bank Holiday Monday when, for once, it wasn’t raining.
| Across | ||
| 8 | CAMELLIA | CAMEL (transport over sand) LI (distance in China) A (one) |
| 9 | ODOUR | OUR (setters possessively) around (appropriating) DO (social) |
| 10 | PORT | see 23 |
| 11 | GRINDSTONE | GRIN (smirk) DONE (finished) around (squeezing) ST (virtuous type {saint}) |
| 12 | BEDSIT | BEDS (county brief) IT (new technology) |
| 14 | NOBILITY | mOBILITY (capacity to get around) with N (name) replacing m (Miles) |
| 16 | ANARCHY | RAN (fled) reversed in ACHY (being a bit of a pain) |
| 18 | BASMATI | [os]B[orne] [pl]A[y] + A[rchie] in an anagram (rudely) of TIM’S |
| 21 | CHANDLER | C[rufts’) HANDLER (trainer) – Raymond Chandler |
| 23 | STRAIN | see 5 |
| 24 | PROSCIUTTO | anagram (broadcast) of SCRIPT OUT [radi]O |
| 26 | LACE | see 4 |
| 27 | STING | see 15 |
| 28 | ONLOOKER | LOOK (air) in ONER (£1 note) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | JACOBEAN | JEAN (Sibelius, say) around (restraining) A COB (a horse) |
| 2 | REST | [w]REST (leaderless yank) – with 20 this becomes RESTORATION (return to previous state) |
| 3 | FLIGHT | see 17 |
| 4 | RATIONS | RATS (dash) around (circling) IO (moon) N (pole) – with 26ac this becomes LACERATIONS (cuts) |
| 5 | GOOD | GO (to travel) DO (make) reversed (up) – with 23ac this becomes GOODS TRAIN (no passenger on this) |
| 6 | MONTELIMAR | anagram (dizzy) of AILMENT O in (embraced by) MR |
| 7 | BRANDT | BRAND (burn) T (temperature) – Willy Brandt |
| 13 | STRONG SUIT | STRONG (powerful) SUIT (case) |
| 15 | BOA | O (oxygen) in AB (muscle) reversed (switches) – with 27 this becomes BOASTING (being the possessor of) |
| 17 | HAL | LAH (note) reversed (ascending) – with 3 this becomes HALF-LIGHT (a feature of dusk) |
| 19 | TWITCHER | anagram (sad) of WRETCH around (bagging) [t]IT (bird, heading off) &lit |
| 20 | ORATION | see 2 |
| 22 | HERESY | HERE’S (what I offer is) [bolsh]Y |
| 23 | SPOILS | P[leat] in SOILS (loam and clay) – with 10 this becomes SPOILSPORT (wet blanket) |
| 25 | INGE | NI (Northern Ireland) reversed EG (say) reversed – William Inge |
| 26 | LOOP | POOL (bank) reversed (rising) |
Really enjoyed Twitcher and Grindstone. Surprised there was no connection between the unclued words?
Although it was fun to do, I did not enjoy this as much as some of the other Geniuses recently.
I think it was, as Trebor says, that there was no link between the six special clues, as far as I can make out.
A small gripe is that I thought Oncer was the nickname for a pound, not Oner.
My main gripe is that as I have a long background in IT, I was disappointed that 12A actually mentioned ‘New Technology’ in the clue. The T in IT refers to Technology obviously, so is a strange direct word for word clue/answer as well, that I don’t recall seeing in any Guardian crossword before. And as far as I know New Technology refers not to IT generally but simply to the old Windows Product of Windows NT, an IBM/HAL play on the DEC VMS system. [I can explain more if anyone is interested – which I suspect not!].
Anyhow it was fun, but not his best effort.
I actually find many of his regular crosswords harder than this.
An excellent setter, in my opinion, who I expected more from.
This wasn’t too hard, except that I was held up for a bit trying to pair the last two words off (SE corner, I seem to recall), until I realised that RATIONS went with LACE. It actually parsed satisfactorily on its own, with RATIONS meaning CUTS.
I had the same difficulty as Norman with 4d/26a, so concluded 26a and 26d must link, consequently failing to solve either.
Likewise failed on 1d, not being on first-name terms with Sibelius..
Frustrating, as Gaufrid says, much of it had gone in fairly quickly up til then
By the way Gaufrid is HAL a word? The crossword preamble says that all grid entries are real words. Apart from HAL being a shortened name does it mean anything else?
Nice blog by the way.
‘Valid word’ is the term used. What is a valid word? Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer is a word I know very well, as is Hal for Prince Harry in 2H4.