A good challenge from Morph this week, with the expected standard of well-constructed clues.
We were held up for a while in the NW corner until we solved 8ac which included a good bit of misdirection. We’re not sure about the parsing of 2d. ‘Wing’ doesn’t seem to be doing anything and if it was omitted the clue would still work although it does add to the political analogy. On the other hand….. we may be missing something!
Our COD though was a toss-up between 24ac and 5d.
| Across | ||
| 1 | Top churchman, perhaps local one? | |
| CARDINAL NUMBER | CARDINAL (top churchman) + NUMBER (as in an anaesthetic – something that numbs – which might be local) | |
| 8 | One encountering measure of resistance rejected expression of false modesty initially? | |
| IMHO | I (one) + OHM (measure of electrical resistance) reversed or ‘rejected’ = Abbreviation for ‘in my humble opinion’ (‘initially’) | |
| 9 | Independent politician behind fourth estate terminally unfeeling | |
| IMPASSIVE | I (independent) + MP (politician) + ASS (behind) +IV (Roman numerals for four) + E (last or ‘terminal’ letter of estate) | |
| 10 | Musical performance using key instrument | |
| CONCERTINA | CONCERT (musical performance) IN A (‘using’ the key of A) | |
| 11 | In grip of regressive Uzbek ruler, keep low profile | |
| LURK | Hidden in Uzbe(K RUL)er reversed or ‘regressive’ | |
| 12 | Put in military unit to capture western-inclined African state, held using arms | |
| EMBRACED | EMBED (put in military unit) around or ‘capturing’ CAR (Central African Republic) reversed or ‘western-inclined’ in an across clue | |
| 15 | Novel millionaire happy about bank being revived | |
| GATSBY | GAY (happy) around TSB (bank being revived) | |
| 16 | Artificially inflate male animal’s offspring | |
| RAMP UP | RAM (male animal) + PUP (offspring) | |
| 18 | Faker showed sign of injury, walked unsteadily | |
| SHAMBLED | SHAM (faker) BLED (showed sign of injury) | |
| 20 | One in five gets just over halfway through malaria treatment | |
| QUIN | QUIN |
|
| 21 | Not a calculating type, earn minute rent | |
| INNUMERATE | Anagram of EARN MINUTE (anagrind is ‘rent’) | |
| 24 | Odd to be so focused on Brussels? | |
| ECCENTRIC | EC – CENTRIC (‘focused on Brussels’ – Brussels representing the European Community) | |
| 25 | Drought-hit region’s first to get external help | |
| ARID | R (first letter of Region) with AID (help) outside or ‘externally’ | |
| 26 | Lifting phone and climbing higher to improve reception on social network? | |
| UPWARDLY MOBILE | Cryptic definition – lifting your mobile phone would move it upwards, and being upwardly mobile would possibly improve your standing and reception in society | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Small part from old English computer turned up | |
| CAMEO | O (old) + E (English) + MAC (computer) all reversed or ‘turned up’ | |
| 2 | Equal ops watchdog controlled by right-wing scoundrel? Come again? | |
| REOCCUR | EOC (Equal Opportunities Commission) in, or ‘controlled by’ R (right) (not sure about the inclusion of ‘wing’) CUR (scoundrel) | |
| 3 | She’s in my view, you ‘ear, increasingly frigid | |
| ICIER | Homonym (‘you hear’) of ‘I SEE hER’ with the aitches dropped | |
| 4 | Put into practice, program gave inaccurate data | |
| APPLIED | APP (program) + LIED (gave inaccurate data) | |
| 5 | ‘Remembrance of Things Past’ again lost in translation | |
| NOSTALGIA | Anagram of AGAIN LOST (anagrind is ‘in translation’) | |
| 6 | Payment one’s picked up, being top in Tour de France | |
| MAILLOT | TOLL (payment) + I AM (one is) reversed or ‘picked up’ – French for ‘Jersey’ as worn by the riders in the Tour de France | |
| 7 | River crustacean the French find loathsome | |
| EXECRABLE | EXE (river) + CRAB (crustacean) + LE (French for ‘the’) | |
| 13 | Pass degree at university | |
| MEASURE UP | MEASURE (degree) + UP (at university) | |
| 14 | Titled officer, one in papers | |
| CAPTIONED | CAPT (officer) + ONE in ID (papers) | |
| 17 | Cooking expert? One that can make anything better | |
| PANACEA | PAN ACE (‘cooking expert’) + A (one) | |
| 18 | Coordinated action from majority of church body and two-thirds of ordained members | |
| SYNERGY | SYN |
|
| 19 | Dish from India flying in by air | |
| BIRYANI | Anagram of IN BY AIR (anagrind is ‘flying’) | |
| 22 | Jock, son of a prostitute | |
| MACHO | MAC (son of, as in ‘Macdonald’, etc) + HO (prostitute) | |
| 23 | A Lloyd Webber’s former partner’s second | |
| TRICE | T(im) RICE was formerly A(ndrew) Lloyd Webber’s partner | |
Thanks, B&J. It’s very seldom I buy the Saturday Indy, but for some reason I did last week and I was pleased to find a Morph puzzle there. Not sure what the ‘expected’ difficulty level is for these crosswords, but I didn’t find this too tricky and there were some pleasing clues. I always find there’s a contemporary feel to Morph’s crosswords, and I liked IMHO and perhaps the slight nod to the CofE’s recent travails in SYNERGY.
Needed you to explain MACHO though! Sheltered life I’ve led and all that.
Thanks BertandJoyce and Morph.
As it was a prize puzzle, I was prepared for the worst, but it turned out to be a relaxing and enjoyable solve.
Favourites were IMHO, with its very disguised defn., MACHO, which raised a smile when I finally figured out the parsing, and UPWARDLY MOBILE for its multi-layered defn./wordplay.
I think the R in 2down might refer to a US Republican, reputed to be more right-wing than a Democrat.
Re 2d I just took R as the wing i.e. edge of R(ight) , the clue being written to help with the surface reading.
A lot easier I felt than many recent Saturday puzzles.
Thanks B&J and Morph.
25A the definition is simply “drought-hit”. “Region’s first” is there to signal the “r” in “aid”.
Thanks Graham, it’s what we meant but we underlined too much of the clue for the definition!
What is the definition for macho pls? Jock??
Justin
From Chambers under ‘jock’ – “3. A macho young man whose clothes accentuate and display his physique”.