I don’t think I have blogged Wanderer before. I thought this was a super puzzle with too many good clues to pick a clear favourite. Thank you Wanderer.
My only complaint (niggle really) is that the cryptic definitions did not seem very cryptic. My expectation of a good cd is that there is a strong surface reading that misdirects you and then the setter pulls the rug from under your feet when a reinterpretation exposes the hidden meaning and produces the ‘aha’ moment. Unfortunately in both cases the ‘hidden’ meaning immediately sprang to mind and then I was left looking for the surface reading that was supposed to misdirect me. I know that this sort of thing is personal and no doubt for others these clues will have worked fine.
| Across | ||
| 1 | QUAVERS | Question put to most reluctant occupants of bar (7) |
| QU (question) AVERSe (reluctant, most of) – found in bars of music | ||
| 5 | WOBBLE | Bowel movement involving soft, unstable motion (6) |
| B (soft, pencil) in BOWEL* anagram=movement | ||
| 8 | ARROGANCE | Conceit from playing organ in new care home? (9) |
| ORGAN* playing=anagram contained by (in home of) CARE* new=anagram | ||
| 9 | SLACK | Loose bits of coal (5) |
| double definition | ||
| 11 | EXERT | Wield axe endlessly to cut tree back (5) |
| aXe (no ends) in TREE reversed | ||
| 12 | IMPROVISE | Is VIP plied with more jam? (9) |
| anagram (plied) of IS VIP and MORE – musical jamming | ||
| 13 | MISJUDGE | Wrongly reckon: fy around second half of June (8) |
| MIDGE (fly) round S (second) JUne (half of) | ||
| 15 | PROSIT | Toast for model (6) |
| PRO (for) SIT (model) – cheers! | ||
| 17 | EARWIG | It creeps and crawls about, I wager (6) |
| (I WAGER)* about=anagram | ||
| 19 | TRICYCLE | Vehicle from UK not found in tricky clue (8) |
| TRICkY CLuE missing U and K | ||
| 22 | INFANCIES | Among desires “When We Were Very Young” (9) |
| IN (among) FANCIES (desires) | ||
| 23 | PLUMB | Going straight up and down chimney cased in lead (5) |
| LUM (chimney) in PB (lead, chemical symbol) | ||
| 24 | GRETA | Female with large rear end wobbling? (5) |
| GREAT (large) with last two letters moving – girl’s name | ||
| 25 | CRAB APPLE | Fruit is stewed pear, with mostly black pudding for starters (4,5) |
| anagram (stewed) of PEAR with BLACk (mostly) and P (start of pudding) | ||
| 26, 27 | SHAKIN STEVENS | Singer has shocked family, initially succeeding totally against the odds (6,7) |
| HAS* anagram=shocked KIN (family) Succeeding Totally (first letters of) with (against) EVENS (the odds) – top selling UK singles artist of the 1980s | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | QUAKER MEETING | Friends having a get-together (6,7) |
| cryptic definition – this is bordering on non-cryptic to me | ||
| 2 | AIRLESS | Stuffy sort of serials (7) |
| SERIALS* | ||
| 3 | EIGHT | Where arrogance is needed in rowing team (5) |
| arrogance is needed for 8 across – eight rowers in a team (yes, there could be other numbers too but thats OK with me) | ||
| 4 | SAN DIEGO | Dine out in Cereal City (3,5) |
| DINE* in SAGO (cereal) | ||
| 5 | WHELPS | Being a bitch, drops litter? (6) |
| cryptic defition – to have pups. Another not very cryptic definition. | ||
| 6 | BISHOPRIC | See chess piece? Rook, I see (9) |
| BISHOP (chess piece) R (rook) I C (see, third letter of alphabet) – definition is ‘see’, a bishop’s diocese | ||
| 7 | LEAD-INS | Opening bits of long editorials appearing drearily in New Statesman? (4-3) |
| Long Editorials Appearing Drearily – In New Statesman (bits of = leading letters) – definition is ‘opening’. There is an &lit-ish feel about this clue too, though no reason why lead-ins should be dreary. | ||
| 10 | KNEE-TREMBLERS | N. Berks elm tree surprisingly featuring in stand-up acts (4-9) |
| (N. BERKS ELM TREE)* anagram=surprisingly – brief sexual encounters with prostitues in alleyways while standing up | ||
| 14 | UNION JACK | Standard wedding card (5,4) |
| UNION (wedding) JACK (card) – definition is ‘standard’, flag | ||
| 16 | TRESSPASS | Enter the Forbidden Land in very old hat, dropping ecstasy (8) |
| TRES PASSe (very old hat) missing E=ecstasy | ||
| 18 | REFRESH | Immersed in baths, ‘er ferrets fipping get like new again! (7) |
| found in batHS ‘ER FERrets reversed (flipping) | ||
| 20 | CRUMPLE | Caught taking short run by umpire, having left for current run to crease (7) |
| C (caught) with R (run, short=abbrev) by UMPirE with I (current) and R (run) replaced by L (left) | ||
| 21 | ZIRCON | Mineral Catholic found in Jerusalem (6) |
| RC (catholic) in ZION (Jerusalem) – diamond-like mineral | ||
| 23 | PLANE | Parking on street level (5) |
| P (parking) on LANE (street) – definition is ‘level’, to make flat | ||
A super puzzle indeed – although I did get a very strange look from someone passing the office door just now when I laughed out loud at 10a.
Thanks to Wanderer and PeeDee.
Lovely puzzle again by Wanderer – perhaps easier than some of his others. Some nice original cluing. Agree on retrospect that the two cds were not that strong but 1d wasnt obvious to me until I had the Q and 5d was quite clever though came quickly.
Thanks to PeeDee and setter.
I agree with you about the cds, but it was enjoyable anyway. I liked the Berks trees and Shakin Stevens.
I liked the Berks clue too, it made me laugh. But having witnessed the fallout from Uncle Yap’s unfortunate expedition to risqué Berkshire in the Guardian blog I was very loath to comment more…
Many thanks PeeDee & Wanderer
I was completely flummoxed by 10d but then I have led a very sheltered life.
It’s quite surprising what you learn from Crosswords.
Very enjoyable (and educational!) puzzle. Thanks to Wanderer and PeeDee.
Somewhat surprised that the shakin’, quakin’, quaverin’, wobblin, tremblin’ perimeter theme didn’t seem worthy of mention. It helped this non-UK dweller quite a lot.
Another fine offering by Wanderer who, when on top form, is one of the best FT setters (in my opinion).
Some terrific cluing here, however also some very ordinary clues (12ac or 2d, for example).
I particularly liked the use of ‘arrogance’ in 3d. To me, using a full solution within the construction this way is almost a novelty.
I agree with declanor about the shakers and I also want to emphasise that this puzzle is a pangram!
Thanks Wanderer and PeeDee.