We found this a tricky solve. However, having completed it (without electronic assistance), we realised that most of the clues were perfectly fair – it was just that some of the definitions were perhaps a little contrived, and some of the wordplay more misleading than we expected. We could do with a little assistance on 17d if anyone has any better ideas.
All-in-all a good challenge to the old grey matter, as we have come to expect from Crosophile.
We’re on a different time zone still so if there are any errors, omissions or questions we will have to sort them out when we wake up tomorrow morning – approximately 16:00 UK time!
| Across | ||
| 1 | A Greek hotel, one on a mountain | |
| ALPHA | H (hotel) A (one) after or ‘on’ ALP (mountain) | |
| 4 | Son who when abroad is detained by regimes causes concern | |
| DISQUIETS | S (son) + QUI (who in French, or ‘when abroad’) in or ‘detained by’ DIETS (regimes) | |
| 9 | Historically negative stance I adopted for starters? | |
| ANTIPASTI | A stance against history could be described as ANTI (against) PAST (history) + (adopting) I | |
| 10 | Back to college for bad speller according to appearances? | |
| LOOKS | A bad speller might spell school (college) SKOOL, reversed or ’back’ | |
| 11 | With very soft lining, a real tight old dress | |
| APPAREL | PP (very soft) inside or ‘lining’ an anagram of A REAL (anagrind is ‘tight’ as in drunk) | |
| 12 | Solitary before having a wee one | |
| EREMITE | ERE (before) MITE (a wee one) | |
| 13 | They’re a flaming nuisance | |
| ARSONISTS | Cryptic definition, although we would describe ARSONISTS as more than a nuisance | |
| 16 | Get to grips with these Chinese gangs | |
| TONGS | Double definition | |
| 17 | Wrap fruit that’s in between small and large | |
| SHAWL | HAW (fruit) in between S (small) and L (large) | |
| 19 | Left hand’s traces showing carelessness – second pinch produced blood | |
| SCRIBBLED | S (second) + CRIB (pinch) + BLED (produced blood) – a rather contrived definition we thought although the use of ‘left’ as the past tense of leave was a good bit of misdirection. | |
| 22 | Leopard mistakenly let out | |
| PAROLED | Anagram of LEOPARD (anagrind is ‘mistakenly’) | |
| 24 | Latter-day hippie Neville’s jacket put on a flutter | |
| NEW AGER | N |
|
| 26 | In the end medical procedure partially came near to relapse | |
| ENEMA | Hidden (‘partially’) and reversed (‘relapse’) in cAME NEar – the definition raised a smile and a grimace! | |
| 27 | Made agreeable little number in special edition | |
| SWEETENED | WEE (little) TEN (number) in S (special) ED (edition) | |
| 28 | All extremely juvenile ringing head of department after close of office | |
| EVERYBODY | VERY (extremely) BOY (juvenile) round or ‘ringing’ D (first letter or ‘head’ of Department) after E (last letter or ‘close’ of officE) | |
| 29 | Measure of frequency in sound as causes damage | |
| HURTS | Homophone (‘in sound’) of HERTZ (measure of frequency) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Somewhere in US, a science establishment attended by a graduate | |
| ALABAMA | A LAB (science establishment) + A MA (graduate) | |
| 2 | Hike in cost of hash? Maybe grow your own….. | |
| POT UP | A play on the price of POT (hash) going UP | |
| 3 | …drug, hopin’ to get high? | |
| ASPIRIN | ASPIRIN |
|
| 4 | Gives info why not to shop in Norfolk town on Tue PM say? | |
| DISCLOSES | This is a play on the possibility of shops in DISS (the only town in Norfolk to make regular appearances in crosswords!) closing on Tuesday afternoons. The answer is a homophone (‘say’) of DISS CLOSES. We’re not sure whether any English towns still have ‘half day closing’ any more. It used to be common in the days before out-of-town shopping centres, Sunday trading and 24/7 shopping, but does it still happen? A quick google search seems to indicate that it does in Norfolk at least! | |
| 5 | Shoot is cut just above earth | |
| SNIPE | SNIP (cut) above E (earth) | |
| 6 | Fruit that’s French is most unappealing | |
| UGLIEST | UGLI (fruit) + EST (French for ‘is’). We spent some time trying to think of a word ending …CEST (French for ‘that is’) but this was a crafty misdirection – ‘that’s’ needs to be read as ‘that has’ + French for ‘is’ | |
| 7 | Upset? Turn volume up on almost everything about oneself | |
| EMOTIONAL | TOME (volume) reversed or ‘turned up’ + ON AL |
|
| 8 | Spy’s cover blocks ways of proceeding | |
| SYSTEMS | S |
|
| 14 | The drink that’s very easy to make? | |
| SEA BREEZE | We weren’t sure about the definition for this one until we found that ‘Sea breeze’ is a cocktail, so ‘drink’ does double duty as part of the wordplay and as definition: SEA (the drink) + BREEZE (something that’s very easy). | |
| 15 | Alien turning right to left? Yes in a weird way | |
| STRANGELY | STRANGEr (alien) with the last R (right) changed to L (left) + Y (yes) | |
| 17 | Drink beer? Remember first half is best | |
| SUPREME | SUP (drink) + REMEmber (first half). We’re not sure why ‘beer’ is included here. SUP as a noun in Chambers can refer to an alcoholic drink which would then give you two definitions. Can anyone help? | |
| 18 | We hope for a drop off in such music | |
| LULLABY | Cryptic definition, referring to ‘dropping off’ to sleep | |
| 20 | Network’s taken over before long to add glamour | |
| BEWITCH | WEB (network) reversed or ‘taken over’ + ITCH (long to) | |
| 21 | Mostly horrible oddly overlooked samples of one doll’s dresses | |
| DIRNDLS | DIR |
|
| 23 | Dance band is completely boxed in | |
| DISCO | Hidden (‘boxed in’) in banD IS COmpletely | |
| 25 | About drink that’s brought over, he’s bought it | |
| GONER | RE (about) NOG (drink) reversed or ‘brought over’ | |
Sorry, I’m as thick as the proverbial, but what is the significance of the Nina (2nd row from the top and 4th last row of non-contiguous letters)? There’s probably another hidden part of it, or a reference to a clue that I’m missing.
Thanks, both, you little jet-setters, you.
I too found this a bit contrived in places. Not a bad puzzle by any means, but it was perhaps a bit unnecessarily tricky in parts.
Half-day closing is still a tradition where I live (although it’s Wednesdays around here) which is quaint but sometimes annoying.
I think if you take SUP as meaning ‘drink beer’ then SUPREME works. My sense is that in everyday usage SUP implies drinking an alcoholic beverage: you’d sup ale, but sip tea.
Thanks to Crosophile for the end of month offering.
That is a good question, WordPlodder. Perhaps Crosophile has seen the light …
Well there’s also Everbody Hurts on the bottom line and REM appears in a few places, there may be more REM songs, perhaps Crosophile was listening to a new CD?
I took the question mark in 17d to mean “maybe.” Thanks to blogger and setter.
The REM nina and theme went over my head even though I like the band. I wish I’d seen the nina because it would have stopped me entering “put up” at 2dn. I didn’t know POT UP as an expression but in retrospect it is incredibly clear from the wordplay. Ho hum.
Of the other clues DIRNDLS was my LOI.
Fairly tricky, but more manageable in a reasonable time than yesterday. My LOI was Alpha after I had initially convinced myself that there must be a type of Greek hotel called an Alpia. I also found Snipe tricky because I convinced myself the parsing was ‘s + word for just cut + E(arth).
I got so carried away with the theme that I entered ‘Stipe’ for 5d, which is a kind of shoot (apparently) but which I couldn’t make parse. Good puzzle – tough to the end.
Well, Bert noticed Everybody Hurts but didn’t take it any further! We can’t believe that we missed the theme – apologies Crosophile!
Thanks for the blog,Bertandjoyce, and thanks for all comments .
By the way , no expense spared in my googling research for clues :Diss’s early closing day is indeed as stated 🙂
I was struggling to finish the NE corner, so, on a whim, I started looking for a nina. As soon as I saw RELIGION, my eyes settled on EVERYBODY HURTS. Realising that LOSING MY belonged in row 2 was just the help I needed. Good stuff, Crosophile.