On the last Wednesday of every month Crosophile gives Dac a rest, and although it would be practically impossible to emulate the master he usually makes a pretty good job of coming near, as he has here. There are plenty of very good clues and I’m becoming used to expressing one or two doubts and then having it explained to me that they are unfounded, as I suspect will happen here.
Usually so relieved to have finished on a blogging day, at first I don’t look at all for a Nina and only later do so cursorily. So the fact that I can’t see anything doesn’t mean much.
Definitions in italics.
Across
1 He travels up from Belgravia to Richmond (7)
AVIATOR
Hidden in BelgrAVIA TO Richmond — up in the sense up in the air
5 Beside yourself there’s a note in old currency (7)
FRANTIC
ti in Franc — a note is ti rather than a n, as I initially thought: what was the old currency frtic?
9 Is drink drunk in part of theatre? (5)
AISLE
a(is)le — an aisle is usually clued as part of a church, so this was unusual but perfectly OK
10 Getting top off fruit drink, I’ll leave nasty Mark to get help (9)
ASSISTANT
{c}assis ta{i}nt — nasty Mark is nasty mark = taint
11 Near-disastrous events, as first I then bodyguard are captured by soldiers (3,6)
AIR MISSES
I and SS are inserted separately into armies
12 Year’s profit in another time (5)
AGAIN
a gain — not sure here: OK gain = profit, but how does a = year, unless an “a gain” is some business term of which I’m unaware? — or is it aga in, where somehow aga = year’s profit? — no I suspect not
13 A medic, in the end you clean up mobile medical unit (9)
AMBULANCE
a MB {yo}u lance [= (clean)*] — not lance as in lance a boil, which has nothing really to do with cleaning up
15 Migrant boy is sent back (5)
NOMAD
(Damon)rev.
17 Attractive lady and gentleman when half cut (5)
SIREN
sir {wh}en
19 It’s not expected, dope and cocaine to be wrapped in coarse sort of paper (9)
EMERGENCY
(gen [= dope] c [= cocaine]) in emery [paper]
21 Regulator according to report is not working, eh? (5)
OFWAT
“off, what?” — off = not working
23 Stupid barrel’s dry (9)
BRAINLESS
b[arrel] rainless
25 Maybe delicacy’s required with idiot hospital cleaner (9)
DISHCLOTH
dish [= maybe delicacy] clot [= idiot] h
26 Avoid road junction car crash (5)
SHUNT
shun T [as in T-junction]
27 File a little bit back on tips of several elongated toenails (4,3)
DATA SET
(a tad)rev. s{everal} e{longated} t{oenails}
28 Tool I removed from basket under top of shelving (7)
SPANNER
Either I don’t quite like this or I’m not seeing something: it seems to be s{helving} pann{i}er, but in an across clue how does ‘under’ indicate ‘at the beginning’ or ‘after’?
Down
1 Position in role of acting new associate (5)
ASANA
as [Benedict Cumberbatch acts as Sherlock Holmes — this is just taken up by the words ‘in role of’] a [= acting] n [= new] a [= associate] — all these abbreviations are in Chambers — asana is a yoga position
2 With 17 going off and child’s cot seen inside, cutter is required (9)
INSCRIBER
Since 17 is SIREN this is crib inside (siren)* — I wonder how many people did all this in the order crib, so it’ll be inscriber, so 17 will be an anagram of inser — but for a while I couldn’t see how 17 was RESIN
3 Contraceptive help it might provide to student (3,4)
THE PILL
(help it)* L — the anagram indicated by ‘might provide’, I think, but am not convinced
4 A rose mostly needs ground – in a way it’s best practice (4,5)
ROAD SENSE
(a ros{e} needs)* — a way is a road
5 Goes without butter etc around start of Shrovetide? (5)
FASTS
fats [= butter etc] around S{hrovetide} — a partial &lit. I think, since the definition could either be as indicated or be the whole thing
6 Keep off tar splotch (7)
ABSTAIN
AB [= tar] stain [= splotch]
7 Am I to leave Tia Maria? It might go to one’s head (5)
TIARA
Ti{a M}ar{i}a
8 Turn is rigged with dodgy caddy and fixed in advance (3,3,3)
CUT AND DRY
(turn caddy)* although I can’t see why Crosophile has two anagram indicators, ‘is rigged with’ and ‘dodgy’ — surely it would have been perfectly sound if it had omitted ‘dodgy’? Perhaps the clue makes more surface sense with it in
13 Out of energy, the moment placed in a cot was off (9)
ABSCONDED
a b(s{e}cond)ed
14 Look at cats at the far end – they’re on the lids (9)
EYELASHES
I think this is eye [= look at] lashes [= cats as a verb (lash with a cat-o’-nine-tails)], but what then is the reason for ‘at the far end’? It tells you that lashes is at the far end of eye, but that’s not necessary here — does it in fact help the surface?
16 Bloke posed by area of Tyne, one in five being a model (9)
MANNEQUIN
man [= bloke] NE [= area of Tyne] quin [= one in five]
18 Pays attention once it’s funny (7)
NOTICES
(once it’s)*
20 God, at top only, has an elephant’s head surprisingly (7)
GANESHA
G{od} (has an e{lephant})* — Ganesha is a Hindu god — &lit.
22 A denial second of requirements is promoted? (5)
WASN’T
wants with s [the second of requirements is the s that is in ‘wants’, not, as one may initially suspect, {r}e{quirements}] raised
23 Fill up with gas that’s left on board ship (5)
BLOAT
b(l)oat
24 Pan maybe placed on lower parts of pantry floor (5)
SATYR
sat {pantr}y {floo}r — was Pan a satyr? I really don’t know, but some people say he wasn’t, so far as I can see
Thanks for explaining ASANA.
I agree with your reservations about SATYR. Pan is a god, and his companions are satyrs. He is no more a satyr than a river god is a naiad. That quibble aside, thanks, Crosophile, for an enjoyable crossword.
I thought this puzzle was a little trickier than the usual Wednesday fare.
In 12ac I think year=annum=a, but I could be wrong. The wording of the clue for SPANNER would work better in a down clue but it didn’t hold me up.
I needed aids at the end to get ASANA but on reflection I should have got it from the wordplay.
There seems to be a mini theme on emergencies, ambulances, sirens and shunts, quite enjoyed this apart from failing on ASANA.
Thanks CP and John
I’m with you on 2 down. I spent some time wondering if ‘serin’ was even a word before the penny dropped.
5 dn is not & lit, but not ‘extended definition’ really, as the definitonm is not complete ‘goes without’ (should have plus ‘food’). It works,, howevr,
Hi John. For 12ac, “a abbrev annus (L), year” is in Chambers 2008.
Like flashling, I couldn’t get ASANA. Thanks to John for parsing that one, and pointing out that SPANNER should really be a down clue. Perhaps a clue switch too far (I think Phi confessed to one of these a month or two back).
I enjoyed this one, but – if I may be so bold – I think we should stop referring to Crosophile as the end-of-the-month Dac stand in. He’s now an established Indy setter in his own right and has given us some excellent Wednesday puzzles.
You’re very kind, John. Thanks for the blog.
Matters arising:
12a a = annum=year [eg see “a(3)” in Chambers.
28a can only agree. Should have used ‘by’ rather than ‘under’.
5d I’d agree it’s semi-&lit
8d I agree I could/should have dropped ‘dodgy’
14d ‘at the far end’ was a last minute addition since the lash is at the tip of a whip – BUT I wish I’d spotted ‘to cat’ = ‘to whip’, as you suggest, which justifies the shorter version.
24d Your point was rightly anticipated by the editor so I amended it to ‘Pan’s support maybe placed on lower parts of pantry floor’ but it seems not to have made the online version.
Hi Flashling @3. You’re onto something. Maybe there’s something on the diagonals? 🙂
@CP Ni-na Ni-na indeed 🙂
Thanks John and Crosophile. Good fun – as for the “double NINA”, what can I say (groan?)?
just double? 🙂
I am lost in the nina forest and will be found in two weeks’ time, having been eaten by wild animals. What is the nina here, please? In words of one syllable, preferably.
Hi K’sD
Look at the four-letter diagonal entries across each of the four corners.
Sorry, Kathryn’s Dad, and after the nice things you said too. Yes, Ni-Na Ni-Na Ni-Na Ni-Na to accompany the AMBULANCE EMERGENCY SIRENs [all just for a SHUNT, I imagine].
Oh what a great use of ninas!
Once again we had to leave the last ones for the morning – we had to resort to an electronic check for 1d although in retrospect we did know the word.
All good but at times devilish fun. Thanks Crosophile and also thans to John for the blog.