Lorraine: Good morning one and all.
Great crossword this week, new to me this week was 4dn. Never heard of hugger-mugger before, it is not often at my age that you get to learn a new word.
Big thank you to Everyman for an enjoyable solve.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Agree, initially, about new hotel by new motorway (8) | ||
| AUTOBAHN i | A+(ABOUT*)+H+N | ||
| 5. | Pale china stopper (6) | ||
| PALLID | PAL(china plate=mate)+LID | ||
| 9. | Carry on about heading for Harwich, far off accommodation for ships (8) | ||
| WHARFAGE i | WAGE around (H(arwich)+(FAR*)) | ||
| 10. | Dog‘s strong point after bit of breeding (6) | ||
| BASSET | ASSET after B(reeding) | ||
| 12. | Monk astride large beast of burden (5) | ||
| LLAMA | LAMA around L | ||
| 13. | Disabled, one during dash in battle (2,7) | ||
| EL ALAMEIN i | (LAME+I) in ELAN | ||
| 15. | Pessimist‘s frame of mind in retreat, confronting trader (4,8) | ||
| DOOM MERCHANT | (MOOD<)+MERCHANT | ||
| 18. | Labour group on seminar (7,5) | ||
| WORKING CLASS | WORKING+CLASS sort of ‘all-in-one’ definition |
||
| 21. | Picture that woman getting in pub round (5,4) | ||
| LOCAL HERO | HER in (LOCAL+O) | ||
| 22. | Playwright from Troon? Unlikely (5) | ||
| ORTON i | TROON* | ||
| 23. | Batsman’s stroke, good cut (6) | ||
| GLANCE | G+LANCE | ||
| 25. | Clergyman, one entering cathedral (8) | ||
| MINISTER | I in MINSTER | ||
| 26. | Sailor needs to be given purpose (6) | ||
| TARGET | TAR+GET | ||
| 27. | Information on summit in bureaucratic language (8) | ||
| NEWSPEAK i | NEWS+PEAK | ||
Down |
|||
| 1. | When one chooses a serge (2,4) | ||
| AT WILL | A+TWILL | ||
| 2. | Eat out, then secure the wherewithal for a drink (3,3) | ||
| TEA BAG | (EAT*)+BAG | ||
| 3. | Showman from Niagara River port shown on leaflet (7,4) | ||
| BUFFALO BILL i | BUFFALO(river)+BILL | ||
| 4. | One clasping crocodile in confusion? (6-6) | ||
| HUGGER-MUGGER | HUGGER+MUGGER(an indian crocodile) | ||
| 6. | Commander from Niagara (3) | ||
| AGA | hidden: niAGAra | ||
| 7. | Star embraced by young woman in gambling centre (3,5) | ||
| LAS VEGAS | VEGA in LASS | ||
| 8. | Set off from public school in time (8) | ||
| DETONATE | ETON in DATE | ||
| 11. | Travelling OK, on reliable part of the London Underground (8,4) | ||
| BAKERLOO LINE | (OK, ON A RELIABLE)* | ||
| 14. | Accomplices in case? Scores, I suspect (11) | ||
| ACCESSORIES | (CASES? SCORES, I)* | ||
| 16. | Mean to travel round with one learner driver in the gloaming (8) | ||
| TWILIGHT | TIGHT around W+I+L | ||
| 17. | Lacking practical expertise, member beginning to criticise musical (8) | ||
| ARMCHAIR | ARM+C(riticise)+HAIR | ||
| 19. | Sculpted figure, say, university acquired (6) | ||
| STATUE | U in STATE | ||
| 20. | Jacket in tan, or a khaki (6) | ||
| ANORAK | hidden: tAN, OR A Khaki | ||
| 24. | Hint, hint left ignored (3) | ||
| CUE | C(l)UE | ||
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Thanks for the blog, Lorraine. Just one quibble: in parsing 3dn, wouldn’t Buffalo be both “river and port” rather than just river?
Hugger mugger was new to me too – but then I learn a new word through crosswords almost every other week! 🙂
Thank you, Lorraine. HUGGER-MUGGER I had vaguely heard of – like Abhay, probably through crosswords – but I hadn’t heard of the crocodile, so thank you for explaining that. You wouldn’t want to be mugged by that, would you?
The usual pleasant Sunday morning puzzle from Everyman. I knew HUGGER-MUGGER but I didn’t know, or had forgotten, that a “mugger” is an Indian crocodile. Abhay@1 is correct to point out that Buffalo is a port on the Niagara River.
This was pretty much a top-to-bottom solve for me and I finished in the SW with TARGET after CUE.
For the first time in weeks I failed to finish this and nowhere near finishing with 13a,21a,26a 11d & 17d all eluding me . I thought the mugger bit must refer to a crocodile mugging you though it didn’t seem quite right.
Thanks Lorraine,
No-one has mentioned anything so far but it took me ages to get the last few with GLANCE being the last.
There is, of course, no way to legislate for the difficulty of a crossword but whenever people say that
it was more diffcult than usual, I rarely agree.
Favourites were AUTOBAHN, DOOM MERCHANT and LOCAL HERO. Thanks to Everyman.
I found this harder than usual for an Everyman (published in today’s Saturday New Zealand Herald) with 1,5,9 and 13 ac and 4d all proving hard to crack.
I think I’ve been out of England too long to have thought of PAL for CHINA.
Like Barrie, also in NZ, I found this harder than usual, and could not get 9a, 4d, or 1 d. Guessed 5a but never heard of the Cockney for pal , not surprisongly as I am a fourth generation New Zealander.
We got it out – finally. Hugger-mugger only rang very vague bells & mugger for crocodile was foreign territory. We’re 2nd to 4th a generation kiwis but had heard of china for mate – but not sure that we could have told you why.
Also NZ. Been completing the Everyman most weeks of late but 4d, 17d and 21a all had me stumped
Something of a theme is developing – I am also from NZ, and also struggled more than usual.
Was a lovely solve, though. Thanks again Everyman; and Lorraine for your elucidation – particularly for that HUGGER-MUGGER
I know I’m late in saying this, but FWIW, I parsed 18a slightly differently: Labour group = WORKING (on, as in ‘turned on’) + CLASS (seminar)
“agar magar” in hindi is general indecisiveness …so that could be same as confusion…
and the word magar is hindi for crocodile…not indian crocodile…
so the solution to 4d “hugger-mugger” is an interstign turn of phrase if you know hindi and english…