Phi has given us an interesting puzzle today
The first two across entries (9 and 10 across) read as THIRD POLICEMAN. A bit of research shows that this is the title (with a definite article in front) of a novel by FLANN (one letter more than the entry at 5 down) O’BRIEN (22 down). There are references in the book to BICYCLES (2 down), police barracks (COPSHOPS, 16 down) and Sergeant PLUCK (19 across). The book is apparently quite surreal such that some of the other entries could be associated with the theme with just a bit of lateral thinking. There is specific reference to a scientist, admittedly not a GEOLOGIST (21 across) , a broken leg (broken HIPBONE [24 across]?).
Knowledge of the theme is not necessary to solve the puzzle though. I found the wordplay more complex than many of Phi’s puzzles, but I have no problem with that as I prefer wordplay built from many parts of the entry to cryptic definitions.
I got off to a fairly quick start with THIRD (9 across) and NIRVANA (12 across) going in immediately.
My last two entries were at the FERTILE O’BRIEN intersection
An enjoyable puzzle which I found slightly harder than most of Phi’s puzzles.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 9
|
Terror, taken on, lacking energy for musical interval (5)
|
T (tenor) + (HIRED [taken on] excluding (lacking) E [energy])
|
THIRD (musical interval)
|
| 10
|
Brit seizing vermin, going to an officer (9)
|
(POM [an immigrant from the British Isles; a British {especially English} person in general] containing [seizing] LICE [vermin]) + AN)
PO (LICE) M AN |
POLICEMAN (officer)
|
| 11
|
Year’s work recalled in chap’s construction for spring festivity (7)
|
(Y [year] + OP [opus; work]) all reversed [recalled] contained in [in] MALE [male]
MA (Y PO)< LE |
MAYPOLE (pole erected for dancing round on Mayday; construction for spring festivity)
|
| 12
|
I take leading position in North America – a blissful state (7)
|
(I + R [take {Latin}] + VAN [vanguard; leading position]) contained in (in) NA (North America)
N (I R VAN) A |
NIRVANA (blissful state)
|
| 13
|
Famous people releasing book; endless gossip about one of the stars? (9)
|
(CELEBS [celebrities; stars] excluding [releasing] B [book]) + ([TALK {gossip} excluding the final letter {endless} K] containing [about] I [one])
CELES T (I) AL |
CELESTIAL (about the visible heavens; possibly about just one of the stars)
|
| 15
|
Try and try to lose railway’s vital part (5)
|
HEAR (try, in court) + (TRY excluding [to lose] RY [railway])
|
HEART (vital part)
|
| 16
|
Call about gruesome tics, corrected – by such superficial treatment? (8,7)
|
CRY (call) containing (about) (an anagram of [corrected] GRUESOME TICS)
C (OSMETIC SURGE*) RY |
COSMETIC SURGERY (a surgical operation carried out to improve a patient’s appearance rather than to cure disease or improve function; superficial treatment)
|
| 19 | Spirit of Shakespeare seen in line? On the contrary, a different kind of spirit (5) | (L [line] contained in [seen in] PUCK [Shakespearean fairy [spirit] in A Midsummer Night’s Dream]) Instead of having Shakespearean spirit in line, we have line in Shakespearean spirit – i.e. on the contrary
P (L) UCK |
PLUCK (courage; spirit) |
| 21
|
Scientist‘s point about earth on record (9)
|
GIST (main point) containing (about) (E [earth] + O [on] + LOG [record])
G (E O LOG) IST |
GEOLOGIST (scientist)
|
| 24
|
Heroin? I lead individual to get part of joint (7)
|
H (heroin) + I + PB (chemical symbol for lead) + ONE (individual)
|
HIPBONE (part of the HIP joint)
|
| 26
|
Concern after losing a hat likely to grow a good deal (7)
|
FEAR (concern) excluding (losing) A + TILE (type of hat)
|
FERTILE (likely to grow a great deal)
|
| 27
|
Airborne soldier: no account involving one showing cracks? (9)
|
PARA (paratrooper; airborne soldier) + ([NO + AC {account}] containing [involving] I [one])
PARA NO (I) AC |
PARANOIAC (a victim of delusions; one showing cracks)
|
| 28
|
Go in for chips but not fish (5)
|
CARPENTER (chips) excluding (but not) CARP (type of fish)
|
ENTER (go in for)
|
| Down | |||
| 1 / 23
|
Analysis of matter I found in complex tracheotomy (6,6)
|
I contained in (found in) an anagram of (complex) TRACHEOTOMY
ATOM (I) C THEORY* |
ATOMIC THEORY (the hypothesis that all atoms of the same element are alike and that a compound is formed by union of atoms of different elements in some simple ratio; analysis of matter)
|
| 2
|
Rides again to take in the Ring? (8)
|
BIS (a word indicating a section of music is to be repeated; again) containing (to take in) CYCLE (circle; ring)
BI (CYCLE) S |
BICYCLES (rides)
|
| 3
|
Nasty sweet, lacking honey (6)
|
MELODIOUS (sweet) excluding (lacking) MEL (honey)
|
ODIOUS (nasty)
|
| 4
|
Brewed tea’s piping, encouraging consumption? (10)
|
Anagram of (brewed) TEA’S PIPING
|
APPETISING (encouraging consumption)
|
| 5
|
Last piece taken from side dish (4)
|
FLANK (side) excluding the final letter (last piece taken from) K
|
FLAN (flat open tart; dish)
|
| 6
|
One reckoning to restrict central heating – it’s a hot day (8)
|
SCORER (one counting; one reckoning) containing (to restrict) CH (central heating)
SCOR (CH) ER |
SCORCHER (hot day)
|
| 7
|
China about to go after one million antelopes (6)
|
I (one) + M (million) + PAL (friend; china) + A (about)
|
IMPALA (antelope or antelopes)
|
| 8
|
I go after fiend chasing new soldiers (8)
|
I + N (new) + FAN (enthusiast; fiend) + TRY (go)
|
INFANTRY (soldiers)
|
| 14
|
Source of watchmaker’s humiliation? (4,2,4)
|
LOSS OF FACE (a watchmaker does not want to LOSE THE FACE of a watch or clock that he is making as he would be responsible for the cost of making another)
|
LOSS OF FACE (humiliation)
|
| 16
|
Catches some overseas trips in stations? (8)
|
COPS (catches) + HOPS (an overseas trip could be a short HOP across the Channel)
|
COPSHOPS (police stations)
|
| 17
|
The Spanish king, chased by Harry’s dog (8)
|
EL (‘the’ in Spanish) + K (king) + HOUND (harry)
|
ELKHOUND (breed of dog)
|
| 18
|
Arts subject is enthralling first couple of students – they support leading figures (8) | E LIT (English Literature; arts subject) + (IS containing [enthralling] ST [first two letters of {first couple of} STUDENTS)
E LIT I (ST) S |
ELITISTS (members of a chosen or select group; leading figures)
|
| 20
|
“United heading off supremacy”: sport assessor (6)
|
U (united) + (EMPIRE [supremacy] excluding the first letter [heading off] E)
|
UMPIRE (sports arbitrator; sports assessor)
|
| 22
|
Smith’s antagonist decapitated horse with twisted rein (6)
|
(COB [short-legged strong horse] excluding the first letter [decapitated] C) + an anagram of (twisted) REIN
O B RIEN* |
O’BRIEN (reference the antagonist O’BRIEN and the protagonist Winston SMITH in George Orwell’s novel 1984)
|
| 25
|
Leave, having abandoned computer technology? (4)
|
EX (no longer; having abandoned) + IT (information technology; computer technology)
|
EXIT (leave)
|
Duncan, I saw the “cycle” in 2dn as a reference to Wagner’s Ring Cycle, hence the capitalisation of “Ring” in the clue. BICYCLE was actually my LOI after CELESTIAL, and it took me much too long to see them. The theme was completely over my head, but that didn’t stop me enjoying the puzzle.
I enjoyed this one very much, especially as I got it ‘out’ but I needed the blog for ‘enter’. So thanks, again, to both setter and blogger.
I too liked this one, but the theme passed me by. Bit of Wagner, bit of astronomy, bit of a theme … that’s Phi. Thanks to him for the puzzle and Duncan for the blog (especially for explaining ENTER).
Good weekend to all.
My 1974 Picador edition of the book aptly describes it as ‘a murder thriller, a hilarious comic satire about an archetypal village police force, a surrealistic vision of eternity, and a tender, brief, erotic story about the unrequited love affair between a man and his bicycle’.
Recommended.
Re. CELESTIAL: I think the definition is just “of the stars”. The “about one” is just part of the wordplay.
Intriguing puzzle overall. Thanks to Phi, and to duncanshiell.
I should point out that Sergeant Pluck’s extended explanation of how people turn into bicycles is described in terms of an Atomic Theory. And not least of the attractions of the book is the presence of an equally surreal, but entirely different, story, running through the footnotes. I’ve loved it ever since I stumbled across it as a Book at Bedtime while at university.
Re.parsing 18 across
I think the definition of “elitists” is “they support leading figures.”
(The leading figures themselves would simply be the elite?)
I don’t understand in which contexts ‘a’ is used as an abbreviation for ‘about’ [7d] and ‘o’ as an abbreviation for ‘on’ [21a]. Could someone please clarify?
Hoppo@8
In Chambers Dictionary, a is given as an abbreviation for ‘about’ Phi has simply used the abbreviation as part of the wordplay. Abbreviations can be used anywhere the setter wishes to use them. I don’t think there is a set context for using an abbreviation. ‘About’ is also often used a containment indicator as in the clues to 13 and 16. Abhay’s comment at 5 is correct – I shouldn’t have underlined ‘about one’ as part of the definition especially as I had already used ‘about’ properly in the wordplay.
O for on is a bit of a puzzle. It’s not an abbreviation I have come across and doing some research now I still can’t find it any of Chambers, Collins or the Oxford Dictionary of English. I guess when I wrote the blog the only way I could get the O was to say it related to ‘on’. On is often referred to one of the sides in cricket – the off side and the leg or on side. I’ve seen ‘o’ used as an abbreviation for off as in cat o’ nine tails but I admit I haven’t seen ‘o’ as an abbreviation for on. More common uses of ‘o’ relate to ‘over’ in cricket and ‘oxygen’ or ‘zero’ or ‘a round shape; ring’.
Thanks duncansheill @9.
We can agree that ‘o’ for ‘on’ is indeed mysterious!
I understand all that you say regarding the use of ‘about’ in crosswords, but what I was really puzzling over is – in what specific contexts in real life/writing is ‘a’ ever used to represent ‘about’? I can’t find any example of this usage.