Radian has produced a very enjoyable crossword today
An interesting crossword with a WELL worked use of the anwer to 8 across [WELL WELL] using it as WELL [half of 8] and WELLs [referencing both words in the clues at 1 down and 7 down] ] as WELL as WELL WELL [BY JINGO! – 15 across] and SPRINGS [19 down]
I think only ALPH at 2 down could be considered even slightly obscure. Every other entry was an everyday word.
My last one in was REFINERY [1 down] but the whole thing was completed at one sitting which isn’t always the case for me with daily Independent crosswords.
I liked the use of Serpentine as an anagram indicator in 15 across.
I’m not sure that pals get on INTIMATELY at 11 across but the wordplay was quite clear.
I also like the picture conjured up by 22 down (HARLOT)
|
Across |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay |
Entry |
|
8
|
Healthy source? Would you believe it! (4,4)
|
WELL (healthy) + WELL (source)
|
WELL WELL (would you believe it)
|
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9
|
Approved school clothes altered (6)
|
OK (okay; approved) contained in (clothed) COED (coeducational school) CO (OK) ED |
COOKED (altered)
|
|
10
|
Almost knock over hot drink (4)
|
(H [hot] + GIN [drink]) all reversed (knock over) (NIG H)< |
NIGH (almost)
|
|
11
|
How pals get on, working impatiently after power cut (10)
|
Anagram of (working) IMPATIENTLY excluding (cut) P (power)
|
INTIMATELY (how pals get on)
|
|
12
|
See old Irish duke getting acquainted (6)
|
V (vide [Latin for see]) + ERSE (old Irish) + D (duke)
|
VERSED (acquainted)
|
|
14
|
He drives doctor to sightseer, avoiding hairpin (8)
|
MO (medical officer; doctor) + (TOURIST [sightseer] excluding [avoiding] U [hairpin bend])
|
MOTORIST (he drives)
|
|
15
|
8 go by in Serpentine with Juliet (2,5)
|
Anagram of (serpentine) GO BY IN and J (Juliet is the international radio communication code for the letter J)
|
BY JINGO (WELL WELL [8 across])
|
|
17
|
During 10, leader of Red Rum walked on (7)
|
(R [first letter of {leader of} RED] + ODD [rum]) contained in (during) TEN (10) T (R ODD) EN |
TRODDEN (walked on)
|
|
20
|
Bus crashed during strike, a sign of 26? (6,2)
|
Anagram of (crashed) BUS contained in (during) THUMP (strike) THUM (B SU*) P |
THUMBS UP (a sign of GOOD LUCK [26 across])
|
|
22
|
Guy had hauled in fish that’s hooked (6)
|
HE’D (guy had) containing (hauled in) EEL (fish) H (EEL) ED |
HEELED (hooked; in rugby a hooker HEELs the ball)
|
|
23
|
Papers by top medical unit (if that’s the right name) (10)
|
ID (identity papers) + ENT (ear, nose and throat department; medical unit focused on issues at the top of the body) + IF + IE (id est; that is) + R (right)
|
IDENTIFIER (name)
|
|
24
|
School boss deceived about origin of education (4)
|
HAD (deceived) containing (about) E (first letter of [origin of] EDUCATION) H (E) AD |
HEAD (school boss)
|
|
25
|
Stop hospital hoarding drug for condition (6)
|
(HALT [stop] containing [hoarding] E [ecstasy; drug]) + H (hospital) H (E) ALT H |
HEALTH (condition)
|
|
26
|
Leave old dear clutching large fortune (4,4)
|
GO (leave) + O (old) + (DUCK [dear] containing [clutching] L [large]) GO O D (L) UCK |
GOOD LUCK (fortune)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Queen picked up regalia that’s supplied by 8 (8)
|
(ER [Elizabeth Regina] reversed [picked up; down clue]) + FINERY (regalia) RE< FINERY |
REFINERY (an oil REFINERY will be supplied by oil WELLS [WELL WELL {8 across}])
|
|
2
|
13 letters found in river near Dome? (4)
|
ALPH (half the letters of ALPHABET [26 letters, A – Z], so half is 13 letters)
|
ALPH (reference the river ALPH which flows near the dome in the poem Kubla Khan by Samuel Taylor Coleridge)
|
|
3
|
Husband’s at home perhaps sleeping late (6)
|
(H [husband] + IN [at home]) contained in [sleeping {in bed}] BED BE (H IN) D |
BEHIND (late)
|
|
4
|
Unfinished metallic compound hasn’t been beaten (3-4)
|
Anagram of (compound) METALLIC excluding the final letter (unfinished) C
|
ALL TIME (reference ALL TIME records which represent the best performances ever and have never been beaten)
|
|
5
|
Sword wound – writer’s impressed with it (8)
|
(I’M [reference the writer is; writer’s] + IT) contained in (impressed) SCAR (wound) SC (IM IT) AR |
SCIMITAR (sword)
|
|
6
|
Use it to change platforms or pay for game (10)
|
FOOT (pay for) + BRIDGE (card game)
|
FOOTBRIDGE (often used at a station to move between platforms)
|
|
7
|
8 captivated English actor-director (6)
|
(WELLS [WELL and WELL – 8 across]) containing (captivated) E (English) WELL (E) S |
WELLES (reference Orson WELLES [1915 – 1985], American actor-director)
|
|
13
|
Half of 8 women and one pair of males split one by one (10) |
(W [women] +I [one] + [M {male} + M {male} giving a pair of males]) contained in (split) SINGLY (one by one) S (W I MM) INGLY |
SWIMMINGLY (well, half of WELL WELL [8 across])
|
|
16
|
Start to get a faint glow from this? (8)
|
G (first letter of [start to] GET) + A + SLIGHT (faint)
|
GASLIGHT (an old fashioned device that produced a glow)
|
|
18
|
Grace sculpted angel in Eastern church (8)
|
Anagram of (sculpted) ANGEL contained in (in )(E + CE [church {of England}]) E (LEGAN*) CE |
ELEGANCE (grace)
|
|
19
|
8 Spanish calls (7)
|
SP (Spanish) + RINGS (calls)
|
SPRINGS (wells; WELL WELL [8 across])
|
|
21
|
Veiled female hugs current churchman (6)
|
HEN (woman) containing (hugs) (I [electric current] + DD [doctor of divinity]) H (I DD) EN |
HIDDEN (veiled)
|
|
22
|
I love leaving Lothario quivering (6)
|
Anagram of (quivering) LOTHARIO excluding (leaving) IO
|
HARLOT (whore; someone who may use their wiles to leave a Lothario quivering)
|
|
24
|
Dig round lake, one of 8 (4)
|
HOE (dig) containing (round) L (lake) HO (L) E |
HOLE (a WELL [one of WELL WELL {8 across}] is a HOLE)
|
Hi Duncan – thanks to you and Radian. I think many of the answers link with ‘well’, eg well-trodden, well-heeled etc
Thank you, Duncan. It’s clever, now you (and endwether) have explained it, but too clever for this solver this morning. Too many interlinked clues for my liking, so I was chasing my tail around the grid; and even though I got WELL WELL, I couldn’t finish. I’ll blame the heat.
endwther @ 1
Thanks – I should have spotted that when writing the blog.
I guess the others are: well cooked, well-nigh, well versed, wellhead, health maybe, well behind, well hidden
A very enjoyable puzzle for me, although I didn’t see the connection to “well” in answers like HEELED and TRODDEN, and in fact HEELED went in from the wordplay alone because I couldn’t think of how it was a synonym for “hooked”, so thanks for that Duncan. I had the most trouble in the NW and finished with ALPH, REFINERY and NIGH.
Thanks Radian and Duncan, spent a bit of time looking for HG Wells in vain.
Not many comments here today which surprises me.
I found this one of the most enjoyable Radians of late. I am not always into his ample use of cross-references but, well, I liked this puzzle very much.
One should also realise that it is not that easy to fit all these linked words into a proper grid.
It is this setter’s second fun puzzle in a row after last Saturday’s Crucible.
I am also a great admirer of Redshank which makes it, in my eyes, all the more extraordinary to be so excellent in three completely different (think style) disguises!
Thanks to Duncan.
We were stuck on 10ac and 2d and resorted to downloading the puzzle on crossword solver to get a hint! We really should have seen the link with WELL for 10ac along with all the other ones, especially as Joyce queried TRODDEN for ‘walked on’ and Bert said ….. That’s fine – as in a well-trodden path!
WELL done Radian! You beat us tonight at the last hurdle – we could blame it on the late hour rather than the heat as in comment 2 by K’s D!
Thanks Duncan – comprehensive blog as ever, so WELL done to you too!