It took me a little while to find a foothold in this multilingual offering from Neo…
… and, once I did, I’m afraid it didn’t exactly fill me with joy. As so often, it’s hard to put a finger on quite why. A few of the clues seemed unnecessarily elaborate; one or two definitions seemed unreasonably obscure. Not a bad puzzle, by any means (and, by the by, a pangram) – just one that didn’t quite hit the spot for me. Thank-you, Neo.
| Across | ||
| 1 | GRAPEFRUIT |
FT pair with urge chopped up tree (10)
Anagram of ft pair urge
|
| 7 | QUIZ |
Italian’s here – an unknown quantity to test (4)
Qui [Italian for ‘here’] z [algebraic unknown]
|
| 9 | BAKU |
Footballer about to be dropped by United or City (4)
Back [footballer] minus c [circa, about] U [United]
|
| 10 | RADIO TIMES |
Editors aim to produce publication (5,5)
Anagram of editors aim
|
| 11 | FINISH |
Swimmer stays popular in defeat (6)
In [popular] within fish [swimmer]
|
| 12 | ROADSHOW |
Spooner’s exhibited line for live broadcast (4,4)
Spoonerism of showed [exhibited] row [line]
|
| 13 | AMARANTH |
Flower from husband after angry words with a mum (8)
A ma [mum] rant [angry words] h [husband]
|
| 15 | EDDA |
Work companion right to leave cheesy town (4)
Cheddar [cheesy town] minus CH [Companion (of Honour)] r [right]
|
| 17 | JEDI |
I’d use light weapon and have Jack die horribly (4)
J [jack] anagram of die
|
| 19 | CONSTANT |
Very consistent cricket umpire (8)
Double definition, alluding to the not-very-well-known umpire David Constant
|
| 22 | ROUSSEAU |
Regret very much hearing influential thinker (8)
Sounds like rue so [regret very much]
|
| 23 | VAPOUR |
Go to Frenchman for Parisian in mist (6)
Va [go, in French] pour [for, in French]
|
| 25 | SIMON PETER |
NT promisee annoyed with me? (5,5)
Anagram of nt promisee – NT is the New Testament, but I’m not enough of a Biblical scholar to unravel the full &lit here…
|
| 26 | NOOK |
Approval withheld in retreat? (4)
No ok [approval withheld]
|
| 27 | PALM |
Miles with friend offers hand (4)
Pal [friend] m [miles]
|
| 28 | NURSERYMEN |
North Surrey rowing team – they’re active at Kew (10)
N [north] anagram of surrey men [team]
|
| Down | ||
| 2 | REALISM |
Pragmatism is shown in study (7)
Is within realm [study]
|
| 3 | PAULI |
Current value found by Dirac for one quantum expert (5)
Paul [Dirac, the British physicist] I [current value]
|
| 4 |
See 24
|
|
| 5 | UNDERTHECOUNTER |
To ensnare nobleman he returned in new guise, secretly and illegally (5-3-7)
Count [nobleman] within anagram of he returned
|
| 6 | THORAX |
Try to catch start of hockey or bit of cricket? (6)
H(ockey) or within tax [try]
|
| 7 | QUIESCENT |
Still silent about embarrassing display? Not entirely (9)
Scen(e) [embarrassing display] within quiet [silent]
|
| 8 | ICE-COLD |
Really cool Liverpudlian’s first to stop diamonds hoax (3-4)
Ice [diamonds] L(iverpool) within cod [hoax]
|
| 14 | RAINSTORM |
Having mental aberration, bowled out in bad weather (9)
Brainstorm [mental aberration] minus b [bowled]
|
| 16 | UNIVERSE |
All there is in college poetry? (8)
Uni [college] verse [poetry]
|
| 18 | EROTICA |
Porno books in Heather’s collection? (7)
OT [Old Testament, books] within erica [heather]
|
| 20 | NEURONE |
New German individual holds king in cell (7)
R [king] within neu [German for ‘new’] one [individual]
|
| 21 | BEDPAN |
Sleep with caprine deity in vessel offered by tender (6)
Bed [sleep with] Pan [caprine deity]
|
| 24, 4 | PENNY FARTHING |
Old bike makes little girl more distant object (5,8)
Penny [girl – I suppose ‘little’ indicates that the name is a diminutive] far thing [more distant object]
|
Thanks, Ringo, especially for the cricket umpire. I didn’t notice the pangram – but I rarely do.
I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy this – I thought it was a great puzzle!
Re 25ac: Jesus told Simon Peter he would deny him three times before cock-crow: Simon Peter promised he wouldn’t – but did, of course. [I was pleased to see ‘promisee’, as the person to whom a promise is made. I’m quite bewildered by the current ‘attendees’ at conferences, etc, and ‘standees’ on buses.]
This clue sent me searching for an excellent one I remembered seeing earlier, which turned out to be in a Pasquale [Guardian 25,968] puzzle: ‘breaker of promise, thrice ultimately [NT] (5,5). I think Neo’s’ is equally brilliant.
Lots of nice clues, I thought – 6dn tickled me and I even quite liked the Spoonerism!
Many thanks, Neo – I really enjoyed it.
The clues seem neat and pithy rather than elaborate, although you can pick at ‘New German’ for NEU or ‘Italian’s here’ for QUI. Personally, as these correctly define what is needed, I can’t really take issue.
I agree with Eileen about the excellence of 25ac, and the general high standard, adding only that so little of this is fanciful – it’s pretty hard to argue with.
Fair enough! Maybe I just got out of bed on the wrong side this morning…
I agree with Eileen. This was first class. I was interested in Eileen’s comment on 25ac re Pasquale having clued it before, as I think that Neo follows in the Don’s footsteps in his flattering assumptions about the solver’s erudition. I particularly liked 21 down(it made me laugh). Thanks N & R.
Brian Greer’s classic book cautions setters against assuming an unfair level of general knowledge. Several of these I felt sailed dangerously close to that line – 15, 19, 25 and 3d in particular. Shame because it was a very pleasant puzzle overall.
Rinsp, I would like to see this book, as I respect Brian Greer as a setter greatly. What is it called?
There are two clues here where ‘with’ seems to indicate to place ‘in front of’ ie 13A & 27A. I was just wondering if this was normal practice.
Thanks to Neo and Ringo
The book is called ‘How To Do The Times Crossword’, published in paperback by the Times in 2001. Lots available on Amazon very cheaply. Hugely informative, as much for the insight into a master setter’s mind. BG was of course the crossword editor of both the Times and Independent and still sets puzzles as Virgilius (Sunday Telegraph) and Brendan (Guardian). Highly recommended.
Thanks Rinsp, I am very grateful.
Cheers PB a nice work out after a dull day at work, 25 very good, have a gold star 🙂
And, according to PB’s comment on Pasquale’s clue, Neo’s cousin might be a bt chuffed, too. ;-}
Sorry I messed up the smiley. 😉
Thank you so much for your parsing of 15ac, Ringo. Groaned when I saw it – have been stuck since 6am! Good clue, Neo.
Well thanks everyone. I’d been thinking I might get slaughtered after Ringo’s intro, but somehow I shimmied past the lunging tackles. Mind you, he’s entitled to his opinion, and I think it’s a great blog anyway!
On the foreignisms, I don’t mind chucking a few in for the FT as quite a number of its readers don’t have English as a first language, or at least move in somewhat international circles. But fair enough.
Very many thanks to Ringo and all who commented. 😀
Cheers
Neo
Oh gosh. I always feel bad when everyone else enjoys a puzzle I haven’t warmed to… and now I feel doubly bad because Neo has been so nice about it. Ah, well. Glad the blog helped a couple of you out anyway. 🙂
Thanks Neo and Ringo
Put me down as another who enjoyed this … with a couple of memorable clues that have been identified by others.
A couple of new words – COD (as a hoax) and the umpire David CONSTANT (who was my last one in).
Very enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to Neo and Ringo. Thoroughly enjoyed 25a and 21d.
Eileen @1, if ‘attendees’ and ‘standees’ bewilder you, and they bother me too, how would you like to have worked for nearly 30 yeas in a firm whose HR department referred to ‘mentors’ and ‘mentees’ – sharp pencils in the ears …