Saturday and an offering from Klingsor! That should take my mind off my driving test
I found this hard work – suspect my mind was on other things. But when I write it up in the cool light of day it seems relatively straight forward.
Some lovely surface readings of clues and a variant on Phi’s (8775) clue “What mayoral candidate offers to do? One shouldn’t believe it (9) ” at 3 down. Both are amusing and whilst based on the same premise subtly different.
- 1ac; 10ac; 27ac were my favourite acrosses
- 2dn; 19dn my favourite downs
A couple of clues I can’t fully parse – 25ac and 20dn – answers on a postcard or preferably as a comment.
Many thanks Klingsor – certainly a fun puzzle and my thanks also to the DSA for welcoming me onto the already overcrowded roads – like other commuters I can now sit on my own in a four-seater car!!
Key: * anagram; Rev. reverse; DD Double definition; Underline definition
ACROSS:
1. One has two mates acting in great film (8)
a (acting) in big (great) + mist (film) = BIGAMIST
5 Musician’s not half exuberant after Ring (6)
Boisterous(exuberant) – erous (not half) after o (ring) = OBOIST
9 Charitable organisation’s to stick around for author (8)
SA (Charitable organisation) + linger (stick around) = SALINGER (as in JD)
10 Beethoven’s Third, with dedication essentially involving French ruler (6)
e (Beethoven’s Third) + Roi (French ruler (king)) in CA (dedication) essentially = EROICA
12 For example, no drink’s allowed at first (5)
dram (drink) + a (allowed at first) = DRAMA (No is a form of drama)
13 At any rate, it’s most imprudent? (9)
DD LEAST WISE
14 Fighter hadn’t misconstrued chief’s greatest strength (5, 3, 4)
Mig (fighter) + (hadn’t)* + main (chief) = MIGHT AND MAIN
18 Over the moon, penny edited play as penned by Potter? (5, 2, 5)
(p play as )* in Harry (Potter?) = HAPPY AS LARRY
21 Shocking for one to be entertained by orgies university organised (9)
eg (for one) + (orgies + u)* = EGREGIOUS
23 Caught fish right to go inside … this? (5)
C (caught) + eel (fish) around r (right)= CREEL (used to catch fish)
24 Judge’s quit making gags, one sees (6)
Jocular (making gags) – j (judge) = OCULAR
25 Tree getting hollowed out in wind and hail? (8)
(tree + gg + in)* = GREETING
26 Wanted to work on radio with journalist (6)
need (homophone of knead (work) + ed (journalist) = NEEDED
27 Motorway dash that could make driver drivel? (8)
MI (motorway) + sprint (dash) = MISPRINT
DOWN
1 Near Antibes I designed houses (6)
Hidden AntiBES I DEsigned = BESIDE
2 Female fashion here in Ireland? (6)
Gal (female) + way (fashion) = GALWAY
3 Lying is what urban improver will try to do? (9)
Mend a City = MENDACITY (see Phi’s take on this in 8775!!)
4 Breaking the law, she’s to attract most attention (5, 3, 4)
(the law shes to)* = STEAL THE SHOW
6 Found around river, plant with nutritious root cap (5)
Beet (plant with nutritious root) around r (river) = BERET
7 One criminal suspect runs away, becoming hostile (8)
(I + criminal-r)* = INIMICAL
8 A northern woman stumped up for ruler’s daughter (8)
Rev. a + n (northern) + Vera (woman) + st (stumped) = TSAREVNA
11 Moving home’s taking a long time; I will find an inn (12)
caravan’s (moving home’s) + era (long time) + I = CARAVANSERAI
15 Not really costing the earth, or vice versa?(4-5)
DIRT CHEAP ( Cheap dirt)
16 Clipped hedges round English hospital – it facilitates entry to boot?
shorn (clipped) around e(English) + ho (hospital) = SHOEHORN
17 A fresh flower’s opening (8)
a + pert (fresh) + ure (flower as in river) = APERTURE
19 Florence’s illustrious family doctor has one (6)
Medic (doctor) + I (one) = MEDICI
20 To land aircraft must have first taken off(6)
(not sure where the f comes from with alight for land) answer is actually FLIGHT
22 Prayer, one adopted by Greek church (5)
Gr (Greek) + ce (church) around a = GRACE
Thanks Klingsor and twencelas
25ac: The anagram fodder is TREE GG (greeting hollowed) IN
21ac: I think “for one” gives the second EG, contained within the anagram.
I could not parse 20dn either.
I meant “getting hollowed out” for the GG in 25ac.
Ah, 20D is FLIGHT not ALIGHT is it? Gave up trying to parse it.
I think it’s a double definition, possibly with taken doing double duty: ‘To land aircraft must first have taken…(flight)’ and ‘taken off’ = flight?
I think I have got 20dn now that I know the answer is FLIGHT. The definition is “aircraft” (plural) and if you take the first letter off, you get LIGHT which means “to land”.
21A Agree is eg in, not +, (orgies +u)*.
7D is “I + c[r]iminal” – ie minus the “r” that runs away.
8D Typo – should be TSAREVNA
16D typo – should be shorn
20D could get it but still not 100% sure of parsing. If it’s F + [A]LIGHT how does the clue explain replacing the A with F?
Funny about Klingsor’s and Phi’s MENDACITY. Is this morphic resonance in action?
Thanks to Klingsor and twencelas.
Like OPatrick@3 I had ALIGHT for 20D (more morphic resonance?). On the face of it this is a more satisfactory answer than FLIGHT – “a (f)light” as a synonym for “aircraft” (as in “BA123 for Timbuktu”), making the definition the start (“To land”) rather than the middle (“aircraft”) of the clue.
Ambiguous solutions are irritating, but I suspect very difficult for setters to spot. Overall this was an enjoyable solve – TSAREVNA was a satisfying LOI.
A five year old Independent Saturday prize crossword on a Friday in the i in 2019. Only for the intelligentsia, why oh why do we keep getting these?