Scorpion has been assigned to this week’s Tuesday slot, one that often provides solvers with a fun puzzle with a twist or two.
This puzzle was no exception to that rule. I actually found this one hard to get into, not least because it is essentially an anagram-free zone – I have spotted just the one partial anagram (at 19) in the whole puzzle! As such, I really did need to chip away at this one, and even when I found some answers on the basis of the definition, I found the wordplay hard to crack, e.g. at 23.
I did feel that I might struggle to finish this unaided when suddenly I noticed that the entries referring to snakes were all in down positions, at 2, 5, 9, 13, 24 and 26, which made me look to see if there was a snakes and ladders theme to this puzzle. Sure enough, I noticed that in columns 2, 8 and 14, reading upwards, is the word LADDER, split between two entries in each case.
This crossword is a perfect example of how, while not actually needing to spot a theme to complete the puzzle, spotting can actually help the solver to finish it: for example, seeing LADDER in column 8 gave me the last three letters of 4, which I might not otherwise have solved.
Similarly, I realised towards the end that the completed grid would be a pangram, and since I had still not used the letter “x”, I was helped in solving 12, which was a term in was unfamiliar with.
All in all, I thought this was a lot of fun, pitched at the right level for a themed daily puzzle. My clues of the day were 30, the surface reading of which made me smile (and the people of Barnet happy!) and 16, for combining so many death-related elements.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 07 | DEJA VU | Entertainer around back of stage bringing over light for illusion
[<stag>E (“back of” means last letter only) in DJ (=entertainer)] + AVU (UVA=light, i.e. form of ultraviolet radiation; “bringing over” indicates reversal) |
| 08 | ALBANIAN | European somewhere in NY avoiding unknown Scot
ALBAN<y> (=somewhere in NY (State); “avoiding unknown (=Y)” means letter “y” is dropped) + IAN (=Scot) |
| 10 | HOPPED IT | Newsman amid spring depression took a hike
ED (=newsman, i.e. editor) in [HOP (=spring, jump) + PIT (=depression)]; “to take a hike” is to clear off, go away |
| 11 | ACCORD | Current counterfeit clothes close to Leicester Square
AC (=current, in electronics) + [<leiceste>R (“close to” means last letter only) in COD (=counterfeit, sham)]; “to square (with)” is to accord, agree (with), tally |
| 12 | BRONX CHEER | Raspberry chap by church consumed by booze
[RON (=chap, i.e. man’s name) + X (=by, times) + CH (=church)] in BEER (=booze); in the US, a Bronx cheer is a vulgar sound of disapproval, hence (to blow a) “raspberry” |
| 15 | NODE | Only top grades presumably swelling
NO D E (=top grades presumably, i.e. only A, B or C) |
| 16 | ADVERB | Dead, lying in state, heading for burial quickly perhaps
[D (=dead) in AVER (=state, as verb)] + B<urial> (“heading for” means first letter only) |
| 18 | BRANDO | American actor’s published date of birth back to front
RAN (=published e.g. a story) + DOB (=date of birth); “back to front” means the last letter – here letter “b” – moves to the front of the word; the reference is to US actor Marlon Brando (1924-2004) |
| 21 | ADZE | Woodworker’s partner gets a kip when dropping round?
A + D<o>ZE (=kip; “when dropping round (=O, from shape)” means letter “o” is dropped) |
| 23 | ADAM’S APPLE | Bill being large saves energy in large part of body
AD (=bill, poster) + [SAP (=energy) in AMPLE (=large)] |
| 25 | ALPACA | Revolutionary headwear filling like wool
PAC (CAP=headwear; “revolutionary” indicates reversal) in A LA (=like) |
| 27 | LEGATEES | They inherit the French court name handed over
LE (=the French, i.e. the French word for the) + GATEES (SEE=court, date + TAG =name, label; “handed over” indicates reversal) |
| 29 | SO HELP ME | Several circulating start to hate prog-rock band – it’s the truth
[H<ate> (“start to” means first letter only) + ELP (=prog-rock band, i.e. Emerson, Lake & Palmer, from 1970s)] in SOME (=several) |
| 30 | FROSTY | Barnet, not a filthy place or unwelcoming
<a>FRO (=Barnet, hairstyle, in Cockney rhyming slang; “not a” means letter “a” is dropped) + STY (=filthy place) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | DETOURED | Went circuitously to ancient city delving inside document
[TO + UR (=ancient city)] in DEED (=document) |
| 02 | TAIPAN | Couple audibly attack venomous creature
Homophone (“audibly”) of “tie” (=couple) + PAN (=attack); a taipan is a large Australian venomous snake |
| 03 | QUAD | Bike // space found in building
Double definition: a QUAD is a kind of four-wheel drive motorised bike AND a rectangular courtyard, quadrangle |
| 04 | MAITRE D | One serves joint outside – a centre piece of Sundays
[A in MITRE (=joint, in carpentry)] + <sun>D<ays> (“centre piece” means middle letter only) |
| 05 | ANACONDA | Air-conditioning’s needed in an ‘atchback? It can stifle you
AC (=air-conditioning) in [AN + <h>ONDA (=<h>ATCHBACK, i.e. with initial “h” dropped)] |
| 06 | SAW RED | Swerve periodically in blue environment, and hit the roof
<s>W<e>R<v>E (“periodically” means alternate letters only) in SAD (=blue, depressed) |
| 09 | BOA | Stole camera, obviously upsetting some
Reversed (“upsetting”) and hidden (“some”) in “camerA OBviously” |
| 13 | COBRA | Smooth beer // that has a powerful bite
Double definition: as well as being a venomous snake, Cobra is an extra-smooth premium beer brewed in the UK and India |
| 14 | REBUS | Newspaperman with ruler knocked up puzzle
SUB (=newspaperman, i.e. sub-editor) + ER (=ruler, i.e. Elizabeth Regina); “knocked up” indicates vertical reversal |
| 17 | ELEVATED | Grand coin corroded in England after evacuation
[LEV (=coin, in Bulgaria) + ATE (=corroded)] in E<nglan>D (“after evacuation” means all but first and last letters are dropped) |
| 19 | DALKEITH | Scottish town forcibly hit by alien mutant, twisting tail
DALKE (Dalek=alien mutant, from Doctor Who series; “twisting tail” means last two letters – here letters “k” and “e” – change places) + *(HIT); “forcibly” is anagram indicator |
| 20 | DALLIED | Totally captivated by the German duke, had a flirt
ALL (=totally) in [DIE (=the German, i.e. the German word for the) + D (=duke)] |
| 22 | DALTON | Chemist beginning to dispense speed, overseen by gangster
D<ispense> (“beginning to” means first letter only) + AL (=ganster, i.e. Al Capone) + TON (=speed, i.e. 100 mph); the reference is to English chemist John Dalton (1766-1844), known for his research into colour blindness |
| 24 | PYTHON | Copy, with icon half missing. Idle?
<co>PY <wi>TH <ic>ON; “half missing” means half the letters of each word are dropped; the reference is to Eric Idle, one of the “pythons” from the UK comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus |
| 26 | ASP | Slithery thing one caught exiting jelly
ASP<ic> (=jelly; “one (=I) caught (=C, from cricket) exiting” means letters “ic” are dropped) |
| 28 | GAFF | Home // for rubbish
Double definition: (a) GAFF is a person’s home, pad, place AND rubbish, rot, tosh |
I found 28D too obscure – I have never come across either meaning of the word. I tried GUFF (which did at least fit one of the definitions), but that didn’t work, so I entered GAFF in desperation. I think that’s too obscure for a daily cryptic – I don’t expect to have to get out Chambers to finish these.
Your gaff or mine? It seems very well-known to me.
This was a well-clued puzzle as far as I could see, and the compiler showed some good skills. I would agree, if that is what is being said, that we could have benefited from a few more anagrams, but it is often the case in puzzles of quality that the anagram count is quite low.
Finished this with a little electronic help but without understanding all the wordplay. 7ac and 2dn set the pangram bell ringing which also helped, but the theme passed me by. 22dn was a write-in for me as a chemist (retired); incidentally Dalton is known for more than research into colour blindness – he was the first to put forward an atomic theory. My CoD, though was PYTHON.
Thanks, Scorpion and RatkojaRiku
Oh me of little faith. I too was convinced it was a pangram until I couldn’t get 3D & 7A and J V and Q were still missing! RatkojaRiku provided the solution – thanks!
I got the snakes, but didn’t see the ladders. It’s been one of those days.
Lovely Xword – cheers, Scorpio
Well done RR – I thought this was pretty tricky, easily the hardest of the FT, Indy and Grauniad today.
I think GAFF is quite common, certainly not an obscure word.
I too found this tough, and not spotting the theme (natch) didn’t help. But a good puzzle, with some inventive clueing (BRANDO, for example). BRONX CHEER was a new one on me.
Thanks, both.
Finished it, but it was tough. I spotted the snake theme, for a change, which helped (but not the ladders) and getting 12ac (which I did know) suggested to me it might be a pangram, which gave me 3dn. I think this is the first time this has happened to me. And there were an awful lot I couldn’t parse. 2dn specifically was a word I didn’t know, got only by an electronic search, and which I was unable to parse.
This puzzle was completed mainly by Bert as Joyce couldn’t seem to make much headway. The snakes were spotted early on but not the ladders or the fact that it was a pangram.
It is late so that’s our excuse.
Thanks to RR for the comprehensive preamble and pointing out the ladders.
Our admiration goes to Scorpion for a good challenge.