Another not-too-troublesome FT puzzle, and, happily, another lesson in how to set an entry-level crossword without being boring.
No complaints from me here. The clueing was witty and clean and there were some very nice surfaces. Thank-you, Mudd – and, since there is (outrageously!) no puzzle on Christmas Day, I’ll sign off now, wishing all bloggers, setters and solvers a very Merry Christmas!
| Across | ||
| 1 | JALOPY |
Bird pocketing cut for crate (6)
Lop [cut] within jay [bird]
|
| 4 | STERNA |
Bones more rigid, did you say? (6)
Sounds like sterner [more rigid]
|
| 8 | SMARTIE |
Clever clogs producing sculpture of Artemis (7)
Anagram of Artemis
|
| 9 | SANDIER |
Sardine at sea – more covered on the beach? (7)
Anagram of sardine
|
| 11 | TOILET ROLL |
Author’s written about giant cylindrical object (6,4)
Reversal of Eliot [author] troll [giant]
|
| 12 | LORD |
Supposed drunkard, not entirely witty, knocked over (4)
Reversal of drol(l) [witty]
|
| 13 | SHIVA |
Islamic denomination claims victory for Hindu god (5)
V [victory] within Shia [Islamic denomination]
|
| 14 | PEER GYNT |
Shut up about grey novel that was written by Ibsen (4,4)
Anagram of grey within pent [shut up]
|
| 16 | CATHOLIC |
General, a believer (8)
Double definition
|
| 18 | ESSAY |
Try the shell of eggs, perhaps? (5)
E(gg)s say [perhaps]
|
| 20 | PLUS |
Pro patria, legion under surveillance on every front (4)
Initial letters of Patria Legion Under Surveillance
|
| 21 | SACRAMENTO |
Stuff in sea not designed for US port (10)
Cram [stuff] within anagram of sea not
|
| 23 | BANANAS |
Curved items round the twist (7)
Double definition
|
| 24 | BILTONG |
Heavyweight after light starter tucked into great dried meat (7)
L(ight) ton [heavy weight] within big [great]
|
| 25 | KIDNEY |
Name on papers held by important organ (6)
ID [papers] n [name] within key [important]
|
| 26 | UNSEAT |
Throw Austen’s letters out (6)
Anagram of Austen
|
| Down | ||
| 1 | JUMBO |
A flying elephant? (5)
Crypticish double definition
|
| 2 | LORELEI |
Traditions lie in tatters for legendary singer (7)
Lore [traditions] anaram of lie
|
| 3 | PAINTBALL |
Shooting game, agony unlikely without bullets, for a start (9)
Pain [agony] b(ullets) within tall [unlikely]
|
| 5 | TRAIL |
Path that’s right in the end (5)
R [right] within tail [end]
|
| 6 | RED FLAG |
Warning raised by the Turks? (3,4)
Double definition (the flag of Turkey is largely red)
|
| 7 | ABERRANCY |
Deviation in nearby car after swerving (9)
Anagram of nearby car
|
| 10 | POPPYCOCK |
Blooming thing put on tip, bilge (9)
Poppy [bloomin thing] cock [tip]
|
| 13 | SMALL TALK |
Shoot round shopping complex, nothing much to say (5,4)
Mall [shopping complex] within stalk [shoot]
|
| 15 | ELEVATION |
Delight outlining centre of clever technical drawing (9)
(Cl)ev(er) within elation [delight]
|
| 17 | HUSBAND |
Save the worst half, supposedly? (7)
Double definition
|
| 19 | SCEPTRE |
Month carrying council leader on the staff (7)
C(ouncil) within Sept [month] re [on, about]
|
| 21 | SPARE |
Save an extra item (5)
Double definition
|
| 22 | TENET |
Idea that may be sent up (5)
Cryptic definition, alluding to the word’s palindromic quality
|
Enjoyable as always – for some reason I got bogged down in SW corner. Liked 11ac
Thanks Mudd and Ringo
Merry Christmas all!
This was harder than entry-level. Mudd always is.
21Ac Sacramento is not a port!
Sorry ilippu @3 but it is. The following is just one extract from Wikipedia:
“During the Vietnam War era, the Port of Sacramento was the major terminus in the supply route for all military parts, hardware and other cargo going into Southeast Asia.”
This was a bit harder than entry level.
Thanks Mudd and Ringo
Yep, certainly not a starter’s puzzle – but maybe not as hard as he can set.
Usual clever, witty clues and back to his trademark version of double definitions – particularly liked HUSBAND.
Some nice twists in a couple of others – POPPYCOCK (didn’t know that it was a synonym of bilge – and a tricky use of COCK as a verb disguised as a noun), TOILET ROLL ( where it had to be reverse engineered for me to find Eliot) and PLUS (easily enough resolved with the leading letters, but taking both the answer and PRO as nouns).
All good fun …
Merry Christmas to you too, Ringo.
Just one small niggle from me: surely the clue for 17d should have read the ‘worse’ half as opposed to the ‘better’ half.
A Merry Christmas to Ringo and thanks for your labour of love throughout the year.
Thanks, Gaufrid @4…I see that it is an ‘inland port’….It is also the capital of California and no one ever calls it a port. I guess no one cares as long as it is called a port somewhere.