For once, I wasn’t overly enamoured at the prospect of dragging myself out of bed to solve and blog a puzzle today, after all yesterday’s excesses and the prospect of a much-needed lie-in. However, once I saw the day’s crossword had been penned by Anax, I knew that it would be well worth the effort of getting up, although I wasn’t convinced that I would be able to muster the brainpower required to solve it.
Anax, of course, did not disappoint – does he ever? The first two words of 1A – “Boxing Day” – explain why Phi is not occupying this week’s Friday slot, and that clue sets the standard of the whole puzzle. “Boxing Day” is part of the wordplay of the clue in question, with “boxing” suggesting a container-and-contents clue, with other highly original such indicators in 3 (POTS) and 5A (SANDWICHES).
There is a festive flavour to the whole puzzle, with seasonal references appearing in good measure among the clues, although those at 1A and 5A definitely have a Christmas hangover feel to them – will Boxing Day be rough for many of the puzzle’s solvers as well as for 1A, I wonder, if too much of the 21 and/or 22 was sampled yesterday?
In the end, I managed to solve all clues unaided apart from 5A, 5D and 8. For 5D, I had mistakenly entered LEATHER as the first word, since the name of the mathematician was going to be new to me in any case. Taking advantage of the fact that, being at home for Christmas, there are other brains to be picked, I passed the paper to my father, who suggested the correct first word at 5D, whereupon the remaining two entries were quickly figured out between us.
As suspected, the mathematician was unfamiliar to me, as was the “marine growth” at 23, the “offensive” in 24 and the “spat” in 13 (which I located in Collins rather than in Chambers). My favourite clues today are: 1A and 5A, for topicality and originality; 2, for smoothness of surface, and I could go on. The only bit of clueing that I haven’t parsed to my entire satisfaction is the definition “competitively” at 25 for IN ANGER, since I couldn’t think of a sentence where the one could replace the other. Perhaps other solvers, more alert than myself this morning, could supply one?
In any case, thank you for this and all your 2014 crosswords, Anax, and I/we look forward to crossing (s)words with you in 2015.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | WILFRID | Boxing Day is rough for him
FRI (=day, i.e. Friday) in WILD (=rough, of e.g. sea); the definition is “him”, suggesting a man’s name |
| 05 | FLAT-TOP | Cut turkey sandwiches are the thing for starters
[A<re> T<he> T<hing> (“for starters” means first letters only)] in FLOP (=turkey, unsuccessful film); a flat-top is a type of haircut |
| 09 | RACED | Was runner one finding a way round?
ACE (=one, in cards) in RD (=way, i.e. road) |
| 10 | SNAIL-SLOW | Thus traffic is all snarled up in winter weather?
*(IS ALL) in SNOW (=winter weather); “snarled up” is anagram indicator |
| 11 | MILES PER HOUR | Speed, as in amphetamine, reduced
MPH, the abbreviation (“reduced”) of “miles per hour” (=speed), is to be found in the word “a-MPH-etamine” |
| 14 | SUSPENDERS | Without us they’ll splash out on some underwear
US in SPENDERS (=they’ll splash out) |
| 15 | WOLF | Animal seen in winter or late fall, primarily
W<inter> O<r> L<ate> F<all>; “primarily” means first letters only are used |
| 17 | EARN | Draw close, but heading to the back
N-EAR (=close); “but heading to the back” means first letter moves to end of word; (to) “draw” e.g. a salary, pension is (to) earn it |
| 18 | INVALIDATE | Void data in live broadcast
*(DATA IN LIVE); “broadcast” is anagram indicator; (to) “void”’, as a verb, is to invalidate, nullify |
| 20 | TOP OF THE POPS | Best Father Christmas tradition on TV
Cryptically, the “best father” would be top of the pops; Top of the Pops is traditionally broadcast on BBC1 on Christmas Day afternoon |
| 23 | SEA GIRDLE | Marine growth dies with large waves
*(DIES + LARGE); “waves” is anagram indicator; a sea girdle is a type of millepore coral |
| 24 | TETRA | It indicates “four” soldiers are on the offensive
TET (=offensive) + RA (=soldiers, i.e. Royal Artillery); the Tet Offensive, launched on 30 January 1968, was one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War |
| 25 | IN ANGER | More stupid to accept golf competitively
G (=golf, i.e. the code word for “g” in radio telecommunications) in INANER (=more stupid) |
| 26 | SURFACE | Decided to secure zip? Cold outside
[FA (=zip, zero, i.e. F*** all or Fanny Adams) + C (=cold)] in SURE (=decided); the “outside”, as a noun, of an object is its surface |
| Down | ||
| 01 | WORKMASTER | Employer’s argument over fluctuating markets
WOR (ROW=argument; “over” indicates reversal) + *(MARKETS); “fluctuating” is anagram indicator |
| 02 | LACKLUSTRE | Be grumpy about opening fresh claret in flat
KLUS (SULK=be grumpy; “about” indicates reversal) in *(CLARET); “fresh” is anagram indicator; “flat”, as an adjective, is lacklustre, dull |
| 03 | RADISHES | Parts of salad preparation perversely burn pots
DISH (=preparation) in RAES (SEAR=burn; “perversely” indicates reversal) |
| 04 | DESCENDING ORDER | Snobbish fool leaves instruction to identify Countdown format
<con>DESCENDING (=snobbish; “(to) fool (=con) leaves” means letters “con” are dropped) + ORDER (=instruction); countdowns to e.g. rocket launches go from e.g. 10 – “in descending order” – to blast-off |
| 05 | FEATHER MATTRESS | Simple bed where mathematician pens articles – rest’s disturbed
[A, THE (=articles, in grammar) in FERMAT (=mathematician)] + *(REST’S); “disturbed” is anagram indicator; Pierre de Format (1607-65) was a French mathematician credited with early developments leading to infinitesimal calculus |
| 06 | ALL-OUT | Full ration, superior parts
U (=superior, i.e. upper-class) in ALLOT (=ration, as a verb) |
| 07 | TALL | Temperature’s utterly unbelievable
T (=temperature) + ALL (=utterly); e.g. a tall story is an “unbelievable” one |
| 08 | PAWN | Sweep outside with this tool
W (=with) in PAN (=sweep, with camera); a “tool” is a person used as the mere instrument of another, hence pawn |
| 12 | COSA NOSTRA | Mafia stalwarts, on a society holding them back
Reversed (“back”) and hidden (“holding”) in “stalwARTS ON A SOCiety” |
| 13 | AFTERSHAVE | Spat on privileged person’s typical Christmas gift
AFTERS (=spat, i.e. on football pitch after challenge on ball) + HAVE (=privileged person, as opposed to a have-not) |
| 16 | FIVE-STAR | Excellent Christmas tree to entertain domestic goddess
VESTA (=domestic goddess, i.e. Roman goddess of the hearth) in FIR (=Christmas tress) |
| 19 | COMING | Advent calendar’s opening outside home is incredible
C<alendar> (“opening” means first letter only) + [IN (=home) in OMG (=incredible, i.e. “Oh My God” in SMS language)] |
| 21 | ASTI | It sparkles during Christmas time
Hidden (“during”) in “ChristmAS TIme” |
| 22 | CAVA | Spanish wine (OK, French)
ÇA VA (=OK, French, i.e. how to say OK, all right in French) |
I reckon “pots” in 3d =”dishes” leaving r a to be explained by the rest.Just a thought
RatkojarRiku, I am sure you have heard of “Fermat’s Last Theorem”.
Thanks, RatkojaRiku, for the comprehensive blog – I needed it to understand a lot of the parsing even though the puzzle was, imho, towards the easier end of the spectrum for Anax. And of course, thanks to Anax.
Thanks, RR.
Great stuff from Anax, as ever.
5ac and 11ac defied parsing initially but, as so often, were immediately clear after ten minutes’ or so break – both great clues.
Favourite clues: 11ac, 12dn, 16dn and, perhaps best of the lot, the deceptively simple 22dn.
Many thanks to Anax. x
Thanks Anax and RR
copmus @1 re 3dn: That was what I was thinking, when solving, but RR has given us a completely convincing parsing which works on different lines: preparation = DISH (which) perversely burn (SEAR reversed) pots (contains).
Thanks Anax for an entertaining puzzle which we finished this morning – we were too busy yesterday. We liked the seasonal references and there were quite a few clues where the parsing needed some extra brainpower after we’d entered the answer.
Thanks RR – we’ve only got Chambers handy at the moment so guessed at AFTERSHAVE without knowing why it worked and we failed to parse 4d.
We were supposed to be taking part in our first Parkrun today in Clumber Park but it has been cancelled due to the snow. Having time to complete the puzzle has been a much warmer alternative!