A somewhat racy puzzle from Loroso today. It is ages since I have had the pleasure of blogging Loroso, I hope he returns on another Wednesday soon. Thanks Loroso.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ACCORD |
Give an indication of engine size or diameter (6)
A CC (an indication of engine size) OR D (diameter) |
| 4 | DIAGONAL |
Crossing control without silver coating (8)
DIAL containing (without, outside) AG (silver) ON (coating) |
| 10 | TWO-STROKE |
Set to work rebuilding one sort of engine (3-6)
(SET TO WORK)* anagram=rebuilding |
| 11 | ENTRY |
Upper class not starting as competitors? (5)
gENTRY (upper class) missing starting letter |
| 12 | FAST |
Sound of racing (4)
double definition |
| 13 | MARATHONER |
Old lady preferably keeps active as race competitor (10)
MA (old lady) then RATHER (preferably) containing ON (active) |
| 15 | CAVORTS |
Small vehicles circling very old skips (7)
CARTS (small vehicles) containing V (very) O (old) |
| 16, 19 | TOUR DE FRANCE |
Race for tuned race buggy (4,2,6)
(FOR TUNED RACE)* anagram=buggy |
| 21 | GIDDY-UP |
Unsteady? Wrong to say “Go faster!” (5-2)
GIDDY (unsteady) UP (wrong) |
| 23 | SAFETY BELT |
Harness tangled by feet, gathered by sailor (6,4)
(BY FEET)* anagram=tangled inside SALT (sailor) |
| 25 |
See 14
|
|
| 27 | ELOPE |
Get away from best grid position, returning by end of race (5)
POLE (best grid position) reversed (returning) by racE (end of) |
| 28 | ROOTSTOCK |
In primitive form, support race? (9)
ROOT (support) STOCK (race) |
| 29 | DONATION |
Present the same race (8)
DO (the same) NATION (race) |
| 30 | ESPRIT |
Starts to enter some privateer race in this Lotus car (6)
starting letters of Enter Some Privateer Race In This |
| Down | ||
| 1 | ARTIFICE |
Chicane – it turns motorsport into difficult race (8)
IT reversed (turns) FI (Formula 1, motorsport) in RACE* anagram=difficult |
| 2 | CROSSOVER |
TV presenter takes drive around hazardous part of track (9)
Jonathon ROSS (TV presenter) inside (takes…around) COVER (drive, cricket) |
| 3 | RATE |
About to go around at speed (4)
RE (about) containing (to go around) AT |
| 5 | INEXACT |
At home, out of work? Not strictly true (7)
IN (at home) EX (out of) ACT (work) |
| 6 | GREYHOUNDS |
Oval racers – they won’t start breaking into property (10)
tHEY* (not starting letter) anagram=breaking inside GROUNDS (property) |
| 7 | NOT ON |
Less than 100mph prohibited (3,2)
NO TON (not 100mph) |
| 8 | LAYERS |
Bands who would kill to have leader given lowest position (6)
SLAYER (one who would kill) with S (leading letter) moved to end (lowest position) |
| 9 | MORASS |
Slough racing driver grabs lead in race one (6)
MOSS (racing driver) contains Race (leading letter of) and A (one) |
| 14, 25 | GRAND THEFT AUTO |
Game that guard often plays (5,5,4)
(THAT GUARD OFTEN)* anagram=plays – a computer game |
| 17 | DRY HUMOUR |
Doctor taking pulse, entertained by your sarcasm? (3,6)
DR (doctor) with HUM (pulse) inside YOUR |
| 18 | SPROCKET |
Wheel odds on to go very fast (8)
SP (starting price, odds) on ROCKET (to go very fast) |
| 20 | EMBARGO |
It’s intended to stop them and obstruct progress (7)
‘EM (them) and BAR (obstruct) GO (progress) |
| 21 | GALLOP |
Run everyone over during race (6)
ALL (everyone) O (over) inside GP (race) |
| 22 | ASCEND |
Reportedly a drive’s come up (6)
A SCEND sounds like (reportedly) “a send” (a drive) |
| 24 | FLOWN |
Having emptied fuel, individual raced (5)
FueL (emptied, no middle letters) then OWN (individual) |
| 26 | ISIS |
River Island clothing is revolting (4)
IS (island) contains (clothing) IS reversed (revolting) |
definitions are underlined
A good stiff challenge. Plenty of misdirection, nothing unfair. Thanks PD and L. quite a run of good puzzles in the FT – Alberich, Mudd, Neo, and now Loroso. Those having trouble with the Indie on-line could do a lot worse than try the FT.
Highly enjoyable, as Loroso’s puzzles always are.
Another inventive Loroso crossword.
Although I had all the answers, I had to come here to fully understand DIAGONAL (4ac) and GIDDY-UP (the up-bit, 21ac).
Also for ROOTSTOCK(28ac) which I still do not really get, unfortunately.
jmac @1: “Quite a run of good puzzles in the FT – Alberich, Mudd, Neo, and now Loroso. Those having trouble with the Indie on-line could do a lot worse than try the FT”
Coincidentally, all the ones you mention are Indy setters too and not their worst either (Klingsor, Punk, Tees, Anax)!
Chalmie @2: Loroso did his best to put you in this crossword – see row 12.
He couldn’t quite manage …. 🙂
Many thanks to PeeDee (in these ‘troubled’ times) and to Loroso.
Hi Sil,
My blog had a typo in 28ac, corrected now.
In case you are still unsure, ROOTSTOCK can be an ‘ancestral form’, so ‘primitive form’ comes close as a definition. To ROOT for a team is to support it, and STOCK is a race in the sense of a nation.
Why does up = wrong? Thanks
what’s up? what’s wrong?
The up = wrong bit had me until i saw as pd has said above, very clever loroso, nicely done. Tough but fair, that’s what we want with a sprinkle of genius. Not much to ask for is it? Thanks pd, not monk for you? Wotsgoingon??
Thanks Loroso and PeeDee
A great puzzle with the clever ‘racing theme’ interwoven throughout the clue surfaces.
There were a couple that I couldn’t fully parse – the ON and DIAL of 4a, the UP (meaning wrong) in 21a and the homophone of SEND (for drive) at 22d.
Finished in the NW with ARTIFICE, ACCORD and FAST the last few in.
FWIW 1 across is a car as well.
According to Wikipedia the Honda Accord has won several prestigious Touring Car championships, so a race car it is.
PeeDee @10.
Not the way mine drives it isn’t.:-)
Many thanks for the blog, Peedee, and to commenters.
I hadn’t actually noticed the relevance of 1a – purely accidental – but I should have done. On a casual basis I’ve pedalled a few things (rally, F2 Stock Car, Bangers and a bit of karting) but above all I’m a huge BTCC fan and am familiar with the Accord’s success.