Rorschach is a setter who appears in the Independent less frequently than many others. Rorschach’s puzzles tend to generate quite a lot of comment.
There was a lot going on the grid. We had a number of cross referenced clues. We had multiple occurrences of entries related to some topic, e.g. three drinks [CUP OF TEA, BREW, ESPRESSO] , two currencies [RUBLE, RIAL], more than one reference to members of the Spice Girls (Geri and Posh) plus some other musical references [IN THE MOOD was Glenn Miller’s signature tune, FAN BASE can be applied to supporters of musical performers and the charts came into a clue] plus a few historical allusions [OLD WORLD, YEAR DOT, THE RAJ and KEYNES].
To cap it all we had a line from Lewis Carroll in the unchecked letters around the perimeter – BEWARE THE JABBERWOCK MY SON. When I first became aware that there might be a message, my first thoughts were leading to BEWARE and BERCOW reversed in the top and bottom rows, and I was trying to work out why the Speaker of the House of Commons or Sally Bercow would be making an appearance. However, the Nina did help me complete the puzzle.
Overall I thought the entry at 17 down, ESOTERIC might apply to the crossword.
For the anagram at 16, I started off thinking the anagram fodder was AGES AGO rather than READY TO. It was only when an R appeared in the crossing letters that I realised I had the clue the wrong way round.
There were a few clues where I though the definition was a bit vague, but maybe that’s me missing something. For instance, I’m not really sure what the definition of SPICE GIRL is at 9 across. I know GERI is / was a SPICE GIRL but I’m sure GERI isn’t the definition. I’m also not too sure about Supporters at 18 as a double definition. [Update: I’ve thought a bit more about Supporters? and realise that it is FAN [supporter] and BASE [supporter] so that taken together they are supporters. I’ve now amended my initial wrong suggestion for parsing 18 across. There are a couple of other comments about definitions in the body of the blog.
I will be interested to read the comments on this puzzle.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
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7
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At top of charts with 18 rating in US movie category (4)
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NO 1 [Number one; top of the charts) + R (American and Australian rating for films that are not suitable for display to anyone under the age of 18)
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NOIR (reference FILM NOIR [ style of cinema film, popular in American cinema in the 1940s and 50s, in which the darker side of human nature is presented, in a bleak, often starkly urban setting.])
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9
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Stupidly Geri caught lip synching at beginning of her career? (5,4)
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Anagram of (stupidly) (GERI and C (caught) and LIP and S [first letter of [{at beginning of} SYNCHING]) SPICE GIRL* |
SPICE GIRL (reference GERI Horner [née Halliwell], Ginger SPICE, who came to prominence as a member of the SPICE GIRLs in the 1990s) The definition could be beginning of her career with beginning doing double duty
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10
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Quaint as opposed to America (3,5)
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OLD WORLD (America is termed the New World, so OLD WORLD is the opposite)
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OLD WORLD (old fashioned and quaint)
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11
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Stop Wham! covering original (4,2)
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HIT (wham) containing (covering) OLD (original) H (OLD) IT |
HOLD IT (stop)
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12
|
Sites regularly frequented by 18? (6)
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S T AND S (letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly] of SITES)
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STANDS (where members of the FAN BASE [18 across] may sit when watching games, concerts etc.)
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14
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Remove top from cosmetic item to improve appearance (8)
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HAIRBRUSH (cosmetic item) excluding (remove) the first letter (top)
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AIRBRUSH (touch up or tone down a photograph; improve appearance)
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16
|
Ready to rumble ages ago (4,3)
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Anagram of (rumble) READY TO YEAR DOT* |
YEAR DOT (very long time ago)
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18
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Supporters? (3,4)
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FAN (supporter) + BASE (supporter). Taken together they are supporters plural
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FAN BASE (the fans of a team, person or thing, considered as a demographic group; supporters)
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21
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Vehicle to get test or facing RAC tow-back (8)
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MOT (Ministry of Transport test to assess the road worthiness of a vehicle) + OR + (RAC reversed [tow-back]) MOT OR CAR< |
MOTORCAR (vehicle)
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23
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Article about pot abuse overseas in the past? (3,3)
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THE (definite article) + (JAR [pot] reversed [about]) THE RAJ< |
THE RAJ (rule, sovereignty; government, esp (with capitals) the British government of India, 1858 -1947) It seems to me that the definition is ‘abuse overseas in the past’. I suspect some solvers would argue that is an opinion rather than a definition. I was initially looking at ‘abuse’ as an anagram indicator.
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25
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Important theoretician ultimately setting upon limits of economics (6)
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KEY (important) + N (final letter of [ultimately] THEORETICIAN) + ES (first and last letters of [limits of] ECONOMICS)
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KEYNES (reference John Maynard KEYNES [1883 – 1946], British economist whose ideas fundamentally affected the theory
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27
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Wandering up to café to get this? (3,2,3)
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Anagram of (wandering) UP TO CAFÉ CUP OF TEA* |
CUP OF TEA (something you pay purchase in a café)
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29
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Up for the Dominos deal with last of jalapeños removed (2,3,4)
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Anagram of (deal) THE DOMINOS excluding (removed) S (final letter of [last of] JALAPEÑOS) reference DOMINO’S Pizza IN THE MOOD* |
IN THE MOOD (up for)
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30
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Foreigner in Windsor perhaps returning after bar cleared out (4)
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BARBARA (reference BARBARA Windsor [born 1937], English actress in Carry On films and Eastenders among other things) excluding (cleared out) BAR and then (after) reversed (returning) ARAB< |
ARAB (example of a foreigner)
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| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Slang word for 27 he removed from language (4)
|
HEBREW (language) excluding (removed from) HE
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BREW (informal [slang] word for a CUP OF TEA [27 across])
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2
|
Another 1 requires press or filter (8)
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ESPRESSO (hidden word in [filter] REQUIRES PRESS OR)
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ESPRESSO (coffee; another BREW [1 down])
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3
|
Getting home David Beckham initially embraced by Posh perhaps – she likes to talk (7) |
(IN [home] + DB [initials of DAVID BECKHAM]) contained in (embraced by) WAG (reference Victoria Beckham [Posh Spice from the Spice Girls], wife of David Beckham. WAG refers to wives and girlfriends of professional sportsmen) W (IN DB) AG |
WINDBAG ( person of mere words, an excessively talkative person communicating little of interest or value; this person can, of course, be male as well as female)
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4
|
Heater moved air towards the upper regions (6)
|
Anagram of (moved) HEATER AETHER* |
AETHER (variant spelling of ETHER [the clear, upper air;])
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5
|
Hidey-hole in lift for some 30’s money … (4)
|
LAIR (den or retreat; hidey-hole) reversed (to lift; down clue) LAIR< |
RIAL (the standard monetary unit of Iran, Oman and (also riyal) Saudi Arabia and the Yemen Arab Republic; ARAB‘s [30 across] money)
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6
|
… is almost revealed over at the entrance (8)
|
(SPILLED [revealed] excluding the final letter [almost] D) reversed (over) + IS ‘At the entrance’ directs that ELLIPS< comes before IS |
ELLIPSIS (the mark …)
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8
|
One billed for towel at sea (5)
|
Anagram of (at sea) TOWEL OWLET* |
OWLET (a bird with a beak / bill; one billed)
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| 13 | Drug baron managed to return to business (5) |
RAN (managed) reversed (to return) + CO (company; business) NAR< CO |
NARCO (defined in Chambers as a drugs agent; that seems to me to refer to someone who hunts down drug barons rather than to a drug baron him or herself. The prefix NARCO– refers to ‘connected with or derived from illicit drug production’ so that might bring in the baron)) |
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15
|
Russian capital‘s centre half cleared of debris (5)
|
RUBBLE (debris) excluding [cleared] one of the middle two [centre half] Bs
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RUBLE (one spelling of the standard monetary unit of Russia; Russia’s capital)
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17
|
Second broken toe in Morecambe? Weird! (8)
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(S [second] + an anagram of [broken] TOE) contained in (in) ERIC (Christian name of late comedian ERIC Morecambe [1926 – 1984]) E (S OTE*) RIC |
ESOTERIC (inner; secret; mysterious; weird)
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19
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One directly opposed to exorbitant Ipod earphone covers (8)
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ANTIPODE (hidden word in [covers] EXORBITANT IPOD EARPHONE
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ANTIPODE (a point or place diametrically opposite to another on the surface of the earth or of any globular body or sphere; generally expressed as a plural)
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20
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He’s left the carrot to moulder in agricultural machine (7)
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THE excluding (left) HE + an anagram of (to moulder) CARROT T RACTOR* |
TRACTOR (agricultural machine)
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22
|
Money we handed over for bar snack, perhaps (6)
|
CASH (money) + WE reversed (handed over) CASH EW< |
CASHEW (CASHEW nuts are often served at a bar)
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24
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A kidney’s finally removed in theatre (5)
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A + RENAL (of the kidney; kidney’s) excluding (removed) the last letter (finally) L
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ARENA (theatre)
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26
|
Not an organisation to ignore transgression ultimately (4)
|
Anagram of (organisation) NOT AN excluding (to ignore) N (last letter of [ultimately] TRANSGRESSION) NATO* |
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation; military alliance. An organisation that should not ignore transgression against its members))
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28
|
Primarily liking to tuck into ice lolly could lead to this? (4)
|
L (first letter of [primarily] LIKING) contained in (tucking into) FAB (ice lolly introduced by J Lyons in 1967. Still on sale today) F (L) AB |
FLAB (eating too many FABs may give you a paunch and FLAB) possible &Lit, but the definition may simply be ‘this’.
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This was v. enjoyable and a bonus that I spotted the Nina which also helped me complete the puzzle. When I saw that there was at least one &Lit, I didn’t feel so bad about missing out on the parsing for some clues. An &Lit is something I don’t even pretend to understand and I know how much trouble some people get in to for using the term incorrectly, though not Duncan of course!
I couldn’t parse the clue, but I thought 30 was a beauty and COD for me, bringing back memories of Sid James, Charles Hawtrey etc.
Thanks to Duncan and Rorschach
Thanks to Rorschach and Duncan. I realise this isn’t the tech help desk but once again a clue is missing from the online version; in this case 11 across. Since I am a quick learner, I didn’t waste too much time on looking for some devilishly clever device today(unlike last week). The setter’s name is also missing.
I enjoyed the puzzle though!
Spotted the nina only after completing the puzzle – aarrgh! – it would have helped. And a black mark for whoever put the puzzle on the website for omitting not only the setter but the clue to 11ac; I thought the answer might be a synonym for ‘clueless’ which held me up for ages.
But thanks, Rorschach and Duncan.
Another one who got teed off with the lack of a clue at 11ac. Not the first time it’s happened since the new all-singing all-dancing primary school colour Indy crossword website went live.
Not really sure what to say about this one. I’ve liked Rorschach’s puzzles, but I can’t say I really enjoyed this one. It may well turn out to be a crossword where other setters pile in to the blog later saying how clever it was and well done for getting the nina around the perimeter. From a solver’s point of view, I didn’t spot the perimeter message until I’d finished, the grid was really user-unfriendly (four mini-crosswords in each quarter for the price of one), too many clues were cross-referenced, and for this solver at least, it was hard, hard, hard …
The compiler losing gracefully is the key for daily cryptics, and we haven’t had too much of that in the Indy for the past couple of weeks. Ninas are fine, but let’s have them once in a while, please.
Dear all,
Fairly early comment as I’m about to begin work then a long drive after work.
Thanks Duncan for the blog – both extensive and exquisite in equal measures.
“her career?” is indeed the definition.
FAN BASE is as you parsed it.
As for the definition of THE RAJ – yes it’s my opinion but the 60 million deaths caused by famine during the Raj I consider to be an abuse of power. However you swing it, the negatives outweighed the positives for the majority of the Indian people.
Thanks for your comments K’s Dad – I, for one, like to hear praise but I benefit a lot more from critique and so please don’t feel as though it won’t be badly received. W.r.t. the enjoyment – I’m sorry it wasn’t as enjoyable as some of my other puzzles – I do aim to entertain but it’s never entirely clear to the setter how they will be received. As for the grid – I feel as though your comment is a little unfair – I was very careful in gridding to make sure there is a lot of linking over between the four quarters. Perhaps the problem resulted from there being a lot of 4 or 5 letter words and so there not feeling as though there was much cohesion.
The NINA is a message to a good friend. I include NINAs as a good way to help me begin gridding because it narrows down the possibilities of lights – otherwise I get overwhelmed by the huge number of possibilities.
Thanks all for the comments. They are always much appreciated.
*Please don’t feel as though it will be badly received. More negatives than the Raj in that sentence. Sorry K’s Dad.
Negatives? The pleasure I get from having a go at your puzzles cannot be underestimated, Rorschach.
The grid? Don’t take the criticism too much to heart. From this parish, it’s only John/Wil and me who seem to get exercised about that kind of stuff. I’m not that good a solver, so some starting letters around the perimeter are always appreciated in a daily cryptic.
Thanks Rorschach and Duncan, spotting the Nina rather gave the game away today. Wasn’t over keen on the fanbase clue, lack of checking letters and strange clue seemed a bit off. Some really rather good stuff in &lits though.
We completed this over lunchtime on Crossword solver – the clue for 11ac was there but the name of the setter wasn’t although recently they have started including them.
Thankfully Bert spotted the nina which enabled us to solve a number of tricky clues. The grid didn’t worry us and it didn’t feel like 4 seperate puzzles. Filling the grid with either a nina or a hidden theme is fine by us although we wouldn’t want them too often. However, having an empty grid to fill must be a nightmare. Our respect for Dac as a setter is partly due to his NOT using them (apart from one time as far as we can remember).
It was a difficult solve which we had expected for a Thursday but we did enjoy it. The use of ‘abuse’ passed us by as we both thought that it was an indication of an anagram.
Thanks Duncan for the blog and thanks to Rorschach for the challenge – we hope that your ‘new’ job is going well.
Sorry so late (lost in my pile of old prize puzzles) but had to comment since…..I LOVED IT! Probably the best so far this month in either place. I didn’t find it tough but refreshingly interesting – so that I had to actually think (there hasn’t really been a challenging puzzle for several weeks now). And nothing wrong with the grid. So please be aware, Rorschach, that there’s at least one solver with no complaints whatsoever…..more of the same please!
Great blog, as ever, Duncan though you might have missed that NATO was an &lit also. Or is that just me?
Many, many thanks.