A challenging cryptic workout from Klingsor, worthy of a Saturday prize slot, IMHO (if people say that any more?!)
I couldn’t see any fancy frills – Nina, theme, etc. – but there was a good mix of some interesting surface readings, some long anagrams – and a couple of clever clues for the 4-letter words.
Particular favourites – among many contenders – were 20A, with the mythical continent of ATLANTIS not appearing on the map – not surprising, as it is underwater! – and the use of ‘Ravel’, at 3D, as an anagram indicator – in a music-related clue…
LOI was BEAD – it had to be that from the definition and the crossing letters, but took me a while to connect ‘BED’ with ‘IT’, in the sense implied here…happens to us all eventually (;+>) As the dear departed Richard Whiteley, of Countdown fame, once said, when faced with tabloid allegations of his sexual proclivities (headlines of ‘Thrice-nightly Whiteley’: ‘these days, it is more like once-yearly, nearly’!
So thanks to Klingsor, and I hope I have it all down correctly below. I shall be travelling to Twickenham (more in hope than expectation!) tomorrow, so any comments/corrections welcomed, but unlikely to be responded to until Sunday…
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 1A | FRANC | Money is smuggled into Liverpool perhaps (5) | Money / F_C (Football Club, such as Liverpool) around RAN (smuggled) |
|
| 4A | GERIATRIC | Look for one turning to deception, mostly of old folk (9) | of old folk / GERIA (AIR, look + EG, for one, for example, all turning) + TRIC(K) (deception, mostly) |
|
| 9A | UNTENABLE | Locally one’s beaten, left disfigured – that can’t be justified (9) | can’t be justified / UN (one, dialect) + TENABLE (anag, i.e. disfigured, of BEATEN + L – left) |
|
| 10A | OWLET | Oscar’s allowed to go around with a small hooter (5) | small hooter / O (Oscar, NATO phonetic alphabet) + W (with) + LET (allowed) |
|
| 11A | PARCEL | Package tour’s last chance for vacation in China (6) | package / PA_L (mate, china plate in rhyming slang) around R (last letter of touR) + CE (ChancE vacated, or emptied) |
|
| 12A | RESTLESS | Lacking support, snooker player is so impatient (8) | &lit-ish/double defn / If a snooker player does not have his rest, he could be RESTLESS (and might also get impatient!) |
|
| 14A | SHEEP STATION | Where in Victoria perhaps, man’s keeping ewe and tup finally? (5,7) | cryptic definition / S_TATION (e.g. Victoria Station, London) around HE (man) + E + P (final letters of ewE and tuP) |
|
| 17A | TRAITORS GATE | Riot dispersed with tear gas around the northern entrance to the Tower (8,4) | entrance to the Tower (of London) / TRAITORS GA_E (anag, i.e. dispersed, of RIOT and TEAR GAS) around T (Northern contraction of ‘the’) |
|
| 20A | ATLANTIS | Continent, oddly not one seen in map collection (8) | (Ancient/mythical?) Continent / ATLA_S (map collection) around NT (odd letters of NoT) + I (one) |
|
| 21A | INFIRM | Advise having institute for old and frail (6) | frail / INF(O)RM (advise) with I (institute) substituted for O (old) |
|
| 23A | DITTO | I show disapproval, but no university dons do likewise (5) | likewise / D_O ‘donned’ by I + T(U)T (show disapproval, without U – university) |
|
| 24A | GRENADIER | Soldier wants a bit of work on retirement, loved one said (9) | soldier / GRENA (AN ERG, a bit of work, retiring) + DIER (homophone, i.e. ‘said’ of DEAR, loved one) |
|
| 25A | CROSS-EYED | Yes, decor’s awful, not looking right? (5-4) | not looking right? / anag, i.e. awful, of YES DECORS |
|
| 26A | SLASH | Do number one cut (5) | double defn. / A crude word for to urinate, or ‘to do number one’ is a SLASH; which can also be to CUT |
|
| Down | ||||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 1D | FRUMPISH | Ill-dressed bum wearing mullet? (8) | ill-dressed / F_ISH (mullet) worn by RUMP (bum, posterior) |
|
| 2D | ATTORNEY | Acting upset still about rent for legal adviser (8) | legal adviser / A (acting) + T_EY (YET, still, upset) around TORN (rent) |
|
| 3A | CONTEMPORANEOUS | Ravel tune? No, a composer of the same period (15) | of the same period / anag, i.e. ‘ravel'(!) of TUNE NO A COMPOSER |
|
| 4D | GOBI | One wet, marshy area? Contrariwise! (4) | &lit-ish/CD? / I (one) + BOG (marshy area) contrariwise gives GOBI (desert!) |
|
| 5D | RE-ELECTION | Drum part, initially omitted, is being chosen again (2-8) | being chosen again / REEL (drum) + (S)ECTION (part, with initial letter omitted) |
|
| 6A | A MONTH OF SUNDAYS | Anonymous fellow hounds my son at work for ages (1,5,2,7) | ages / anag, i.e. ‘work’, of A (anonymous) + F (fellow) + HOUNDS MY SON AT |
|
| 7A | RELIEF | Supply aid – outstanding work (6) | double defn. / RELIEF can be a supply of provisions, or ‘outstanding’/3D artwork |
|
| 8D | CUTEST | Prosecute stalker? Essentially that’s most appealing (6) | most appealing / hidden word, i.e. ‘essentially’, in ‘proseCUTE STalker’ |
|
| 13D | STRIKINGLY | Promoting Republican, agitate Royal noticeably (10) | noticeably / STRI (STIR, agitate, moving R – republican – nearer the front) + KINGLY (royal) |
|
| 15D | BASILICA | Primary area involving Rome’s the church (8) | church / BAS_IC (primary) + A (area), around IL (‘the’ in Italy, or Rome) |
|
| 16D | BESMIRCH | English NCO hides in tree, getting dirty (8) | (make) dirty / B_IRCH (tree) around (hiding) E (English) + SM (Sergeant Major, NCO) |
|
| 18D | BARDIC | In retreat, hermit possibly conceals identity of a poet (6) | of a poet / C_RAB (hermit crab) around ID (identification) – all in retreat |
|
| 19D | CLOTHO | Fate of dimwit accompanied by some laughter (6) | Greek mythological) Fate / CLOT (dimwit) + HO (some laughter) |
|
| 22D | BEAD | Drop one in it! (4) | Drop / BE_D (‘it’, ‘the other’, sexual relations) around A (one) |
|
Some ingenious clues, thanks for parsing 23A DITTO, with its lengthy wordplay for a five-letter word.
14A I thought the use of Victoria might also be a nod to the fact that the term sheep stations is mainly (exclusively?) Australian. In the parsing for this the second “s” has been omitted, it’s HE’S round E + P, rather than HE + E + P.
Thanks to Klingsor and mc_rapper67
One of those crosswords where for quite a few entries one thinks, “It’s got to be that but how on earth does it follow from the clue?” and then there’s an “aha!” moment – although several of my “aha!” moments didn’t come till I read the blog.
gwep @1: I think you’re right about 14ac – it was ‘Victoria’ that made me think the answer might be some Australian term or maybe place name.
ATLANTIS and CONTEMPORANEOUS were my contenders for CoD.
Thanks, Klingsor and mc_rapper67.
A late contribution, to make a grand total of 3 responses so far. Not too bad for a Saturday. I thought I was being very clever remembering CLOTHO, but then missed out on 22d, my LOI. I liked 1d, 4d, 23a and 26a in particular.
Thanks to Klingsor and mc_rapper67.