Greetings from the San Francisco Airport. A relatively straightforward challenge from Peto with a workable-mix of uncommon parsings that kept the interest well alive. Had to confirm the deconstruction for a couple of solutions on google but otherwise a pleasant warm-up kind of puzzle.
After yesterday’s nina from Chalmie, I tried quickly looking for one but couldnt spot any. 3 of the clues have DOWN in them, and clued differently.
FF: 9 DD: 7
| Across | ||
| 1 | NO HOPER |
Failure of play to work on the queen (2-5)
Charade of NOH (play, a type of Japanese dram) OP (work) ER (queen) |
| 5 | DISTANT |
Reserved when first introduced to lawyer by conservationists (7)
[ IST (first) in DA (lawyer)] NT (conservationists, National Trust) |
| 9 | MONET |
A passage from Rosenblum on Etty as a painter (5)
Hidden in “..rosenbluM ON ETty..” |
| 10 | PROVIDENT |
Prudent to conceal identity in test on books (9)
[ ID (identity) in PROVE (test) ] NT (books, New Testatment) |
| 11 | ESSENTIAL |
It’s absolutely necessary when lease isn’t renewed (9)
Anagram of LEASE ISNT |
| 12 | TEASE |
Josh drinks last of coke (5)
TEAS (drinks) E (last of cokE) |
| 13 | COOP |
Pen company starts to offer pensions (4)
CO (company) OP (starting letters of Offer Pensions) |
| 15 | ALL CLEAR |
Pass over after everyone gets permission to proceed (3,5)
CLEAR (pass over, said of the rainclouds perhaps) after ALL (everyone) |
| 18 | ANTIHERO |
Hamlet, for example, is another one in torment (8)
Anagram of ANOTHER I (one) |
| 19 | ACRE |
A measure of port (4)
double def, Acre is an ancient port in Israel. |
| 22 | EXTRA |
More evident in complex tracery (5)
Hidden in “..complEX TRAcery” |
| 24 | PIECEMEAL |
It’s intended to be eaten by man bit by bit (9)
MEAL (its intended to be eaten) by PIECE (man, chess) |
| 26 | CLOSE DOWN |
Fold near to the bottom (5,4)
CLOSE (near) DOWN (bottom) |
| 27 | TREAT |
Discuss Handel on the radio (5)
Handel sounds like Handle (~treat) |
| 28 | RETIRED |
Withdrew from ceremony over occupying soldiers beginning to desert (7)
[ ETIR (ceremony = RITE, reversed) in RE (soldiers, Royal Engineers) ] D (beginning to Desert) |
| 29 | SCRATCH |
Animal crackers primarily available in school to make money (7)
[ RAT (animal) C (Crackers primarily) ] in SCH (school) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | NUMBER |
More than one song (6)
double def |
| 2 | HANDS DOWN |
Workers getting depressed easily (5-4)
HANDS (workers) DOWN (depressed) |
| 3 | PUT ON |
Add to strike (3-2)
double def? Is the 2nd meaning on betting? |
| 4 | REPLICATE |
Copy of Rushdie’s first epic tale destroyed (9)
Anagram of R (Rushdie’s first) EPIC TALE |
| 5 | DROLL |
Note to Rob is amusing (5)
D (note) ROLL (rob) |
| 6 | SCINTILLA |
Trace it back to the source of nutrients in a plant (9)
[N (source of Nutrients) TI (IT, back)] in SCILLA (plant) |
| 7 | ARENA |
Extremely rare to fill an American sports stadium (5)
RE (extremely RarE) in AN A (american) |
| 8 | TITTER |
Row over race causing a suppressed snigger (6)
TIER (row) over TT (race, isle of man’s most famous race(s)) |
| 14 | PRIVATEER |
Fellow maintaining essential bit of wiring on container ship (9)
PEER (fellow) containing [ RI (essentia bit of wiRIng) on VAT container) ] |
| 16 | LOOSE ENDS |
Incomplete details initially emerging after battle ceases (5,4)
[E (initially Emerging) LOO’S (battle)] ENDS (ceases) – not very comfy with the grammar if my parsing is correct. |
| 17 | AGREEMENT |
Conformity shown by unruly teenager in minutes? Just the opposite (9)
M (minutes) in anagram of TEENAGER |
| 20 | FENCER |
Guard meets resistance from swordsman (6)
FENCE (guard) R (resistance) |
| 21 | BLOTCH |
Left inside badly finished work causing an irregular discoloration (6)
L (left) in BOTCH (badly finished work) |
| 23 | TROUT |
Wrong about including university swimmer (5)
TORT (swimmer) including U (university) |
| 24 | PROUD |
Poke around top of ugly swelling (5)
PROD (poke) around U (top of Ugly) |
| 25 | ENTER |
Present tenant’s heading off (5)
rENTER (tenant, without first letter) |
3d: PUT ON = strike
perhaps as in
put on a pose / strike a pose
16d: I don’t see any prob. in cryptic grammar.
The WP is E after LOOS plus ENDS.
This kind of charade is often seen in crossword clues.
I have been remiss in thanking Peto for the challenge – so thanks Peto !!
Hi Rishi@2, I was actually referring to the fact that “loo” alone would answer “battle” in the clue, wasnt sure about how “loo’s” can be a solve for “battle”.
Regards,
TL
Thanks Peto and Turbolegs
With regard to 16dn, I have just done a quick search and found “The Battle of Loos was the largest British battle that took place in 1915 on the Western Front during World War I.”
Old battles aren’t exactly my forte. Thought maybe ‘loo could be short for Waterloo, which I guess would be what the kids call it these days.
I completely miss the parsing of TREAT = “handle” (on the radio?).
Thanks Peto and Turbolegs
Straightforward offering from this setter here, with no real standouts or holdups. Finished on the lhs with SCINTILLA, SCRATCH (didn’t know the money term) and TREAT the last few in.
Thanks Turbolegs and Peto.
Agree on the unusual constructions. But I had more difficulty with unusual definitions and felt uncomfortable with a number of then before inserting them.
Examples – is ‘down’ really ‘bottom’ in 26ac? Surely down is relative.
‘Roll’ for ‘rob’ in 5dn was new to me.
‘Enter’ for ‘Present’ in 25dn?
I was so uncomfortable about ‘treat’ for ‘discuss’ in 27 that I couldn’t bring myself to put it in even though there was little or no alternative.
But all part of the rich tapestry of crossword-land so thanks again.