Crosophile’s latest puzzle fills the Tuesday slot this week.
I found this a very accessible, but nonetheless highly entertaining, puzzle. I didn’t take me too long to solve it, but there were plenty of smiles along the way, notably at 9, 15 and 21.
In my copy of the puzzle, 26 had “loosing” where I assume “losing” was intended. I also wondered if there ought really to have been something in 19A to suggest that the definition was to be found by merging “back” and “side” into a single word. Perhaps I am being pedantic?
In any case, my favourites today are 14, for neatly sustaining the reference to “stargazing” through wordplay and definition alike, and 22, for producing what was, for me at least, an unexpected answer.
(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | BEAGLE | Requirement for gymnast after I left dog
(to) BE AG<i>LE (=requirement for gymnast); “after I left” means letter “i” dropped |
| 04 | THRESHER | He flails there having lost heart, the lady’s right
TH<e>RE (“having lost heart” means middle letter dropped) + SHE (=the lady) + R (=right) |
| 10 | SHARK | Financial swindler is hard to find in a Channel island?
H (=hard) in SARK(=a Channel island) |
| 11 | BILLIARDS | Shooting game, this is all I shot surrounded by grouse, etc
*(ALL I) in BIRDS (=grouse, etc); “shot” is anagram indicator; “to shoot” is to play a game of pool, round of golf, etc |
| 12 | IN NO WAY | Not at all where to see fjords run out
IN NO<r>WAY (=where to see fjords); “run (=R)” out” means letter “r” dropped |
| 13 | A bit of terse burble?
T<erse> (“a bit of” means first letter only) + WITTER (=burble); & lit. |
|
| 14 | GASTRONOMY | Good stargazing needed for making of stargazey pie, etc?
G (=good) + ASTRONOMY (=stargazing) |
| 17 | ACHE | A complaint of teachers?
Hidden (“of”) in “teACHErs” |
| 19 | RUMP | Rugby member to back side?
RU (=rugby (union)) + MP (=member, of Parliament); a rump is a “backside” |
| 20 | DEMOISELLE | Stirring melodies the French miss perhaps?
*(MELODIES) + LE (=the French, i.e. a French word for the); “stirring” is anagram indicator |
| 23 | QUIETEN | Make piano completely new installing piece of electronics
E<lectronics> (“piece of” means first letter only) in [QUITE (=completely) + N (=new)]; cryptically, in music to make piano would be to soften, quieten |
| 25 | GIBBOUS | Hump-backed apes not naughty at first but there for all to see
GIBBO<N to U>S (=apes); “not n-aughty at first” means letter “n” is dropped and replaced by “U” (=for all to see, of film) |
| 27 | INTERPRET | Bury’s ready for the French to translate
INTER (=(to) bury) + PRET (=ready for the French, i.e. the French word for ready) |
| 28 | LANCE | Boiled clean to make an incision
*(CLEAN); “boiled” is anagram indicator |
| 29 | MACKEREL | Scotsman has a bit of room in bottom of hull for fish
MAC (=Scotsman) + [R<oom> (“bit of” means first letter only) in KEEL (=bottom of hull)] |
| 30 | CARPET | Dog in the footwell? It’s on the floor
Cryptically, a dog lying in the footwell of a car would be a “car pet” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | BASKING | Uncomfortably hot in sun? On the contrary!
S (=sun) in BAKING (=uncomfortably), rather than BAKING in S; & lit. in that “basking” indicates being comfortably hot in sun! |
| 02 | AGAIN | One more Away win
A (=away, in football results) + GAIN (=win) |
| 03 | LUKEWARM | Not that keen on high mural hiding famous gardens
KEW (=famous gardens) in *(MURAL); “high” is anagram indicator |
| 05 | HOLST | Short breaks from work time for composer
HOLS (=breaks from work; “short” suggests abbreviation of “holidays”) + T (=time); the reference is to British composer Gustav Holst (1874-1934) |
| 06 | ELIXIR | Team put in to annoy and upset is a tonic
XI (=team, of eleven players) in RILE (=to annoy); “and upset” indicates vertical reversal |
| 07 | HERETICAL | He edited article for dissident
HE + *(ARTICLE): “edited” is anagram indicator |
| 08 | RESERVE | What to do with leftover ice?
Cryptically, you might “re-serve” leftover (food); “ice” is reserve, coolness of attitude |
| 09 | ABEYANCE | Suspension for two lecturers leaving a belly dance (topless)
A + BE<ll>Y (“two lecturers (=LL) leaving” both letters “l” are dropped) + <d>ANCE (“topless” means first letter dropped) |
| 15 | SYMBIOTIC | The end of my comb, is it used for like “You scratch my back …”?
*(<m>Y (“end of” means last letter only) + COMB IS IT); “used for” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | MOORGATE | Bride’s partner turned up and had meal in London
MOORG (GROOM=bride’s partner; “turned up” indicates reversal) + ATE (=had meal) |
| 18 | ISABELLA | She might be sailable when at sea
*(SAILABLE); “when at sea” is anagram indicator |
| 19 | REQUIEM | Need to exclude rector before mass – such as this?
REQUI<r>E (=need; “to exclude rector (=R)” means letter “r” is dropped) + M (=mass) |
| 21 | EASIEST | For me a siesta without clothes is the least fuss
Hidden (“without clothes”, i.e. outside letters are dropped) in “mE A SIESTa” |
| 22 | STARVE | Fast watch – it’s around five
V (=five, in Roman numerals) in STARE (=watch); to “fast” is to “starve” (oneself) |
| 24 | NURSE | Look after run up to finals of Caucus Race
NUR (RUN; “up” indicates vertical reversal) + <caucu>S <rac>E (“finals of” means last letters only) |
| 26 | OWN UP | Adult losing a couple of bits of grime’s come clean
<gr>OWN-UP (=adult); “losing a couple of bits of gr-ime” means the letters “gr” are dropped |
Thanks RatkojaRiku.
As always with Crosophile, some really excellent, even exemplary, surfaces. A delight to solve.
There’s a theme here…
Think Augusta 1986 and 1996.
Thanks to setter and RR.
I wouldn’t know about the Augusta reference which is presumably to do with golf (about which I share Mark Twain’s opinion) but there’s definitely something fishy going on.
Thanks, Crosophile and RatkojaRiku
Can’t spot it either, but then rarely can. Breezed through almost all, then went completely blank at 1A and 1D.
20A The definition is “miss perhaps”; “the French” being part of the wordplay.
Thanks to Crosophile and RatkojaRiku.
I too can’t see the Augusta reference, but there are at least 5 sharks swimming about in the grid.
allan_c@3
Is the connection Greg Norman, aka The Great White Shark, runner up at the 86 and 96 Masters? (and I have just spotted 2 more sharks).
Possibly WordPlodder is referring to Greg Norman, who has Shark as part of his nickname.
I said there was something fishy going on, and I think the Augusta reference is a subtle hint from WordPlodder. As rullytully says, there are sharks swimming about. I make it 6 in addition to 10ac.
more than 6 🙂
That shut everyone up! 😀
Thanks for a great blog, RatkojaRiku.
And a good bit of shark hunting. The full list [I think!] was Beagle, Thresher, Demoiselle, Mackerel (Shark), Carpet (S.), Basking (S.), Requiem (S.) and Nurse [or Nurse Shark]. Plus gibbous if it turns into humpback, I guess. 🙂
Yes, I was referring to Greg Norman aka The Great White Shark and (for me) those very unhappy memories from the 1986 & 1996 Masters. The sharks I’ve been able to identify swimming about the grid are BEAGLE, THRESHER, arguably BILLIARDS (as a form of ‘pool’), MACKEREL, CARPET, BASKING, ISABELLA, REQUIEM and NURSE.
That chip shot from Larry Mize – it still haunts me after 29 years!
Thanks again Crosophile.
Apologies for … er crossing you, Crosophile. I obviously missed a few.
Good fun.
Squalus Isabella, the Draughtsboard shark, was a new one on me. Definitely not intentional. Spooky!
And, although it’s not in the grid, as well as BEAGLE there’s a type of MACKEREL shark known as a porbeagle.