A fairly gentle offering from Quixote for Christmas Eve
Quixote was in a benevolent mode I think with this puzzle. Lots of anagrams -eight in total, container and contents clues – eight again [some doubling with anagrams] and a few fairly simple additive constructions.
There were a number of nods in the direction of Christmas, especially in the clues.
Most of the entries were fairly well known words or could be deduced fairly easily from wordplay and crossing letters – e.g. LUSTRING [26 across], and WALLAROO 6 down]. The word NATES used in the wordplay at 18 down is fairly common in barred crossowrds.
A very Merry Christmas from me to all involved with Fifteensquared – setters, bloggers, commenters and Gaufrid.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Son needs to mature to become a wise man (4)
|
S (son) + AGE (mature)
|
SAGE (wise man)
|
|
3
|
Christian supplier of medieval weaponry? (8)
|
FLETCHER (reference FLETCHER Christian [1764 – 1793], leader of the Mutiny on the Bounty)
|
FLETCHER (person who makes arrows; supplier of medieval weaponry)
|
|
10
|
A very old colleague of Quixote’s about to have egg and fruit (7)
|
A + V + O (DAC [Independent crossword setter who appears most Wednesdays] reversed [about]) + O A V O CAD< O If you a regular solver of Independent crosswords then you will know that Dac is a regular setter and colleague of Quixote’s. If you are not then I don’t know how you can be expected to understand the wordplay in this clue. |
AVOCADO (fruit)
|
|
11
|
Female wants excitement in party group (7)
|
F (female) + ACTION (excitement)
|
FACTION (small group of people formed of dissenting members of a larger group, especially in politics, party group)
|
|
12
|
Little woman joining the fellow in module in birthplace (9)
|
BETH (shortened form of ELIZABETH; little woman) + (HE [the fellow] contained in [in] LEM [{Lunar Excursion} Module]) BETH LE (HE) M |
BETHLEHEM (city described in the New Testament as the birthplace of Jesus)
|
|
13
|
Crude person’s exclamation of joy (5)
|
YAHOO (brutal or boorish lout; crude person)
|
YAHOO (exclamation of joy) double definition
|
|
14
|
A choirmistress upset when losing one garden plant? (9,4)
|
Anagram of (upset) A CHOIRMISTRESS excluding (losing) I (one) CHRISTMAS ROSE* |
CHRISTMAS ROSE (evergreen plant that bears cup-shaped white flowers in winter or early spring)
|
|
17
|
Seasonal character having a mad moment with pie being thrown (9,4)
|
Anagram of (being thrown) A MAD MOMENT and PIE PANTOMIME DAME* |
PANTOMIME DAME (seasonal character)
|
|
21
|
Mentions things worth seeing to audience (5)
|
CITES (sounds like [to audience] SIGHTS [things worth seeing])
|
CITES (quotes, names; mentions things)
|
|
23
|
Nasty Alsatians will suit aggressive person (9)
|
Anagram of (nasty) ALSATIANS ASSAILANT* |
ASSAILANT (attacker; aggressive person)
|
|
24
|
Food eaten by player, a violinist (7)
|
RAVIOLI (hidden word in [eaten by] PLAYER A VIOLINIST)
|
RAVIOLI (small square pasta cases; food)
|
|
25
|
Man’s man may be so isolated (7)
|
INSULAR (belonging to an island, a man from the Isle of Man could therefore be described as INSULAR)
|
INSULAR (isolated) double definition
|
|
26
|
Desire by band to appear in glossy fabric (8)
|
LUST (desire) + RING (band)
|
LUSTRING (glossy silk cloth; glossy fabric)
|
| 27 | Loud man to become ragged in battle (4) | F (forte; loud) + RAY (man’s name) |
FRAY (become ragged) and and / or FRAY (action; disturbance; battle) Two separate definitions for the price of one |
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Quiet place of worship lacking energy and run down (6)
|
SH (quiet) + (ABBEY [place of worship] excluding E [energy])
|
SHABBY (rundown)
|
|
2
|
Possessing supposedly special knowledge costing bucks (7)
|
Anagram of (bucks) COSTING GNOSTIC* |
GNOSTIC (having knowledge
|
|
4
|
Style him ‘Sir’, feeble MP getting permanent entitlement to be in the club (4,10) |
Anagram of (style) HIM SIR FEEBLE MP LIFE MEMBERSHIP* |
LIFE MEMBERSHIP (permanent entitlement to be in the club)
|
|
5
|
Vulgar set? No — just a bit wet (5)
|
TACKY (vulgar)
|
TACKY (sticky; not set and just a bit wet) double definition
|
|
6
|
Perhaps I’m fed up and settle finally in tall house (5-2)
|
E (last letter of [finally] SETTLE contained in (in) (HIGH [tall] + HO [abbreviation for HOUSE) H (E) IGH HO |
HEIGH-HO (exclamation expressive of weariness; perhaps I’m fed up)
|
|
7
|
Liberated with some money being brought around (8)
|
RAND (currency of South Africa; money) containing (brought round) SOME RAN (SOME) D |
RANSOMED (liberated as a result of money being paid) &Lit clue
|
|
8
|
Wild beast sets everyone in conflict over nothing repeatedly (8)
|
(ALL [everyone] contained in [in] WAR [conflict]) + O [nothing] + O [nothing] giving ‘nothing repeatedly’ W (ALL) AR O O |
WALLAROO (large kangaroo; wild beast)
|
|
9
|
Coat in shop – it is unusual in style (14)
|
Anagram of (unusual) COAT IN SHOP IT IS SOPHISTICATION* |
SOPHISTICATION (elegance; style)
|
|
15
|
Most frightening sign of injury that is seen on street (8)
|
SCAR (sign of injury) + IE (id est; that is) + ST (street)
|
SCARIEST (most frightening)
|
|
16
|
Fancy parcels around tree initially, having a range of colours? (8)
|
Anagram of (fancy) PARCELS containing (around) T (first letter of [initially] TREE) SPEC (T) RAL* |
SPECTRAL (related to or like a range of colours)
|
|
18
|
Seat to accommodate four residents (7)
|
NATES (buttocks; seat) containing (to accommodate) IV (Roman numeral for four) NAT (IV) ES |
NATIVES (people born in the local area or long-time residents)
|
|
19
|
Modern trader working in atelier (1-6)
|
Anagram of (working in) ATELIER E-TAILER* |
E-TAILER (electronic retailer who sells goods through the internet; modern trader)
|
|
20
|
Maiden in fairy tale possibly tempestuous (6)
|
M (maiden in cricket scoring terminology) contained in (in) STORY (a fairy tale is an example of a story) STOR (M) Y |
STORMY (tempestuous)
|
|
22
|
Resentful having caught cold in search (5)
|
SOUR (resentful) containing (having caught) C (cold) S (C) OUR |
SCOUR (search thoroughly)
|
Thank you duncanshiell and Quixote and a Merry Christmas to all. There is maybe a reference to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Woman in 12 ac, of whom Beth was one.
Merry Christmas to one and all!
Yes, as Pat@1 suggests, I derived ‘Beth’ from “Little Women” – in fact my first thought was ‘Jo’ but then I immediately realised what the answer to the clue was. The NE corner held me up for a bit till I twigged that the ‘Christian’ required was the ‘Bounty’ mutineer. And it took a while to get RAVIOLI – the ‘food’ in the clue made me think of ‘menu’ and hence ‘Menuhin’, but i couldn’t parse it and 16dn made it impossible anyway. LUSTRING was the only unknown word to me; I’d come across WALLAROO in crosswords before, and NATES happens to be an index word at the top of a page in one of my dictionaries.
A gentle pre-Christmas workout from Quixote, and the usual detailed blog from Duncan. Thank you to both.
And a Merry Christmas to all – may your humbugs be of the suckable rather than the bah variety.
All fairly straightforward though I didn’t parse Bethlehem as the abbreviation was unfamiliar
I rarely get to the party in view of my habit of not starting the day’s puzzle till bedtime, and usually don’t finish till breakfast next morning. However, I always read and enjoy 225 so will take this opportunity to thank Quixote and Duncan for this particular offering and all 225ers in general for their entertainment this year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New year’s solving!