A parson’s egg from PSSTHPOK
This one took ages to complete, as I found some of the wordplay cumbersome and, in some cases, a little questionable (see my commnets for 9ac, 10ac, 25ac, 18dn).
I did like 19ac and 19dn, however.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SPAWNS | Creates wide bridges on both sides (6) |
| W in SPANS | ||
| 5 | GET A GRIP | Forcibly silence alien trapped by rent control (3,1,4) |
| ET in GAG (“forcibly silence”) RIP | ||
| 9 | MAZEL TOV | Time engaged in puzzle with unending passion leads to congratulations (8) |
| T in MAZE LOV(e)
Prettry sure that Mazel Tov is two words, so should have been (5,3) |
||
| 10 | GROCER | Retailer’s profits, according to rumour, were unlimited (6) |
| Homophone of GROSSER, I assume although I don’t the wordplay works. “profits” is superfluous” and “were unlimited” doesn’t equal GROSSER | ||
| 11 | STEEPLES | Points to churches that pervade odd parts of Leeds (8) |
| STEEP(“pervade” + LeEdS | ||
| 12 | BOUNCE | Recoil from black cat (6) |
| B + OUNCE | ||
| 13 | DISQUIET | Butterflies eat less tailless seafood in captivity (8) |
| SQUI(d) IN DIET (“eat less”) | ||
| 15 | DYES | Colours are dead right (4) |
| D + YES | ||
| 17 | TYPE | Specimen from tiny pine lacking in content (4) |
| T(in)Y P(in)E | ||
| 19 | INCREASE | Profit ran out here? Impossible! (8) |
| Double definition, the second referring to cricket where you can’t be run out if you are in your crease. | ||
| 20 | MARINE | Sea horse in fragments (6) |
| IN in MARE | ||
| 21 | NEOPRENE | Rubber and pencil-sharpener Poe normally used for quoting back (8) |
| Hidden backwards in sharpENER POE Normally | ||
| 22 | TRILBY | Vibration left out by hat (6) |
| TRIL(l) + BY | ||
| 23 | YARMULKE | Mary and Luke interpreted sign of religious devotion (8) |
| *(Mary Luke) | ||
| 24 | CONCERTO | Together in this love for piece of music (8) |
| CONCERT + O
“in concert” = “together” |
||
| 25 | DOTING | Loving pet can be kept inside (6) |
| TIN in DOG(“pet”).
The grammar isn’t right here. “tin be kept inside”? |
||
| Down | ||
| 2 | PSALTERY | Using newly manufactured rest, play medieval instrument (8) |
| *(rest play) | ||
| 3 | WEEKENDS | Reports failures to climax in the holidays (8) |
| Homophone of WEAK ENDS | ||
| 4 | SETTLES IN | Gets used to square vice (7,2) |
| SETTLE + SIN | ||
| 5 | GIVES CURRENCY TO | Distributes funds (5,8,2) |
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | AIRPORT | Where flight attendants prepare to let the wine breathe? (7) |
| AIR PORT | ||
| 7 | RECENTLY | Deposit money in bank not long ago (8) |
| CENT in RELY | ||
| 8 | PERVERSE | Warped by poetry (8) |
| PER + VERSE | ||
| 14 | ENAMOURED | Fascinated by eccentric demeanour (9) |
| *(demeanour) | ||
| 15 | DOGMATIC | Arrogant to cheat chess expert at one chess opening (8) |
| DO(“cheat”) + GM(“Grand Master” = “chess expert”) + AT + 1 + C(hess) | ||
| 16 | EMERSION | I was absorbed by poet before coming up for air (8) |
| I in EMERSON
EMERSON could be referring to Ralph Waldo Emerson or Claudia Emerson |
||
| 17 | TEAR-DUCT | Cut passage that is filled with weeping (4-4) |
| TEAR + DUCT | ||
| 18 | PANNIKIN | Sounds like Cockney is overreacting to cup (8) |
| Homophone of PANICKIN’
Surely dropping the G at the end of the words is not unique to Cockneys? |
||
| 19 | IGNOBLE | Base in globe is broken (7) |
| *(in globe) | ||
*anagram
Thanks loonapick – I needed a lot of help in the bottom half. I had a different take on 10A. I think it is GROC (sounds like gross = profits if you go with the soft C) with “were unlimited” being the “er” bit.
Thanks Phssthpok too.
Agree with you in all respects, loonapick; and I think @1 Urieka’s correct too. This took an enormous amount of time; and because it was (in our humble opinions) imperfect, there’s a slight feeling that the time was wasted. But thanks, Phssthpok, for the mental exercise. Don’t start being nice to us.
Sorry to be contrary, but I liked the crossword. It was more of a challenge than most, but it was generally clear what the setter was getting at. The clue I thought was weak was 5 down.
Agree that 5dn was a poor clue, but it was technically OK, just not terribly clever.
I too could see what the setter was getting at, but I like tighter, cleaner clues with sensible surfaces.
Thanks Phssthpok and loonapick. Only finished this one this morning – tough in places – but I, like David@2, thought it was a good puzzle. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the clues.
9a – Chambers has mazeltov as 1 word or 2
10a – I think Urieka’s parsing is correct
25a – I read “be kept inside” as something like a subjunctive (slightly archaic?) form. A bit odd, but I’m not sure it’s wrong
18d – seems fine
I even like 5d – “Gives currency to” seems exactly what people do when they spread (distribute) a rumour.
Thanks Phssthpok and loonapick
I come down on the side of the pros here too, although it had a different feel to it than the normal puzzle by this setter. It was certainly harder, with several Don Manley-ish unusual words involved, and has already put me behind for the week. Think that MikeC addresses most of the concerns that were raised though.
Further, with 5d I saw it as a double definition of a sort:
a) in the legal sense, where it means circulates or distributes
b) in the literal sense, as distributes funds (&littish)
Didn’t manage to parse DOGMATIC completely – did not see DO and GM (Grand Master), but was confident that the answer was right.
Finished with the clever INCREASE and the well-hidden NEOPRENE (which was also a new word for me)
Thanks loonapick and phssthpok.
A tough challenge this with some new words for me to grapple with. It took me an age to realise that fragments was a verb in 20ac and to work out the GM for Grand Master in 15dn.
I do agree about 5dn being a bit weak. Wasn’t happy about GROCER till I saw Urieka’s explanation above which nails it.
A tough clutch between the FT and Guardian over the last few days so I’m falling behind too.
By the way, what’s happened to the blog for FT 15139? Couple of days late.