A pleasant Thursday diversion
I enjoyed this puzzle, which was challenging enough without being terribly difficult. I came across one word which was new to me (saic – see 1ac), and it took me a while to parse AISLE (although it should have been fairly obvious) and ASSUME.
| Across | ||
| 1 | MOSAIC | Colourful design in second Mediterranean vessel (6) |
| MO (“second”) + SAIC (“Mediterranean vessel”)
A saic is a vessel like a ketch from the Eastern Med. |
||
| 5 | MECHANIC | Worker ludicrously busy round English church (8) |
| E Ch. in MANIC | ||
| 9 | CAUTIOUS | Wary scout I redirected in tour of a university (8) |
| A U in *(scout I) | ||
| 10 | ASSUME | Appropriate turkey, bird held back (6) |
| ASS (“turkey”) + <=EMU | ||
| 11 | RUMPUS | Furore created by odd drug dealer (not half) (6) |
| RUM (“odd”) + PUS(her) | ||
| 12 | INTHEEND | At last, plan to guard explosive (2,3,3) |
| H.E. in INTEND
H.E. stands for High Explosive |
||
| 14 | LIE OF THE LAND | File to handle differently in current circumstances (3,2,3,4) |
| *(file to handle) | ||
| 18 | ECSTATICALLY | Friend behind city still in joyful mode (12) |
| E.C. (“city”) + STATIC (“still”) + ALLY(“friend”)
E.C., as any cruciverbalist will tell you, is a central London postcode. |
||
| 22 | POLLSTER | Lines penned by website contributor, expert on public views (8) |
| LL (“lines”) in POSTER(“website contributor”) | ||
| 25 | CREDIT | Distinction retained in sacred itinerary (6) |
| Hidden in “saCRED ITinerary” | ||
| 26 | MAROON | Crimson strand (6) |
| Double definition.
According to Chambers, both “crimson” and “maroon” are purplish red, so this would appear to be OK, although, in my humble opinion, the two are different. |
||
| 27 | MOUSSAKA | Incomplete dessert, otherwise termed a Greek dish (8) |
| MOUSS(e) + A.K.A. | ||
| 28 | GENE POOL | Information given on European game in stock source? (4,4) |
| GEN (“information”) + E(uropean) + POOL (“game”) | ||
| 29 | TENDER | Sensitive proposal (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | OPAQUE | Unintelligible work, one somewhat lacking in appeal (6) |
| OP (“work”) + A (“one”) + QU(it)E | ||
| 3 | AUTOPILOT | Ideal place almost in a group for George (9) |
| UTOPI(a) in A LOT
George is the nickname pilots give to the autopilot system. |
||
| 4 | CROWS NEST | Tons crews replaced in elevated position at sea (5,4) |
| *(tons crews) | ||
| 5 | MASTIFF | Old lady supported by formidable dog (7) |
| MA (“old lady”) + STIFF (“formidable”) | ||
| 6 | CRAFT | Skill shown by hundred, a large number (5) |
| C (“hundred”) + RAFT (“a large number”) | ||
| 7 | AISLE | Patterned fabric that’s limitless in part of church (5) |
| (p)AISLE(y) | ||
| 8 | IMMINENT | Small measure in section of hospital is soon to happen (8) |
| IMM (1mm = “small measure”) + IN E.N.T. (Ear, Nose and Throat = “section of hospital”) | ||
| 13 | HUE | Tone cut in hearing (3) |
| Homophone of HEW (“cut”) | ||
| 15 | HOLD COURT | Hard ancient judges to preside over attendants (4,5) |
| H(ard) + OLD (“ancient”) + COURT (“judges”) | ||
| 16 | LAYPERSON | Sadly only spare figure without expertise (9) |
| *(only spare) | ||
| 17 | ACCOLADE | Drink taken by daughter amid outstanding praise (8) |
| COLA (“drink”) + D(aughter) in ACE (“outstanding”) | ||
| 19 | ASS | American’s behind passageway screens (3) |
| Hidden in pASSageway | ||
| 20 | CARAMEL | Sweet stuff bordered by fancy lace (7) |
| RAM (“stuff”) in *(lace) | ||
| 21 | FICKLE | Changeable fellow facing predicament losing head (6) |
| F(ellow) + (p)ICKLE | ||
| 23 | LOOSE | Indefinite sun in Cornish resort (5) |
| S(“sun”) in LOOE (a small town on the Cornish coast) | ||
| 24 | TANGO | What one might see after summer holiday dance (5) |
| After a summer holiday, one’s tan may go. | ||
*anagram
Surely it’s LL = lines in side POSTER? Anyway, thanks for a fast blog, loonapick. And to Sleuth for a worthy puzzle.
T
Thanks to Loonapick for the blog and Sleuth for the perfect puzzle in the middle of a hectic day.
Hornbeam
Of course it is, d’oh. Blog edited appropriately.
Thanks loonapick and Sleuth.
I’m with you loonapick on whether MAROON is Crimson.
By the way, two ships carrying paint – one red paint and the other purple – have collided in the Channel. The crews have been marooned!
I’ll save my old Scottish joke for another time.
Thanks Sleuth and loonapick
A backlog puzzle that I picked up yesterday and was able to polish off over a half hour lunch break. Nothing too difficult, but still a fun solve. SAIC was also an unknown Mediterranean vessel for me but was still one of the first few clues that went into the grid because of the clear nature of the rest of the clue, with just a reconfirming look up that there was such a boat.
Didn’t parse OPAQUE properly, having gone with an unsatisfying QUE[ST] rather than the clever QU[IT]E !
Finished in the bottom left hand side with TANGO, ACCOLADE and GENE POOL as the last few in – more because that is just where the journey took me too.