As this is the last Wednesday of the month. Dac gives way to one of his colleagues. Today it is Quixote
I’ve been blogging on fifteensquared since November 2007 and I think this is the first time I’ve ever blogged an entry with seven constituent parts. I’m very partial to clues built up from many parts so my award for clue of the day goes to AT A DISADVANTAGE at 9 across.
This was a puzzle where I found the clues led clearly to the answer once a lot of the crossing letters were in place, but I had to do quite a bit of research to see exactly what the entries meant. All Quixote’s definitions can be found in Chambers directly or can be found with a little lateral thinking from some of the words in Chambers. However, I’m not sure that all of the entries are well known to solvers. EPISTEMOLOGICAL is not a word I have dropped into conversation recently. MONTAGU’S HARRIER sounds a bit like a species created specially for crosswords.
In a few cases today the definitions led to the answers quicker than the word play. Two of the long entries came into that category – the aforementioned AT A DISADVANTAGE and SELECT COMMITTEE. If you ever hear a newsreader say ‘a group of MPs’ you know there is going to be reference to a SELECT COMMITTEE.
There were some different clue constructs today. A couple stood out for me – POLKA-DOT at 12 across with its ‘at party going inside’ to give A DOT and INTIMATED at 17 down where I’D was taken out of INTIMIDATED.
It was though an entertaining challenge and very satisfying to finish.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Being very tired, he had to go by public transport (6)
|
BUS (public transport) + HE’D (he had)
|
BUSHED (informal word for tired or very tired) |
|
4
|
Enormous beating (8)
|
THUMPING (unusually big; enormous)
|
THUMPING (beating) double definition
|
|
9
|
A bit unhappy, opposing worker with time to collar one is in a relatively weak position (2,1,12)
|
(A + TAD [small amount; bit] + SAD [unhappy] + V [versus] + ANT [worker] + AGE [time]) all containing (to collar) I (one) AT A D (I) SAD V ANT AGE |
AT A DISADVANTAGE (in a relatively weak position)
|
|
11
|
Figure is an old-fashioned way to enjoy computers etc. (5)
|
DIG (old slang for approve or understand; an old-fashioned way to enjoy) + IT (information technology; computers etc)
|
DIGIT (numeral; figure)
|
|
12
|
Spotted former President at party going inside (5-3)
|
POLK (reference James POLK, eleventh President of the United States from 1845 to 1849) + (DO [party] contained in [going inside] AT) POLK A (DO) T |
POLKA-DOT (any of a number of large dots in a pattern on fabric, etc; spotted)
|
|
14
|
A section is cut from this crimson material (5)
|
SCRIM (hidden word in [a section is cut from] THIS CRIMSON)
|
SCRIM (open fabric used in upholstery, bookbinding, for curtains, etc; material)
|
|
15
|
One could dress Tom Cruise (9)
|
Anagram of (could dress) TOM CRUISE COSTUMIER* |
COSTUMIER (person who makes or deals in costumes, often found on a film set where they could dress TOM CRUISE)
|
|
18
|
A landau is travelling around part of Spain (9)
|
Anagram of (travelling around) A LANDAU IS ANDALUSIA* |
ANDALUSIA (region in south western Spain)
|
|
19
|
Agitated ambassador, a male beast (3,2)
|
HE (His / Her Excellency, form of address for an Ambassador/dress) + TUP (a male sheep)
|
HET UP (agitated)
|
|
20
|
Quixote’s not young, keeping fashionable, it’s thought (8)
|
I’M (I am; Quixote is) +( AGED [old; not young] containing (keeping) IN (fashionable) IM AG (IN) ED |
IMAGINED (thought)
|
|
23
|
Sheep that is seen in shrub (5)
|
RAM (sheep) + IE (id est)
|
RAMIE (a plant (Boehmeria nivea) of the nettle family)
|
| 25 | Group of MPs, including conservative, come and settle time for reform (6,9) |
Anagram of (for reform) C (conservative) and COME and SETTLE TIME SELECT COMMITTEE* |
SELECT COMMITTEE (a number of Members of Parliament chosen to report and advise on some matter. They are largely concerned with examining the work of Government Departments. [In recent years they have become more and more like Star Chambers where many MPs who know little or nothing about the subjects under discussion consider it their duty to pillory people with significant experience in the relevant topic. Others may, of course, hold a less jaundiced view]) |
|
26
|
Woman among the top people, 50, was first to be set aside (8)
|
ANN (woman’s name) + U (descriptive of words and behaviour among the top people) + L (Roman numeral for 50) + LED (was first)
|
ANNULLED (abolished; set aside)
|
|
27
|
Good academician taking some French classes (6)
|
G (good) + RA (Royal Academician) + DES (French for ‘some’)
|
GRADES (classes)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Biscuit type that gets Violet upset (6,4)
|
BRAND (particular type or kind) + (PANSY [species of violet] reversed [upset; down clue]) BRAND Y SNAP< |
BRANDY SNAP (thin crisp biscuit flavoured with ginger and originally brandy)
|
|
2
|
Hesitated at regular intervals? (9)
|
STAGGERED (hesitated)
|
STAGGERED (disposed alternately or variously; at regular intervals)
|
|
3
|
Dealing with aspect of philosophy and geopolitics, male getting confused (15)
|
Anagram of (getting confused) GEOPOLITICS MALE EPISTEMOLOGICAL* |
EPISTEMOLOGICAL (relating to the theory of knowledge; dealing with aspect of philosophy [the pursuit of wisdom and knowledge])
|
|
5
|
Shed in south-coast location overlooking lake (5)
|
HOVE (town on the south coast of England) + L (lake)
|
HOVEL (shed)
|
|
6
|
Bird rather amusing or unusual (8,7)
|
Anagram of (unusual) RATHER AMUSING OR MONTAGU’S HARRIER* |
MONTAGU’S HARRIER (a bird of prey [Circus pygargus] of the Accipitridae family, with long wings and tail, native to Europe)
|
|
7
|
A princess once set up house in a place designated ‘gem’ (5)
|
(A + DI [reference princess DIana]) all reversed (set up) + HO (house) (ID A)< HO |
IDAHO (IDAHO‘s nickname is the ‘GEM State’. Wikipedia also tells me that the mule IDAHO Gem (born May 4, 2003) is the first cloned equine and first cloned mule)
|
|
8
|
Butter? Gosh – that’s hard inside! (4)
|
H (hard, as in the description of lead in a pencil) contained in (inside) GEE (gosh) G (H) EE |
GHEE (clarified butter)
|
|
10
|
Current area in the mountains specified for woolly animals (7)
|
(AC [alternating current] + A [area]) contained in (in) ALPS (mountain range) ALP (AC A) S |
ALPACAS (domesticated animals related to the llama with long silky wool)
|
|
13
|
Woman of insight giving support to the fellow, a tragic female (10)
|
PROP (support) + HE (man; fellow) + TESS (tragic heroine of TESS of the D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy)
|
PROPHETESS (woman of insight)
|
|
16
|
Modern baddies set up to achieve celebrity status (7)
|
(MOD [modern] + RATS [despicable people; baddies]) all reversed (STAR DOM)< |
STARDOM (celebrity status)
|
|
17
|
Frightened, this person had hidden, it’s suggested (9)
|
INTIMIDATED (frightened) is INTIMATED with an extra (hidden) I’D (this person had)
|
INTIMATED (hinted; suggested)
|
|
21
|
Number upset after dinner maybe without a fruit (5)
|
(MEAL [dinner for example] excluding [without] A) + (NO [number] reversed [upset; down clue])
|
MELON (example of a fruit)
|
|
22
|
Suitable position of hospital in French city (5)
|
H (hospital) contained in (in) NICE (French city) NIC (H) E |
NICHE (situation, place or condition appropriate for a person or thing; suitable position)
|
|
24
|
A country once seen as deficient in its larger setting (4)
|
A + SIAM (old name for [once seen] Thailand) excluding the final letter (as deficient) M
|
ASIA (Siam / Thailand is located within the continent of ASIA; larger setting)
|
If I were the Minister for Education, epistemology would be part of every child’s education in philosophy!
Quixote@1 But youre not! Nice puzzle sir!
Thanks Duncan and Don, I thought I was doing so well with 4ac Whopping and 2d Stammered, and put my division in the wrong place for 6d, making it insoluble. As usual, my wife sorted it out!
A jolly romp, I thought, though ASIA delayed me longer than it should have. Siam, duh. Thanks to Quixote & Duncan.
As I’ve said before, I warm up by doing the Concise in my head until I get the pun in the first couple of clues. Do I detect an un-Indy-like bias in today’s offering?
Of course I got off to a flying start with 1D. Ginger snap. As with violet Elizabeth etc !!
Caution definitely needed with some clues; at least with the online version you know as soon as you go wrong, e.g. my first thought for 4ac was ‘Whacking’ as in ‘a whacking great…’
In 7dn I couldn’t make out why it was a princess ‘once’ and ‘set up’ as I got the princess as ‘Ida’ (from the Gilbert & Sullivan opera). Only after I’d put the answer in did the penny drop.
And I have to own up to getting the four long answers from crossing letters and a wordfinder.
But all good stuff, nevertheless.
Thanks, Quixote and Duncan
PS. Quixote @1 – you’d make a better Minister for Education than some we’ve endured recently!
Whopping then whacking before I got 4ac.