I approached this puzzle rather nervously, in view of the date, as Imogen puzzles can be tricky at the best of times. As it turned out, there was no hidden trickery, unless it’s a double bluff and I’m missing something. In fact, I found it more straightforward than usual, for Imogen, with a number of simple charades – and I’m not sure whether I’m relieved or disappointed. 😉
Favourite clues: 9ac and 5dn.
Thanks to Imogen for the puzzle.
Across
1 Where climber may be trained in mountain, terrifying figure returning (7)
PERGOLA
A reversal [returning] of ALP [mountain] + OGRE [terrifying creature]
5 Relaxed, prepared for another shot (7)
REPOSED
Double / cryptic definition
9 Distinctive character of bird artist captured (5)
TRAIT
RA [artist] in TIT [bird]
10 Periodically, after Ge … like this (2,7)
AS FOLLOWS
In the periodic table, As [arsenic] follows Ge [germanium]
11 Senior administrator‘s weakness, to risk register being rejected (4-10)
VICE-CHANCELLOR
Charade of VICE [weakness] + CHANCE [risk] + a reversal [rejected] of ROLL [register]
13 Job to which poor performers are taken (4)
TASK
Cryptic definition
14 Taking minimum time in celebration of French produce? (8)
BRIEFEST
A celebration of a French cheese could be a BRIE-FEST
17 Relinquish, for example, being open to one worry constantly (4,4)
SIGN AWAY
SAY [for example] round [being open to] I [one] GNAW [worry]
18 Respecting footballers leaving new house (2,2)
AS TO
ASTO[n villa] [footballers] minus n [new] villa [house]
21 Corps‘ senior general last to deploy bombs (5,9)
ROYAL ENGINEERS
Anagram [bombs] of SENIOR GENERAL + [deplo]Y
23 Loved pace: certain to get an innings (9)
TREASURED
SURE [certain] in TREAD [pace]
24 Having a rest, keeping very still with us (5)
ALIVE
A LIE [rest] round V [very]
25 Retreat being awful to contemplate, finally advancing a position (7)
HIDEOUT
HIDEOU[s] [awful to contemplate] with its final letter moving on one place in the alphabet
26 Promised place, commonly equivocated (7)
PLEDGED
PL [[place] + ‘EDGED [commonly equivocated – Cockneys are not singled out today]
Down
1,22 Crock shoots lots of elephants, say (8)
POTSHERD
POTS [shoots] + HERD [lots of elephants, say]
2 Make unwelcome appearance hurriedly, as gatecrashing (4,3,4,4)
REAR ITS UGLY HEAD
Anagram [crashing] of HURRIEDLY AS GATE – ITS doesn’t sit very comfortably, for me
3 Shop, perhaps as a means to express emotions (6)
OUTLET
Double definition
4 A person helping you over your loss of interest (6)
APATHY
A PA [a person helping you] over THY [your]
5 Extremely rare, expensive clothes in industrial plant (8)
REFINERY
R[ar]E + FINERY [expensive clothes]
6 Turn somersault before degree is taken (8)
PILFERED
Reversal [turn] of FLIP + ERE [before] + D [degree]
7 Slyly peeking at bear browsing (8,7)
SHOULDER SURFING
SHOULDER [bear] + SURFING [browsing] – a new expression for me
8 Doctrine is compromising freedom to act (10)
DISCRETION
Anagram [compromising] of DOCTRINE IS
12 After a false start, eat out without interruption (2,1,7)
AT A STRETCH
A + an anagram false] of START + ETCH [eat out] – not the first definition to spring to my mind but it’s the first entry in Chambers, so, I suppose, at a stretch… 😉
15 Satellite phone is shut (8)
CALLISTO
CALL [phone] IS TO [shut – like a door, say]
16 Knight risked capturing Stuart queen (8)
BANNERET
BET [risked] round ANNE R [Stuart queen]
19 Joke the nervous get (4,2)
WIND UP
Doublish / cryptic definition, with different pronunciations
20 Fighting disrupts work meeting in cave (6)
BEWARE
WAR [fighting] in BEE [work meeting]
Thanks Imogen and Eileen.
Totally forgot it was April 1 until after I had solved most of the puzzle!
I read 11 as a double definition: a poor performer is said to be “taken to task”.
Hi Steve B @1
Yes, that’s how I read it but I don’t think it’s exactly a double definition [although that’s how I was initially going to describe it.]
Thanks Imogen and Eileen
I found this difficult and didn’t enjoy it much. I wrote in POTSHERD, then PERGOLA and TRAIT; after a while I got the anagram for DISCRETION, then, for about 20 minutes, that was it. ROYAL ENGINEERS got me going again, and I did eventually finish it.
I had help from the Internet for SHOULDER SURFING – never heard of it, and, unsurprisingly, it’s not in my Chambers.
I didn’t parse SIGN AWAY, HIDEOUT or AT A STRETCH.
Favourite was my LOI, BRIE-FEST.
This was fine. I completed it in two sessions without help, only needing to check BANNERET. Favourite was AS FOLLOWS, mainly because – hobby-horse coming up – it went a tiny way to rectifying the arts bias of some other setters.
Thanks to Imogen and Eileen.
Thanks Imogen and Eileen.
SHOULDER SURFING was new to me, and the last in, and I had to check BANNERET, something I should have known.
Like Median @4, AS FOLLOWS was my favourite, and for the same reason.
Only 5 comments? Must have been a toughie. I really enjoyed this one – tricky but entirely fair in retrospect. SHOULDER SURFING was new to me too, BANNERET was only distantly familiar, but OUTLET was last in. I couldn’t see “to get an innings” part of treasured, but I suppose it just about works as an insertion indicator. Ticked AS FOLLOWS (though my knowledge of the periodic table was not sufficient to make that a write in), BRIEFEST, REAR ITS UGLY HEAD and APATHY
Thanks to Eileen and Imogen
Thanks to Imogen and Eileen. I had the same problems as already noted (e.g., with SHOULDER SURFING), and, with an arts rather than a science background, struggled for a while with AS FOLLOWS, but I did finish. A good puzzle, no fooling.
This puzzle really made me think, which is what I like. There were some excellent clues, in particular: 1A (PERGOLA), 10A (AS FOLLOWS), 17A (SIGN AWAY), 24A (ALIVE), 2D (REAR ITS UGLY HEAD) and 5D (REFINERY).
At the end I was left with SHOULDER –R-ING at 7D. I realised it had to be SURFING, but I’ve never heard of the phrase. I forgot all about 18A (AS TO) after that, but I see I didn’t miss much. (It wasn’t my favourite type of clue, although it wouldn’t have been hard to get from the definition.)
In 12D (AT A STRETCH) ‘eat out’ was meant to indicate ‘etch’, which I got easily enough, but this subject was aired quite recently and I’m not convinced that ‘eat out’ means ‘eat away’ or ‘etch’. It’s strange that Chambers uses ‘eat out’ in its definition of ‘etch’, but the only meaning it gives for ‘eat out’ is to dine away from home.
Incidentally, AT A STRETCH has a meaning here that I didn’t know until I looked it up. (As Eileen said, it’s the first entry for that phrase in Chambers.)
Like beery hiker I didn’t quite get the insertion indicator for 23A (TREASURED).
Finally, I thought ITS in REAR ITS UGLY HEAD was ok. I’m aware of the recent debate about YOUR and ONE’S, and this is obviously similar.
Thank you Eileen for your clear blog and thanks to Imogen for an enjoyable puzzle.
Thanks Eileen and Imogen.
Completing another Imogen puzzle feels good. So I won’t complain that it was not hard enough!
Liked VICE CHANCELLOR, ROYAL ENGINEERS, SIGN AWAY and REFINERY.
… and by the way, I didn’t spot any theme or trickery.
Thanks to Imogen for the puzzle and Eileen for the blog. Unlike her, I wasn’t apprehensive about possible Huntigowk clues, so my disappointment that the crossword was on the easy side for Imogen was unallayed by the relief she felt.
Having said that, it took me a while to get started; in 1a, having spotted, cleverly I thought, which words constituted the definition, I spent a lot of time trying to parse the rest of the clue into TRELLIS.
Like others, I hadn’t come across 7d down before, but I now know what I am doing when I sneak a glance at how someone else is getting on with a crossword!
Eileen, was it an April Fool joke that the clue numbers in your across answers are all wrong?
Btw, my computer has been autocorrecting me to my full name without my knowledge or permission. Must pay attention.
Very impressive but much of it beyond my ability. I better keep practising. Thanks Imogen for a brilliant puzzle. And to Eileen as ever for an excellent analysis.
Hi Meg @12
Not quite all, just 5-14. Now corrected.
This certainly was a toughie. I’ve managed the last couple from this setter without much difficulty but, after a good start with PERGOLA, which was a write in, I soon got bogged down. I didn’t know SHOULDER SURFING or BANNERET, and AS FOLLOWS went over my head. That said, there were some goodies-BRIEFEST,TREASURED and BEWARE.
Thanks Imogen.
Only ten comments all day and then six come in during my customary Friday evening hour with my family.
Mac Ruaraidh Ghais @11
My first thought was TRELLIS, too.
My sincere thanks to the indefatigable Gaufrid for correcting my numbering of the clues – the possible explanation of the error is too boring to explain but thanks to Meg for pointing it out. [I hope I would have made a wittier attempt at an April Fool joke. 😉 ]
Another TRELLIS here.
gladys – another ‘I’m sorry I haven’t a clue’ devotee? 🙂
Eileen @19
Mrs., of North Wales, of course!
An enjoyable puzzle – one to keep you worrying away at it rather than seeking help. Thanks to both.
Digressing: I recommend the Guardian’s April fool; I had to go through the paper twice before I got into the piece far enough spot it! Many chuckles by the end.
Not sure about the April Fool, Caesario – I’m a bit surprised it was passed by their lawyers.
It’s after 10pm now and only 22 comments so far.
It looks like Imogen is not everyone’s favourite this week.
A week in which Paul’s offering was the easiest by a mile.
Did we ever had that?
Of this week’s heavyweights Imogen is surely the most ‘serious’ setter.
With a style that some may see as somewhat old-fashioned, safe and tight though it is.
Personally, I find Imogen’s puzzles hard to get in to.
As it was today.
Perhaps, the fact that we solved this puzzle as a couple helped to enjoy it more than others apparently did.
After our last entry (BRIEFEST (14ac)) we looked at each other and said ‘that was good!’.
Beery hiker mentioned ‘to get an innings’ as an insertion indicator being just about right.
We thought ‘being open to’ in 17ac was in the same category – at least, somewhat unusual (or original).
About five years ago, Anax told me that a good crossword should have about seven really good clues.
No problem to find them today:
AS FOLLOWS (10ac), 24ac (ALIVE), HIDEOUT (25ac), APATHY (4d), REFINERY (5d), CALLISTO (15d), BEWARE (20d).
All for different reasons.
Oops, I forgot BRIEFEST (14ac).
A crossword different from Crucible’s or Picaroon’s or, even more, from Bonxie’s.
Great end of the Guardian week.
A big thank you to Imogen.
And to Eileen – cheer up!
Eileen, I’m sure you would. I didn’t seriously think it was a joke. (Is that an oxymoron?) My cheapo tablet doesn’t have smiley’s.
There was a brilliant April Fool article in the I about Boris pledging to tarmac over the entire canal network to make cycle paths. The problem didn’t drop with me until about 6.00pm. Duh!
Me too, trying to shoehorn trellis in, but I realised when I eventually got potsherd. It was the north east corner that had me beat, also I didn’t get beware.
This autocorrect is driving me crazy. Eileen, when my reply said problem it should have said penny.
Coming very late to the party, can I add myself to the TRELLIS camp?
Did anyone else come up with an alternative answer at 1/22 involving bulls getting hit? It seemed plausible, if unlikely, and I wasn’t surprised to find that it was wrong.
bridgesong @27
Thanks for sharing that! The answer’s ‘No’, because I already had P?T? – I boringly go through the clues in order – but I do like your suggestion [especially after looking up ‘crock’ in Chambers 😉 ].
Yes, bridgesong, I had your 1/22 ‘bull *hit” as well as for first guess. Are you an Aussie too? But when I got pergola I got the potsherd.
Maybe next time I want to express disbelief or disagreement I can say ‘potsherd’ instead and not get into trouble for swearing. I’ll try that on the boss. No, on second thoughts she’s English, and a punster, and doesn’t swear. She might see through it.
Thanks Imogen and Eileen
Found this one really tough – not helped by doing it in concert with an FT Io puzzle – must have been in a masochistic frame of mind ! Got a start with TASK and then AT A STRETCH, but things slowed down markedly soon after. REAR ITS UGLY HEAD was the one to break open the crossword for me … and things went in much more smoothly after that.
Struggled with trying to justify ABIDE (with some US meaning that meant keeping very still) – it was quite a while after until I saw the ‘with us’ meaning still ALIVE … and went aggghhh !!
Finished in the NE corner with DISCRETION (just didn’t see the anagram), BRIEFEST (a gem !) and PILFERED (that took ages to work out). A really good solid workout and a sense of satisfaction to have got it out in the end. (together with the Io) 🙂
This took me about three days to finish, but finish I did, very happily. Each time I sat down, wondering if it was time to move it to the bottom of the pile, I would get 2 or 3 more answers. And each time I would think “well, that one wasn;t as hard as it looked…”
APATHY and CALLISTO stayed in pencil – I didn’t catch the PA/thy split, and I still don’t understand “TO” = “shut”.
Favorite clues were most of the puzzle. I had no complaints about any clues at all.
The best part is I am now three puzzles behind, so there is no danger of running out!
Thanks Eileen and Imogen.
I enjoyed this but made hard work of the last few in the NW which took three extra visits.
Like many I didn’t get – till I came here – the TO in CALLISTO so thanks for that.
SHOULDER SURFING was a new expression for me too and groaned at BRIEFEST ?
Thanks again.