It was Wiglaf’s latest puzzle that lay in store for me this Tuesday morning.
I found this one to be a very enjoyable, medium-difficulty solve. I suspected early on that I would probably not know the title of the book at 04/06, which was indeed the case, although I was able to work out the anagram with the help of the intersecting letters. In fact, the author too was unfamiliar to me, although his name was provided for no extra effort by the solutions to three of the clues.
Writing the blog really brought home to me just how economical Wiglaf is in his use of language, with little excess verbiage and few convoluted clues. My favourites today were 21 and 22, in both cases for the misdirection and smoothness of the surface reading.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | OKAYED | It’s agreed to include name of knight in dictionary
KAY (=name of knight, in Arthurian legend) in OED (=dictionary, i.e. Oxford English Dictionary) |
| 05 | THOUGHTS | I hate this time, being overwhelmed by a lot of those ideas
[UGH (=I hate this) + T (=time)] in THOS<e> (“most of” means last letter dropped) |
| 09 | INCH | Half this measure would be appropriate
To half-inch, i.e. cryptically “half + this measure”, means to appropriate, pinch (in rhyming slang) |
| 10 | APPRECIATE | Go up and // see
Double definition: to appreciate, e.g. of prices, value is to “go up”, increase AND to appreciate e.g. a point of view is to “see”, understand it |
| 11 | ARNOLD | Old composer? Not English old composer
ARN<e> (=old composer, i.e. Thomas Arne (1710-78; “not English (=E)” means letter “e” dropped) + OLD; the reference is probably to English composer Sir Malcolm Arnold (1921-2006) |
| 12 | OBEISANT | Respectful order is given to soldier?
OBE (=order, i.e. Order of the British Empire) + IS + ANT (=soldier) |
| 13 | DEODORANT | Mum perhaps gets too darned cross
*(TOO DARNED); “cross” is anagram indicator; Mum was the first brand of commercial deodorant |
| 15 | DICK | A plonker taken in by David Icke
Hidden (“taken in by”) “DaviD ICKe” |
| 16 | BLOC | Lack of completion in building coalition
BLOC<k> (=building); “lack of completion” means last letter dropped) |
| 18 | DISMISSAL | Special teacher, having pierced face, gets the sack
[S (=special) + MISS (=teacher)] in DIAL (=face, of e.g. watch) |
| 21 | SQUANDER | Short podgy nerd, sad and blue
SQUA<t> (=podgy; “short” means last letter dropped) + *(NERD); “sad” is anagram indicator; the “blue” of the definition is a verb meaning to waste |
| 22 | SECURE | Scoundrel cracks bishop’s office safe
CUR (=scoundrel) in SEE (=bishop’s office) |
| 24 | SEA ANEMONE | Aeneas when adrift receives warning sign about tentacled creature
NEMO (OMEN=warning sign; “about” indicates reversal) in *(AENEAS); “when adrift” is anagram indicator |
| 25 | ABLE | Competent firm? No way
<st>ABLE (=firm, as adjective); “no way (=St, for street)” means letters “st” are dropped |
| 26 | FRONT MAN | Lead singer of group from Angola devouring books
NT (=books, i.e. New Testament) in [FROM + AN (=Angola, in IVR)] |
| 27 | PHILIP | Prince given a boost on the radio
Homophone (“on the radio”) of “fillip” (=a boost, stimulus) |
| Down | ||
| 02 | KINDRED | Description of blood type initially indicates relationship by blood
KIND (=type) + RED (=description of blood) |
| 03 | YAHOO | Many a hooligan’s one
Hidden (“has”, abbreviated to ” ‘s “) in “manY A HOOligan”; & lit. |
| 04/06 | DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP? | 27 2 15 book featuring Deidre (in Chelmsford postcode area) on the loose
*(DEIDRE IN CHELMSFORD POSTCODE AREA), “on the loose” is anagram indicator; Do androids dream of electric sheep? is a 1968 sci-fi novel by US author Philip Kindred Dick (=entries at 27 2 15) and is set in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco |
| 05 | TAPIOCA | Crushed apricot’s not right with a pudding
*(AP<r>ICOT) + A; “not right (=R)” means letter “r” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “crushed” |
| 07 | GLISSADES | Slides showing openings outside orbiter
ISS (=orbiter, i.e. International Space Station) in GLADES (=openings, in forest) |
| 08 | TITANIC | Ill-fated vessel at sea? I can’t take it in
IT in *(I CAN’T); “at sea” is anagram indicator |
| 14 | ONCE AGAIN | As soon as one returns afresh
ONCE (=as soon as) + A (=one) + GAIN (=returns, profit) |
| 17 | LIQUEUR | Without question, I rule out alcoholic drink
QU (=question) in *(I RULE); “out” is anagram indicator |
| 19 | SIRLOIN | Big cat with upset stomach after gentleman gives steak
SIR (=gentleman) + LOIN (LION=big cat; “with upset stomach” means middle letters are vertically reversed) |
| 20 | LORELEI | Seductress learning to sleep in regularly
LORE (=learning, as noun) + <s>L<e>E<p>I<n> (“regularly” means alternate letters only) |
| 23 | COATI | Animal pet, one with nothing to eat
O (=nothing) in [CAT (=pet) + I (=one)] |
Thanks RatkojaRiku and Wiglaf.
Never knew what the K stood for (in fact probably half thought it didn’t stand for anything, like the S in Harry S Truman). 4 & 6 a straight write-in from the enumeration, but that didn’t spoil a most enjoyable romp.
Many thanks to Wiglaf and to RR for the blog.
I’d never heard of the work nor its author but mightily enjoyed unpicking it.
Wonderful clue for DEODORANT!
Thanks Wiglaf and RR
[baerchen @2: the film of the book (Blade Runner) is a stone classic and one of my all-time favourites. Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer & Daryl Hannah all excel. And PKD is one of the greatest ever science fiction writers, in my notso.]
I knew of the author, though only by repute. But 4/6 soon became obviously “Do ? dream of ? sheep” and a few other crossing letters stirred the memory to recall the title of the book without recourse to a detailed unscrambling of the anagram.
Much to my own chagrin, however, I needed a word finder for ARNOLD, a composer I hold in high regard. My only excuse is that the clue misdirected me into thinking it was something beginning and ending in O.
My CoD was OKAYED.
Thanks, Wiglaf and RatkojaRiku
[@Simon…ah! I have at least heard of Blade Runner, although due to a sci-fi flat spot I haven’t seen it. Never even seen Star Wars]
I read Do Androids… when it first came out, long before the film, so that was a write-in once I got 15ac. However, I’m a great fan of Malcolm Arnold and 11ac took me ages.
Didn’t know the book, but androids looked plausible so got there. Lovely anagram and was looking for pangram after K and Y in 1ac, then the Q in ‘squander’, which was my COD. Thanks S & B
Got it finished eventually, though the typo 6 in the anagram clue was unfortunate. I have never heard of the book or the author, but I thought that one counted sheep to try to get to sleep rather than dreamt of them. It was my last one in. A fun puzzle which I enjoyed with plenty of easy clues to help with the more abstruse ones.