I took this puzzle on a golfing holiday to Portugal with the intention of tackling it in quiet moments by the pool. For one reason or another, I never got near the pool, and finally got to tackle it on the flight home on TAP.
At first glance, it resembled one of the Magpie puzzles from our esteemed editor, Samuel. I refer to the ones with jokey themes like “Doctor, doctor, I keep thinking I’m a pair of curtains. Pull youself together, then” or “What do you call a man standing in a bog? Pete.” However, it appeared to be by a new setter going by the name of Clarence.
We had to identify occupational hazards like “Bridge players getting discarded” and “Accountants getting disfigured.” There were eight such clues where the hazard needed to be entered in the grid where they fitted. These were the clues:
Tree surgeons are ______ (8)
Winemakers are ________ (8)
Brides are ________ (9)
Teachers are ________ (10)
Train drivers are ________ (8)
Tailors are ________ (8)
Witch doctors are ______ (9)
Mathematicians are _____ (10)
I think, if it had been any other puzzle of the year, I would have embarrassed myself in front of my fellow golfers with only a few clues solved. Luckily, I finished it before we touched down at Heathrow.
The extra letters in the wordplay of across clues spelt out Cruciverbalists and their occupational hazard lay in the leading NW–SE diagonal: they are DISSOLVED.
My only question about the puzzle was regarding the clue at 10ac which struck me as somewhat suspect (and also, two words).
However, thanks to Clarence for a pleasant entertainment and for not making me look a total idiot in front of my fellow golfers, not one of whom shares our passion for crosswords.
Solving time: somewhere between Lisbon and Heathrow
Legend:
Definition in clue
X = Extra letters in wordplay
ABC* = anagram
ABC< = reversal
abCDef = hidden
| ACROSS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Extra Letter |
Clue and Explanation |
| A | DISCOUNTED | What mathematicians are | |
| 10 | SHARE OPTION | C | Staff benefit from dodgy cash salesman books – it’s charged (11) (CASH REP (salesman) OT (books, as in Old Testament))* + ION (it’s charged); I sincerely hope this parsing is wrong! |
| 11 | SIDES | R | House missing European on top of street, both left and right? (5) RESIDE (house) – E (European) + S (top of Street) |
| B | UPROOTED | What tree surgeons are | |
| 12 | PODITE | U | Limb’s broken, I pouted (6) (I POUTED)* |
| 14 | DEMO | C | Protest turncoat leaving Lincoln, perhaps (4) DEMOCRAT (Lincoln, perhaps, the US president) – RAT (turncoat) |
| 16 | TEA | I | Restrict atomic infusion (3) TIE (restrict) A (atomic) |
| C | DERAILED | What train drivers are | |
| 19 | LICHIS | V | Seventeen sets of three knives for fruit (6) LI (51 = 17 × 3) + CHIVS (knives) |
| 21 | SARI | E | Burn one dress (4) SEAR (burn) I (one) |
| 22 | ECLOSED | R | Shut again, and emerged (7) RECLOSED (shut again) |
| 25 | ELMO | B | The Spanish crowd monster from children’s TV (4) EL (the, Spanish) + MOB (crowd); reference to Elmo, the red furry character out of the Sesame Street TV programme |
| 27 | LABIUM | A | Bail out gold medallist initially in flap? (6) BAIL* AU (gold) + M (Medallist, initially) |
| E | DEPORTED | What winemakers are | |
| 29 | ION | L | Wild animal … it’s charged (3) LION (wild animal) |
| 30 | ARSY | I | Irritable and offhand about son (4) AIRY (offhand) about S (son) |
| 33 | FIENDS | S | Rising condition propels addicts (6) IF< (condition, rising) + SENDS (propels) |
| F | UNSUITED | What tailors are | |
| 35 | VEDAS | T | Critically examine backing of grave religious tomes (5) VET (critically examine) SAD< (grave, backwards) |
| 37 | NEW YEAR’S DAY | S | Listeners deny was travelling around unknown festival (11, three words) EARS (listeners) with (DENY WAS)* about + Y (unknown) |
| G | OUTCLASSED | What teachers are | |
| DOWN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Entry | Clue and Explanation | |
| A | DISPELLED | What witch doctors are | |
| 1 | IDIOTIC | Simple dialect lacking metre and involuntary response (7) IDIOM (dialect) – M (metre) + TIC (involuntary response) |
|
| 2 | CHE | In Devon, I take food (for starters) from cook (3) CHEF (cook) – F (Food for starters) |
|
| 3 | OASTS | Places to bake Sunday dinners (not for starters) (5) [R]OASTS (Sunday dinners, missing first letter) |
|
| 4 | NEPS | Difficulties securing power for Thailand? They might interest Persians (4) NETS (difficulties) with P (power) for T (Thailand); reference to Persian cats possibly liking catmint |
|
| 5 | TOREROS | Spanish fighters rose up following tense men (7) ROSE* after T (tense) OR (men, other ranks) |
|
| 6 | EPOS | Claim cycling is long work (4) POSE (claim) cycled, ie first letters to end |
|
| 7 | KIT | Young outfit (3) 2 meanings |
|
| 8 | ROEMER | Romeo nearly upset Queen’s glass (6) ROME[O]* + ER (Queen) |
|
| 9 | UNDO | Cancel newspaper with section missing again (4) SUN (newspaper) – S (section) + DO (again, ie ditto) |
|
| 13 | DECAMPS | Banker in retirement rushed around, and leaves (7) CAM (banker, ie river) with SPED< (rushed, backwards) about |
|
| 15 | ELATION | Respect all but the first happy emotion (7) [R]ELATION (respect, minus first letter) |
|
| 17 | EVOKE | Call up, withdraw, run off! (5) REVOKE (withdraw) – R (run) |
|
| 18 | AREA | Far Eastern region? (4) hidden cryptic and cryptic definition |
|
| D | DISMISSED | What brides are | |
| 20 | ICER | Church gets old collectors outside for decorator (4) CE (church) with IR (Inland Revenue, old collectors) about |
|
| 23 | LATITAT | Having sex in toilet? Legal action results (7) AT IT (having sex) in LAT (toilet, latrine) |
|
| 24 | MUNDANE | Ordinary Indian native on vacation (7) MUNDA (Indian) NE (NativE, on vacation, ie empty) |
|
| 26 | LERNER | Lyricist’s to ogle nurse inside (6) LEER (ogle) with RN (nurse) inside |
|
| 28 | VIVDA | Examination involving dead meat (5) VIVA (examination) containing D (dead) |
|
| 30 | AUNT | Angry word with this relative could be untoward (4) (WORD + AUNT)* = UNTOWARD |
|
| 31 | LIEU | Depend on posh place (4) LIE (depend) + U (posh) |
|
| 32 | MERC | Fighter cut short compassion (4) MERC[Y] (compassion, cut short) |
|
| 34 | SWY | With amateur sacked, swing game played in Sydney (3) SWAY (swing) – A (amateur) |
|
| 36 | EAS | Regional channels relax broadcast (3) sounds like EASE (relax) |
|
This was amusing and leaving “dissolved” until the end was a clever feature. Just two niggles: “share option” is two words, I think, and should have been flagged as such rather than one word of 11 letters. Also, the surface reading of 37a: “Listeners deny was travelling around unknown festival” makes no grammatical sense, at least to me.
Fun and enjoyable with the puns raising a few smiles. I had wrongly assumed that winemakers were uncorked which held me up a while. I also struggled with share option, it was my FOI despite not being able to parse. Thanks to Dave for the blog and Clarence for the debut (?). A very enjoyable Sunday distraction.