This seems to be the first time I have blogged a puzzle by Wiglaf in either the Independent or Inquisitor series although he has now compiled getting for ten all told.
There were a few obscure or foreign language words in the grid, together with an Asian tinge – e.g. SHINTO, BANGKOK, SAVOIR FAIRE, ENHEARSE and TEKTITES.
The presence of less well known words often signifies a theme in the remaining entries, but I can’t see one. The word COVEY is spelt out in the first row of unchecked letters but there is nothing else obvious in any other row or column of unches. The grid is a Q and a W short of a pangram. There is an X in the centre square. Does that signify anything?
I had to think a bit to understand the wordplay in a number of the clues but I hope I have sorted it all out now. Once or twice I thought the entry was slightly different from the definition or different parts of speech but on reflection and studying a few dictionaries to find variant spellings I have concluded it’s all fine.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
6
|
Think of our country surrounded by water, going backwards and forwards (4,4) |
(UK [United Kingdom; our country] contained in [surrounded by] POOL [expanse of water]) all reversed (going backwards) + ON (forwards!) (LOO (K U) P)< ON |
LOOK UPON (consider; think of)
|
|
7
|
Reorganisation of Tooting, not good as a whole (2,4)
|
Anagram of (reorganisation of) TOOTING excluding (not) G (good) IN TOTO* |
IN TOTO (entirely; as a whole)
|
| 10 | Compress file for storage on disk (or flash drive) (3) |
ZIP (compress a computer file to save storage space on disk or in an e-mail) ZIP (whizz; flash) |
ZIP (energy, vigour; drive) triple definition |
|
11
|
Without a written language the top people rule through empty talk (11)
|
(ELITE [top people] + R [rule]) contained in (through) PRATE (foolish or superfluous talk) PR (ELITE R) ATE |
PRELITERATE ([of a society, culture, etc] having not yet developed a written language)
|
|
12
|
Maybe landlord will accommodate base type again (2-5)
|
RENTER (one who lets out property; landlord) containing (will accommodate) E (base of natural logarithms) R (E) ENTER |
RE-ENTER (type again, as in RE-ENTER data with a keyboard)
|
|
13
|
Concern about Rolls and one different car (7)
|
(FEAR [concern] containing [about] RR [Rolls {Royce} car]) + I (Roman numeral for one) FE (RR) AR I |
FERRARI ([a different] brand of car)
|
|
15
|
A gnome that’s only half visible perhaps (3)
|
SAYING (GNOME can be defined as a pithy or contentious SAYING) excluding 3 of the 6 letters [half] ING leaving only the other half of the letters visible
|
SAY (perhaps)
|
|
17
|
Mum’s mad about religion (6)
|
SH (quiet!; keep mum) + INTO (mad about)
|
SHINTO (indigenous religion of Japan)
|
|
19
|
Usher in old king using different vocal parts (6)
|
HERALD can be derived from HAROLD (old king killed at the Battle of Hastings, with the pronunciation [vocal] changed by using different vowels [different parts])
|
HERALD (usher in)
|
|
21
|
Description of wine‘s function (3)
|
SEC (dry; descriptive of wine)
|
SEC (secant; trigonometrical function) double definition
|
|
23
|
Financial institution that keeps gold principally in Oklahoma City (7)
|
(BANK [financial institution] containing [that keeps] G [first letter of {principally}] GOLD) + OK (abbreviation for the American State of Oklahoma) BAN (G) K OK |
BANGKOK (capital city of Thailand)
|
|
24
|
Elsa, 15, has a drink in Hampshire village (7) |
ONE (informal term for a drink) contained in (in) LISS (village in Hampshire) LI (ONE) SS |
LIONESS (reference Elsa the orphaned LIONESS, raised along with her sisters by Kenyan game warden George Adamson and his wife Joy)
|
|
26
|
Having lost son, Sofia arrives distraught – tact is needed (6-5)
|
Anagram of (distraught) SOFIA ARRIVES excluding (having lost) S (son) SAVOIR-FAIRE* |
SAVOIR-FAIRE (the faculty of knowing just what to do and how to do it; tact)
|
|
28
|
A Gershwin melody first to last (3)
|
AIR (melody) with the first letter A moved to the end [last] IRA |
IRA (reference IRA Gershwin [1896 – 1983], American lyricist, older brother of George)
|
|
29
|
Talk about the French holiday home (6)
|
CHAT (talk) containing (about) LE (one of the French forms of ‘the’) CHA (LE) T |
CHALET (small house, usually of wood, built for use by holidaymakers, etc)
|
|
30
|
Carefree girl out broadcasting (8)
|
DEB (debutante; a girl making her first appearance in society) + ON AIR (broadcasting)
|
DEBONAIR (carefree)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
School revealed secret about current attainment (10)
|
COMP (comprehensive) + (LET ON [revealed secret] containing [about] I [electric current]) COMP LET (I) ON |
COMPLETION (attainment)
|
|
2
|
Signal broadcast after switching components (6)
|
PUT OUT (broadcast) with the two component parts PUT and OUT switched round to form OUTPUT
|
OUTPUT (signal)
|
|
3
|
They like to watch head of Ordnance Survey in action (7)
|
Anagram of (in action) O (first letter of [head of] ORDNANCE) and SURVEY VOYEURS* |
VOYEURS (people who derive gratification from surreptitiously watching sexual acts or objects)
|
|
4
|
Nurse tries ecstasy in Bury (8)
|
EN (Enrolled Nurse) + HEARS (tries a court case) + E (ecstasy)
|
ENHEARSE (bury)
|
|
5
|
A short painter standing on head demonstrating this? (4)
|
(A + GOYA [reference Francisco GOYA {1746 – 1828}, Spanish romantic painter] excluding the final letter [short]) A) all reversed (standing on head; down clue) (YOG A)< |
YOGA (the practice of YOGA can involve standing on one’s head)
|
|
6
|
Laura’s off to catch Izzard in Bowie musical (7)
|
Anagram of (off) LAURA’S containing (to catch) Z (IZZARD is defined as the letter Z) LA (Z) ARUS* |
LAZARUS (2015 musical by David Bowie and Enda Walsh)
|
|
8
|
Symbolic additions to prize from Nobel Institute (5)
|
OBELI (hidden word in [from] NOBEL INSTITUTE)
|
OBELI (a dagger-sign used in printing especially in referring to footnotes. Perhaps they appear on Nobel prize diplomas although I can’t see any on a quick trawl through pictures of diplomas on the internet) Nobel Prizes comprise a medal, a diploma and a sum of money. Laureates also have to give a Nobel Lecture focused on the field in which they won their prize. This should happen within 6 months of the award. There are currently discussions over whether, when and where Bob Dylan will give his.
|
|
9
|
Second suspect brought before judge? Quite the opposite (5)
|
J (judge) + IFFY (suspect) – word play components are in the opposite order to ‘suspect brought before the judge’
|
JIFFY (an instant; e.g. a second)
|
|
14
|
One getting acclaimed after reform of university? (10)
|
A (one) + an anagram of (after reform) ACCLAIMED A CADEMICAL* |
ACADEMICAL (relating to university studies)
|
|
16
|
A gas fire (3)
|
A + XE (chemical symbol for Xenon, a gas)
|
AXE (dismiss, fire)
|
|
18
|
Small dark glassy objects found in college clothing, 15 (8)
|
TEK (sounds like [SAY, entry at 15 across] TECH [technical college]) + TITES (sounds like [SAY, entry at 15 across] TIGHTS [item of clothing])
|
TEKTITES (types of small glassy stone, of uncertain and perhaps extraterrestrial origin, found in certain areas of the earth [including Australia, where it is known as australite])
|
|
20
|
A literary giant stops working after losing one mate (7)
|
DIES (stops working) excluding (after losing) I [one) + PAIR (mate)
|
DESPAIR (reference Giant DESPAIR, a character in Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan)
|
|
21
|
McTaggart’s sketch of a boat (5)
|
SKIFF (Scottish [McTaggart’s] word for a sketch)
|
SKIFF [small light boat]
|
|
22
|
Medical reforms called for (7)
|
Anagram of (reforms) MEDICAL CLAIMED* |
CLAIMED (called for)
|
|
23
|
Plain Gucci sable clothes making a comeback (5)
|
Reversed (making a comeback) hidden word in (clothes) GUCCI SABLE BASIC< |
BASIC (plain)
|
|
25
|
A host provides support for old church cat (6)
|
O (old) + CE (Church [of England]) + LOT (many; host) As this is a down clue, the letters LOT are supporting the letters OCE |
OCELOT (American cat like a small leopard)
|
|
27
|
Not about to uncover meat (4)
|
REVEAL (uncover) excluding (not) RE (with reference to; about)
|
VEAL (calf’s flesh; meat)
|
Not too taxing for a Thursday, but still took me longer than usual. Tektites seemed too weird to be true but a nice pun. Thanks Wiglaf and Duncan
Thanks Duncan for the detailed blog. There is indeed a hidden theme with COVEY giving a very oblique hint.
In 8d the word ‘prize’ needs to be read in its different meaning (as an alternate spelling of ‘prise’).
30A The parsing for DEB is “girl out”, a girl described as “out” in her debut season in the upper orders’ balls, dances etc. Thought 19A a bit strained.
Surprised at dearth of comments, thought this was above medium difficulty and eventually had to cheat for a few. Entertaining crossword, so thanks to Wiglaf (but please, that’s alternative, not alternate) and to duncanshiell for the blog.
Most of this was way beyond me – needed e-help for well over half of it, and even then there were many I couldn’t parse. As for the theme – “covey” suggests partridges, but I’m still mystified.
Very hard work for me, with the unusual words as pointed out, a few obscure defs, eg DESPAIR and some missed parsing, eg SAY and SKIFF. Still, worth it in the end when everything finally fell in to place after a couple of sessions. Liked the ‘girl out’ in 30 among many good clues. Sorry, I’m obviously not a highly effective person and no idea about the theme, despite Wiglaf’s hint.
Thanks to Duncan and Wiglaf
Ponder a little more …
Another defeat. Not doing well this week. Couldn’t get most of the top right corner, but not helped by not being able to spell 3dn.
Stephen Covey, the thinker, educator, author, businessman and public speaker, was born on October 24, 1932, in Salt Lake City.
Wiglaf @6 with “Ponder” hinted this, the answer to 1a is LOOK UPON, perhaps there are other relevant answers – the dagger sign, OBERLus, is used to mark that a person is deceased, Covey died on July 16, 2012.
Thank you ducanshiell for the blog. I found this hard going and TEKTITES had me puzzled for quite a while.
Still not sure about the theme.
Everything’s explained here:
http://partridge.wikia.com/wiki/Glenn_Ponder
Never heard of Stephen Covey and reading a bit about him and his philosophy on the net leaves me rather glad that I haven’t! The whole thing far too obscure for me.
What a laugh, I googled Partridge, but left Ponder out, an egg-layer in Franglais. Glad the theme was not Stephen Covey, I had never heard of him either…