I’ve blogged one Gila puzzle before – in the Inquisitor series, so this is my first blog of a Gila daily broadsheet puzzle.
There were 18 across clues and 13 down clues, a slightly unusual combination. Also, the answer to 1 across struck me as a bit out of the ordinary when a more common word could have fitted -A-D-N. I haven’t come across the ‘legendary sports commentator’ before today. 15 across [PIERCE] and 21 across [RECIPE] are anagrams of each other, but seem to be the only symmetrical pair with that feature. MUU-MUU is not a particularly well known word althugh the cluing was very clear. It makes me think there is something going on in the grid that I haven’t yet spotted.
I solved this puzzle fairly steadily without a break – something that doesn’t always happen.
I enjoyed the clues and found the parsing fairly straightforward and clear.
I thought some of he short clues were very good – e.g. the ones for PEANUTS and EQUAL.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Aggravate a legendary American sports commentator (6)
|
MADDEN (reference John MADDEN born 1936], American football commentator)
|
MADDEN (aggravate) double definition
|
|
5
|
Gift arranged in advance around the start of November (7)
|
PRESET (adjusted a piece of electronic equipment, etc so that it will operate at the required time; arranged in advance) containing (around) N (first letter of [start of] NOVEMBER) PRESE (N) T |
PRESENT (gift)
|
|
10
|
Thwarted upon taking it, run back (8)
|
ABOVE (upon) containing (taking) ([IT + R {run}] reversed [back]) ABO (R TI)< VE |
ABORTIVE (checked in development; thwarted)
|
|
11
|
I have trouble going westbound to the London area to make a connection (6)
|
(I + AIL [have trouble) reversed (going westward) + SE (South East; London is located in the South East of England) (LIA I)< SE |
LIAISE (form a link with; make a connection)
|
|
12
|
Make out on the way back? Excellent! (4)
|
SPOT (discern; make out) reversed (on the way back) TOPS< |
TOPS (excellent)
|
|
13
|
Creepy-sounding place that’s hard to get to (5)
|
EYRIE (sounds like [sounding] EERIE [strangely frightening; creepy])
|
EYRIE (high or inaccessible place; place that’s hard to get to)
|
|
14
|
After a short time, I will work (4)
|
T (abbreviation for [short] time) + I’LL (I will)
|
TILL (work land)
|
|
15
|
Make holes in baked dish with pricker evenly (6)
|
PIE (baked dish) + RCE (even numbered letters 2, 4 and 6 [evenly] of PRICKER)
|
PIERCE (make holes in)
|
|
17
|
Run off with your old secret (8)
|
STEAL (run off with) + THY (archaic [old] form of ‘your’)
|
STEALTHY (furtive; secret)
|
|
19
|
Pest control and leaflet full of rubbish (8)
|
FLYER (leaflet) containing (full of) PAP (mediocre, stultifying or worthless entertainment; rubbish) FLY (PAP) ER |
FLYPAPER (sticky or poisonous paper for attracting and killing flies; method of pest control)
|
|
21
|
A French shop that is wanting to reject instructions for prepping food (6)
|
(ÉPICERIE [French word for a grocer’s shop] excluding [wanting] IE [id est; that is]) reversed (to reject) RECIPE< |
RECIPE (directions for making something, especially a food or drink; instructions for prepping food)
|
|
22
|
Almost the final house (4)
|
SEMI (SEMI-final, the round just before the final)
|
SEMI (SEMI-detached house) double definition
|
|
24
|
A large weapon creates fear (5)
|
A + L (large) + ARM (weapon)
|
ALARM (fear)
|
|
25
|
Murdoch is upset to get an intelligent personal assistant (4)
|
IRIS (reference IRIS Murdoch [1919 – 1999] British novelist) reversed (upset) SIRI< |
SIRI (computer program that works as an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator, part of Apple Inc’s operating systems)
|
|
26
|
Two sets of male uniforms provide clothing for Pacific islanders (3-3)
|
(M [male] + U [Uniform is the international radio communication codeword for the letter U] + U [again, uniforms plural] and repeated (two sets)
|
MUU-MUU (simple loose dress worn chiefly in Hawaii; clothing for Pacific islanders)
|
|
27
|
Look horribly tired, having at first expectantly waited around (8)
|
LO (look) + (an anagram of [horribly] TIRED containing [having] E [first letter of [at first] EXPECTANTLY) LO IT (E) RED* either of the second or third Es could be the one contained. |
LOITERED (waited around)
|
|
28
|
American politician conclusively sells out an entire state (7)
|
A (American) + (an anagram of [out] [N [final letter of {conclusively} POLITICIAN and SELLS) A LLNESS* |
ALLNESS (condition of being ALL; entire state)_
|
|
29
|
Some Aussies taking an afternoon nap (6) |
SIESTA (hidden word [some] in AUSSIES TAKING)
|
SIESTA (midday or afternoon nap)
|
| Down | |||
|
2
|
Family member cuts salami in pieces – delicious! (9)
|
BRO (brother; family member) contained in (cuts) an anagram of (in pieces) SALAMI AM (BRO) SIAL* |
AMBROSIAL (delicious)
|
|
3
|
Board game passes quickly (5)
|
DARTS (game played with a board)
|
DARTS (passes quickly) double definition
|
|
4
|
Such inexperience, with government involvement, could be negative (7)
|
NAIVETÉ (if this word is combined with G [government and anagrammed [could be] you could form the word NEGATIVE*)
|
NAIVETE (inexperience)
|
|
6
|
Delivered shelled nuts, free from duty (7)
|
Anagram of (nuts) DELIVERED excluding the outside letters [shelled] DD RELIEVE* |
RELIEVE (free from duty by taking the place of)
|
|
7
|
Wise guy set college alarm off (5,4)
|
Anagram of (off) (SET and C [college] and ALARM) SMART ALEC* |
SMART ALEC (wise guy)
|
|
8
|
First and foremost, nearly all sexists are lovers of Hooters (5)
|
First letters [first and foremost] of each of NEARLY ALL SEXISTS ARE LOVERS
|
NASAL (of the nose; of hooters)
|
|
9
|
It’s rarer to change – within the confines of TV – how the BBC traditionally broadcast (13)
|
Anagram of (to change) IT’S RARER contained in (within the confines of) TELLY (TV) TE (RRESTRIA*) LLY |
TERRESTRIALLY (descriptive of signals sent by a land based transmitters; how the BBC broadcast all of its programmes before the advent of the satellite option. of course, it still broadcasts TERRESTRIALLY)
|
|
16
|
Mr Fix It’s good name in New York is bolstered by a flyer (9)
|
REP (American [New York] abbreviation for reputation [good name]) + AIRMAN (flyer)
|
REPAIRMAN (Mr Fixit)
|
|
18
|
It provides links for a website – one flashily advertising mobile communication (9)
|
HYPER (excessive, more than normal; one flashily advertising – e.g. advertising a shop as a HYPERmarket) + TEXT (means of mobile phone communication)
|
HYPERTEXT (key words that act as links to other text or websites)
|
|
20
|
Strip for very little money (7)
|
PEANUTS (cartoon strip drawn by Charles Schultz [1922 – 2000])
|
PEANUTS (paltry sum of money) double definition
|
|
21
|
Americans not about to go barmy for The Ashes? (7)
|
Anagram of (to go barmy) AMERICANS excluding (not) CA (circa; about) REMAINS* |
REMAINS (ashes)
|
|
23
|
Identical, bespoke-quality trousers (5)
|
EQUAL (hidden word in [trousers; pockets] BESPOKE-QUALITY
|
EQUAL (identical)
|
|
25
|
Strain is mounting and getting on top of the First Lady (5)
|
IS (reversed (mounting; down clue) + EVE (first lady mentioned in the Bible in Garden of Eden) SI< EVE |
SIEVE (strain)
|
A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle in which, as in yesterday’s Vlad(Tyrus) offering in the Graun, I got stuck in the SW.
I Googled various (to my mind, anyhow) plausible permutations for MUU MUU – including the onomatopoeic German laugh HEU HEU before hitting upon paydirt.
PEANUTS is a great clue, but there were others.
Thanks to Gila and Duncan
Madden, Siri, Muu Muu, Bro, Rep, Peanuts. Plus American in 3 different clues. Is Gila from across the pond?
Sorry but I found this a rare combination of difficulty and lack of enjoyment.Dont know why or how I finished it.
But I agree on PEANUTS
What copmus said.
Like baerchen @1, I enjoyed this. Definitely a few challenges but lots of fair wordplay. PEANUTS definitely CoD.
The top left corner defeated me. The annoying thing is that I follow the NFL and had heard of Madden (and the computer game named after him) but just couldn’t get it from the clue.
Seasons greetings to all. Many thanks to Duncan for the blog and to everyone for the comments. Sorry that this one wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I know you can’t win ’em all, and any all feedback is very welcome as I try to adjust my style and level of difficulty.
I think Duncan’s years of IQ solving make him understandably suspicious of themes/shenanigans in any puzzle and, although he wasn’t the only one to pick up on the low number of entries and slightly odd words, there is nothing whatsoever going on. As I said to a friend who asked me earlier today if this one had a theme, there isn’t, unless that theme is ‘random words I managed to fit into a grid’
Interesting to note the large number of America references too. Again, not intentional. I’m from Yorkshire!
Glad PEANUTS went down well though. I was quite pleased with that one too!
Cheers
Ali/Gila