An amusing and decIDEdly fishy puzzle from Paul – and I promise no more puns.
The top half was filled in quickly but I rather ran into the buffers in the bottom half, largely because of a misconception on my part on the left and a couple of tricky bits of parsing in the bottom right. Fortunately, it all fell out right before too long, with several smiles and pdms in the process.
The fish weren’t so obscure as they might have been but several of them I knew only from crosswords.
While I was writing most of this blog, our hero Paul was running in the London Marathon last Sunday and, as you probably know, simultaneously composing a crossword puzzle, one clue per mile, to be published next Saturday, 7th May. Click here to read his article, to see how it worked. As Paul says, he had, understandably, banned certain words, like SUFFER, PAIN and, especially, WALL, so I smiled to see the advance inclusion here at 8dn of STITCH – which would surely also have been proscribed – clued with such wry wit.
Bravo, Paul – splendid effort[s]!
[Definitions are underlined in the clues.]
Across
1 Fish, carp skinned for old cavalryman (6)
HUSSAR
HUSS [fish – any of various kinds of dogfish, when used as food] + [c]AR[p]
4 A travesty, fishy fizzy drink? (7)
CHARADE
CHAR is a fish, so CHARADE, by analogy with lemonade, could be a fishy fizzy drink – one of my favourite clues
9 Given a flyer, teal fled in a panic carrying first of eggs (9)
LEAFLETED
Anagram [in a panic] of TEAL FLED and E[ggs]
10 Harpoon small fish (5)
SPIKE
S [small] PIKE [fish]
11 Ray gobbling river fish (5)
BREAM
BEAM [ray] round R [river]
12 Embellish crypt with this series of art works (9)
TRIPTYCHS
Anagram [embellish] of CRYPT THIS – one of those anagrams that leap out
13 Fish’s gathered in, a little under a foot (3-4)
TEN-INCH
TENCH [fish] round IN
15 Plastering material to see in face that’s been knocked about (6)
GYPSUM
A reversal [that’s been knocked about] of SPY [see] in MUG [face]
17 Communist sticks by workers, wiping brow (6)
ENGELS
[m]EN [workers, minus the first letter – ‘wiping brow’] + GELS [sticks] – another favourite
19 Score in second haul of fish about right (7)
SCRATCH
S [second] + CATCH [haul of fish] round R [right]
22 Smothered in sauce, local appearing put out again (9)
REPUBLISH
PUB [local] in RELISH [sauce]
24 Obliged to leave, depart finally amid word of appreciation (5)
GOTTA
GO [leave] + [depar]T in TA [word of appreciation ] – the cryptic grammar doesn’t quite work [it would need to be ‘I’M obliged to’ or ‘I’VE gotta’] but I was thankful enough to [finally] see this not to quibble – not one of my favourite clues, though
26 Cat attack not kicking off (5)
POUNCE
[p]OUNCE [attack]
27 Emin’s back in seaside town, quiet retiring star! (9)
PENTAGRAM
[emi]N in a reversal [retiring] of MARGATE [seaside town] + P [quiet]
I hope I’m not the only one to have started by trying to fit NIME into something – wondering why we seemed to have two reversal indicators – but I liked it once I saw it
28 Sci-fi fan runs after vacuous Kirk into wood (7)
TREKKER
R [runs] after K[ir]K in TREE [wood]
I was congratulating myself on ‘knowing’ that a sci-fi fan was a TREKKIE, which I confidently entered [but then found I couldn’t parse], only to come a cropper on 18dn [see later]: I learned from Urban Dictionary that Trekkie is a derogatory term for Star Trek fans, who like to describe themselves as TREKKERs
29 Dumped unceremoniously in seat, by the sound of it? (6)
THROWN
Sounds like ‘throne’ – seat
Down
1 Fish — stop to catch one before unhooking heads
HALIBUT
HALT [stop] round I [one] B[efore] U[nhooking] [first letters – heads]
2 Small fish, rock (5)
SHAKE
S [small] HAKE [fish]
3 Dance laden with male trips (9)
ALLEMANDE
Anagram [trips] of LADEN and MALE
4 Pair of fish for an apple (7)
CODLING
COD LING [pair of fish]
5 Equally prepared for benefit (5)
ASSET
AS [equally? – not absolutely sure of this – would like some reassurance] + SET [prepared]
6 Battle where a trap may be tried? (9)
AGINCOURT
A GIN COURT could try a gin [trap]
I solved this puzzle on Saturday, immediately after returning from a Birthday Party for Shakespeare at the RSC, where a very talented young actor* so brilliantly rendered Henry V’s St Crispin’s Day speech [this one is Kenneth Branagh’s] as to bring the audience to tears and rapturous applause – so this has to be one of my top favourite clues [*I then went to a local screening of the stunning RSC ‘Julius Caesar’ on Wednesday – and was delighted to see he was Mark Antony]
7 Remarkably English, one side of literature? (4,2)
EVER SO
E [English] + VERSO [one side of literature]
8 One’s running — the pain from it? (6)
STITCH
Double definition: ‘running’ is a kind of sewing stitch and you get stitch from running – my other joint top favourite: I particularly liked the subtle dual sense of ‘one’s running’ 😉
14 Old coin ending in circulation with European note in particular (9)
NINEPENCE
[circulatio]N + E [European] + PEN [note] in NICE [particular] – I didn’t know there was such a coin and I wondered if that was where we got ‘right as ninepence’: Brewer says, ‘The expression is said to relate to silver ninepenny piece, formerly given as love tokens’
16 A few lines, silver fish hooks and a perch to be gutted (9)
PARAGRAPH
PARR [fish – a salmon up to two years old] round [hooks] AG [silver] + A P[ERC]H
18 Fish, small fish (7)
SKIPPER
S [small – for the fourth time] + KIPPER
I couldn’t find SKIPPER in any of my dictionaries but Wikipedia says it’s another name for the European sprat
When I had TREKKIE for 28ac, I found SNIGGLE for ‘to fish for eels’ – but I couldn’t find NIGGLE = fish!
19 Haitian leader buried in revolution, cross beneath it, monolithic statue (6)
SPHINX
H[aitian] in SPIN [revolution] + X [cross]
20 Male parent cracking and failing as a leader
HEADMAN
HE [male] + MA [parent] in [cracking] an anagram [failing] of AND
21 Sample fish, including last of blenny (3,3)
TRY OUT
TROUT [fish] round [blenn]Y which, I found, is another fish: ‘a member of the genus Blennius or related genera of acanthopterygian fishes, usually slimy’
23 Cold fish (5)
BLEAK
Double definition – definitely known from crosswords: ‘a small silvery river fish, whose scales yield a pigment used in making artificial pearls’
25 Supercharger cutting fish (5)
TURBO
TURBO[t]
Managed to do the whole thing, except for 24d I had “perch” (su-perch-arger cutting fish), which left me puzzling over 24a and 29a.
Paul does set puzzles that have a smile factor here and there, as this one did. However, 25D does have a little problem. A supercharger is not a turbo(charger) as they work in different ways to achieve the same end. I guess that lets the clue work but the old driver in me gets a bit edgy about it.
Still it did not detract from my enjoyment of the puzzle. Thanks.
Thanks Eileen. My experience was much like yours, the bottom half took most of my time. I knew 14d had to be ninepence but was surprised to find there actually had been such a coin. 17a was my LOI, don’t know why it took so long.
I didn’t have a problem with 24a – Obliged to = gotta seemed OK to me but maybe I’m missing something. I did think as = equally in 5d stretched rather a long bow but rationalized it away to my own satisfaction by thinking of ‘good as gold’. I find the OED includes ‘as’ in the main clause being equivalent to ‘equally’ in one of its definitions.
Thanks to Paul and Eileen. I found this puzzle easier than some non-prize puzzles from Paul. I knew TREKKER, but wasn’t sure about ASSET, SKIPPER, and NINEPENCE. Very enjoyable.
Annoyingly, although I was sure 17a must be ENGELS, I just couldn’t parse it. (M)EN just didn’t come to mind for workers (don’t know why: it’s used often enough). Although I took “wiping” to mean a deletion I was distracted by the letters of “brow” in “by workers”. I’ve never seen “brow” used for “initial letter”, but I suppose the brow of a hill is the top.
Mhl, I think you’ve fluffed 19a, perhaps in haste? Score should be underlined as the def, and “in” removed from the parsing.
28a Yes, I thought they were called Trekkies too. I must have only heard people being derogatory about them.
5d If you are “as set” as someone else, you are equally prepared, no?
8d STITCH I agree: great clue (along with many others).
I was motivated to continue (despite early self-doubt about the fish theme) by doing well on the top half, like Eileen and BigglesA@3. But yes the bottom part took a lot longer.
My solving journey was like a mirror of yours, Eileen. I stuffed around for a while with MINE as well in 27a PENTAGRAM, I had TREKKIE for 28a, leading to SNIGGLE at 18d, all of which had to be rethought. Like Eileen, I had an LOL moment with the fishy fizz of CHARADE at 4a. And I loved STITCH at 8d. Another favourite was 29a THROWN, simple but clever – now I wonder why it was my LOI, when “by the sound of it” is such an obvious device.
The fish I didn’t know we’re 1a HUSS, 23d BLEAK and 25d TURBOt, as well as blenny, part of the fodder for 21d. Happy to say I still worked each out for the solve.
I too was dissatisfied with “as” being a synonym for “equally” in 5d, ASSET, but thought it was related to the idea of similes eg “as pretty as a picture”. So thanks to Tony@5 for your superior and more accurate parsing of this one; much appreciated.
Thanks to the Marathon Man. I always relish Paul’s puzzles.
And Eileen, your aside regarding those recent experiences of Shakespeare, as well as the link to the amazing achievement of John Halpern, were much valued and really enriched this puzzle experience for me.
Thanks Eileen. This most pleasant puzzle finally got tricky in the SE corner, before the neat Margate reversal revealed itself. Not sure about 4D’s ‘for an apple’ as definition – of a moth.
molonglo @ 7. I wondered about that too but find codling is a sort of cooking apple or generally any unripe apple. Maybe the moths like their apples rare.
Thanks, Tony @5 – I’d completely skipped 19ac.
PENTAGRAM is even better than it appears, because Tracey Emin has a connection with the town of Margate, having been brought up there. And SKIPPER is in Chambers as a fish: one meaning is the saury, “a long sharp-beaked marine fish”.
Thanks Eileen and Paul. I’m down to blog the marathon puzzle next Saturday: let’s hope I don’t hit the wall!
On opening my paper this morning I see that Paul’s marathon puzzle has in fact been published today, a week earlier than announced.
I parsed equally in 5d with A/S meaning all square in matchplay golf
Hi bridgesong @10 – thanks for the extra information about Tracey Emin, which makes a good clue even better. [I’d already smiled at the quiet retiring star.]
Sometimes I wonder why I bought Chambers: I seem to have a real penchant for failing to find things. I knew a skipper was a fish and was surprised to find only the ‘stout hairy -bodied butterfly’ but didn’t follow up the unknown ‘saury’ tucked away at the end of the description.
All the best to you and Timon and Mrs B for next Saturday. 😉
Thanks Eileen for explaining a couple of the parsings that had escaped me (NINEPENCE and HEADMAN – and very nearly ENGELS, except that that penny dropped some time after I finished the puzzle). Much easier than last week’s (figurative) marathon prize, thank goodness. I was amazed how many more fish names Chambers knew than I did. I was held up by TRIPTYCHS, partly because I couldn’t spell it – poor spelling is a bit of a handicap when doing crosswords – but also because I thought a Triptych was itself a series of art works and so assumed the S must go in the middle somewhere. Fortunately Chambers can spell, as well as knowing the names of a lot of fish!
And thanks to Paul, of course. I’m looking forward to his literal marathon effort.
I had a lot of fun with this until reaching 24a. I’m afraid Eileen is being too kind in saying the parsing doesn’t quite work. How is “amid word of appreciation” to be understood other than as an insertion? I’m afraid this prevented me from completing an otherwise delightful crossword.
poc @15 – ‘amid’ does indicate an insertion: the T from [depar]T is inserted in TA. My quibble [I originally wrote ‘carp’, then remembered I’d promised no more puns] was with the grammar.
Thank you Paul and Eileen.
I entered HUSSAR from the AR and the definition, HUSS being new to me, even though I am only too familiar with the dogfish from zoology classes, and I had to google NINEPENCE, my COED does not give it (also had trouble to get NICE, at school we were told never to use the word, but I must admit it is very useful). The cooking apple was familiar, but it took me a while to see PENTAGRAM and TURBO, the last in.
But, Cookie, NICE was used correctly in the clue. 😉
Eileen @18, no complaints, it is just me having been brainwashed, I still think of it in the sense of ‘nescient’.
As to NINEPENCE: there is a little mistake / typo in the explanation.
The word IN should not be ‘in’ there: it’s just […]N + E + PEN, together inside NICE.
But I am sure that this is what you meant to say, Eileen.
Many thanks to Paul for the fishy stuff – not too hard, in my opinion.
One could almost wait for ‘shake’, ‘spike’ and ‘stench’ – wot, no stench?
I was another one who fell into the perch trap (in 25d).
Thanks, Sil – well-spotted. Corrected now.
Oops! Did I write “mhl”? Sorry, Eileen.
Did anyone else note that HUSSAR was the subject of a recent Guardian crossword blog cluing competition, thematically clued here by the master?
Btw, the Trekkie/Trekker thing reminds me of a Gary Larson Far Side cartoon contrasting the names we give dogs and the names they give themselves. Larson keeps tight control over his copyrights, so I can’t link the cartoon, but a comment on hubpages about Larson’s work describes it thus:
There was one “names we give our dogs” shows two people standing on sidewalk w/ dogs at their feet.one says this is rex our new dog, the next picture is ‘names dogs give themselves’ a dog says ‘ I am zornorf, the one who comes by night to the neighbors yard…’ another says ‘i am princess sheewana, barker of great annoyance and daughter of queen la, stainer of persian rug….’.
Can’t guarantee thus is the exact text of the cartoon and I have far too many Far Side collections to search it out to check.
@Eileen
24a, GOTTA, works grammatically with “he’s” (gotta/obliged to).
It’s a topical reference, isn’t it, to President Trump’s recent public message to N. Korean leader Kim Jong Un: “gotta behave“.
“24a, GOTTA, works grammatically with “he’s” (gotta/obliged to).” – quite right, Tony. Thanks for that.
molonglo @7
The codling moth is so called because its larva attacks, among other fruit, the codling apple.
Struggling to remember much about this one especially having done another Paul today. Don’t think this one was too tricky.
Thanks to Paul and Eileen
Thanks all
Apart from not knowing a ninepenny coin and failingto parse the cryptic the rest was very straightforward.
Thanks to Paul, Eileen, and previous bloggers. I got through this surprisingly quickly though I didn’t parse ENGELS – failed to spot gels = sticks, though I should have.
Eileen @ 13. I can’t remember why I bought my first Chambers but was pleased that at the time the (Manchester?) Guardian said that it was used by setters and occasionally (thanks to Alan B for reminding me a few weeks ago) would warn solvers that a word wasn’t in it.
Eileen @ 16: I see it now. The “amid” is postfixed (if that’s the term).
Mystogre @2: I think the clue for 25D is fine. While it’s true that, in practical usage, a turbocharger is almost never referred to as a supercharger, by strict definition a turbocharger is a subclass of supercharger. (The Chambers and Oxford websites as well as dictionary.com all agree on this.)
Thanks to Paul for a tricky but manageable and entertaining puzzle, and to Eileen for the excellent blog (as always).