Tees has presented us with a fairly minimalist crossword today
The clues seemed fairly short with basic wordplay in many cases. I counted eight container and contents references where the containment indicator was simply ‘in’. There were three double or triple definition clues.
There was a bit of a nationality or geography theme with references to French, German and Scottish language or names as well as entries for SAN DIEGO, HELSINKI, BERLINER, DELAWARE and CZECH
The majority of the entries I have come across before but I must admit to not having heard of NESTORIANISM or MANUMISSION.. Perhaps as a crossword buff, NESTORIANISM should have been known to me given that NESTOR is a fairly prolific setter under that and at least one other pseudonym. The crossing letters though were helpful in solving both clues.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
The Goldwood Trial (6)
|
OR (gold) + DEAL (soft wood) OR DEAL |
ORDEAL (severe trial)
|
|
5
|
Load imported by Parisian is cooked snail (8)
|
CARGO (load) contained in (imported by) EST (French [Parisian] for ‘is’) ES (CARGO) T |
ESCARGOT ([cooked] edible snail)
|
|
9
|
Suppress line in novel (8)
|
L (line) contained in (in) STRANGE (interestingly unusual; novel) STRANG (L) E |
STRANGLE (suppress)
|
|
10
|
Denied first time in having valid will for assets (6)
|
TESTATE (having made and left a valid will) excluding (denied) the first T (time) ESTATE |
ESTATE (total possessions; assets)
|
|
11
|
Perverse Pierre drops guts in prison division (6)
|
PE (PIERRE excluding [drops] the central letters [guts] IERR) contained in (in) WARD (division or department of a prison) WAR (PE) D |
WARPED (perverted)
|
| 13 | Cruel and stupid to constrict busy sound (8) |
INANE (senseless; stupid) containing (to constrict) HUM (the noise of [busy] bees often extended to denote the sound of a hive of activity; busy sound) IN (HUM) ANE |
INHUMANE (cruel) |
|
15
|
Old leg-breaker buried each in ground (6,6)
|
Anagram of (ground) BURIED EACH IN RICHIE BENAUD* |
RICHIE BENAUD (reference RICHIE BENAUD [1930-2015], Australian leg-spin bowler and commentator)
|
| 18 | Doctrine is set in Roman reworking (12) |
Anagram of IS SET IN ROMAN NESTORIANISM* |
NESTORIANISM (the doctrine of NESTORIus, patriarch of Constantinople [428-431], who said that the divinity and humanity of Christ were not united in a single self-conscious personality) |
|
21
|
One’s pride displayed on beach in coastal location (3,5)
|
SAND (beach) + I [Roman numeral for one] + EGO (self-worth; pride) SAN D I EGO |
SAN DIEGO (city on the coast of California)
|
|
23
|
Miserable face sergeant major wears (6)
|
SM (sergeant major) contained in (wears) DIAL (face) DI (SM) AL |
DISMAL (miserable)
|
|
24
|
Scot‘s road in mess (6)
|
MI (reference M1 motorway; road) contained in (in) HASH (mesh) HA (MI) SH |
HAMISH (Scottish name)
|
|
26
|
Capital‘s decline in endless spiral (8)
|
SINK (decline) contained in (in) HELIX (spiral) excluding the final letter (endless) X HEL (SINK) I |
HELSINKI (capital city of Finland)
|
|
28
|
German in ship chasing British monarch (8)
|
B (British) + ER (Elizabeth Regina; [British] monarch) + LINER (ship) B ER LINER |
BERLINER (citizen of BERLIN; German)
|
| 29 | Female keeping back beat to contribute (6) |
DOE (female of many animals) containing (keeping) TAN (beat) reversed (back) DO (NAT)< E |
DONATE (contribute) |
| Down | |||
|
2
|
Trade union in retreat overturned custom (6)
|
TU (Trade Union) contained in (in) (LAIR [retreat] reversed [overturned]) RI (TU) AL< |
RITUAL (custom)
|
|
3
|
Infuriated snake in river and goddess in road (11)
|
(ASP [snake] contained in [in] EXE [river]) + (ATE [Greek goddess of mischief and of all rash actions and their results] contained in [in] RD [road]) EX (ASP) E R (ATE) D |
EXASPERATED (infuriated)
|
| 4 | Member on stage (3) |
LEG (limb; member) LEG (on side in cricket) |
LEG (stage [of a race]) triple definition |
|
5
|
Old chairs PM chucked out before prime-time broadcast (7) |
Anagram of (broadcast) PRIME-TIME excluding (chucked out) PM EMERITI* |
EMERITI (retired professors [chairs])
|
|
6
|
Last character in churches gives nationality (5)
|
Z (last character of the alphabet) contained in (in) [CE [Church of England] + CH [church] giving churches) C (Z) E CH |
CZECH (a nationality)
|
|
7
|
Undeviating routine somewhat brutal (3)
|
RUT (hidden word in [somewhat] BRUTAL) RUT |
RUT (undeviating routine)
|
|
8
|
Bloomer unknown to occur in old language (8)
|
X (letter frequently used to denote an unknown value in mathematics) contained in (occur in) (O [old] + TONGUE [language]) O (X) TONGUE |
OX-TONGUE (composite plant of the daisy family, with yellow flowers and milky juice; bloomer)
|
|
12
|
Scenery firm in Derby’s not near (5)
|
CO (company; firm) contained in (in) DERBY excluding (not) BY (near) DE (CO) R |
DECOR (scenery and stage embellishments)
|
|
14
|
Release football team getting goal (11)
|
MAN U (Manchester United; football team) + MISSION (purpose; goal) MAN U MISSION |
MANUMISSION (release from slavery)
|
|
16
|
Develop physique (5)
|
BUILD (develop) BUILD |
BUILD (physique) double definition
|
|
17
|
Brought about conscious state (8)
|
LED (brought) reversed (about) + AWARE Lead is given as a synonym for bring in Chambers Thesaurus DEL< AWARE |
DELAWARE (State of the United States)
|
|
19
|
One more heart on for transplant? (9)
|
Anagram of (for transplant) HEART ON ANOTHER* |
ANOTHER (one more)
|
|
20
|
Exchange old German coin and French (6)
|
MARK (old German currency) + ET (French for and) MARK ET |
MARKET (exchange)
|
|
22
|
Chap first in every test has achieved notoriety (5)
|
ETHAN (first letters of each of [first in every] EVERY TEST HAS ACHIEVED NOTORIETY) ETHAN |
ETHAN (man;’s name; chap)
|
|
25
|
Dicky‘s hostile (3)
|
ILL (ailing; dicky)
|
ILL (threatening; hostile) double definition
|
|
27
|
Good riddance to happy and stable employee (3)
|
GLAD excluding (riddance) G LAD |
LAD (employee in a stableyard)
|
Had the ‘N’ and ‘S’ the wrong way round for 18a, a word I’d also never heard of, but otherwise went in without too much trouble. I have come across MANUMISSION before, but only in crossword land and never in the real world. I liked the ‘Old leg-breaker’ in 15a, though for many people he’s of course now better remembered – and missed – as a commentator. Despite this helpful hint, still didn’t pick the out of the back of the hand LEG as a triple def.
Thanks to Tees – happy not to have had too much of a 1a today – and to Duncan.
Thanks to Tees, and Duncan for blogging. Everything started off quite easy today which felt like a red flag… and then I hit Richie Benaud who I’ve never heard of 🙁 I’d come across 14d before, both as freedom from Slavery and as an Ibiza nightclub so that was easy enough. When I realised the team was Man U though I did kind of wish the answer were manumissi*ng*.
I thought INTERMISSION would be good until I did a letter count!
My first thought for old leg breaker was Norman Hunter, but of course he only bit em. All the Zs, Xs and Ks said Pangram but I couldn’t fit the Q in anywhere. Not as hard as Thursdays can be.
Thanks to Tees and Duncan
We looked for a pangram, too, but it’s a few letters short. Penny-drop moments when we got EMERITI, DELAWARE and HAMISH, but we had to use a wordfinder for OX-TONGUE – which is hyphenated (as 2-6) in Chambers although not in Collins.
Thanks, Tees and Duncan
No problems with this. Neatly-clued, making for an easier solve.
Very good puzzle.
I liked the BENAUD clue, which gave an image of a psychotic gardener rather than a respectable Australian cricket commentator.
I note some compilers tend to do this, make the clue sound as if it has nothing to do with the answer, except where the word is more difficult, as here with NESTORIANISM. Defined as ‘doctrine’ it can always be argued that you know what you are going to get.
Thank yous to setter and Duncan Shiell.
Didn’t manage to do the puzzle as away from home and printer, but just dropped in to read the blog and clues and dug 11a the most! Cheers to setter and blogger.
Look forward to seeing those going to the Friday or Saturday York sloggers and betters soon. 🙂