Tough to get into, and again at the very end. I really liked 1ac, 10ac, 23ac, 26ac, and 4dn. Thanks, Screw
Also a question mark over the parsing of 17ac…
| Across | ||
| 1 | GET A ROOM | What’s said when one’s due to be cuddled by future partner (3,1,4) |
| ETA=estimated time of arrivale=”What’s said when one’s due”; inside/”cuddled by” GROOM=”future partner”; &lit definition | ||
| 5 | CONDOM | Rubber rings held by campaigners next to motorway (6) |
| O and O=”rings”; held by CND=Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, plus M[otorway] | ||
| 9 | CAPSIZE | How big top is making you upset (7) |
| CAP SIZE=”How big top is”, as cap=top of e.g. a bottle | ||
| 10 | SPASSKY | He checks the blue pens qualify (7) |
| =Russian chess player [wiki], i.e. someone who ‘checks’ the opponent’s king SKY=”the blue” around PASS=”qualify” |
||
| 11 | ROUTE | Announced foundation course (5) |
| sounds like ‘root’=”foundation” | ||
| 12 | INAUGURAL | Opening popular bit of summer course in Russia (9) |
| IN=”popular”, plus AUG[ust]=”bit of summer”, plus URAL=Russian river or “course” | ||
| 13 | TECHNOBABBLE | IT-speak on the BBC, able to get translated (12) |
| (on the BBC able)* | ||
| 17 | LEGALISATION | Act of authorising goal line technology, initially, is complex (12) |
| (goal line t is)*, with the initial from t[echnology] – but this is missing a second ‘a‘ and would give ‘legislation’ but not LEGALISATION… is “initially” also meant to apply to a[uthorisaton]? |
||
| 20 | MONT BLANC | Can early bet inform odds, when backing one to get up? (4,5) |
| =something to climb/get up the odd letters from C[a]N [e]A[r]L[y] B[e]T [i]N[f]O[r]M, reversed/”backing” |
||
| 22 | ELATE | Please tell leader off (5) |
| [r]ELATE=”tell” without its leading letter | ||
| 23 | INSTEAD | Alternatively, ten said aid sent as I tend to fracture after separation (7) |
| (ten said)*, (aid sent)*, (as I tend)* | ||
| 24 | EMINENT | Famous item in entrants’ pockets (7) |
| Hidden in [it]EM IN ENT[rants’] | ||
| 25 | HIDDEN | Cryptic crossword finally found in papers taken by woman (6) |
| final letter of [crosswor]D, in ID=”papers”, all inside HEN=”woman” | ||
| 26 | ASBESTOS | Felt constituent‘s very large following when leading (8) |
| =a constituent/ingredient in making felt insulation O/S=oversize=”very large”, following AS=”when” plus BEST=”leading” |
||
| Down | ||
| 1 | GO-CART | It’s driven tooth upwards, colliding with craft (2-4) |
| COG=”tooth” reversed/”upwards”; plus ART=”craft” | ||
| 2 | TYPHUS | Pushy parent ultimately spreading disease (6) |
| (Pushy t)*, using [paren]t | ||
| 3 | RAISE HELL | Object forcefully as her allies crumbled (5,4) |
| (as her allies)* | ||
| 4 | ONE NIGHT STAND | Joined item in bedroom – it won’t happen again! (3-5,5) |
| ONE=”Joined”, plus NIGHTSTAND=”item in bedroom” | ||
| 6 | ORANG | Swinger didn’t get called (5) |
| O=zero, RANG=”called”, or ‘no one called’ | ||
| 7 | DESCRIBE | Writer comes after top journo over detail (8) |
| SCRIBE=”Writer”, after ED=”top journo” reversed/”over” | ||
| 8 | MAYFLIES | Yes, a film about insects (8) |
| (Yes a film)* | ||
| 10 | SEASON TICKETS | These in stock? Sees at ground (6,7) |
| (in stock sees at)*, with “ground” as the anagrind – Edit thanks to Greensward | ||
| 14 | AT ONE TIME | Pay for return of issue once (2,3,4) |
| ATONE=”Pay for”, plus reversal/”return” of EMIT=”issue” | ||
| 15 | PLUMPISH | Prize bull’s a bit big (8) |
| PLUM=”Prize” plus PISH=nonsense=”bull” | ||
| 16 | AGONISED | Worried about gonads, ie balls (8) |
| (gonads ie)* | ||
| 18 | PARENT | Bring up secretary’s cleavage (6) |
| PA=personal assistant=”secretary”; plus RENT=”cleavage” | ||
| 19 | TESTES | Some privates switched positions (6) |
| set=’position’ so SET SET=”positions”, reversed/”switched” | ||
| 21 | BREVE | Note resounding upturns when there’s no resistance (5) |
| =a length of note in music [r]EVERB=”resounding”, reversed/”upturns” and minus r[esistance] |
||
10d very clever. A few Paulish ones here – loved 16d.
I cant get my head round 5a though as the O’s aren’t held by CND.
pex – it could be “held by {CND next to M}”, rather than “{held by CND} next to M”
Ahh! Thanks manehi
Thanks Screw and manehi
I really didn’t enjoy this. I suppose HIDDEN was favourite. INSTEAD (yes, very clever) was a completely pointless over-elaboration. Lots of other surfaces were pretty nonsensical too.
ORANG is just wrong – it means “man” (who, I suppose, might be a swinger!) in Indonesian/Malay. Even Chambers, under “orang”, says “see orang-utan”.
I enjoyed this greatly, even if orang is a bit iffy. Thanks Screw and manehi.
Thanks for the blog, manehi. Just a minor point, in 20a, you missed ‘in’ from the anagram fodder.
To your favourites, I would add 20a and (like pex@1) 10d. It was very clever of Screw to employ a reversal indicator (20), and an anagrind (10) that fitted the surface readings so neatly.
Re 17. I can’t see how “initially” could refer to both ‘authorising’ and ‘technology’, without also referring to the intervening words. Just an oversight by the setter, I think.
All in all, a very good puzzle. Thanks, Screw.
A good workout, although unusually I didn’t tick many clues – only PLUMPISH and TYPHUS. There was mostly a sense of relief when solving a clue, as Screw’s setting is somewhat obtuse. But I always enjoy his puzzles. Thanks to S & m.
Thanks, manehi.
Pretty sure LEGALISATION is a slip. I doubt if ‘initially’ could encompass ‘authorisation’ as well.
Ticks at GET A ROOM, SPASSKY, MAYFLIES & PLUMPISH but elsewhere there was a bit of clunkiness in the clueing, I felt.
Pex @1: I was going to mention the slightly Paulesque aspect, too.
Unusually high anagram count (even more if you include the triple at INSTEAD).
Not sure where the definition is at SEASON TICKETS. Is it simply the rolling stock reference?
Not a favourite but perfectly sound crossword.
Many thanks, Screw, nice week, all.
Can someone
I didn’t see how 5a was an &lit, never having heard of the expression “GETAROOM”, but I now see it is quite a clever clue.
I managed to finish this eventually. I thought at 21d the B was the “note” and spent a time looking for a word meaning “resounding” to give “when there’s no resistance “; good misdirection.
Thanks manehi and Screw
“GETAROOM”
(Think I screwed up the “”)
William @8.
I took the definition as being simply ‘these’, meaning that if season tickets were in stock, they might be seen at the (football, etc) ground.
Apropos BREVE, I was baffled to learn recently that breve in French is brève which means short…although the note is long…and quaver translates as croche which means “hooked” but probably has the same root as our <i<crotchet which of course has no hook. Curious folk over there ain’t they?
I’ll get my coat.
Greensward @11: Hmm, yes, that more or less works. Interesting clue as the answer rather jumps out at one but the definition doesn’t.
Thanks, Greensward.
One of those that makes you go ???? and then Oh! Would
have to have used a rubber a lot to do this on paper. Really made a 19 down up of 19 down. Thank the Lord for online crosswords and Screw. Thanks to Manehi
Thanks Screw and manehi.
The bottom half went in smoothly but I got a bit stuck at the top.
muffin @4; ORANG is in Chambers, Collins and Oxford as a short form for ORANG-UTAN. Clever MONT BLANC; pity about the LEGALISATION/legislation.
P.S. I think the definition of LEGALISATION is supposed to be ‘Act,’ in which case the authorising provides the missing ‘a.’
After thinking I’d get nowhere with this, it all gradually fell into place and there were a lot of clever clues, most of which I managed to parsem ore or less.
I wonder if Screw wrote 17a with an ‘a’ before ‘goal’ – it still makes sense and the anagram works.
My biggest quibble would be that one or two of the &Lit definitions are a bit too much of a stretch for my taste – 10d especially.
Incidentally, William @12, breve did mean short in old music notation – there was a long to go with it. Chambers half explains it. The Oxford Companion to Music says that it wasn’t that the music speeded up, just the notation changed, but I doubt that anyone would have written “The Flight of the Bumblebee” in longs and breves!
Thanks to Screw and Manehi
A challenging and very entertaining puzzle – I wish we saw Screw more often. Shame about 17 – I suspect an editorial error. SPASSKY was last in – I was surprised to discover that he still plays!
Thanks to Screw and manehi
It’s not in my Chambers, Robi – I did check! As I said, it just says “see orang-utan”.
the back and forth about LEGALISATION is a bit like skirmishgate the other day.
It’s a mistake folks; let’s move on
@muffin
in my Chambers (12th ed) it is valid, listed as an alternative under the enty for “orang-utan”.
Whether it’s striclty kosher or not is of course a topic for the editor of Chambers but that’s not Screw’s problem, as I see it.
Well, just shoot me, roast me & serve me up for Sunday lunch, now – as a woman I’m considered a chicken (25a), I feel a rant coming on! Otherwise, I found this an excellent puzzle. Thank you Manehi for the explanations, I parsed about half – I’m improving!
muffin @19; you better look at the entry for ORANG-UTAN in Chambers then – ORANG is listed.
baerchen @20; I agree I think it was just a mistake, probably thinking of the definition of legislation.
ChrisP #22: Hen nights are only attended by women. Pretty sure this has been used quite often before.
ChrisP @22 & MarkN @25: It may be a bit non-PC these days, but I’ve never heard a woman complain about the term ‘hen night’ (until the morning after, that is!)
Hen parties are a common sight in Blackpool – and in my experience always 100% women. Stag parties are the male equivalent.
The answers GETAROOM, CONDOM, TESTES, ONENIGHTSTAND, and a clue gonads ie balls………is there some connection emerging here?
Pex@1 and William@8…Yes definitely shades of Paul.
Was I the only one to enter BLIMPISH at 15d? I understood the pish part but didn’t look far enough to get the plum.
Fun puzzle. Thanks to all.
Oooohhhhh a bit naughty today aren’t we! As soon as I’d filled in ONE NIGHT STAND I guessed that 1a would be GET A ROOM – and then there were CONDOM and TESTES to follow (not necessarily in that order….)
But a good and fairly tough challenge all the same. Don’t think I’ve done a ‘Screw’ before – occasional setter?
I too noticed the missing A in LEGALISATION but it’s already been dealt with.
I was wondering about GO-CART – I’ve seen that usually written GO-KART but I suppose the former is valid.
I hope ASBESTOS is no longer a ‘felt constituent’!
Thanks Screw and manehi.
This made Tuesday’s Tramp seem a doddle. I did get there eventually – apart from 19d. I thought there was a real mix with some very well disguised anagrams (23a, 2, 8, 10d), nice surfaces and some iffy definitions imho.
Like others have said there are some very Paul like entries. On balance I enjoyed a lot more than I quibbled with and it was nice to have a different setter to engage with. Thanks manehi for help with some of the parsing.
ChrisP @22 et al: the HEN issue could have been easily settled by putting ‘female’ in the clue rather than ‘woman’. I don’t think this spoils the surface.
I agree that HEN as a simile for WOMAN is a bit off-piste. Would a man like to be referred to as a STAG? I don’t think I would….
Another toughie which I didn’t expect to finish but I did. All the points about the cluing have been made so I won’t repeat them. Is Screw usually as Paulish as this? I can’t say I remember him being but that could be just me.
Thanks Screw.
FirmlyDirac @ 31 -I’m pretty sure “hen” is also an affectionate term for a woman, in certain regions at least (Scotland springs to mind). IIRC the women in comedy shows like Rab C Nesbitt tended to call each other “hen”.
Yes, a slow start and slow finish, but a very satisfying pace in between. So thanks to Screw.
I didn’t notice the missing “a” at 17a, so that didn’t spoil it for me; yet grateful to manehi for drawing it to my attention.
Lots to like here, but I absolutely loved the triple anagram at 23a, especially after the penny – or thruppence – dropped!
16d – wondering what “balls” adds to the clue? Unless “worried about” is the definition, and “balls” is the anagrind? That’s how I parsed it, but the blogger seems to be suggesting that “about” is the anagrind, in which case “balls” seems redundant.
Oh, PS – apart from hen nights etc, in Scottish parlance, “hen” is a term of endearment usually used between women.
I’ve now found “orang” for “orang-utan” online. I still don’t like it, though!
What a relief to discover I’m not the only one who couldn’t get 17A to work! Thanks, manehi.
1A was easily my favorite clue: both clever and very funny.
Trismegistus @34 – I took the definition as “worried about” and balls” as the anagrind in the sense of balling up a piece of paper, or screwing it up.
Thanks to S&M as I enjoyed this although felt unhappy with ORANG but the Chambers I use on this iPad gives it as an alternative for the great ape. It was not a usage I was familiar with at all.
17a I took the definition as just “act” which gives the missing A from “authorisation” but it seems clunky and a bit of a stretch.
@38 Mystogre – I wasn’t thinking of anything as innocent as paper! After solving some of the more Pauline clues, I was thinking, “complete balls up” or “bollocks” as a synonym for “rubbish” 🙂
Thanks to Screw and manehi. Nothing to add, other than I (for some reason) took a long time before getting TYPHUS.
I really thought 18 would be harass.
Glad to finish this one. 1A is GET A ROOM a phrase in common usage as ” Your place or mine” might be in the same circs? Should “rubber” at 2@ have an indicator that it is an Americanism? I hadn’t heard of NIGHTSTAND @4D and neither has my old Chambers. Wikipedia tells me that it is American for bedide table. With a struggle I decided that “joined item in bedroom” must be a cryptic definition of the sort that might be expectedbfrom a setter called Screw. To her/him thanks, especially for the definition at 10A, and to manehi for the blog.
Bless you, Pino @42!
I’ve been thanking my lucky stars all day that I wasn’t blogging this, because I read 4dn as you did: I have what I call bedside cabinets but I’d no idea they were known as NIGHTSTANDS, so I went for what I thought was the obvious ‘joined item’ interpretation.
I was too mortified to comment earlier: it’s all been said now but thanks to manehi and, of course, to Screw – great to see you back!
I meant ‘bedside tables’.
I did this in small stolen moments spread out across the entire work day. It was fun. Like Trismegistus @34, I did not notice the missing “a” in the wordplay of 17ac until I came here. Ignorance is bliss. My favorites were INAUGURAL, TECHNOBABBLE, PLUMPISH, and MONT BLANC.
GET A ROOM was amusing, and gettable from the clue, but I’m not sold on its being an &lit (or at least a “good” &lit), because in my opinion the clue, read as a whole, does not correctly define the answer. “Get a room” is said, with humor or annoyance, depending on the tone, to tell other people who are, at that moment and in the (uncomfortable and unavoidable) presence of the speaker, being overly physically amorous with each other, that they should choose a less public setting for such conduct. It is not said when someone is “due” to be cuddled by a “future” partner (unless the speaker is being intentionally ironical).
Many thanks to Screw and manehi and other commenters.
Re 17a. I thought it was an anagram on goal line+sat (as in satellite technology) and i first letter of ‘is’.
What do you think?
I immediately parsed 17A as follows. It’s the only thing that works. (Still pretty poor though)
Defn is “Act of authorising”. GOAL LINE plus SAT (for satellite technology!!!) plus I (initially IS). Angagrind “comp[lex”.
Testing, but good fun. Interesting that nobody minded having Spassky (world chess champion 1969-72) here but when Magnus Carlsen (the current world champion, since 2013) appeared a few weeks ago it was thought to be very obscure.
Eileen@43. One of the difficulties I had with our parsing of 4D is that it takes longer than one night for a pair to become an “item”
DaveMc@45. Thanks for explaing that 1A is a recognised expression in the US. That makes 3 Americanisms in the first 6 clues of which RUBBER = condom is probbably well-known over here but the other two….
Only one surprise here; Screw made nothing of KY at the end of Spassky. Not that it would have made a vas deferens to the low tone of the puzzle.
Hen is a term of endearment/ friendly greeting for women in some parts of the UK e.g. I’ve been called that in Glasgow
Enjoyed your comment, Embolus!
Yes but they’re held by “CND next to M”
Hi there. Long time lurker Rob here from Istanbul. I’ve been following you good people for the past 5 years, but a busy life keeps me about a month behindhand. Just to say a big thank you to setters, bloggers and to the good folk of fifteensquared who I much enjoy following. Being 66 years old, but with a youngest of 8, I still work far too hard and don’t expect to retire and get over to Blighty for one of your get-togethers any time soon, but I feel I know several of you already. Iyi geceller!