Alchemi has compiled today’s puzzle for our enjoyment, and enjoyment it did indeed provide.
I found this to be towards the easy end of the Indy difficulty spectrum, with clues that proved relatively straightforward to parse. Overall, I found the NW corner to be the most stubborn, but I got there in the end. I enjoyed seeing a good few of the entries crossing on more usual letters of the alphabet, such as “k” at 3, “v” at 7, “w” at 26 and, above all, “z” at 27.
My favourites today were 2, for smooth surface, and 30, for construction. Furthermore, “bog” for “facilities” at 1A raised a smile when the penny dropped.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | BLACK DOG | Facilities hiding shortage – director gets melancholy
[LACK (=shortage) + D (=director)] in BOG (=facilities, i.e. toilet!) |
| 05 | HEAVEN | Explosive hail reaches northern sky
HE (=explosive, i.e. High Explosive) + AVE (=hail, i.e. an interjection) + N (=northern) |
| 09 | OVERSTATE | Sex up Sappho’s last poem about rubbish
<sapph>O (“last” means last letter only) + [TAT (=rubbish) in VERSE (=poem)] |
| 11 | INCOG | Going disguised with fashionable gear
IN (=fashionable, trendy) + COG (=gear, as in moving part of system); incog is an abbreviation of incognito |
| 12 | CHARM | About to damage talisman
C (=about, i.e. circa) + HARM (=damage) |
| 13 | UNDERFOOT | 4 to end up being trodden on
*(FOUR (=4) + TO END); “up” is anagram indicator |
| 14 | STAIRWAY | One in prison heard to think about steps
[A (=one) in STIR (=prison, colloquially; can)] + homophone of “weigh (=think about, consider)” |
| 16 | IMPISH | One legislative (roughly) is mischievous
I (=one) + MP (=legislator, i.e. Member of Parliament) + -ISH (=roughly, as suffix) |
| 19 | SNAPPY | Elegant second baby’s accessory
S (=second) + NAPPY (=baby’s accessory) |
| 21 | CONFUSED | Puzzled about working after merger
C (=about, i.e. circa) + ON (=working) + FUSED (=after merger) |
| 24 | DULCIMERS | Mild curse upset music makers
*(MILD CURSE); “upset” is anagram indicator |
| 25 | RAWER | More painful apprehension overwhelming bishop? Quite the contrary
AWE (=apprehension) in RR (=bishop, i.e. Right Reverend) |
| 27 | ZEBRA | Crossing empty zone with supporter
Z<on>E (“empty” means all central letters are dropped) + BRA (=”supporter” of a woman’s chest) |
| 28 | MADE A BOMB | Profited having prepared for terrorism
Someone who has “prepared for terrorism” may well have “made a bomb” |
| 29 | DEEPER | Animals taking exercise further down
PE (=exercise, i.e. physical education) in DEER (=animals) |
| 30 | TRAMPLED | Was behind MP coming in for one downtrodden
TRA-i-LED (=was behind, lagged); “MP coming in for one (=I)” means letter “i” is replaced by “mp” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | BOOKCASES | Express disapproval of putting up some empty container as furniture
BOO (=express disapproval) + KCASES (S<om>E (“empty” means all central letters are dropped) + SACK (=container); “putting up” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 02 | ARENA | Live oddly near stadium
ARE (=live, exist) + N<e>A<r> (“oddly” means odd letters only are used) |
| 03 | KASHMIR | Money only heard of in disputed territory
Homophone (“heard of”) of “cash (=money) + mere (=only)”; the Kashmir is disputed by India and Pakistan |
| 04 | ORACULAR | More face full care centres – it’s prophesied
<m>OR<e> <f>AC<e> <f>UL<l> <c>AR<e>; “centres” means middle letters only of each word are needed |
| 06 | EPIGRAM | Record very light saying
EP (=record, i.e. extended-play record) + 1 GRAM (=very light!) |
| 07 | VICTORIES | Wins against Italy based on right-wingers getting caught first
V (=against, i.e. versus) + I (=Italy, in IVR) + C (=caught, on cricket scorecard) + TORIES (=right-wingers) |
| 08 | NIGHT | Dark strange thing
*(THING); “strange” is anagram indicator |
| 10 | ENDS | Finishes dispatch with head down
S-END (=dispatch); “with head down” means first letter is pushed lower down the word |
| 15 | AVAILABLE | American ski resort with power on tap
A (=American) + VAIL (=ski resort, in Colorado) + ABLE (=with power) |
| 17 | HYDERABAD | After hours, Daddy Bear loses head running around city
H (=hours) + *(<d>ADDY BEAR); “loses head” means first letter dropped from anagram, indicated by “running around”; Hyderabad is a city in southern India |
| 18 | CONSIDER | Judge cricketer’s leg to be in credit
ON SIDE (=cricketer’s leg, i.e. the on side as opposed to the off side) in CR (=credit) |
| 20 | PRIMATE | Talk pointlessly about setter’s ape
I’M (=setter’s) in PRATE (=talk pointlessly) |
| 22 | FIREARM | In France, this person’s back for some heat
REAR (=back) in [F (=France, in IVR) + I’M (=this person’s)]; in US slang, heat is a firearm |
| 23 | GERM | European without an origin
GERM<an> (=European); “without an” means letters “an” are dropped |
| 24 | DAZED | Stunned lawyer getting letter
DA (=stunned, i.e. District Attorney) + ZED (=letter, of alphabet) |
| 26 | WHORL | Bottom falls off planet containing hydrogen in spiral twist
H (=hydrogen) in WORL<d> (=planet; “bottom falls off” means last letter dropped); a whorl is a single turn in a spiral shell |
A bustle in the hedgerow!
Thought this was a superb puzzle although I didn’t find it as easy as our blogger obviously did! Quite a bit of teasing out required for me. The idea of a pangram sprang to mind but it fell short by a couple of letters – Alchemi winding us up, perhaps?
Can’t nominate a favourite – too many to choose from today.
Many thanks to Alchemi and to R for the decryption.
Copmus… it makes me wonder.
Yes, it’s Theme Tuesday again.
All fairly straightforward,our only real problem was with 22dn, which from crossing letters could only be FIREARM (obviously not ‘forearm’) but which we couldn’t parse – and we didn’t know the US slang. Couldn’t parse UNDERFOOT either as we didn’t think of ‘four’ and the clue obviously didn’t refer to either 4dn or the Roman numeral.
We knew BLACK DOG as the description Churchill used for his bouts of depression but not as an expression in general use. (There used to be a railway station called Black Dog Halt – possibly named after a nearby inn.)
Lots of nice clues – DULCIMERS, ORACULAR and EPIGRAM among our favourites.
Thanks, Alchemi and RatkojaRiku.
Thanks RR & commenters.
Yes, there’s a minor Led Zeppelin theme, featuring KASHMIR, BLACK DOG, DAZED and CONFUSED, STAIRWAY to HEAVEN, & TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT.
Lovely.
Been singing “hey hey mama; I said the way you move…” to Frau Bärchen all morning. No luck so far.
Thanks @Alchemi & RR
Fine puzzle, just right for a weekday. Despite it being Tuesday, never thought to look for a theme (we had one yesterday, so I’m themed out right now). BLACK DOG brought to mind Winnie’s depressions for me as well.
Thanks to S&B.
A nice puzzle which didn’t give me too much trouble until I reasched the SE. Then I had to engage the grey matter all right! Winnie brought the Black Dog to mind for me too. FIREARM and RAWER were my last 2 in after TRAMPLED opened up the corner. I never manage to spot themes anyway. Thanks Alchemi and RR.
We missed the theme, not being into Led Zeppelin, but we did notice there were answers that could be ‘paired’ – we thought it was just coincidence, though.
Interesting to see John @9 ran into trouble when he reached the SE. No Quarter gave me any trouble. 😉
One for the Zep fans.
Nice one, Nila palin!
Any Trouble was also quite a good band.
We only tumbled to the theme at the end when we remembered it was Tuesday. Our favourite track is Dazed and Confused.
Good puzzle, thankfully a fairly quick solve as we started late.
Thanks to S&B.
I’ve not been good this week at noting down thoughts before forgetting them (which is not a large window). I do remember that I enjoyed this. Thanks to Alchemi and RatkojaRiku.