It’s a while since I blogged a Klingsor puzzle I think, so it was good to get one today.
Klingsor doesn’t do messages or Ninas very often but he does usually bring classical music or opera allusions into his clues or the entries generated from the clues. Today was no exception with references to Tosca, ALTO, MOZART and an AMATI violin.
My first one in was YEARLING and my last one was AMATI. I have comer across the violin maker in a crossword before but I had to study the wordplay closely to dredge up the name again.
I liked the misdirection of the word Deal in the clue for TOWN. I also liked the clue for WIND FARMS. Bradford seems to feature in the clues of a few puzzles I have solved recently.
LATHI is a fairly common entry in barred crosswords, so that clue fell fairly quickly.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Party’s beginning with bad row (6)
|
P (first letter of [beginning] PARTY) + ADDLE (bad) P ADDLE |
PADDLE (row)
|
|
5
|
Left off telling stories about nobleman’s young horse (8)
|
(LYING [telling stories] excluding [off] L [left]) containing (about) EARL (nobleman) Y (EARL) ING |
YEARLING (young horse) |
|
9
|
In our awful extremes of need, supporter’s right to do this? (5,5)
|
(Anagram of [awful] OUR + ND [first and last letters of {extremes of} NEED]) containing (ALLY [supporter] + R [right]) R (ALLY R) OU* ND |
RALLY ROUND (support, help someone in need)
|
|
10
|
Deal for one week with fashion clothing (4)
|
TON (fashion) containing (clothing) W (week) TO (W) N |
TOWN (DEAL is a TOWN in Kent)
|
|
11
|
Misrepresent and insult blokes in audition (8)
|
DISGUISE (sounds like [in audition] DISS [treat with disrespect or contempt; insult] + GUYS [blokes]) DISGUISE |
DISGUISE (misrepresent)
|
|
12
|
Highest point of ascent mostly shown by a cross (6)
|
CLIMB (ascent) excluding the final letter (mostly) B + A + X (symbol for a cross) CLIM A X |
CLIMAX ([of a story, play, piece of music, etc], the most interesting and important or exciting part; highest point)
|
|
13
|
Run and hide (4)
|
PELT (speed; run) PELT |
PELT (raw animal hide with the fur still on) double definition
|
|
15
|
Very popular person dancing to the catching beat (3,6)
|
Anagram of (dancing) TO THE containing (catching) TICK (beat) HOT (TICK) ET* |
HOT TICKET (highly popular person or thing)
|
|
18
|
More than one power plant heats houses in centre of Bradford (4,5) |
WARMS (heats) containing (houses) (IN + DF [middle letters of {centre of} BRADFORD]) W (IN D F) ARMS |
WIND FARMS (more than one example of a power generating plant)
|
|
19
|
Singer is ideal Tosca? Not entirely (4)
|
ALTO (hidden word in [not entirely] IDEAL TOSCA) ALTO |
ALTO (descriptive of the highest male voice; singer)
|
|
21
|
He scored South Africa runs in test (6)
|
(ZA [International Vehicle Registration for South Africa)] + R [runs]) contained in (in) MOT (Ministry of Transport test for car worthiness for most vehicles over three years old) MO (ZA R) T |
MOZART (reference Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART [1756 – 1791], Austrian composer; he scored music)
|
|
23
|
Author‘s declared baggage (8)
|
TROLLOPE (sounds like [declared] TROLLOP [prostitute]; BAGGAGE can also be defined as an immoral woman) TROLLOPE |
TROLLOPE (reference Anthony TROLLOPE [1815 – 1882], English author)
|
|
25
|
Survive having bad back (4)
|
EVIL (bad) reversed (back) LIVE< |
LIVE (survive)
|
|
26
|
Acid gets in plastic moulding (3-7)
|
Anagram of (plastic) ACID GETS IN DIE-CASTING* |
DIE-CASTING (shaping metal or plastic by casting in a metal mould).
|
|
27
|
One lacking awareness makes decision (8)
|
SENTIENCE (consciousness; awareness) excluding (lacking) I (Roman numeral for one) SENTENCE |
SENTENCE (judgment, opinion or decision)
|
|
28
|
Tester perhaps requires article in duplicate (6)
|
AN (indefinite article) contained in (in) COPY (duplicate) C (AN) OPY |
CANOPY (tester [CANOPY or its support, or both, especially over a bed.])
|
| Down | |||
|
2
|
Stopping a month in France, finally fit as a fiddle (5)
|
T (last letter of [finally] FIT) contained in (stopping (A + MAI [French for the month of May]) A MA (T) I |
AMATI (violin [fiddle] or cello made by the AMATI family [circa 1550] of Cremona)
|
|
3
|
Legal document securing land is sent (9)
|
DEED (legal document) containing (securing) LIGHT (come down from a flight; land) DE (LIGHT) ED |
DELIGHTED (thrilled; roused to ecstasy; sent)
|
|
4
|
Listen in awe, besotted with girl briefly (6)
|
Anagram of (besotted with) AWE and GIRL excluding the final letter (briefly) L EARWIG* |
EARWIG (listen in)
|
|
5
|
I don’t know what you can say after being given lift (5,3,,2,5)
|
YOU’VE GOT ME THERE (a statement of fact addressed to a driver who has taken someone to their destination) YOU’VE GOT ME THERE |
YOU’VE GOT ME THERE (I don’t know the answer to the question)
|
|
6
|
Detectives turning up in a rage stand down (8)
|
CID (Criminal Investigation Department; CID) reversed (turning up; down clue) contained in (in) (A + BATE [variant of BAIT [rage]) A B (DIC<) ATE |
ABDICATE (renounce or give up office; stand down)
|
|
7
|
Stick a wooden strip on one (5)
|
LATH (thin strip of wood) + I (Roman numeral for one) LATH I |
LATHI (long, heavy stick used as a weapon)
|
|
8
|
Shop has fresh herb, mint 50% off (9)
|
NEW (fresh) + SAGE (a herb) + NT (two of the four [half; 50%] letters of MINT) NEW SAGE NT |
NEWSAGENT (example of a shop)
|
|
14
|
Abridge long work – large book – retaining gist at heart? (9)
|
EPIC (long narrative poem [work]) excluding the final letter (abridge) C + (TOME [large book] containing [retaining] IS [middle letters of {at heart} GIST]) EPI TOM (IS) E |
EPITOMISE (condense a book while retaining its gist)
|
| 16 | Scorch by lake, getting sunburn? That involves a quack! (9) |
CHAR (scorch) + L (lake) + A TAN (sunburn) CHAR L A TAN |
CHARLATAN (someone who pretends to have special knowledge or ability, esp one who claims to have medical knowledge; a quack) |
|
17
|
Anyhow, don’t moas constitute extinct species? (8)
|
Anagram of (anyhow) DON’T MOAS MASTODON* |
MASTODON (an animal of the genus of extinct mammals resembling elephants)
|
|
20
|
Maoist periodically spies revolutionary work of art (6)
|
MOS (letters 1, 3 and 5 [periodically] of MAOIST) + CIA (Central Intelligence Agency (spies) reversed (revolutionary) MOS AIC< |
MOSAIC (the fitting together in a design of small pieces of coloured marble, glass, etc to form a work of art)
|
|
22
|
English lawyer upset training expert (5)
|
(E [English] + DA [District Attorney; American lawyer]) all reversed (upset) + PT (physical training) (AD E)< PT |
ADEPT (expert)
|
|
24
|
Heart-throb suggesting nip? (3-2)
|
PIN-UP (if you reverse [up] PIN you get NIP) PIN–UP |
PIN-UP (a person who might have their picture put on an admirer’s wall; heart-throb)
|
I knew HOT DOOFET was wrong.
Found this easy for a Klingsor, but learned a few things in solving. Didn’t know ‘tester’ could be a canopy and didn’t know ‘bate’ as slang for rage.
I really enjoyed this puzzle and agree with Hovis’ assessment that it lies towards the benign end of K’s extremely wide range. Lovely clues especially for TOWN and MOZART, but obviously with this setter not a dud to be seen.
thanks to Klingsor and DuncanShiell
Yup, all as above. I liked the miniature perfection of ‘Run and hide’ as a clue.
Yes, this was good, with some great clues, such as TOWN, PELT, WIND FARMS and MOZART. But, sorry to spoil the general air of approbation, we found some clues less than satisfactory. In 27ac the answer is not ‘one lacking awareness’ but ‘awareness lacking one’, or possibly ‘one lacking in awareness’. 5dn would have been better as ‘… what I can say …’ or ‘… what one can say …’ in our opinion. And although 14dn is &lit-ish, either ‘abridge’ or ‘retaining gist’ is doing double duty and we don’t think the questiion mark is sufficient justification for that – not that the answer wasn’t clear.
Overall, though, an enjoyable and satisfactory solve with several ‘aha’ and ‘penny-drop’ moments.
Thanks, Klingsor and Duncan
Great stuff, from which I don’t think I can pick favourites. I also found this easier-end Klingsor, even if the last few did take me ages. I learned the same new things as Hovis. My last in was SENTENCE – one lacking in awareness would have made that one much easier. Thanks to Klingsor and Duncan.
In this day and age there seems to be an increasing number of crosswords with themes, ninas, Trump, multiple pangrams and other fancy stuff.
It therefore feels like something of a relief to tackle a puzzle with none of the above, a puzzle in which the clueing itself is at the heart of it. Everything’s so precise here while there’s so much care for the surface too. As baerchen said ‘not a dud to be seen’. It almost sounds like a ‘good old fashioned crossword’, doesn’t it? But this is how I ultimately like them most, I’m afraid. No gimmicks, just quality.
Relatively easy for a Klingsor? Perhaps, but one shouldn’t ask me, I’m usually on his wavelength.
Many thanks to Klingsor & Duncan.
Not too shabby at all and thanks to John for the excellent blog.
@5 – the clue for EPITOMISE is a perfect and lit where every word contributed to both wordplay and definition.
Sorry – Duncan, not John. Duh.
I enjoyed this a lot,though it was slow progress. It took me a while to see 14d as an &lit because abridge seems a fine definition by itself.
I still find it hard to to read fodder as plural, though Im told it is legit, so in 17a I wasn’t keen on constitute vs constitutes. I have these discussions with Sil all the time.
Bate was new, but the puzzle is remarkable in the simple language in the grid, I approve enormously.
many thanks Klingsor and Duncan
My favourites were DIE-CASTING and WIND FARMS.
To Grant @4. Are you half of Quicksilver??? If you are I enjoyed your show at Saltburn 🙂
I wondered why South Africa was ZA rather than SA, and this was the reason I didn’t get a completion at first attempt. I saw where the problem was quickly enough though. I also didn’t know a Tester was a CANOPY but the wordplay left little doubt. EARWIG was my FOI followed by AMATI and ADDLE. Things slowed down then and I had to jump around the grid to get anywhere. The SW was my final corner with EPITOMISE LOI apart from changing MOSART to MOZART. Nice puzzle. Thanks Klingsor and Duncan.