Anglio seems to have been appearing quarterly recently. This is the first time I have blogged an Anglio and trawling through other bloggers comments, he / she seems to present a challenge.
I found this quite difficult but got there in the end. It was good to deal with a setter who doesn’t just lift definitions out of the dictionary. A bit of thought was required to identify what the definition was referring to.
One thing I really liked was the complexity of the clues in terms of component parts in the wordplay. I don’t think I’ve used so many colours in a blog for a long time.
Wordplay that stood out for me can be found in clues for SPECIFIC, RASPBERRY and, especially, FACSIMILE.
One of the long anagrams fell quickly – LIBERAL DEMOCRAT – with it’s Vince Cable reference, and that got me going in the bottom half of the grid. I also got a good foothold in the top row. Once the other long anagrams became clear, the puzzle became a bit easier.
As usual, for me, a hidden word caused more trouble than it should, so OYSTER was one of my last ones in.
I wonder how many setters would think of cluing the letter G as central Pyongyang?
Throughout the clues, some definitions were well disguised, e.g. ‘going’ at 22 across and ‘vault’ in 8 down.
Although I found it quite tough, I enjoyed the challenge, so thanks to Anglio.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Wordplay | Entry | |
|
1
|
Bug‘s beginning to crawl into cracked light (6)
|
C (first letter of [beginning to] CRAWL) contained in (into) an anagram of (cracked) LIGHT) GLIT (C) H* |
GLITCH (sudden, usually brief malfunction in a spacecraft or other equipment; bug) Many bugs in software aren’t always brief in their effect.
|
|
4
|
Peculiar and special, 101 fine diamonds sent to the West (8)
|
SP (special) + (CI [101 in Roman numerals] + F [fine] + ICE [diamonds]) all reversed (sent to West) SP (ECI F IC)< |
SPECIFIC (exclusive to; peculiar)
|
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10
|
One’s productive after successful wildcat strike? (3,4)
|
A WILDCAT is an exploratory OIL WELL If it strikes enough OIL then it will become productive OIL WELL |
OIL WELL (cryptic definition of the result a successful WILD CAT strike)
|
|
11
|
You said to go into farm yard and get dirty (7)
|
U (sounds like [said] YOU) contained in (to go into) (RANCH [farm] + Y [yard]) RA (U) NCH Y |
RAUNCHY (coarsely or openly sexual; lewd; dirty)
|
|
12
|
Shipped to a Tunisian port where no more can be taken in (10,5)
|
Anagram of (shipped) TO A TUNISIAN PORT SATURATION POINT* |
SATURATION POINT (the limit in numbers that can be taken in, provided with a living, used, sold, etc)
|
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13
|
Initially, vehicle indicates before right turn, seeing sign (5)
|
VI (first letters of [initially] each of VEHICLE and INDICATES) + R (right) + GO (turn [in a game]) VI R GO |
VIRGO (sign of the Zodiac)
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15
|
Narrow escape from new home in central Pyongyang (4,5)
|
N (new) + EARTH (our home planet or home for an animal) such as a badger or fox) + IN + G (middle letter of [central] PYONGYANG) N EAR TH IN G |
NEAR THING (narrow escape)
|
|
17
|
Care facilities in bust Somerset hospital (4,5)
|
Anagram of (bust) SOMERSET and H (hospital) REST HOMES* |
REST HOMES (care facilities)
|
|
19
|
Bishop’s overcome by joy in church grounds (5)
|
B (bishop) contained in (overcome by) GLEE (joy) GLE (B) E |
GLEBE (land attached to a parish church; church grounds)
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20
|
Disconcerted student to Cable admirer What sort of politician is he" (7,8)
|
Anagram of (disconcerted) L (student) and TO CABLE ADMIRER LIBERAL DEMOCRAT* |
LIBERAL DEMOCRAT (When this puzzle was originally blogged, Vince Cable was the leader of the LIBERAL DEMOCRAT party)
|
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22
|
Going to have the odd shower about mid-afternoon (7)
|
TE (letters 1 and 3 [odd] of THE) + (RAIN [shower] containing [about] R [central letter of [middle of] AFTERNOON]) TE R (R) AIN |
TERRAIN (the going)
|
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23
|
Heave English vessel into area of relative calm (7)
|
E (English) + (VAT [large vessel or tank] contained in [into] LEE [area of relative calm]) E LE (VAT) E |
ELEVATE (heave can be defined as ‘to lift op, usually with great effort)
|
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24
|
Allergy that may afflict bookworms occasionally (3,5)
|
HAY-on-Wye is celebrated for the annual HAY literary festival. It is also known as book town for the number of booksellers that it contains) Bookworms can get very excited (FEVERish even) if they are going there HAY FEVER |
HAY FEVER (irritation by pollen of the nose, throat, etc, with sneezing and headache; an allergy to grass pollen in particular)
|
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25
|
Regrets you had about eating seafood (6)
|
OYSTER reversed (about) and hidden in (eating) REGRETS YOU OYSTER< |
OYSTER (seafood)
|
|
Down |
|||
| 1 |
Cover up defeat in attempt to gain support from leaders in volatile eastern region (5,4)
|
(LOSS [defeat] contained in [in] GO [attempt]) + VER (first letters of [leaders in] each of VOLATILE, EASTERN and REGION) G (LOSS) O VER |
GLOSS OVER (explain away; render more acceptable; cover up)
|
|
2
|
Body of water that could be the source of the Nile? (5)
|
Anagram of (could be) T (first letter of [source of] THE) and NILE INLET* |
INLET (body of water)
|
| 3 | Some repertoire, eh? Chef turns up with toast! (7) |
CHEERIO (reversed [turns up] hidden word in [some] REPERTOIRE EH CHEF) CHEERIO< |
CHEERIO (a word meaning ‘good health’ often used as a toast) |
|
5
|
Port Vale, lacking leadership or sense, compromised individual player (8,6)
|
Anagram of (compromised) PORT and VALE excluding the first letter (lacking leadership) V and OR SENSE PERSONAL STEREO |
PERSONAL STEREO (music player for an individual)
|
| 6 | Cold drink with favourite cake (7) |
C (cold) + RUM (drink) + PET (favourite) C RUM PET |
CRUMPET (pancake made of batter, variously small and thick or large and thin in different parts of the UK; OR a small thick yeast cake with holes on the top, usually eaten hot with butter, sometimes called a muffin; |
| 7 | Image of frontrunner in Formula One – I’m supporting Lewis Hamilton essentially, note (9) |
F (first letter of [frontrunner in] FORMULA) + A (one) + CS (reference the author C S Lewis [1898 – 1963]) + I’M + IL (middle letters of [essentially] HAMILTON) + E (musical note) F A CS IM IL E
|
FACSIMILE (image) |
|
8
|
Keen, being on time to clinch the lead in pole vault (5)
|
(CRY [keen] + T (time]) containing (to clinch) P (first letter of [lead in] POLE) CRY (P) T |
CRYPT (vault)
|
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9
|
New blue lamp? I don’t fancy shade on top (8,6)
|
Anagram of (fancy) N (new) and BLUE LAMP I DON’T PLATINUM BLONDE* |
PLATINUM BLONDE (descriptive of a lady with a distinctive silver blond hair colour; shade on top)
|
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14
|
Plant in area maintained by conservationists about to be pulled up extremely roughly (9)
|
A (area) contained in (maintained by) RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds; conservationists) + RE (with reference to; about) reversed (to be pulled up; down clue) + RY (first and last letters of [extremely] ROUGHLY) R (A) SPB ER< RY |
RASPBERRY (plant)
|
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16
|
Wonderful piece of music Elgar originally penned – a stellar composition (5,4)
|
E (first letter of [originally] ELGAR) contained in (penned) (GREAT [wonderful] + BAR [short piece of music] (GREAT B (E) AR) |
GREAT BEAR (constellation; stellar composition)
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18
|
Non-woody plants shoot in this place (7)
|
BAG (kill game by shooting) contained in (in) HERE (this place) HER (BAG) E |
HERBAGE (herbaceous vegetation covering the ground; non-woody plant)
|
| 19 | More shocking drug reportedly found in market (7) |
GROCERY (sounds like [reportedly] [GROSSER {more shocking}] + E [ecstasy {drug}]) GROCERY |
GROCERY (a store found in a market)
|
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20
|
Ultimately woeful character one ignored in bar (5)
|
L (final letter of [ultimately] WOEFUL) + AITCH (the letter H) excluding (ignored) I (Roman numeral for one) L ATCH |
LATCH (fastening; bar)
|
| 21 | Find joint when taking rubbish outside (5) |
AS (when) contained in (taking … outside) ROT (rubbish) RO (AS) T |
ROAST (reference a joint of ROAST meat)
|
Great puzzle. Many thanks to Anglio & duncanshiell
Fantastic workout. Thanks for explaining HAY FEVER. Thought it might be some reference to the Noël Coward play, but that didn’t really work. There’s a typo in blog for 20a – ADMITTED -> ADMIRER.
Thanks to Anglio and Duncan.
Hovis @ 2
Thanks – blog corrected
Mirsten Choiple, as Afferbeck Lauder might have said.
A challenge but some lovely clues, having jumbled me letters in OYSTER without realising, was struggling in the SE, especially since trying to doggedly shoehorn in ‘eye’ somewhere for the relative calm in 23a.
Thanks Anglio and duncanshiell.
This took some work but was rewarding to solve.
Parsing FACSIMILE was a challenge, and like Hovis @2 I didn’t get HAY FEVER. Nor did I manage OILWELL without looking up the wildcat.
GLEBE was new to me (or, more likely, forgotten) but the wordplay was friendly.
My favourite clue was the RAUNCHY one and I also liked SPECIFIC and CRYPT.
Thanks to Anglio and Duncan.
That took me a long time and I failed on the parsing of 10a (didn’t know the wildcat) and 7d where I missed the reference to CS Lewis.
I rather liked the bishop overcome by joy and the regrets after eating seafood.
Thanks to Anglio and to Duncan for the blog – which must have taken a long time to compile!
Most of this went in steadily and smoothly before grinding to a halt with three unsolved in the SE corner; all that came to mind for 19dn was ‘grosser’ and it took ages to think it could be two homophones together. Once that was sorted 23ac and 25ac fell into place. Favourites today were the long anagrams.
Thanks, Anglio and Duncan
Thanks to all for the comments – always interesting to read. I’m glad the puzzle was enjoyable.
And thanks to Duncan for his comments, and for his very detailed blog.
And I am a he.