I don’t think I’ve ever attempted a Serpent puzzle that disappointed. This one certainly didn’t.
Sometimes I look at a blog I’ve done after it’s published and think:
Cor blimey. That doesn’t give a feeling of the solving experience. You can read that analysis in about 5 minutes and think the puzzle was solved in a similar time.
I want to assure you this puzzle took a great deal of time – and effort – and sorting out the wordplay sometimes takes ages afterwards – many bits only coming clear on third or fourth thought while writing the blog.
Here is what I noted while solving:
Solving Order : 13 8? 10 24 23 28 30 20 17 26/27 4 5 15 14 24a 24d 19 : First pass 12 to go : 7 6 29? 18? 16? 22 21? 1d 11/3 2 9 1a
All those “?” indicating various levels of uncertainty. Let’s face it I’m rarely totally sure.
So it took a while to solve – but it was great mind-stretching fun.
And then after solving – looking at the finished puzzle I realised spelled out across it there is:
“CAPTAIN BEEF HEART” (9 12 13) “TROUT MASK REPLICA” (24 25 29)
Well I never. Checking, I found that today is the anniversary of this album – First Released on June 16, 1969
Serpent must’ve specifically baggsied this day.
So then it took a while to blog – blogging while listening to this album – not recommended – but like many things – irresistible [YouTube link at foot of blog has the entire thing (I think) ]
Frankly I’d forgotten how crazy it is – then phrases sing out at me from the past – e.g. “fast & bulbous”
There’s a relatively recent “Great Lives” from Radio 4 where Vic Reeves nominates Beefheart as a “Great Life” which may serve as a more gentle introduction to his life and music. Don’t worry, early on Matthew Paris asks if his was really a “great” life. Link
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CONFRONTATIONAL | 6 of 22 not repeatedly wanting trouble (15) (OF CRANIAL (22) NOT NOT)* AInd: Incoherent (6). First clue read – Last one in. After each crossing letter I reappraised this clue to no avail. Hardly surprising given both 6 and 22 did not get solved till late on either. Even then I think it was simply the only word that fitted and then making the wordplay fit. Really, really difficult 1 Across – quite right. |
| 9 | CAPTAIN | Beat twice without beginning to increase lead (7) CAP (beat) T[w]AIN (twice) without the W that is the beginning of Without (?!). This is making “without” do double duty, and the “to increase” looks spare. Later: CAP (beat) TAN (beat) beat twice! around I[ncrease]. Makes more sense Unsurprisingly after all that – this was the Penultimate answer to fall |
| 10 | RICOTTA | Is this really an ingredient of haricot tagine? (7) Hidden in haRICOT TAgine with a humerous &Lit def. By comparison one of the earliest solved |
| 11/3 | RAILROAD | Force into performing tracks in Las Vegas (8) Double Def |
| 12 | BEEF | Muscle complaint (4) Double Def |
| 13 | HEART | Listen to opening of toccata for organ (5) HEAR T[occata] First one in. |
| 15 | ARSONIST | Fear son is trying to apprehend criminal (8) (Well) Hidden in feAR SON IS Trying. This was a well hidden hidden. “Arson” and “Arsonist” are common answers in 15×15 grids – it must be something about the way common letters fall alternately. |
| 16 | GRIFTS | Swindles in US Government associated with First Amendment (6) G[overnment] FIRST* AInd: amendment. One of the last I got. Stuck thinking First Amendment just delivered an “A” |
| 19 | HUBRIS | Arrogance of British leaving rubbish all over the place (6) (RUBBISH – B[ritish])* AInd: all over the place. The last one I got on the first pass. I had failed on one solve attempt with no crossers, but with the B and the I it seemed obvious |
| 21 | PINNACLE | Tip salt into wooden box (8) NACL (NaCl – Salt) inside (box) PINE (wooden). Love NaCl but not sure about Pine from “wooden” – just “wood” would’ve been clearer? |
| 24 | TROUT | Unpleasant woman‘s right to be defended by solicitor (5) R[ight] inside TOUT (solicitor). Is this non-PC, or not? (Is that a double negative, or … ?) |
| 25 | MASK | Screen request to get married first (4) M[arried] ASK (request) |
| 26/27 | LARKSPUR | Plant high fliers go after, wanting to prosecute (8) LARKS (high fliers) PUR[sue] (go after, minus SUE (prosecute)) |
| 28 | RADIATE | Shed light on collecting data I lost (7) (DATA I)* AInd: lost , inside RE (on) |
| 29 | REPLICA | Copy is returned after chief accountant replaces editor (7) REPLIED (returned) swap ED[itor] for CA (Chief Accountant). Didn’t get the theme til I got this – then found I had all the other elements of the theme so it didn’t help much |
| 30 | MONTE CARLO RALLY | Automotive event involved clean motor demonstration (5,5,5) (CLEAN MOTOR)* AInd: involved, then RALLY (demonstration) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | COCKROACH | Shifted rock with outside of trainer to reveal insect (9) (ROCK)* AInd: shifted, inside COACH (trainer) |
| 2 | NAPKINS | Wipes raised surfaces surrounding island in empty kitchen (7) I[sland] inside K[itche]N all inside NAPS (raised surfaces) |
| 4 | NONSENSE | Negative response three out of four bridge players doubled is rubbish (8) NO (negative response) NSE NSE (rest of wordplay). A Charade! I thought there was an anagram going on here but “nonsense” is the answer |
| 5 | ADRIFT | Plug gaping hole off course (6) AD (plug) RIFT (gaping hole) |
| 6 | INCOHERENT | Hear 7 lines in 13 books jumbled (10) HE[ar] (7 = not half) inside (lines) IN CORE (in heart – ref. 13), then NT (books). How many of us were trying to get “SON” or “NET” (i.e. half a sonnet) involved in the wordplay? |
| 7 | NOT HALF | Very much what one would expect from an unfair split (3,4) Cryptic Def. Alan “Fluff” Freeman not forgotten: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hyvby25HWh0 |
| 8 | LEANT | Allow housing association’s case to be listed (5) A[ssociatio]N inside (case, cased by) LET (allow) Edit: As Sil points out at Comment #5 the Insertion Indication is “housing” and “case” indicates the outside characters of association: LET (allow) around [housing] A[ssociatio]N. |
| 14 | INFILTRATE | Sneak into enemy camp and learn if it’s prepared to accept end to conflict (10) (LEARN IF IT + [conflic]T)* AInd: prepared |
| 17 | SPEAKEASY | Hold forth a piece of cake in form of bar (9) SPEAK (hold forth) EASY (a piece of cake) |
| 18 | MINSTREL | Bard potentially starts to redefine theatre with Macbeth’s opening lines (8) (R[edefine] T[heatre] and M[acbeth] and LINES)* AInd: potentially |
| 20 | BROADEN | Open up highway through Scottish mountain (7) ROAD (highway) inside BEN (Scottish mountain) |
| 22 | CRANIAL | Bend back nail, messing with the inside of one’s head (7) ARC< (bend, back) NAIL* AInd: messing – hang on … it’s only the AI swapped as indicated by “messing with the inside” |
| 23 | AMOEBA | Regularly harms one’s brat, being confined to a single cell (6) Alternate letters of hArMs OnE’s BrAt |
| 24 | THRUM | Droning noise cut short president holding forth in the end (5) [fort]H inside TRUM[p] (cut short president) |
YouTube link:
Working with no printer I missed the Punch line.Rather annoying as I have the vinyl. Well I believe the vinyl is inside the cover which is the main thing. But the audio can clear the house of unwanted guests although as one setter once said it goes against the Geneva convention.
A hard slog, but the challenge was gratefully received. Spotted BEEF HEART early on, which helped me get CAPTAIN but didn’t know the album. Struggled to parse LARKSPUR and to get PINNACLE & GRIFTS but all got eventually. Thought the surface to 14d was magnificently constructed.
Thanks to Serpent and beermagnet.
Yes, a hard slog but we got there (well, almost) in the end – we had ‘binnacle’ for 21ac, which seemed reasonable for the box holding a ship’s compass, although ‘bine’ – the stem of a climbing plant – for ‘wooden’ seemed to be stretching things a bit. Don’t know why we didn’t think of PINNACLE.
But this was definitely a case of two heads being better than one, particularly sorting out some of the parsing – e.g. 1ac, but at least the other long answer was a write-in.
CoD for us has to be 1ac for its deviousness.
Thanks, Serpent and beermagnet
Quite a slog, especially the right half of the grid, and there were many I guessed without being able to parse, and I ended up using the check answers facility in the end, just to verify my guesses. I notice CAPTAIN BEEFHEAR in the grid. I knew the name but certainly had never heard of the album.
Excellent crossword.
I will not use the word ‘slog’ [oops, I did 🙂 ], simply because it wasn’t one for me.
I must admit I made one costly mistake, having MIST instead of MASK in 25ac: M (married) + 1ST. Couldn’t see what ‘request’ was doing there. Doh!
So, no ‘Trout Mask Replica’ for me, didn’t see Captain Beefheart either.
When I was at university, he divided opinions. I wasn’t into that kind of American music. After I got older he could still not enter my wish list. Ah, well.
So many good clues that are right up my street of which perhaps 8d was one of the best. The blog’s parsing is somewhat confusing. Perhaps, beermagnet, you meant the right thing, but it should read: LET (allow) around [housing] A[ssociatio]N.
Many thanks to beermagnet & Serpent.
You’re absolutely correct Sil, I got the wordplay at 8d ‘assn. about case’. Now corrected
People keep telling me about Serpent puzzles, but I’m ashamed to admit this was the first one I’ve tackled. What joy!
Absolutely loved it, and got the Nina, despite only vaguely remembering the album – twas my brother who was into Beefheart, really.
Loads of terrific surface readings, but would have to mention 16a, 21a, 1d, 8d, 14d & 18d.
Might just go in search of the back catalogue…
A late post, but yes a hard one and I spotted Trout Mask and expected Replica. Found it but couldn’t remember the band until I looked up the grid a bit…. My faves were Love. Thanks to Serpent for a gruelling workout and to Beermagnet for all the links in the blog.
Many thanks to beermagnet for the great blog and to everyone that has been kind enough to comment.
Not that anyone will notice at this late juncture but 7d is a double definition. Not half = Very much. Liked this very much. Not half! But had to come here for many parses. And completely failed to get the theme. Brilliant. Thanks Serpent and Beermagnet