Thanks to Crux for a very enjoyable solve today. It’s a great pleasure to still be in Costa Rica doing the blog at leisure in the early evening rather than rushing to finish it in the morning!
A couple of clues required us to double check our knowledge, like BAT ON as a cricketing term, CAIRN as a terrier, and the premise of LEAR (we should have known this). We seemed to be on the right path to a speedy solve but got embarrassingly stuck on ACNED and URGES! Just not thinking the right way…
Some of our favourites from today include LUMBAR PUNCTURE, REALM and ANDROGENS.
Thank you Crux!
Across
1 How back numbers may be introduced (6,8)
LUMBAR PUNCTURE
Cryptic definition
10 Headless talisman worn about the neck (5)
ASCOT
[m]ASCOT (talisman, headless)
Ascot is a type of tie
11 One takes the lead, it’s assumed by churchmen (3,6)
DOG COLLAR
Double definition
12 Napoleon’s victory we associate with chicken (7)
MARENGO
Cryptic definition
Marengo is a Napoleonic victory and also a French chicken dish
13 Pacify toddlers initially going in all directions (7)
SWEETEN
T[oddlers] (initially) going in SWEEEN (all directions, south, west, east x3, north)
14 Lear unfortunately started madness by dividing it up (5)
REALM
(LEAR)* (*unfortunately) +M[adness] (started) &lit
16 English grandson troubled with his hormones (9)
ANDROGENS
(E (English) + GRANDSON)* (*troubled)
19 It’s Royal Duke! Rest collapse after Canal Turn (9)
LANCASTER
(REST)* (*collapse) after (CANAL)* (turn)
20 Our wants are regularly sad here on retreat (5)
NEEDS
(S[a]D [h]E[r]E [o]N)< (regularly, <retreat)
22 Fashion model in charge of musical (7)
MELODIC
(MODEL)* (*fashion) + IC (in charge)
25 How confused people get during a revolution (2,1,4)
IN A SPIN
Double definition
27 Taking ship is crazy after mid- December (9)
EMBARKING
BARKING (crazy) after [dec]EM[ber] (mid)
28 Pain in this conceals a possible hole of course (5)
NINTH
[pai]N IN TH[is] (conceals)
29 Instructions to banks to dispense wth chairs? (8,6)
STANDING ORDERS
Cryptic definition
Down
2 A French banker (Asian, oddly) is in two minds (9)
UNCERTAIN
UN (a French) + CERT (banker) + A[s]I[a]N (oddly)
3 Stick! Don’t declare! (5)
BATON
BAT ON (don’t declare, in cricket)
4 Drama is to broadcast, via this presumably (5,4)
RADIO MAST
(DRAMA IS TO)* (*broadcast) &lit
5 Desires you prefer, ignoring the consequences, finally (5)
URGES
[yo]U [prefe]R [ignorin]G [th]E [consequence]S (finally)
6 Open up? The contrary of what failing shops do (5,4)
CLOSE DOWN
Double definition
7 Shady place to sleep in Paris (5)
UNLIT
UN LIT (a bed in French)
8 Messages go wrong and start to scramble (7)
ERRANDS
ERR (go wrong) + AND + S[cramble] (start to)
9 More composed Man’s Own Destiny, we’re told (6)
CALMER
“karma” (man’s own destiny, we’re told)
15 Wound caused by selfish act? That’s about right (9)
MEANDERED
MEAN DEED (selfish act) about R (right)
17 The German operas perform heroic feats (7-2)
DERRING-DO
DER (the, German) + RING (operas) + DO (perform)
18 Something startling I heard, Frank’s to meet the Queen! (3- 6)
EYE-OPENER
EYE (“I”, heard) + OPEN (frank) to meet ER (the queen)
19 Let’s adopt a naughty kid – they can form strong attachments (7)
LIMPETS
LETS adopt IMP (a naughty child)
21 Susan chose to take in Don’s companion (6)
SANCHO
[su]SAN CHO[se] (to take in)
Don Quixote had a squire called Sancho Panza
23 Political party requires artist to create a sign (5)
LIBRA
LIB (political party) requires RA (artist)
24 Gormless mountain dog (5)
CAIRN
Cairn Gorm is a Scottish mountain
26 Spotted potential in dance (5)
ACNED
(DANCE)* (*potential in)
I found 6dn CLOSE DOWN rather feeble by Crux’s high standards. But that’s a quibble — it was a good solve. Thanks Crux and Teacow.
Thanks both.
I thought LUMBAR PUNCTURE was good and misleading.
Thanks to Crux and Teacow. I did finish but without parsing all the answers. I did not know CAIRN as a mountain, bat on-BATON as a cricket term, or “cert” as a banker, and I needed all the crossers and much time to get LUMBAR PUNCTURE (a great clue).
Thank you. I don’t understand how “Calmer” and “Karma” are homophones.
@Mike, just ask someone from Boston, MA to say “calmer”
Old joke, guy visiting his friend in Boston tells him “I had a car crash”, friend replies “so did you get some ointment for it?”
Thanks Crux and Teacow
A good Monday puzzle in which clues fell constantly but not always easily.
Finished with SANCHO (a well hidden hidden clue), ACNED (didn’t realise that it could be an adjective) and LUMBAR PUNCTURE (a tricky cryptic definition, especially if one wasn’t aware of the procedure).
I enjoyed this. Some great clues. I was about to ask for help with Lumbar Puncture, which I guessed but couldn’t explain. It’s just come to me while typing! Really clever. Am now comfortably numb…
I still don’t understand LUMBAR PUNCTURE. If anyone would care to explain, it would put me out of my misery.
Hi Faz. I believe the trick is thinking about the difference between numbers as in 1, 2, 3 and numbers as in that which causes numbness or unfeeling.
OH! Right. Just couldn’t read past the superficial meaning of ‘numbers’. This is the problem with being a mathematician. Thank you!