After the very sad loss of Dac, formerly the regular Wednesday setter, Serpent takes the midweek slot this week
We found this a relatively easy solve for this setter, despite there being two new (to us) words / phrases which we had to check to be sure we had the parsing correct.
We always expect that there will be something going on in a Serpent puzzle, and sure enough as we were nearing the end of the solve, we spotted the nina runnuning across and down the centre of the grid. This helped us complete the last few clues, but we are not sure what relevance it has to the rest of the puzzle or to today’s date – can anyone out there enlighten us?
Across
1 Base for drilling hole in the wall behind hollow panel (8)
PLATFORM
FOR ‘drilled’ into ATM (hole in the wall) after PaneL without the middle letters or ‘hollow’
5 Fish courses are available here (6)
SCHOOL
Double definition
9 Heavenly whiff of aromatic plant (8)
ANGELICA
ANGELIC (heavenly) A (first letter or ‘whiff’ of Aromatic)
10 Lurid tone of old gay novel (3-3)
DAY-GLO
An anagram of OLD GAY – anagrind is ‘novel’
12 Struggle to find mate in black and white musical (5)
CHESS
Double definition
13 Caution daughter turning to religious teaching’s unhealthy interest in sex (9)
PRURIENCE
PRUdENCE (caution) with the ‘d’ (daughter) replaced by or ‘turned to’ RI (religious instruction or ‘teaching’)
14 Telling on bad person who’s worse than the rest (4,8)
POOR RELATION
RELATION (telling) after or ‘on’ POOR (bad)
18 Nice portrait represented someone doing something (12)
PRACTITIONER
An anagram of NICE PORTRAIT – anagrind is ‘represented’
21 Back reasonable work accommodating barrister’s initial demands for evidence (9)
SUBPOENAS
SANE (reasonable) OPUS (work) reversed or ‘backed’ round or ‘accommodating’ B (‘initial’ letter of barrister)
23 This pulse is cooked to make broth (5)
THROB
An anagram of BROTH – anagrind is ‘cooked’
24 Lives in near chaos come into being (6)
ARISEN
IS (lives) in an anagram of NEAR – angrind is ‘chaos’
25 German at risk of involuntary movement associated with old age (8)
GERONTIC
GER (German) ON (at risk of) TIC (involuntary movement) – a new word for us.
26 Article in Der Spiegel about new German locomotive (6)
ENGINE
EINE (German definite article, as would be found in ‘Der Speigel’) round N (new) G (German)
27 Pay studs perhaps to abandon resistance to a little nookie (8)
EARNINGS
EARrINGS (studs perhaps) ‘abandoning’ one ‘r’ (resistance) for N (first letter or a ‘little’ of Nookie)
Down
1 One swimming in location without current (6)
PLAICE
PLACE (location) round I (current)
2 He may thread line through needle (6)
ANGLER
A clue-as-definition – L (line) in ANGER (needle)
3 Football Association will attempt to protect right to be inadequate (4,5)
FALL SHORT
FA (Football Association) ‘LL (will) SHOT (attempt) round or ‘protecting’ R (right)
4 Moving picture range is improving following complaint (12)
RECUPERATING
An anagram of PICTURE RANGE – anagrind is ‘moving’
6 Animal from Channel Islands eating grass (5)
COATI
CI (Channel Islands) round or ‘eating’ OAT (grass)
7 Material in newspaper perhaps leads to demonstrations in England (8)
ORGANDIE
ORGAN (newspaper) + first letters or ‘leads’ to Demonstrations In England
8 Bridge opponents object following card game’s unresolved issue (5,3)
LOOSE END
S E (south and east – opponents in Bridge) END (object) following LOO (card game)
11 He fobs off a mate of Tom’s before her arrival’s been noted (5,2,5)
QUEEN OF SHEBA
An anagram of HE FOBS (anagrind is ‘off’) + A after QUEEN (‘a mate of Tom’s’ as in female and male cats)
15 A man upset about a French actor’s name (5,4)
AGENT NOUN
A GENT (man) + ON (about) reversed or ‘upset’ + UN (‘a’ in French). A new term for us!
16 Rebel when a repressive regime purges undesirables (8)
APOSTATE
A POlice STATE (oppressive regime) without or ‘purging’ ‘lice’ (undesirables)
17 Incoherent means of removing barriers to conspicuous wealth (8)
RAMBLING
RAM (‘means of removing barriers’) BLING (conspicuous wealth)
19 Fundamental thing in favour of not getting upset (6)
PROTON
PRO (in favour of) TON (‘not’ reversed or ‘getting upset’)
20 Cuba’s bothered about America – you can count on it (6)
ABACUS
An anagram of CUBAS (anagrind is ‘bothered’) round A (America)
22 This venue is going to promote poetry (5)
ODEON
ON (going) after or ‘promoting’ (in a down clue) ODE (poetry)
*anagram
1a went in as a nice easy start but what a wonderfully constructed clue. Possibly my favourite clue of the year. ‘for drilling hole in the wall’ for ATFORM then the hollow panel start – just beautiful. Also thought the anagram at 18a was particularly good.
As so often with Serpent, I ground to a halt several times then a moment of inspiration allowed me to continue. I then got really stuck and looked for a nina. This led me to get ANGELICA & SUBPOENAS and finish but couldn’t parse APOSTATE. Got the A + STATE but annoyingly couldn’t see ‘lice’ as the undesirables or even think of police state.
Wasn’t sure of ‘on’ for ‘at risk of’ in 25a but knew the word.
Was reluctant to put in ARISEN for a while thinking it was the wrong tense but decided ‘it has arisen’ means ‘it has come into being’ so was ok with it.
Thanks to Serpent and Bertandjoyce.
A nice test of the cryptic grey matter – with, as B&J say, a new word to me and them in 25a. Hopefully the Nina will b explained in due course
Thanks to Serpent and B&J
I missed the parsing of PLATFORM which I agree was very good. I did know GERONTIC and had vaguely heard of an AGENT NOUN. Still not quite sure about ON for ‘at risk of’ though.
I enjoyed the ‘her arrival’s been noted’ def. One of my favourite pieces of music – good old Handel.
I too look forward to Nina enlightenment.
Thank you to Serpent and to B&J.
I thought I’d brave a look through the various meanings of ON in my Chambers. At definition 22, I see ‘at risk of’. Doesn’t supply an example usages though.
Personally, I never expect ninas to have any necessary relevance to the crossword or day of publication. Doesn’t mean to say there isn’t one.
As with Hovis, 1ac went straight in and gets our nomination for CoD, and we also ground to a halt several times and eventually got APOSTATE (as our LOI) but couldn’t parse it.
We failed to spot the nina, but wonder if it has anything to do with the grid having basically two sides but not much connection between them.
Thanks, Serpent and B&J.
Enjoyed this and happy to complete it, though I did not spot the glaringly obvious Nina until coming here.
Thought for a bit 24a should be came into being, but stupid of me to doubt serpent, if something has arisen, it has “come into being”. Then I worried whether studs could really be described as earrings, stupid of me again, there it is in chambers. Determined to find something, perhaps the beautiful 12a isn’t really two meanings. I wonder how difficult just the first 4 words would have been as a cd? An elegant clue as is, though.
Serpent, another brilliant puzzle, many thanks. I loved drilling hole in the wall, Day-glo, throb, odeon, and many more. Thanks B&J for the Nina, well spotted.
Hovis@ 1 I echo your admiration for 1 across. For me a possible contender for the Silver Medal of 2018. At the moment I find it difficult to see anything surpassing Tramp’s “Bribe Johnny Cash” (10,5) this year!
Sorry, should have said my thanks to Serpent for the lovely puzzle and B&J for the thorough blog (15d was new to me too)
gsolphotog@7. Thanks for reminding me of that Tramp clue. It’s a beaut (and certainly a lot harder to get). In case anyone is wondering (spoiler alert) the answer was ‘protection money’.
My first Serpent. Very nice. I got stuck in the SW corner and had to resort to aids to find subpoenas. I never saw the nina nor managed to parse APOSTATE or EARNINGS so thanks for the explanations B&J.