An enjoyable workout from Orense this morning.
Much better fare than the last two Orense puzzles that I have had to blog.
Some excellent surfaces, and a couple of nice misdirections without being overly difficult (the most obscure answer being CALTROPS which is not that obscure)
Thanks Orense
| Across | ||
| 1 | CLAIRVOYANT | Seeing the future of a vicar only upset them initially (11) |
| *(a vicar only) + T(hem) [initially] | ||
| 7 | CUT | Cold shoulder – of lamb? (3) |
| Double definition where “shoulder” does double duty, as the second part of COLD SHOULDER (“cut”) and as the first part of SHOULDER OF LAMB (“cut) | ||
| 9 | LARGO | Slow student has a right turn (5) |
| L (learner, so “student”) has A R (right) GO (“turn”) | ||
| 10 | DISHONEST | Bent receiver must have one way (9) |
| DISH (“receiver” as in satellite dish) must have ONE ST. (street, so “way”) | ||
| 11 | RASPBERRY | Scrape by, accepting blunder could be a show of contempt (9) |
| RASP (“scrape”) BY accepting ERR (“blunder”) | ||
| 12 | HATCH | Minor problem with answer for one opening (5) |
| H(i>A)TCH (“minor problem” with A (answer) replacing [for] I (one)) | ||
| 13 | POLICED | Kept control of parasites in whales (7) |
| LICE (“parasites”) in POD (“whales”) | ||
| 15 | DOOM | Low returns on diamonds must mean inevitable ruin (4) |
| <=MOO (“low” returns) on D (diamonds) | ||
| 18 | ALAS | A final cut short, unfortunately (4) |
| A LAS(t) (“final”, cut short) | ||
| 20 | KHEDIVE | Viceroy, king and ambassador in front of disreputable club (7) |
| K (king) + HE (His Excellence, so “ambassador”) in front of DIVE (“disreputable club”) | ||
| 23 | ATOMS | A cat’s tiny bits (5) |
| A TOM’S (“cat’s”) | ||
| 24 | HONEY TRAP | Polish group rejected seductive scheme (5,4) |
| HONE (“polish”, as in “hone one’s skills”) + <=PARTY (“group”, rejected) | ||
| 26 | PAPER CLIP | FT magazine article found in office? (5,4) |
| PAPER (“FT”) + CLIP (“magazine”) | ||
| 27 | CATER | Supply food for a disheartened type in credit (5) |
| A [disheartened] T(yp)E in CR (credit) | ||
| 28 | NOD | Show agreement, backing academic type (3) |
| <=DON (“academic type”, backing) | ||
| 29 | STRING ALONG | Offer false hope to new girl’s agent on lacking energy (6,5) |
| *(girls agnt on) where AGNT is “agent” lacking E (energy) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CALTROPS | US state exercise set up ancient weapons (8) |
| Cal. (California, so “state”) + <=SPORT (“exercise”, set up)
Caltrops were iron balls with four spikes, fashioned in such a way that one spike always pointed up, which were placed in such a way as to impede the progress of horses or vehicles. |
||
| 2 | AEROSOLS | Sprays also designed to protect painful back (8) |
| *(also) to protect <=SORE (“painful”, back) | ||
| 3 | RHOMB | Figure house doctor should support Republican (5) |
| HO (“house”) + MB (Bachelor of Medicine, so “doctor”) should support R (Republican) | ||
| 4 | ORDERED | Reserved and rode off looking embarrassed (7) |
| *(rode) + RED (“looking embarrassed”) | ||
| 5 | ASSAYED | Tested when on top of state education (7) |
| AS (“when”) on top of SAY (“state”) + ED (“education”) | ||
| 6 | TOOTHSOME | Tasty – to an unspecified number eating hot stew (9) |
| TO SOME (“an unspecified number”) eating *(hot) | ||
| 7 | CHEATS | Cougars will accept he does (6) |
| CATS (“cougars”) will accept HE | ||
| 8 | TETCHY | Easily irritated, one leaves the City in turmoil (6) |
| *(the cty) where CTY is “city” after I (one) leaves | ||
| 14 | COLD SORES | Pass poor dosser getting such blisters (4,5) |
| COL (“pass”) + *(dosser) | ||
| 16 | LIBRETTO | British Rail originally invested in new toilet book (8) |
| BR (British Rail, initially) invested in *(toilet) | ||
| 17 | LEAPFROG | Advance making progress on the backs of others (8) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 19 | SCHOLAR | Student son’s arrest reported (7) |
| S (son) + homophone of [reported] COLLAR (“arrest”) | ||
| 20 | KINGPIN | Family doctor at home is number one in team (7) |
| KIN (“family”) + G.P. (“doctor”) + IN (“at home”) | ||
| 21 | DAMPEN | Discourage study covering a politician (6) |
| DEN (“study”) covering A M.P. (“politician”) | ||
| 22 | TORPID | Drop it off, being sluggish (6) |
| *(drop it) | ||
| 25 | YUCCA | Plant seen in your cocoa, intermittently (5) |
| Y(o)U(r)C(o)C(o)A [intermittently] | ||
*anagram
Thanks Orense and loonapick
I thought that it was a much better puzzle than his last one as well … and a tad more difficult. It drew an error with me at 12a where I had HITCH and for the life of me couldn’t make sense out of the second part of the clue – damn !
Didn’t think that there was any double use of ‘shoulder’ required in 7a – had the first def as ‘cold shoulder’ and the second as any cut of lamb (with the ? indicating that lamb was one example – it could be a cut of beef, pork, etc.)
Both CALTROPS and KHEDIVE were new terms.
Finished well after my usual coffee time in the SE corner with KINGPIN (quite clever), that KHEDIVE and well constructed HONEY TRAP as the last one in.
I couldn’t finish this before breakfast, which always annoys me. However, I got there in the end with no complaints. Most enjoyable, thanks, Orense and loonapick
CALTROPS and KHEDIVE were new (and more than obscure enough for me) though wordplay made both gettable.
I liked LEAPFROG and HONEY TRAP, but TORPID is the word I most closely identify with.
Thanks to Orense and loonapick.
Thanks to Orense and loonapick. I somehow dredged up CALTROPS and KHEDIVE but paused over clip=magazine in PAPER CLIP and was delayed by starting with kindred rather than KINGPIN.
Personally, I took CLIP to be magazine article with ‘found in office’ as the definition. Not sure clip and magazine are synonymous in the bullet sense.
Gentler than Paul’s toughie in the Graun but fun.One error for me, CALTRAPS for CALTROPS. LOI 17d.
Neat and quite straightforward, but DNK CALTROPS or KHEDIVE so had to trust to the wordplay.
Just noting that PAPER CLIP was also an answer to Aadvark’s puzzle yesterday, and also in the SW quadrant. I enjoy that kind of coincidence … or synchronicity?
@Hovis in 5 – There’s not much between the OED definitions of Clip and Magazine as cartridge receptacles. Paper Clip is the article found in office in this interpretation.