Here I am with my last blog of 2018, and it is indeed a good long while since it has fallen to me to blog a puzzle by Knut.
A nice medium-difficulty puzzle, perfect for a lazy day between Christmas and New Year, when there are plenty of taxing seasonal crosswords to be solved.
The political reference at 3 was new to me, as was the word for “rabbi” at 7. I have not come across “IV” as an abbreviation specifically for “intravenous drip” before. My favourite clues today were 1A, for originality; 13, for the inclusion of the names of two footballers; and 25, for surface.
Many thanks to the Indy setters whose puzzles I have blogged in 2018. I am already looking forward to the cruciverbal challenges that 2019 will bring.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | SNEAK THIEF | Harry Kane in kinky fetish clothing – he’s got some hot booty!
*(KANE) in *(FETISH); “harry (=torment)” and “kinky” are anagram indicators |
| 06 | SMUG | Heartless Tolkein monster looking pleased with itself
SM<a>UG (=Tolkein monster, i.e. a dragon in The Hobbit); “heartless” means the middle letter is dropped |
| 10 | ADEPT | Skilful can-do expats regularly getting wasted
<c>A<n>-D<o>E<x>P<a>T<s>; “regularly” getting wasted” means (here) that odd letters are dropped |
| 11 | RARE EARTH | Bloody heart-breaking discovery in Ytterby?
RARE (=bloody, of steak) + *(HEART); “-breaking” is anagram indicator; the village of Ytterby in Sweden is where a number of rare earth elements – ytterbium, erbium, .. – were first discovered |
| 12 | BLIGHTY | “Home Country” – answer to crossword clue in Times
LIGHT (=answer to crossword clue) in BY (=times, multiplied by) |
| 13 | LATER ON | Özil ate Ronaldo’s sandwiches afterwards
Hidden (“sandwiches”) in “öziL ATE RONaldo” |
| 14 | ENGINE DRIVER | Plan for doctor with intravenous drip to visit one going loco?
[DR (=driver) + IV (=intravenous drip)] in ENGINEER (=plan for); the “loco” of the definition is a locomotive |
| 18 | STORAGE SPACE | Tempers speed after second time over external drive?
S (=second) + T (=time) + O (=over, on cricket scorecard) + RAGES (=tempers) + PACE (=speed) |
| 21 | RHENISH | Hock his ‘n’ her rolls
*(HIS ‘N’ HER); “rolls” is anagram indicator; hock is a Rhenish wine |
| 23 | RAPHAEL | Jacob’s wife turned on hip hop artist
RAP (=hip hop) +HAEL (LEAH=Jacob’s wife, in OT; “turned on” indicates reversal); the reference is to Italian artist Raphael (1483-1520) |
| 24 | CRITERION | Key interior design standard
C (=key, in music) + *(INTERIOR); “design” is anagram indicator |
| 25 | TALON | Time to replace head of hairdressing business, in part to make savage cuts
SALON (=hairdressing business); “time (=T) to replace head of” means letter “t” replaces “s” at beginning of “salon” |
| 26 | DOGE | Pursue English magistrate to Venice
DOG (=pursue) + E (=English) |
| 27 | TIMOR LESTE | Asian State lotteries going bust, swallowing millions
M (=millions) in *(LOTTERIES); “going bust” is anagram indicator |
| Down | ||
| 01 | SHABBY | Quiet monastery, energy disconnected, needing renovation
SH (=quiet, as instruction) + ABB<e>Y (“energy (=E) disconnected” means letter “e” is dropped) |
| 02 | EMETIC | Nauseating, upsetting item in the City
*(ITEM) in EC (=the City); “upsetting” is anagram indicator; “emetic” here is an adjective meaning “causing vomiting”, hence “nauseating” |
| 03 | KITCHEN CABINET | Whence came the knives to stab Harold Wilson’s advisers?
Cryptic definition: the term “Kitchen Cabinet” was first used to describe the team of advisers to UK PM Harold Wilson in his first term |
| 04 | HARRY LIME | Celebrated character of Greene King: fruity flavour
HARRY (=king, i.e. Henry) + LIME (=fruity flavour); the reference is to the character created by British author Graham Greene for the film/novella The Third Man (1949) |
| 05 | ENROL | Resistance leader in solitary confinement turned up to register
R<esistance> (“leader” means first letter only) in LONE (=solitary); “turned up” indicates vertical reversal |
| 07 | MARGRAVE | German nobleman introducing rabbi to Mrs Simpson
RAV (=rabbi, teacher) in MARGE (=Mrs Simpson, in The Simpsons) |
| 08 | GO HUNGRY | Serve up your wildebeest, pig – fast!
YR (=your, abbreviated) + GNU (=wildebeest) + HOG (=pig); “serve up” indicates – here full – vertical reversal |
| 09 | VENTURE CAPITAL | I’ve cut parental involvement in risky investment
*(I’VE CUT PARENTAL); “involvement” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | ESPERANTO | Vespers, cantos not covered in common language
<v>ESPER<s> <c>ANTO<s>; “not covered” means first and last letters are dropped |
| 16 | OSTRACOD | Shellfish overdose; Castro’s thrown up
*(OD (=overdose) + CASTRO); “thrown up” is anagram indicator; an ostracod is one of a class of minute crustacea with bivalve shells |
| 17 | HOVERING | Sussex town band suspended
HOVE (=Sussex town) + RING (=band, circle) |
| 19 | DALLAS | Tossed salad infused with liberal quantity of oil produced here
L (=liberal) in *(SALAD); “tossed” is anagram indicator |
| 20 | GLANCE | Good, fine material capturing new look
G (=good) + [N (=new) in LACE (=fine material)] |
| 22 | HAITI | Hot, small island, Hispaniola’s second republic
H (=hot, as on tap) + AIT (=small island) + <h>I<spaniola> (“second” means second letter only) |
23 was a gem.
Very entertaining, perhaps a tad above medium in difficulty. Loved 1A, 27A – not the first Asian state to come to mind – 4D, 7D. Now I know where ytterbium got its name.
2D I parsed “upsetting item” as indicating reversal than an anagram, thus <ITEM in EC.
16D I think is OD with CASTRO cast (anagram indicator) up ie above OD, even though that is mentioned first.
Thanks to Knut and RatkojaRiku.
Enjoyable as ever, even when solving the hideous “game” on the phone.
Thanks to Knut and RR
We struggled with this a bit, having to resort to wordfinder/anagram solver help in the SW quadrant, as well as googling Asian country names for 27ac. But there were relatively easy clues as well, and we particularly liked RHENISH and RAPHAEL.
Thanks, Knut and RatkojaRiku.
I’d agree with ‘very entertaining’ Thanks to Knut and RR
Minor error in blog for 14a. DR = Doctor not Driver.
I took “upsetting” in 2d to mean vertical reversal rather than just an anagram. Could take the same view for “tossed” in 19d.
Loved “answer to crossword clue in Times” for BLIGHTY.
Thanks to Knut and RatkojaRiku.
I was utterly thrown by 23ac having prematurely celebrated knowing Rachel was Jacob’s wife in the bible – clearly he had two!
many thanks to RR for the blog and to those who have commented. A minor point, but the intention behind the use of “upsetting” and “tossed” in down clues is to indicate reversals rather than anagrams (as suggested by Hovis).
I wish everyone a happy new year; see you in 2019!
warmest regards, Rob/Knut
Very late to this today but had to record my thanks to Knut for another super puzzle and to RR for a great blog.
My favourite clue today just had to be 8dn. Regular readers here will know that I cannot see the words ‘wildebeest’ or GNU without providing this link – I’m sorry, it’s automatic.