Tees has provided our second puzzle of 2019 and my first opportunity to blog.
After some rather taxing Christmas puzzles, it was a relief to find Tees’ latest puzzle here today, to ease us gently into the return to work.
I think that I have solved and parsed the puzzle correctly, but I would appreciate input on 8 and 16.
My favourites today were 2, for originality; 3, for concision; 24, for its cleverly hidden definition; and 15 and above all 17, for smoothness of surface. The entries at 4, 12 and 22 were new to me – my first new words of 2019!
All in all, an enjoyable start to solving and blogging in 2019!
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | BLIND SPOT | Hazard for driver is pond collapsing in Sandwich
*(IS POND) in BLT (=sandwich, i.e. bacon lettuce and tomato); “collapsing” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | IBIS | One has large bill, heading for insolvency again
I<nsolvency> (“heading for” means first letter only) + BIS (=again, twice, in music) |
| 10 | NAURU | Westbound vessel ships gold in 21 location
AU (=gold, i.e. a chemical formula) in NRU (URN=vessel; “westbound” indicates reversal); Nauru is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, hence “Oceania (=entry at 21) location” |
| 11 | APATHETIC | Note way it makes return in City without interest
A (=note, in music) + PATH (=way) + ETIC (TI (IT; “makes return” indicates reversal) in EC (=City)) |
| 12 | LATCHET | Old thong is discarded in rude athletics
*(ATHLET<i>C<s>); “is discarded” means letters “is” are dropped from anagram of “athletics”, indicated by “rude”; the “old” of the definition indicates that the word is obsolete |
| 13 | HARBOUR | Hotel bower provided shelter
H (=hotel) + ARBOUR (=bower, retreat) |
| 14 | SPACE INVADERS | Ascend as viper making move in game
*(ASCEND AS VIPER); “making move” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | SISTINE CHAPEL | Church in Palestine is unusual religious venue
CH (=church) in *(PALESTINE IS); “is unusual” is anagram indicator |
| 21 | OCEANIA | Sea current advanced in Orwellian superstate
OCEAN (=sea) + I (=current, in physics) + A (=advanced, as in A level); Oceania is one of the three superstates in George Orwell’s novel 1984 |
| 22 | TREPANG | Chinese food or bite taken outside theatre
REP (=theatre, i.e. repertory) in TANG (=bite, strong taste); trepang is a sea-cucumber used in oriental cuisine |
| 24 | RUINATION | Sport one associates with Land’s End
RU (=sport, i.e. rugby union) + I (=one) + NATION (=land); “end” is ruination, demise |
| 25 | RAITA | Indian recipe author read out
Homophone (“read out”) of “writer (=author)” |
| 26 | SKYE | Island finally gets link by bridge
<get>S <lin>K <b>Y <bridg>E; “finally” means last letters only are used |
| 27 | GREYHOUND | Enough dry ground for slender runner?
*(ENOUGH DRY); “ground (up)” is anagram indicator |
| Down | ||
| 01 | BONELESS | Surgeon saving man without skeleton?
LES (=man, i.e. male forename) in BONES (=surgeon, colloquially) |
| 02 | INUIT | Northerner‘s short stay in Paris hotel?
Cryptically, “1 nuit (=one night, in French)” would be a short stay in Paris hotel; the “northerner” of the definition refers to an inhabitant of the Arctic region |
| 03 | DAUGHTERS-IN-LAW | Walter had slung out relatives
*(WALTER HAD SLUNG); “out” is anagram indicator |
| 04 | PHAETON | Transport from local with no drink served up
PH (=local, i.e. public house) + AETON (NO + TEA (=drink); “served up” is anagram indicator); a phaeton is a light four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage |
| 05 | TRACHEA | Rejected expertise about hurt body part
ACHE (=hurt) in TRA (ART=expertise; “rejected” indicates reversal) |
| 07 | BOTTOMS UP | Last drink? Cheers!
BOTTOM (=last, as in to come last/bottom) + SUP (=drink) |
| 08 | SECURE | Make sure to keep vicious dog properly restrained
CUR (=vicious dog) in SEE (=make sure to, as in See that you get that job done!) |
| 09 | CHARGE THE EARTH | Demand huge amount to power planet?
CHARGE (=to power) + THE EARTH (=planet) |
| 15 | AUSTERITY | Harshness in wind over town 100 must flee
AUSTER (=wind, i.e. the South Wind) + <c>ITY (=town; “100 (=C) must flee” means letter “c” is dropped |
| 16 | OLD GUARD | Reactionaries one used to give protection on train?
Cryptically, the “old (=former) guard” would protect passengers on a train |
| 18 | IMAGING | Setter’s getting on making pictures
I’M (=setter’s, i.e. of this puzzle) + AGING (=getting on) |
| 19 | ENTENTE | Agreement achieved with three tens, minus tips
<t> EN TEN TE<n>; “minus tips” mean first and last letters are dropped when the word “ten” is written out three times |
| 20 | MORRIS | Millions root for socialist craftsman
M (=millions) + ORRIS (=root, used in perfumery); the reference is to UK designer, writer and socialist activist William Morris (1834-96), associated with the Arts and Crafts Movement |
| 23 | ADIEU | Tool cutting into metal is so long
DIE (=tool, for stamping) in AU (=metal, i.e. gold) |
Thoroughly enjoyed solving this and agree with all your likes.
A few new words for me as well. Didn’t know LATCHET. My first guess at the anagram was CHATTEL, although I was right that “thong” wasn’t some meaning unknown to me. NAURA & TREPANG were also new to me. I haven’t read Orwell (shame on me) so didn’t know the superstate but the answer was clear.
I did know PHAETON. For those that aren’t aware, it may prove useful to know that an anagram of PHAETONS is STANHOPE which is yet another type of carriage.
My one failure was Morris. I used a word fit and as soon as I saw Morris I thought “how did I miss that?”. Admittedly, I didn’t know he was also a socialist writer.
Many thanks to Tees and RatkojaRiku.
NAURU not NAURA. As usual, never spot typos until after posting.
Thanks to RatkojaRiku and Tees
Typo @ 3d WAITER rather than WALTER
I saw PROPERLY as part of the definition @ 8d
Lots to enjoy as one expects from Tees – although there were a couple of places that causes head-scratching
Thanks and Happy New Year to Tees and RR
I quite enjoyed this, though I thought there was a mix of some neat clues (14, 24) and a couple where the definitions were at best loose, eg RAITA is a dish which has a multiplicity of recipes. Both 19 & 2 have been clued similarly before.
We struggled a bit with this, particularly in the NW corner, not helped by (a) taking ages to unscramble the anagram in 3dn and (b) putting a tentative ‘postbus’ for 4dn, although we were fairly sure it was wrong. We did complete, though, LOI being RUINATION once we realised we weren’t looking for the name of a sport.
TREPANG was new to us (got from crossers and wordplay), but we did know NAURU once we dredged it up from the recesses of our joint memory, and also LATCHET (which, btw, you can find in the King James version of the Bible at Luke ch 3 v 16).
Our CoD, once we got, it was PHAETON. The name derives from Phaethon in Greek myth; he was the son of Helios, the sun god, and borrowed his father’s chariot, but as an early joy-rider he ‘lost it’ with almost catastrophic consequences for the earth.
Thanks, Tees and RatkojaRiku.
Thanks Tees – we enjoyed your first puzzle for 2019.
Thanks also to RatkojaRiku.
Happy New Year to everyone.
A pleasure as ever. I wish you all a splendid 2019.
A special thanks to Ratkoja for another great blog.