Since October we have been alternating with Duncan when it comes to blogging Serpent’s puzzles. Not that we are complaining. We have come to expect some great surfaces and some head scratching moments and this puzzle was no exception.
The grid screamed ‘NINA’ and there was one which did help us for a while but we did have to check the archaic spelling of subtle (‘subtil’). Thanks to some electronic assistance, we have found that this is a quotation from Genesis – referring to the temptation of Eve. Is this where Serpent gets his inspiration to bamboozle us all?
The COD for Joyce who is writing the blog today, was 28 across with 22 across close behind.
Across
7 Catalogue includes outside broadcast by political campaigner (8)
LOBBYIST
LIST (catalogue) around or ‘including’ OB (ouside broadcast) BY
9 Benefits of unusual saliva (6)
AVAILS
An anagram of SALIVA – anagrind is ‘unusual’
10 Rambling company employing native as bearer (10)
INCOHERENT
CO (company) with INHERENT (native) outside or ‘as bearer’
11 Career people compete to come first (4)
RACE
Triple definition
12 Short pamphlet about soldier is heartbreaking (6)
TRAGIC
TRACt (pamphlet) missing last letter or ‘short’ about GI (soldier)
14 Person to whom debt is owed by casting director (8)
CREDITOR
An anagram of DIRECTOR – anagrind is ‘casting’
15 This woman’s overcome by source of misery (7)
BANSHEE
Clue-as-definition – SHE (this woman) inside or ‘overcome by’ BANE (source of misery)
17 Joint protection once known as “inverted compact guards” (7)
KNEECAP
NEE (once known as) inside or ‘guarded by’ a reversal (‘inverted’) of PACK (compact)
20 King shuns bogus Grand Duke with no rank (8)
UNGRADED
An anagram of GRAND DUkE without ‘k’ (King) – anagrind is ‘bogus’
22 Alter ego shaving sides off beard (6)
GOATEE
An anagram of AlTEr EGO missing or ‘shaving’ L and R (left and right – ‘sides’) – anagrind is ‘off’
24 Having singular character of self-satisfied face? (4)
SMUG
Another clue-as-defintion – S (first letter or ‘single character of’ self-satisfied) MUG (face)
25 Loud noise that’s ending rant gets broadcast (10)
STENTORIAN
An anagram of NOISE, T (last letter or ‘end’ of ‘that’) and RANT – anagrind is ‘gets broadcast’
27 Stranger that is caught by on-line blunder (6)
EERIER
IE (that is) inside or ‘caught by’ E (on-line) ERR (blunder)
28 Red Manifesto ultimately appearing in Socialist Worker first (8)
BEETROOT
O (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of ‘manifesto’) appearing in TROT (Socialist) with BEE (worker) first
Down
1 12 going backwards and forwards (4)
NOON
We thought this was a clue-as-defintion with NOON (12 o’clock) being a palindrome. However a more cryptic (and correct) parsing is ON (going) first reversed or ‘backwards’ and then ON (going) ‘forwards’!
2 Try turning over around 80% of fair figure (6)
OBLONG
GO (try) reversed and outside or ‘around’ BLONd (fair) missing the last letter which leaves you 80%
3 Know-it-all lives in care we suspect (8)
WISEACRE
IS (lives) inside an anagram of CARE WE – anagrind is ‘suspect’
4 Gossip leads to The Times spiking story (6)
TATTLE
First letters or ‘leads’ to The Times inside or ‘spiking’ TALE (story)
5 Very fine area on the outskirts of Barnet? (8)
HAIRLINE
Double definition but the second one relies upon the cryptic reference to ‘Barnet’ or HAIR. Barnet is Cockney rhyming slang for hair as in Barnet Fair – a famous horse fair in Hertfordshire.
6 Voters cheer about bullies being deprived of coverage (10)
ELECTORATE
ELATE (cheer) around hECTORs (bullies) missing first and last letters or ‘deprived of coverage’
8 Gutter‘s beginning to remove inside of fish (6)
TRENCH
R (first letter or ‘beginning’ to ‘remove’) inside TENCH (fish)
13 It may well be irrational material’s less sensitive (4,6)
REAL NUMBER
REAL (material) NUMBER (less sensitive). Good to see a mathematical reference in a clue – we don’t seem to see many of them.
16 Is ogler a potential visitor here? (8)
SERAGLIO
An anagram of IS OGLER A – anagrind is ‘potential’. I doubt however that ‘oglers’ would be welcome as visitors in a seraglio – having said that – are they welcome anywhere?
18 Close relationships forming habits adopted in retirement (8)
NIGHTIES
NIGH (close) TIES (relationships)
19 Braved swimming outside perhaps (6)
ADVERB
An anagram of BRAVED – anagrind is ‘swimming’. The answer went in quickly as we had some crossing letters but it was our least favourite clue. It took us a while to convince ourselves that ‘outside’ is an adverb. We ended up having to check in Chambers.
21 Win over Barking aids Rotherham’s case (6)
DISARM
An anagram of AIDS and RM (first and last letters or ‘case’ of ‘Rotherham’) – anagrind is ‘barking’
23 Dawn‘s ethereal glow suffused with gold (6)
AURORA
AURA (ethereal glow) around or ‘suffused with’ OR (gold)
26 Car manufacturer accepting nothing is beneath American State (4)
AVOW
VW (car manufacturer) around or ‘accepting’ O (nothing) beneath A (American)
*anagram
I really enjoyed this Serpent puzzle which I thought less tricky than many of his previous offerings. I not only spotted the Nina early on (a rare occurrence for me) but I even knew where it came from. Hard to pick a favourite from so many good clues but I’ll agree with Joyce that 28a takes top spot
So a big thank you from a happy solver to both Serpent and B&J
I’m going for the one that had me doosra’d (no such word?) and that was the spin on the car manufacturer.I’d spotted the nona but didnt know if it was HAS or WAS. Blinded by the light.
Full marks to fine bowling by Serpent.
And thanks to BJ
One of my favourite puzzles this year – sounds better than the last 10 days anyway. A Nina which needed some nutting out with the archaic ‘subtil’ spelling, two good cryptic definitions (and ? a third In SERAGLIO) and a not so obvious triple def. Some other good clues such as ADVERB (yes, I liked it) and the tricky little AVOW.
All in all, highly enjoyable.
Thanks to Serpent and to B&J.
An unbalanced puzzle for me where I zoomed through all the clues apart from 22, 25 and 15, where I got thoroughly stuck. I eventually spotted the NINA and that helped finish it off, although I did puzzle for a long time on the spelling of subtil.
Isn’t 12A just a faulty double definition?
Once again a peach – or should that be an apple? – of a puzzle from the “subtil” one.
Last to fall was the NW where, as for others, the archaic spelling threw me a little. Verified that in my favourite online Bible.
Picking favourite clues from a Serpent crossword is a bit like choosing a favourite wine/beer/poison of choice from a large tray of tasters …
So all I’ll say is cheers to Serpent and Joyce – I look forward to being tempted by the next one.
Very nearly completed this without any external aids, but had to resort to a word wizard for the SE corner. As usual, never spotted the nina.
Thanks B&J and Serpent.
We got it all eventually, helped and yet hindered by the nina, which we thought at first started some way down the left hand side to read ‘until now the serpent … ‘ which didn’t make a lot of sense and stopped us getting 15ac. Then we realised it was the Genesis quotation with the archaic spelling and BANSHEE was our LOI. Favourites were WISEACRE, HAIRLINE and BEETROOT.
Thanks, Serpent and B&J.