When we see Nimrod’s name on a puzzle we know that we won’t be able to parse some of the clues until later. Today’s offering was no exception.
There were quite a few where we guessed the answer from the definition once we had some crossing letters (11ac, 19ac, 16d, – to name but a few). 15ac, 24d, and 21d eluded us for quite a while until the penny dropped with 24d.
Thankfully there were quite a few easier ones (24ac, 23ac, 18ac for example) to get us started.
Across
1 Rating one on The Chase fairly? (1,3)
A BIT
AB (rating as in Able seaman) IT (one being chased as in the childrens’ game- I’m it!) This was the last one that we parsed although we had the solution in fairly early on in the solve.
4/9 Take That angry with pics being circulated about film parody (5,2,6)
CARRY ON SPYING
R (take – ‘recipe’ in Latin) YON (that) with an anagram of ANGRY and PICS outside or ‘about’- anagrind is ‘being circulated’
10 As translated, I now understand New Statesman (6)
UTAHAN
UT (‘as’ in Latin) AHA (I now understand) N (new)
11 Scoff final E after knocking back cake (10)
BATTENBURG
GRUB (scoff) NET (‘final’ as in net cost) TAB (drug – E) all reversed or ‘knocked back’
13 Being inferior, appropriate marching orders withdrawn (4)
ESSE
lESSEr (inferior) removing L(left) and R(right) – ‘marching orders’
14 Half bust, engaged in crime? (2,2)
AT IT
Half a bust could be described as A TIT
16 ID bracelet, done for good (10)
CREDITABLE
An anagram of ID BRACELET – anagrind is ‘done for’
17 Books I love and tipple I love, sitting beside pub I found in Lakes (10)
BIBLIOPHIL
BIB (tipple) + I O (love) ‘sitting beside’ PH (pub) I all inside or ‘found in’ L L (lakes)
18 His was higher bid on phone, lower in here (4)
BYRE
A homophone (‘on the phone’) of BUYER (person with the highest bid)
19 Self-absorbed, having acquired new look (4)
MIEN
We put this in from the definition but it was only afterwards that we worked out that it was I in ME (I am into Me – ‘self-absorbed’) N (new)
20 Collective means to save and eventually buy grey suit (5,5)
SLATE CLUBS
SLATE (grey) CLUBS (suit). Another one that we entered when we had some checking letters and checked in Chambers.
23 Woman named variety of characters in Hamlet (6)
THELMA
An anagram of HAMLET – anagrind is ‘variety of characters’
24 Conservative bias makes daily work (8)
CLEANING
C (Conservative) LEANING (bias). We’re not sure that we would call it daily work in the Bertandjoyce household but a ‘daily’ is a cleaner!
25 Number 9 penned? (5)
SIXTY
A play on the fact that IX (nine) is in STY or ‘penned’
26 Now, PM’s Questions … (4)
EXAM
You have to think of PM as not AM anymore or EX-AM
Down
2/22 … former PM’s party activities perhaps stop ex-drinkers accepting bribe (5,5)
BUNGA BUNGA
BUNG (stop) AA (alcoholics anonymous – ‘ex-drinkers’) around BUNG (bribe). The activities relate to the private life of Silvio Berlusconi who was a president of Italy. He now seems to want to stand as a candidate in the next EU elections.
3 Really nutty, tot up bill for a lark (2,3,2,7)
TO PUT IT BLUNTLY
An anagram of NUTTY TOT UP BILL – anagrind is ‘for a lark’
4 Three elements essential to man and dog (5)
CAIRN
Three elements that are essential to man – C (carbon) AIR and N (nitrogen)
5 Dress up in … (3)
RIG
This is linked to the next clue – it is hidden in the answer (young GIRl) and reversed or ‘up’ as it is a down clue
6 … Miss Puckett’s number (5,4)
YOUNG GIRL
Gary Puckett and the Union Gap made a record in 1968 called YOUNG GIRL – Joyce was very pleased that Bert remebered this one.
7 What, wanting hospital care and unable to manoeuvre, master’s rung? (5,9)
WATER AMBULANCE
A clue as defintion – WhAT without ‘h’ (hospital) + an anagram of CARE and UNABLE (anagrind is ‘to manoeuvre’) around M (master). We think the ‘rung’ indicates that M is inside or being ‘ringed by’ the anagram. Not our favourite clue sadly as there was no indication as far as we can see that the ambulance didn’t have wheels, and the surface is not really that good either.
8 Brief lifted several US packing cases (8)
CAPSULAR
Hidden (‘cased’) and reversed (‘lifted’) in seveRAL US PACking
12 Divers are hurt getting out of this wee channel (7)
URETHRA
An anagram of ARE HURT – anagrind is ‘divers’ – an old word for diverse. ‘Getting out of this’ is only included for the surface reading as far as we can see.
15 Shortly, intends to cut snug evening (8)
TWILIGHT
WILl (intends to) missing last letter or ‘shortly’ inside or ‘cutting’ TIGHT (snug)
16 Thwart Supreme Power, imprisoned after onset of coup (9)
CROSSWAYS
ROSS (Supreme as in Diana Ross) around or ‘imprisoning’ SWAY (power) after C (first letter or ‘onset’ of ‘coup’)
21 Time Magazine? It was broadcast (5)
ENEMY
A homophone (‘broadcast’) of NME (magazine as in New Musical Express). It’s a play on the fact that time is often referred to as the enemy.
22 See 2
24 It’s wrong, being overlooked by business director (3)
COX
X (‘it’s wrong’ – as in marking exams etc.) after or ‘overlooked by’ CO (company – ‘business’)
Thanks to Bertandjoyce and Nimrod
Quite tough but also quite a lot enjoy.
1a As in the clue, the game we played at school had IT as the chaser, rather than the one chased.
7d I saw as possibly an &lit, with the master being possibly a ship’s master who might ring the ambulance.
You are correct Dansar about IT in the chase game. Thanks, too many other things to think about in the solve and blog!
Crumbs she said politely – Nimrod with his really tricky hat on. Lots to enjoy – 14a in particular made me laugh out loud!
Thanks to Nimrod for the cryptic grey matter mangling and to B&J for sorting it all out
Too many tests of our ignorance and convolutions for that to be enjoyable. However thanks for explaining most things in the blog. Why is “a bit” fairly? And “crossways” for “thwart” seems grammatically weird.
Ericw@4 – we were puzzled too about thwart but a check in Chambers gives ‘thwart’ as an adjective and adverb for crossways. The Thesaurus has somewhat as a synonym for ‘a bit’.
Ericw@4 : “It’s a bit cold today” = “It’s fairly cold today” – OK?
I couldn’t resist getting in first earlier when I saw there were no comments, but I was on my way out and should have waited until later because this excellent puzzle deserves more attention.
As befits a Saturday, it was tough, but there were also several ways in. Everyone’s experience will be different, but for me 1,10,14,19, and 23a were “write ins”.
I wasn’t so fortunate on the down clues except for 6d and hence 5d. When we acquired our first record player an uncle gave us some 78s (if you’re under 60 you’ll just have to google them), and half a dozen current singles. One of these was Gary Puckett and the Union Gap’s “Young Girl”, which I can still sing word for word along with Lady Willpower on the B side.
A few more -11a and 3,12 and 15d followed fairly swiftly, but then I hit a wall.
From thinking “this is a bit of a doddle for a Nimrod”, I was brought down to earth by the endgame.
LOI BYRE, not being able to get HERD out of my head even though it was obviously wrong.
One or two quibbles re superfluous words but they can wait for another day.
Thanks to Bertandjoyce for a magnificent blog
Big fail. I got to the point where I should have been able to complete from crossers and staring, then tried resorting to a wordfinder but couldn’t even pick the solutions from some pretty short lists. Never mind, will do better next time, which to judge from recent frequency will be soon.
Thanks Nimrod, B&J
I spent all of today at the BBC concerts at the Barbican and this was not a crossword to try and do in the gaps between the concerts. Quite a few I couldn’t get, and many more were guesses I couldn’t parse.
Worth the effort with Nimrod. A fine line between pleasure and pain.Huge tea tray for Young Girl and great seeing the way Marching Orders was used.
Thanks all.
Far too tough for me to be enjoyable but worthwhile coming here for the solutions to some and the parsing of others. I guess I’ll get there eventually but it feels a long way off at the moment. Thanks to Nimrod and B&J.