Serpent has set today’s crossword for our mid-week delectation.
I found this a hard puzzle to make inroads into and had an almost empty grid for a good while. Once I got started, however, it gradually revealed itself to me, affording me a great deal of entertainment along the way.
Nevertheless, I need input from other solvers to understand the use of “peripheral” in 16A and 22A, and to confirm (or otherwise) my parsing of 16D, where I feel that I am missing something.
My favourite clues today were 26, for originality; 5A for smoothness of surface (and sauciness!); and, above all, the & lit. at 12. Incidentally, 1A as an adjective was new to me.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | ECHOIC | Most vocal group in city being heard over and over again
CHOI<r> (=vocal group; “most” means last letter is dropped) in EC (=city, i.e. City of London) |
| 05 | POPULAR | Liked naked troupe lap dancing
*(<t>ROUP<e> + LAP); “naked” means first and last letter are dropped from the anagram, indicated by “dancing” |
| 10 | ASSET | Something that’s worth having when ready
AS (=when, as a conjunction) + SET (=ready, prepared) |
| 11 | TICKED OFF | Cross // marked completed items?
Double definition: TICKED OFF means “cross”, annoyed AND marked off on a list as (having been) completed |
| 12 | PRESCIENT | Having a gift – endowed with clairvoyant insight primarily
[C<lairvoyant> I<nsight>] in PRESENT (=a gift); “primarily” means first letters only are used; & lit. |
| 13 | ABYSS | Trump’s behind walls close to Gulf
BY (=close to) in ASS (=Trump’s behind, i.e. a US word for someone’s bottom, behind) |
| 14 | SECULAR | Resistance introduced by Clause 18 associated with those who are 21
*(CLAUSE) + R (=resistance, in electricity); “shocked (=entry at 18)” is anagram indicator; “secular” means “associated with laymen (=entry at 21)” |
| 16 | JULIET | Peripheral figure to remain in project
LIE (=to remain) in JUT (=project, stick out) |
| 17 | VESSEL | Container ship swallowed by very long fish
SS (=ship, i.e. steamship) in [V (=very) + EEL (=fish)] |
| 19 | MARITAL | Damage European country wanting conclusion of union
MAR (=damage) + ITAL<y> (=European country; “wanting (=lacking) conclusion” means last letter is dropped) |
| 22 | ROMEO | Peripheral figure right next to author wearing glasses
R (=right) + [ME (=author, i.e. Serpent) in OO (=spectacles, i.e. pictorially)] |
| 23 | TRIBUTARY | River boat caught by breeze overturned in trial
RIBUTA (TUB (=boat) in AIR (=breeze); “overturned” indicates reversal) in TRY (=trial, effort) |
| 25 | CLOCKWISE | Notice learned with movement of hand over face
CLOCK (=notice, see) + WISE (=learned) |
| 26 | DEUCE | 40 – 40 = 2?
Double definition: DEUCE is a score of 40-40 in tennis AND the two in cards and dice |
| 27 | PLAUDIT | Praise learner driver after parking car at end of test
P (=parking) + L (=learner driver) + AUDI (=car) + <tes>T (“at end of” means last letter only) |
| 28 | SUNDER | Split second error leads to British lives being lost
S (=second) + <bl>UNDER (=error; “leads to B<ritish> L<ives> being lost” means letters “bl” are dropped) |
| Down | ||
| 02 | CASTE | Keep left to leave station
CAST<l>E (=keep); “left (=L) to leave” means letter “l” is dropped; one’s caste describes one’s station, status in Indian society |
| 03 | OPTICAL | Drink dispenser on case of alcohol is connected to light
OPTIC (=drink dispenser) + A<lcoho>L (“case of” means first and last letters only) |
| 04 | CATHEDRAL | See building where Queen perhaps and doctor get better nurses
CAT (=queen perhaps) + [DR (=doctor) in HEAL (=get better)]; the “see” of the definition is a bishopric |
| 05 | PICOT | Airman’s line becomes caught in sequence of loops
C (=caught, on cricket scorecard) replaces L (=line) in PILOT (=airman); (in embroidery) a picot is ornamental edging made up of loops |
| 06 | PREVAIL | Succeed ultimately after writing off debts from earlier trouble
PREV<ious> (=earlier; “after writing off debts (=IOUs)” means letters “ious” are dropped) + AIL (=trouble, pain, as verb) |
| 07 | LOONY LEFT | Felt justified by this political faction …
The solution is a cryptic clue to “FELT”, i.e. an anagram – indicated by “loony” – of “left” |
| 08 | RIFTS | … being first to resolve differences
*(FIRST); “to resolve” is anagram indicator |
| 09 | CAMPUS | … about us supporting politician for educational grounds
CA (=about, circa) + MP (=politician, i.e. Member of Parliament) + US; the campus in the area (“grounds”) on which university (“educational”) buildings are located |
| 15 | CREAM SODA | Drink beginning to affect comrades adversely
*(A<ffect> + COMRADES); “beginning to” means first letter only is used in anagram, indicated by “adversely” |
| 16 | JUMPINESS | Winner of the Grand National presumably displays this agitation
Cryptically, the winner of the Grand National must have successfully negotiated the jumps along the course, hence have shown “jumpiness” |
| 18 | SHOCKED | Surprised husband hit out
H (=husband) in SOCKED (=hit, struck) |
| 20 | ROUND ON | Ring number about attack
ROUND (=ring, i.e. pictorially) + ON (NO=number; “about” indicates reversal) |
| 21 | LAYMEN | People with little expertise: namely, characters requiring some training
*(NAMELY); “characters requiring some training” is (a rather lengthy!) anagram indicator |
| 22 | RECAP | Provide summary review of leader in field
PACER (=leader in field, e.g. in running race); “review of” indicates reversal |
| 23 | TWIST | Unexpected development // in dance
Double definition: TWIST is an unexpected development in a book’s plot AND a popular 1960’s dance |
| 24 | AZURE | Ezra Pound essentially developed a lofty tone perhaps
*(EZRA + <po>U<nd>); “essentially” means middle letter only is used in anagram, indicated by “developed”; cryptically, azure, as the colour of the sky, could be described as a “lofty tone” |
Serpent has included yet another nina that goes around the “periphery” of the inner 13 by 13 block: A PAIR OF STAR-CROSSED LOVERS.
A tricky solve but well worth the battle. I was hoping that I’d find an explanation for the peripheral here – I’ve looked at the solved grid carefully – my only thought is that one of them is on each side (peripheral to) of the grid. I parsed 16d in teh same way and it was one of the clues I smiled at
Thanks to Serpent for the brain-stretching and to RR for the blog
Oh how I wish I’d waited and seen Hovis’ post – I’ve obviously gone back to my old non-Nina spotting ways
I always admire the ingenuity of this setter. I seem to always manage to complete his puzzles without cheating but they always stretch me to my limit.
I particularly liked PRESCIENT and PLAUDIT with PREVAIL coming a close third. PICOT was nice too, so let’s go with all the P words. DEUCE was nice once the penny dropped.
I was pleased to get CLOCKWISE early on then entered it accidentally at 23a. Aargh! I hate when I do that.
Thanks to Serpent and RatkojaRiku.
Despite looking around the periphery for a reference to ROMEO and JULIET I didn’t spot that old “inner” Nina trick again, which I’m pretty sure Serpent has used at least once before (and which I’ve missed every time!).
I liked the “reverse anagram” LOONY LEFT, the surface for DEUCE and the PRESCIENT &lit.
Thank you to Serpent and RR
Thanks, RatkojaRiku. Since it’s a favourite Serpent device, I saw the Nina coming fairly early – but not until after puzzling over ROMEO; this gave me lots of useful crossers on the RHS and JULIET was a write in. I thought there was a nice additional indication of the Nina near the bottom: CLOCKWISE DEUCE.
Didn’t see the “clockwise deuce”. Marvellous!
Excellent crossword as usual. But how does ticked off = cross, in 11ac? If you’ve been ticked off why does this mean you’re cross?
I really like these inner ring messages. Easier to blank out even when it’s been pointed out, but it’s nice to have it pointed out, too.
Clue for SUNDER just lovely.
Ticked off meaning annoyed apparently US origin, not related to being reprimanded.
Thanks Serpent, RR
Its one thing to complete and parse a Serpent puzzle BUT finding that hidden extra in the puzzle is becoming elusive.He is very cunning so thanks muchly to Hovis.
And thanks to the wicked Serpent
Another bravura offering from Serpent. Finally gave up on BLUNDER. Particularly liked PRESCIENT, POPULAR, LOONY LEFT, DEUCE.
17A the eel is a long fish; the word “long” is otherwise redundant (and an eel is indeed long when compared to a lot of fish).
Thanks to Serpent and RatkojaRiku.
another great puzzle in a particularly fine trot of Indy cryptics. I missed the APRIL IS THE CRUELLEST MONTH puzzle when I was away so this Nina was fresh to me and took some spotting despite the clear instructions
Nice one,and thanks to S & RR
I think this is the best puzzle I have solved for some considerable time. Yes, there have been brilliant clues in others recently but as a complete puzzle it stands out. Too many superb constructions to single out one. Serpent Chapeau!
Thanks all
Gave up on a couple in the NE corner, but I’d remembered Serpent’s previous Nina using the inner perimeter. Another cracking puzzle from Serpent.
Well, we got it all but failed to spot the nina, partly because we didn’t think Serpent would pull that trick again so soon. All we could tink of for ‘peripheral’ was that both ROMEO and JULIET are used in the so-called phonetic alphabet to indicate their starting letters which could be said to be on the peripheries of their respective words.
Lots of clues that we struggled to parse but did so eventually and thought them brilliant, such as MARITAL, TRIBUTARY and BLUNDER.
Thanks, Serpent and RatkojaRiku.
Many thanks to RatkojaRiku for the excellent blog, and to everyone who has been kind enough to solve and comment on the puzzle.
Thanks to RatkojaRiku and Serpent
Superb.