Raich sets less frequently for the Indy these days, so I haven’t had the pleasure of blogging one of his puzzles for a while. This was slightly unusual for an IoS offering, since it had a theme – which I took a while to discover, I will admit. As always though, a clearly clued and entertaining crossword from across the Irish Sea.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Sort of cross with flirt about record identifying myself personally?
TAUTOLOGY
The TAU cross, I discovered this morning, is a T-shaped cross (also called St Anthony’s Cross) which is iconic in the Christian tradition. So this is a charade of TAU and LOG inserted into TOY for ‘flirt’. I didn’t get this gateway clue until about half way through the solve and needed all the crossing letters to figure out what was going on. Once I got it, the themed clues started to make sense. The definition is a TAUTOLOGY because if you do something yourself, you are by definition doing it personally.
6 In morning, work more than adequately
AMPLY
A charade of AM and PLY.
8 Cut of meat‘s a joke
RIB
A dd.
10 Apprentice not finished, very put off suffering experience added to calendar
INTERCALARY
A word that certainly isn’t in my active vocabulary (and, frankly, not in my passive vocabulary either). A charade of INTER[N] and CAL[V]ARY. The removal indicators are ‘not finished’ and ‘put off’. A mini-crucifixion theme already, with the execution site at CALVARY acting as the synonym for ‘suffering experience’. INTERCALARY is an adjective used to describe a day or month that is ‘added to a calendar’ to harmonise it with the solar year. A leap day is the best example.
11 1 Across: Applause follows northeastern victory before noon, a novelty
NEW INNOVATION
An example of a TAUTOLOGY, the answer to 1 Across. A charade of NE, WIN, N for ‘noon’ and OVATION. It’s a 1 Across because all innovations are new (the nov element in the middle of the word being the giveaway).
14 One’s defeat unfortunately featuring in film
EAST OF EDEN
(ONES DEFEAT)*
17 Duck unusual sexual practices, extreme (extremely!)?
SMEE
Excellent. A bird at last. A charade of S and M for the ‘unusual sexual practices’ and EE for the outside letters (‘extremely’) of ‘extreme’. More properly known as the smew, and the obligatory Pierre bird link shows you this fellow. Striking, no? ‘Smew’ is thought in fact to come from ‘smee’, a dialect word for ‘wild duck’; the name is also, confusingly, given to species of wigeon.
19 Some plan driving in German region
LAND
Hidden in pLAN Driving. Länder (singular Land) are the German states, like Bavaria or Saxony.
20 1 Across: Extra bed dad arranged, given responsibility
ADDED BONUS
A charade of (BED DAD)* and ONUS. It’s a 1 Across because all bonuses are added.
24 County material for polishing could be right or risky, English admitted
YORKSHIRE GRIT
An insertion of E in (RIGHT OR RISKY)* YORKSHIRE GRIT is an abrasive paste.
27 1 Across: two in spa row fit to explode
PAIR OF TWINS
(IN SPA ROW FIT)* Another 1 Across: twins always come in pairs, although people do use this phrase.
29 Greeting son – that chap’s
HIS
A charade of HI and S.
30 English journalist in US city lacking resources
NEEDY
An insertion of E and ED in NY.
31 1 Across: code given by leaks expert getting hotel for learner?
PIN NUMBER
Another 1 Across, and one that does my head in. PIN stands for Personal Identification Number, so when the till operator at the supermarket checkout asks ‘Can you just enter your PIN number?’ he is really saying ‘Can you just enter your Personal Identification Number Number?’ Which is a tautology in anybody’s language. The wordplay is clever: Raich is asking you to replace the L (for ‘learner’) in PLUMBER with INN for ‘hotel’.
Down
1 Thanks King before everybody comes up for dance
TARANTELLA
A charade of TA, R, ANTE and ALL reversed.
2 Musical stroke initially using palm briefly on washboard?
UP-BOW
The first letters of the last five words of the clue.
3 Magic sash from Tokyo
OBI
A dd. I knew the second definition (and two crossing letters in a three-letter word is a big help) but not the first.
obeah (n): a kind of sorcery practised especially in the Caribbean
obi (n): a variant form of obeah
4 Result published on business supported by the writer
OUTCOME
A charade of OUT, CO and ME for ‘the writer’.
5 In new arrangement ready to accept silver measurement
YARDAGE
An insertion of AG for ‘silver’ in (READY)* The anagrind is ‘in new arrangement’ and the insertion indicator is ‘to accept’.
6 Language from cab – air’s nasty
ARABIC
(CAB AIRS)*
7 He’s on level showing Spooner’s distribution network scheme?
PLAINSMAN
The good revererend might allegedly have said this instead of MAINS PLAN.
8 Second person’s bottom pinched repeatedly – seen as source of fun?
YO-YO
YO[U] YO[U]
12 Modern form of northern gas?
NEON
Another clever clue: a ‘modern form of northern’ might be NEO-N.
13 New series isn’t one eliciting a reaction
SENSITISER
(SERIES ISNT)*
15 Cheerful aspect of nuns? Yes, I’d fancy
SUNNY SIDE
(NUNS YES ID)*
16 Regularly visiting druids? That doesn’t work
DUD
The odd letters of DrUiDs.
18 On rise in steel band, competent
ABLE
Hidden reversed in steEL BAnd.
21 Sod kept changing computer screen
DESKTOP
(SOD KEPT)*
22 Treason not the first issue
EDITION
[S]EDITION
23 Good to get involved in a promising craft
ARGOSY
An insertion of G in A ROSY gives you a word meaning a merchant ship, hence ‘craft’.
25 Hear about bishop’s treatment
REHAB
A charade of (HEAR)* and B.
26 Eager to receive copy sent – covers removed
OPEN
The setter is inviting you to take away the outside letters (‘covers removed’) of [C]OP[Y] [S]EN[T]
28 Some miss out small amount of money
SOU
Hidden in misS OUt.
Many thanks to our Irish setter for this morning’s entertainment. Good to see him back in the IoS slot. In fact, it was just like déjà vu all over again.
My first one in was NEW INNOVATION and I genuinely said to myself “that’s a bit tautological” yet still took a while to get 1a.
Couldn’t get INTERCALARY without a word fit. New word for me. Also didn’t know CALVARY (but have heard of Golgotha).
Didn’t know ARGOSY for a merchant ship. Assumed it was related to Argo (as in Jason and the Argonauts) but it turns out that they are completely unrelated.
Share your distaste for “PIN number”. Mind you, I have no problem with people saying “The hoi polloi” even though it translates as “the the common people”.
Whenever I see East of Eden, I always think of the band and their big hit Jig-a-jig. Give it a listen if you haven’t heard it before (or even if you have).
Thanks to Raich and Pierre.
I think that “Enter your PIN number” is quite reasonable. “Enter your PIN” may not be understood by everyone, and “Enter your number” is too vague.
The above is based on personal experience at my local off-licence – well, I’m an oldie. Fortunately the owner is very tolerant.
(Is “personal experience” another tautology? Well, I guess it could be vicarious.)
Done by INTERCALARY which I never would have solved. I liked the TAUTOLOGY examples, although to me a PAIR OF TWINS does mean two sets of twins ie four individuals, eg I would say Roger Federer has a PAIR OF TWINS. Probably just me though.
Favourite as a clue and because it is one of my pet dislikes was PIN NUMBER.
An appreciative thanks to Raich and Pierre
I wouldn’t take a PAIR OF TWINS to mean two sets of twins, although there is a certain logic to it. However I might use the phrase to emphasise that I am referring to both of them rather than one twin by himself/herself.
Thanks Raich and Pierre
The PAIR OF TWINS solution reminds me of a comment on the World Service at the time of the astronomic Transit Of Venus some years back: “It happens every 117 years, and comes in pairs of two”. Priceless.
Thanks for the excellent blog, Pierre, and also to those who commented.
I tried to make the clue to TAUTOLOGY a little tricky to stop the theme from being revealed too quickly.
Had it been aimed only at an Irish audience, I’d surely have made room for “NCT TEST” – have you got the date of your NCT test yet?. N C is National Car and you can guess what the T stands for.