Vulcan starts the week off for us.
This was one of those puzzles that was made significantly easier by getting the four long answers on the perimeters. Once those were in place, the rest of the solutions slotted in fairly easily with only the SE corner (PRODUCE and CAUTION) stubbornly holding me up for a minute or two.
An enjoyable romp with a good variety of clues.
Thanks Vulcan.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BIRTHDAY SUIT | Everyone arrives in this type of party clothing (8,4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | FOCUSED | People, it’s said, accustomed to be single-minded (7) |
| Homophone of FOLK (“people”, it’s said) + USED (“accustomed”) | ||
| 9 | DEBORAH | Girl dressed for ceremony turned with cry of surprise (7) |
| <=ROBED (“dressed for ceremony”, turned) with AH (“cry of surprise”) | ||
| 11 | EURASIA | Here one is in US area? Wrong (7) |
| I (one) in *(us area) | ||
| 12 | STIPEND | Spend it recklessly? (7) |
| *(spend it) and &lit. | ||
| 13 | TIMES | Putting in a bit of money secures paper (5) |
| TIES (“secures”) with [a bit of] M(oney) put in | ||
| 14 | GO HAYWIRE | Try something to hold crop together and become crazy (2,7) |
| GO (“try”) + HAYWIRE (“something to hold crop together”) | ||
| 16 | OBSERVANT | Old British employee taking notice (9) |
| O (old) + B (British) + SERVANT (“employee”) | ||
| 19 | COCOA | Clown given a hot drink (5) |
| COCO (the Clown) given A | ||
| 21 | GO TO POT | Come to the snooker table and fail completely (2,2,3) |
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | PRODUCE | Create old Fascist slogan? (7) |
| In Fascist Italy if you were PRO DUCE you’d have been in favour of Mussolini (Il Duce) | ||
| 24 | TOURIST | Tutor is sorting out sightseer (7) |
| *(tutor is) | ||
| 25 | IMPLIED | Suggested mischievous person was deceitful (7) |
| IMP (“mischievous person”) + LIED (“was deceitful”) | ||
| 26 | LAY A FINGER ON | Only fearing a clumsy touch (3,1,6,2) |
| *(only fearing a) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BUCKRAM | Storage under a dollar for firm material (7) |
| RAM (Random Access Memory, so computer “storage”) under BUCK (“dollar”) | ||
| 2 | RESISTS | Acts in opposition, I stress, must be broken up (7) |
| *(i stress) | ||
| 3 | HYDRANGEA | Park warden’s spoken of a showy plant (9) |
| Homophone [spoken of] HYDE (Park) RANGER (“warden”) | ||
| 4 | ANDES | The range of human destinies? (5) |
| Hidden in “humAN DEStinies” | ||
| 5 | SUBSIDY | Daughter is busy frittering allowance (7) |
| *(d is busy) where D = daughter | ||
| 6 | ISRAELI | National prime minister, no Democrat (7) |
| (d)ISRAELI (“prime minister” with no D (Democrat)) | ||
| 7 | AFTERTHOUGHT | A later train? (12) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 10 | HIDDEN AGENDA | Secret plan suggested by Häagen-Dazs? (6,6) |
| AGENDA is HIDDEN in “haAGEN-DAzs” | ||
| 15 | HOT SPRING | Very popular season for health spa (3,6) |
| HOT (“very popular”) + SPRING (“season”) | ||
| 17 | SATSUMA | Squatted on whole area for fruit (7) |
| SAT (“squatted”) on SUM (“whole”) + A (area) | ||
| 18 | REPLICA | Power resides in sacred object, a copy (7) |
| P (power) resides in RELIC (“sacred object”) + A | ||
| 19 | CROPPER | A fall, one getting a graze (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 20 | CAUTION | Amusing person shows discretion (7) |
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | TUTSI | Rwandan is a Pharaoh resurrected (5) |
| <=IS TUT (“a Pharaoh”) [resurrected] | ||
*anagram
Thanks loonapick and Vulcan.
Started last night, but didn’t get too far (maybe too tired), but dashed off the rest just now.
I liked1a, but not the GO for COME in 1a
21a
After managing only about 40% of the Maskarade, even less of last month’s Boatman, and cogitating along with the Paul (still three in the NE to go), a Monday romp is nice light relief. Even so, Coco the clown took time to unearth from the neural depths, not helped by going Eh? at the second def for cropper. Fun though, thanks Vulcan and Loonapick.
I thought this was quite fun – as loonapick says, a nice variety of clues. The anagram in “subsidy” is a little indirect as I was looking for D(isbusy)*. “hidden agenda” was a nice example of the reverse clue I thought, and was one of a number that raised a smile. Thanks Vulcan, and loonapick for the blog.
“Buckram” is a word I first came across in the context of submitting my thesis, which had to be “library bound in buckram” to satisfy the university’s peculiar regulations! I believe they have relaxed the rules since then.
As loonapick says “An enjoyable romp with a good variety of clues”. Couldn’t parse the PRODUCE either.
I enjoyed this, particularly 1a BIRTHDAY SUIT (as mentioned by Dave E@1), 14a GO HAYWIRE, 4d ANDES and 19d (as TheZed also said@4). ISRAELI, my last one in, raised a smile. Grateful to Vulcan, loonapick and other posters.
Thanks to all. Agree with Grantinfreo about CROPPER.
CROPPER has been mentioned, and 13a TIMES seemed a bit awkward, but otherwise a nice one.
Ok, so let’s review. Last week’s Prize (more on that in a minute) had distinct problems in the instructions; the cryptics in general have occasional typos; more frequently they have errors of fact. It seems to me that all of these problems could be greatly ameliorated if the puzzles were made available to a poison tester a few days in advance, as long as the setters were available for discussion and/or fixing. Just a thought.
So to Maskarade’s puzzle, which some may remember I said I really liked: I like it even more today, because apparently I was one of the winners. Of course the Guardian misspelled my name!
Congratulations Dr. WhatsOn – I could not finish the Maskarade, even once I’d figured out the instructions! Crosswords, like exam papers, should be flaw-free. As you say, a scrutineering process would not be difficult to arrange.
Thanks Vulcan and loonapick
Yes, very pleasant. My favouite was HIDDEN AGENDA.
btw I often recommend the Quiptic – not today!
I’m not sure you could say “type of party clothing” is a definition of a birthday suit. More likely it’s a charade of BIRTHDAY (type of party) + SUIT (clothing)
Hadn’t come across Amusing Person as Caution before, 10 down neatly clued.
A very pleasant Monday puzzle. 12a STIPEND raised a smile. Surely 10d HIDDEN AGENDA is a nod to the Enigmatist clue with the same answer, “The real reason for the meeting of Volkswagen and Daimler”, mentioned in Sandy Balfour’s book Pretty Girl in Crimson Rose. It was clever of Vulcan to notice AGENDA in Haagen-Dazs.
HIDDEN AGENDA was very good, if unexpected for a Monday puzzle. However I didn’t like the use of RAM in 1d. “Storage” in computing would always refer to permanent storage (hard disk, SSD, etc.) but not to main memory. Early British computer scientists did use “store” instead of “memory” in an attempt to avoid anthropomorphism, but that usage has long since disappeared.
I’m sorry, poc, but I was rather taken with BUCKRAM. PRODUCE and HYDRANGEA also made me chuckle. However, my fave from today is HIDDEN AGENDA (although Lord Jim’s example is slightly neater). I thought this was a lovely mixture of clues, and my only quibblet is with 6d: the solution bubbled up almost immediately – but I assumed I can’t have parsed it properly, for I’m unsure why Israeli = “national”. This is undoubtedly a failing on my part: what am I missing here?
Anyway, thanks to Vulcan for an enjoyable morning, and to Loonapick for the explanations.
I pretty much agree with what has been said above. I got held up in the same place as loonapick and agree with the hidden agenda, but I also liked afterthought. Thanks to Vulcan and loonapick and congratulations Dr Whatson, I read the instructions and decided life was too short to tackle it.
Wellbeck @ 15
‘National’ is often used as a noun to describe a native of a country/nation, so GB for example has English, Scottish & Welsh nationals.
Thanks, Simon S! I had assumed there was something clever that I’d missed.
“National” meaning “anyone of any nationality” sounds decidedly flexible to me – but, bit by bit, I’m trying to stop fretting over why certain issues are/aren’t cruciverbally-acceptable, and just go with the flow….
I forgot to check until just now; found my name along with Dr. WhatsOn@8 in the list of prizewinners.
[I wonder how many people actually entered the prize puzzle. Years ago they used to publish the numbers and I seem to remember they were around the 200 mark]
Yes, I too found this a fun romp. Favs were BIRTHDAY SUIT and HIDDEN AGENDA. Thanks to Vulcan and to Loonapick
Almost gave up on the SE corner, before I eventually entered CAUTION for ‘discretion’, though had no idea about the ‘Amusing person’ bit. Should have seen COCOA earlier but once it was in, CROPPER fell into place.
Harder than the usual Monday for me. AFTERTHOUGHT and BIRTHDAY SUIT were my favourites.
Thanks to Vulcan and loonapick
A quick puzzle today. Similarly held up by the last couple in the SE corner, but lots flowed easily.
An audible groan for the 1A clue and answer – it almost seemed too easy.
Very good puzzle. Just the right level of difficulty for a Monday lunch break IMO. Particularly liked HIDDEN AGENDA, HYDRANGEA, and AFTERTHOUGHT.
Thanks Vulcan and loonapick!
Echo Hesh @11, I think 1ac is a charade… unless I’m going to the wrong type of party…
Thanks both.
Late to the party but I did enjoy this once I got round to it. I particularly liked PRODUCE and AFTERTHOUGHT. I also liked CROPPER and TIMES. Indeed I thought the whole thing was pretty good. I didn’t get round to the Maskarade unfortunately and I don’t suppose I will now.It’s still on my pile of things to be dealt with so —.
Thanks Vulcan.
I confess that I still don’t understand the second definition in 19d.
ted ?27
cropper as in browser or grazer – animals’ modes of feeding?
not great, but ok, i think?
Thanks, muffin @28. I suppose you’re right that that’s the intent. I think that the word “getting” was what made this seem off to me. When a cow munches on grass, I wouldn’t say that the cow is “getting” a graze. To me, that wording seems to describe the thing that’s being grazed — i.e., the grass.
A person who’s snacking is getting a snack, but is a cow who’s grazing getting a graze? Maybe.
We thought this crossword was a pretty good example of how an easy puzzle,
one accessible to those who are (relatively) new to our wondrous world, should be.
Given the recent developments in politics, apparently no-one was interested in
making a comment about the surface of 6d. Perhaps, Dansar will yet turn up tonight.
Every time I see Häagen Dazs, I see HIDDEN AGENDA.
If it was Vulcan’s own idea, then kudos.
Unlike Lord Jim @ 13, I did not link it to Enigmatist’s clue.
It must have been in 2008 or 2009 that a certain Neil Walker (who we all know now as Tramp)
made a real impression when he submitted a clue with the same idea to John Halpern’s
(long defunct) clue writing competition Cryptica.
Nice crossword (as long as it lasted (which wasn’t very long)).
Many thanks to loonapick and Vulcan (oops, sorry).
Thanks to loonapick and Vulcan
I don’t know where I gained the reputation as Netanyahu’s defender but I would say:
Vulgarian loses right to be a national (5)
I am really bad at solving stand-alone clues.
So, please, Dansar, can you give me the answer?
By the way, I only (jokily) mentioned your name because you recently said things about Polly Toynbee and our PM.
Sorry Sil, I hope you didn’t scratch your head for too long – I used the wrong enumeration!
It should have been (4)
I obviously need a test solver.