An enjoyable Saturday solve from Klingsor today.
The SE corner held us up for a bit but once we had solved the clues, we wondered why we’d had a problem. Our favourite clue of the day was 11ac for a number of reasons. We guessed the novel at 10ac once we had a few crossing letters but it took a while to parse – it raised a smile when we did.
For those of you who were unsure of once and lie here are the relevant entries in Chambers:
REAP (gather) PEAR (fruit)
CRATE (case) around or ‘involving’ E (European)
The ‘cryptic hint’ is the fact that within the clue you have THREE MEN (gent, male and fellow) IN A BOAT (ship) – that was sneaky!
E (energy) + LOGIC (reason) inside or ‘cutting’ COAL (fossil fuel)
STUNt (check) missing last letter or ‘briefly’
OILING (greasing) after T (last or ‘final’ letter of ‘seat’)
LIVES (is) reversed or ’round’ + LE
aZURE (blue) missing first letter or ‘decapitated’ after SEI (whale)
An anagram of A LEG IN – anagrind is ‘injured’ + E (middle of ‘steep’)
MD (doctor) around or ’embracing’ IN (home)
PERSON (being) around I (one) inside or ‘boring’ ASS (idiot)
An anagram of LONELY ROUTINE NO – anagrind is ‘break’
ADDER (‘summer’) with L (league) at the front or ‘at first’
STERN (strict) around or about LAT (short for latrine – toilet). A slattern would definitely not be strict about her hygiene.
RE (about) TREAT (medicate)
fAIR (just) missing initial letter or ‘first off’
PRECIOUS (highly valued) around or ‘clothing’ CO (company)
AI (capital or ‘first rate’) around or ‘possessing’ ZERo (nothing) missing last letter or ‘almost’
ROwAN (tree) lacking W (width)
A MON (Monday – ‘day’) TILL (before) A DO (party)
E NT (books) E NT (e-books ‘doubled’) + E (English)
LIMA (capital) with LOSS (deprivation) reversed or ‘mounting’
O (first letter of ‘offender’) and PINIONED (confined) around or ‘housing’ ArresT( first and last letters only or ‘after vacation’)
An anagram of EVEN A (‘final’ letter of ‘sherpa’) – anagrind is ‘lost’ + SCENT (trail)
An anagram of SAY ONE – anagrind is ‘shattered’ – after GO (game)
SEMINAr (group of students) with R changing to L (‘changing sides’ as in left and right)
An anagram of I (one) SENT – anagrind is ‘off’- underneath or ‘supporting’ EP (recording)
A reversal (‘getting upset’) of LORE around or ‘about’ N (Navy)
Hidden or ‘taking part’ in ‘initiatiON CEremony’
Double definition
Klingsor is one of my very favourite setters and this didn’t disappoint. Managed to complete with 1 cheat (needed a word fit for LIMASSOL). I guessed the SSOL ending but didn’t think of the capital. A bit annoying since it is one of only a few I know but “capital” can mean so many things.
Loved 10a.
Learnt a few things along the way. Didn’t know SEI for whale or AZERI (or LIMASSOL). Also had to check that lat. was ok for “latrine”, that “once” could mean “at any time” and that “lie” was ok for “press”.
Thanks to Klingsor and Bertandjoyce.
It was the NW corner that held me up. I couldn’t parse ‘Three men in a boat’ but now see how clever that is. Couldn’t see lat = toilet but now I know! Not sure about once = at any time, or lie = press, they seem a bit of a stretch. Otherwise very enjoyable, so thanks Klingsor and B&J.
Thanks for explaining everything. I finished with all in correctly but there were a few I couldn’t parse including THREE MEN IN A BOAT – very clever. I did a (verbal) ‘whale’ trawl but the net was empty for a SEI. What a strange word, only marginally less so than the three-toed sloth.
Sorry, I’m being thick, but LIE for ‘press’?
Thanks to Klingsor and B&J
Challenging but just doable for us. Thanks for parsing some tricky ones. Our problem was top right, failing in knowledge of opera on my part meaning that Figaro and Seville wouldn’t make sense; and feeling that Limassol is a city on an island (as is London or Sydney) but not an island city (such as Singapore or Portsmouth). As someone who attends a lot of seminars I feel they are what students attend not the students themselves, but I’m sure I’ll be told that Chambers has that as an alternative.
We had to check once and lie as well.
We have added the relevant Chambers entries to the blog.
Ericw@4 – Chambers also has a seminar as a group of advanced students working in a specific subject of study under a teacher as well as the class or discussion group.
I guess “once” in the phrase “once bitten, twice shy” can be taken as “at any time”?
Maybe if something lies heavily on your shoulders?
Just suggestions.
Thanks to Bertandjoyce and Klingsor
Very good, 10a is a gem as are many others.
For “once” I imagined a McCarthyist “were you once a communist?”
I’m not sure why “injured” rather than “injure”, is used in 19a, but that’s likely to be my failing.