Today’s puzzle can be found here
I took a few minutes to get started with today’s puzzle, with only a handful of across clues in place after the first pass. The down answers in the NE corner came pretty quickly thereafter, and I gradually completed the whole thing ata fairly leisurely pace, without having to spend too long on any individual clue.
The wordplay for 6dn only gives one possible solution, as far as I can see (REEVE), but I don’t know of any cricketer named Reeve who played for Kent and who would be well enough known to be present in a non-themed puzzle, so I think this may be an error. The only other niggle I had was the repeated use of the word “energy” to indicate the letter E, which appears at 6dn and 20dn.
Otherwise, this was an enjoyable solve – thanks Neo.
| Across | ||
| 1 | HATPEG | Horse at post – will Derby rest on it? (6) |
| H (horse) + AT + PEG (“post”)
The Derby referred to is the American term for a bowler hat. |
||
| 5 | AIRBORNE | Bearing north-east to save British soldiers – so paras? (8) |
| AIR (“bearing”) + NE (north east) to save B (British) + OR (other ranks, so “soldiers”) | ||
| 9 | VIGOROUS | Spirited Russian fellow among solvers in Paris? (8) |
| IGOR (“Russian fellow”) among VOUS (you, i.e. the “solvers” in French, so “in Paris”) | ||
| 10 | ENOUGH | One hug might be all you need (6) |
| *(one hug) [anag:might be] | ||
| 11 | CHARGE | Husband in car for example reversed to fill tank (6) |
| H (husband) in <=E.G. CAR (“car, for example”, reversed) | ||
| 12 | ANECDOTE | Worried about party after NEC story (8) |
| ATE (“worried”) about NEC + DO (“party”) | ||
| 14 | MATHEMATICAL | Scientific mail that came for editing (12) |
| *(mail that came) [anag:for editing] | ||
| 18 | CO-RESPONDENT | Courted lover? (2-10) |
| Cryptic definition, the co-respondent being the person cited as having committed adultery with the respondent in a divorce case. | ||
| 22 | LUKEWARM | Apathetic Liberal member touring posh gardens (8) |
| L (liberal) + ARM (“member”) touring U (posh) + KEW (Gardens) | ||
| 25 | THEORY | Ambassador trapped in Conservative speculation (6) |
| HE (His/Her Excellency, form of address for an “ambassador”) trapped in TORY (“Conservative”) | ||
| 26 | PETITE | Small or favourite thing maiden missed (6) |
| PET (“favourite”) + ITE(m) (“thing” with M (maiden, in cricket) missed) | ||
| 27 | NEUROTIC | Unstable new currency financiers mostly backed (8) |
| N (new) + EURO (“currency”) + <=CIT(y) (“financiers”, mostly, backed) | ||
| 28 | STAGNATE | Insect dropped into food from the east – do nothing (8) |
| GNAT (“insect”) dropped into <=EATS (“food” from the east, i.e. from right to left) | ||
| 29 | KIPPER | Cure person dead to the world (6) |
| Double definition, the second referring to one who is asleep. | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | ALIGHT | Disembark in flames (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 3 | PROGRAMME | Schedule for lightweight – yours truly! (9) |
| PRO (“for”) +GRAM (“light weight”) + ME (“yours truly”) | ||
| 4 | GOOSE-STEP | Depart with poetess on travels in March (5,4) |
| GO (“depart”) with *(poetess) [anag:on travels] | ||
| 5 | AT STAKE | Some witches’ deaths here in question (2,5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | REEVE | Former Kent player always up to conserve energy (5) |
| EVER (“always”, up) to conserve E (energy)
I used to know more about cricket than I do now, having quit the game a decade ago, but the only Reeve I am aware of is Dermot Reeve, who didn’t play for Kent. If it is another Reeve, then it is likely to be someone obscure. |
||
| 7 | OVOID | Egg-shaped ball Roman poet catches (5) |
| O (ball) caught by OVID (“roman poet”) | ||
| 8 | NIGHTCAP | Shot prior to retirement? (8) |
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 13 | CUT | Copper to start with tasty prune (3) |
| Cu (chemmical symbol for “copper”) + T(asty) [to start with] | ||
| 15 | AWESTRUCK | Wondering where young man should go in a brawl? (9) |
| WEST (“where young man should go”, according to the phrase) in A RUCK (“brawl”) | ||
| 16 | IN THE SOUP | Expecting trouble, he is put on manoeuvres (2,3,4) |
| *(he is put on) [anag:manoeuvres] | ||
| 17 | MONUMENT | Greek character in short time creates shrine (8) |
| MU (“Greek character”) in MOMENT (“short time”) | ||
| 19 | SOW | Thus wife finds pig (3) |
| SO (“thus”) + W (wife) | ||
| 20 | NOMINEE | Candidate turning on explosive energy (7) |
| [turning] <=ON + MINE (“explosive”) + E (energy) | ||
| 21 | CRUISE | Rowing teams said to move smoothly (6) |
| Homophone [said] of CREWS (“rowing teams”) | ||
| 23 | EWING | Noise from cat non-starter for Dallas clan (5) |
| [non-starter] (m)EWING (“noise from cat”)
The Ewings (J.R. et al) were the family around which the TV soap Dallas was created |
||
| 24 | ARENA | Venue in Edgware named (5) |
| Hidden [in] “edgwARE NAmed” | ||
*anagram
Christopher Reeve = Clark Kent (= Superman)
D’oh! of course!
Thanks muffyword. That passed me by as well. In the blog for 11a, CAR is not part of reversal.
Didn’t know 18a. Tried a word fit in my Chambers app which failed until I removed the hyphen.
Interesting to see Neo put “yours truly” in 4d after the recent discussion on gramme vs. gram.
Thanks all.
Sorry, 3d not 4d.
thanks Loona and Neo! also struggled to get started… and like you was flummoxed by REEVE until the superman reeverence occurred to me.
Perhaps it helps living in Kent but I looked at the wordplay for 6d and it was obvious which Kent player was required!
Thanks to Neo for keeping us entertained in these trying times and to Loonapick
Thanks to Neo and loonapick. Very enjoyable. I missed the REEVE-Superman link (I found a cricketer Dermot Reeve with no connection to Kent), did not parse AWESTRUCK, and had not before encountered KIPPER as a verb.
My reeve from Kent was the one in Canterbury tales. But, I yield on superman. Thanks to all.
This was a blessed relief after yesterday’s Io, which I had to admit defeat with only half way through.
I loved the definitions for both AWESTRUCK and REEVE, which I got almost immediately, thankfully. It took me considerably longer to figure out that ‘maiden’ in 26a indicated M rather than an initial letter, but I got there in the end.
Thanks to all.
Challenging in parts, mainly the SE corner, but that was quickly completed once we realised the definition of 20dn was ‘candidate’ and not some mysterious form of energy. And we were puzzled for a bit in 9ac till we twigged that the Russian fellow wasn’t Ivan. We did identify the Kent player at once, though.
We liked MATHEMATICAL, LUKEWARM and NIGHTCAP.
Thanks, Neo and loonapick.
Thought this was lovely. ENOUGH is very nice and I laughed out loud when i saw CO-RESPONDENT.
Many thanks Neo & loonapick
Thanks Neo for a stimulating crossword. I always like when anagrams flow nicely within the clue e.g. “one hug” being ENOUGH. I also ticked VIGOROUS, STAGNATE, and NOMINEE as favorites. Thanks Loonapick for explaining 18a, 15d, and the second definition of KIPPER.
Hello Loona et al. Many thanks for blog and for dropping in.
N.
Thanks Neo and loonapick
Got to this one late last night and was able to get through it in the half hour before bed – on the quicker side for me. Can always depend on crisply concocted clues from this setter – similar to Times puzzles in a way.
Started off with ANECDOTE as a pretty straightforward charade with the NEC prominently sitting out there in the mix! There were some gimmes – such as CUT, SOW and OVOID. Then some harder ones such as the humorous CO-RESPONDENT and VIGOROUS (went down the IVAN path for too long as well).
Think that we needed the Greek NU instead of the MU in at 17d.
Finished in the SW corner with that MONUMENT, PETITE (where I wrangled [M]ITE into the wordplay instead of ITE[M]) and STAGNATE the last in.