Goliath provides this morning's lockdown challenge in the FT.
On first perusal, I thought I was going to be in for a long slog, with only 4 across clues and 7 down finding their way into the grid on my first pass.
Getting some of the longer answers, especially the central down one, gave me enough crossers to start to fill in the remaining clues, and then the challenge was in parsing some of them.
With the exception of 17dn, I think I have achieved that. 17dn doesn't seem right to me, though, as CAPSICUM is singular and PEPPERS is plural, and there seem to be a lot of redundant words in the clue. As always, I am sure, one of you will explain where I have gone wrong.
I don't see an obvious theme, although the "unpleasant person" (GIT) from 1 across and EYES (22 across), coupled with the lack of LUCIDITY and a TRANSPARENT explanation could refer to a certain political adviser?
Thanks, Goliath
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | AGITPROP | Political message from an unpleasant person needing support (8) |
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A GIT ("an unpleasant person") needing PROP ("support") |
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| 6 | EMBODY | Epitomise the origins of every mischievous boy or deviant youth (6) |
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[the origins of] E(very) M(ischievous) B(oy) O(r) D(eviant) Y(outh) |
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| 9 | UNPAID | Honorary penny given in international assistance (6) |
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P (penny) given in U.N. AID ("international assistance") |
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| 10 | LUCIDITY | Clarity of blue, essentially without a sharpness (8) |
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(b)LU(e) + (a)CIDITY ("sharpness", without a) |
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| 11, 22 | CATS EYES | Road features strange caste getting approval (8) |
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*(caste) [anag:strange] getting YES ("approval") |
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| 12 | ABHORRENCE | Intense dislike of the upper classes by short French men sans frontières (10) |
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A B ("upper classes") by (s)HOR(t) (f)RENC(h) (m)E(n) [sans frontieres] (i.e without borders) |
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| 14, 26 | MACARONI CHEESE | Burger or a Chinese may be? Simple last dish (8,6) |
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MAC ("burger" as in "Big Mac") + *(or a chinese) + (simpl)E [at last] |
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| 16, 18 | SUITABLE | Appropriate action needs a belief, oddly (8) |
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SUIT ("action") needs A + B(e)L(i)E(f) [oddly] |
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| 19 | UNAWARES | Unexpectedly French and English articles and goods (8) |
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UN + A ("French and English articles") + WARES ("goods") |
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| 21 | GRATUITIES | Tips obtainable from Eric, lead guitarist (10) |
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*(e guitarist) [anag;obtainable from] where E is lead of E(ric) |
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| 22 | See 11 | |
| 24 | HITHERTO | Success with other plan so far (8) |
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HIT ("success") + *(other) [anag:plan] |
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| 26 | See 14 | |
| 27 | PEOPLE | Public abuse of Pope Paul IV (and Leo II) (6) |
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*(pope l e) [anag:abuse] where L is the IVth letter of (pau)L and E the IInd letter of L(e)O |
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| 28 | SEMITONE | Permanent recording label’s musical interval (8) |
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EMI ("recording label") set in STONE ("permanent") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 2 | GENOA | Sail for port (5) |
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Double definition |
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| 3 | TRANSPARENT | May be mum and dad once showing 10 (11) |
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A TRANS(exual) PARENT may be one's mum now, but one's dad before the procedure? |
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| 4 | RADIATOR | Engine cooler but house warmer (8) |
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Double definition |
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| 5 | PULCHRITUDINOUS | The endlessly ridiculous pun can be beautiful (15) |
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*(th ridiculous pun) [anag:can be] where TH is TH(e) [endlessly] |
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| 6 | ESCORT | Minder in Tesco working to suppress the start of riot (6) |
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*(tesco) [anag:working] to suppress [the start of] R(iot) |
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| 7, 25 | BEDHOP | At the beginning, Boris somehow hoped to be promiscuous (6) |
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[at the beginning] B(oris) + *(hoped) [anag:somehow] |
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| 8 | DETECTIVE | Nice summer on court covered by joint investigator (9) |
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ETE ("summer" in French, so, as Nice is in France, "French summer") on CT (court) covered by DIVE ("joint") |
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| 13 | ENSLAVEMENT | Is leaving troubled Vietnam, senile from subjugation (11) |
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*(vetnam senle) [anag:troubled]. To get the anagram fodder remove the I from "Vietnam" and the I from "senile" (I's leaving). |
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| 15 | AUBERGINE | This vegetable is at home in French lodge (9) |
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IN ("at home") in AUBERGE ("French lodge") |
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| 17 | CAPSICUM | Better music arrangement without piquancy from Red Hot Chili Peppers? (8) |
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CAP ("better") +*(music) [anag:arrangement] I don't see the need for "without piquancy from" and "peppers" is plural and "capicum" is singular, so I may need some help understanding how this clue works. |
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| 20 | FIERCE | Violent secret life uncovered when looking back (6) |
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<=((s)ECRE(t) (l)IF(e)) [uncovered] and [looking back] |
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| 23 | ESSEN | Messenger’s Großstadt (5) |
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Hidden in "mESSENger" Essen is a large industrial city in Germany, and in Germany a Großstädt is a city of over 100,000 people. |
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| 25 | See 7 | |
Very enjoyable although not keen on “plan” as an anagram indicator. Can’t help with 17d. I just assumed capsicum could be derived from chilli peppers but without their piquancy. I’m a culinary ignoramus. I still think “piquancy” is a holiday resort.
Favourites were 27a, 28a. Thanks to Monk and loonapick.
Sorry. Goliath not Monk.
I always spot the long word and always misspell it in spite of checking-maybe need new glasses.
So MACARONI made it a dnf
Thanks all
27d. The best I could do is that the Red Hot Chili Peppers are a musical group and Capiscum are therefore Chili Peppers without piquancy (Red Hot).
Thank you both.
So, who else started singing “jeux sans frontières” by Peter Gabriel after reading 12a?
PULCHRITUDINOUS is one of those words that are opposite to onomatopoeic (is there an accepted term for such?).
Hovis@5
Actually, I started whistling the theme tune to It’s a Knockout, which was known as Jeux sans frontiers in France, Belgium, Switzerland etc.
Many thanks to Goliath and Loonapick for a great puzzle and blog.
My favourites today were MACARONI CHEESE, PEOPLE, SEMITONE, TRANSPARENT and BEDHOP.
Theme-wise, with 15 and 17dn, we have the beginnings of a ratatouille. 😉
Fun puzzle (ta for the nudge, Eileen). Thought something like trenodia for capsicum, but didn’t get overheated by it. Ditto EMI in stone, smart clue. And ditto the two Is leaving the grist for enslavement, also very neat. Very smart setting Goliath, ta, will smarten up my parsing next time, and thanks loonapick.
Thanks to Goliath and loonapick. Great fun. I saw the hidden ESSEN but did not know the German term, missed the AB in ABHORRENCE, and needed all the crossers to get GRATUITIES.
Indeed a typically enjoyable puzzle from Goliath.
One that I found a lot more challenging than what he served up in yesterday’s Guardian.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the precision in 17d.
Every now and then Goliath is a bit loose to add some fun and/or to upgrade the surface.
In this case it was clear he wanted to use this American band (with one L in Chili, indeed!).
Personally, I don’t like “simple last” for E (in 14,26), for me just as bad as “last month” for H.
In 21ac there’s something similar but “Eric, lead” is saved by the comma.
Although I’m aware that I say this about a setter who thinks punctuation doesn’t matter.
I would have liked to see a “?” in 28ac, and “may be” written as “maybe” in 14,26 – but hey.
For some reason, the simple FIERCE (20d) did appeal to me.
Many thanks to Loonapick for the blog & Goliath for the puzzle.
The most satisfying crossword of my week thusfar; it took dinner last night and breakfast this morning to complete. Thanks Loonapick for the parsing esp. MACARONI CHEESE, SEMITONE, and AGITPROP. (I was unfamiliar with “git” as an unpleasant person.) Favorites were BED HOP, AUBERGINE, and the humorous TRANSPARENT. Liked the mechanism for FIERCE. Thanks Goliath.
A bit of light relief (relatively) after today’s grueller in the Indy (not that we’re complaining about either).
Some very enjoyable clues. We liked CATSEYES, ABHORRENCE, MACARONI CHEESE and AUBERGINE, but our CoD was SEMITONE – brilliant!
Thanks, Goliath and Loonapick.
Needed an anagram site for 5d, never heard of it before, and I’ll no doubt never remember it. Didn’t understand 17d, just assumed CAPSICUM could be plural.
Thanks Goliath & loonapick.
In 17 down the definition is “pepper”. To lose the piquancy you have to remove all of the red hot chilies.
Thanks to loonapick and Goliath
Burger or a Chinese, possibly inmate’s last dish
Club sandwiches or a Chinese cooked meal?
Elton’s lead guitarist
It’s not difficult, I think he just does it to wind (some of us) up
Jelly Roll had a band called Red Hot Peppers. I don’t think they were nicknamed “piquancy” though.
We thought ‘Eric’ was chosen for 21 to make us think of this guitarist
Yes but Dansar‘s point is, if I am right, that there should be an “apostrophe s”.
And ‘Eric’s lead guitarist’ doesn’t make much sense because Eric Clapton is a guitar player.
Dansar‘s alternative does because Elton (John, I presume) isn’t a guitarist but has a lead guitarist in his band (Davey Johnstone).
Dansar @15 “Club sandwiches or a Chinese cooked meal?” is a great clue for MACARONI CHEESE. The surface flows quite naturally but by no means would I call it an easy clue.
Why should it be an easy clue?
I think this alternative for 14,26 is really good but, yes, it is not a clue that is in line with Goliath’s style of clueing.
Sil van den Hoek @19 By no means should any clue be “easy” or it would cease to be a puzzle. Sometimes (not always) I find concise, readable clues easier to penetrate than clues that use large numbers of words to get a letter or two of the answer. That being said, Goliath is one of my favorite setters.
Sil @17
Yes that’s my point, but mostly it’s that mentally scrolling through Eric, Eagles, Elvis, Eurythmics etc. before arriving at the more suitable “Elton” took a few seconds. Goliath/Philistine is a very good and inventive setter and I am genuinely mystified as to why he resorts to this sort of device.
Thanks Goliath and loonapick
Found this quite tough going with a couple of unknown terms and some not so easy parsing. Never heard of the long 5d word and don’t think that I will ever remember it or its spelling going forward. It’s interesting the amount of European language that is required in the solves these days – although the German word looked familiar, had non idea what it meant – maybe it was just that funky letter in the middle that I’d seen before.
Enjoyed the puzzle and particularly liked the split clues. Finished with RADIATOR (another quirky word that can have opposite meanings), that MACARONI CHEESE and SEMITONE the last one in.