Crosophile’s latest puzzle has been provided for our intellectual stimulation and enjoyment this Tuesday.
I found this to be very much a medium-difficulty puzzle, and although there were a few write-ins at the beginning, I had to work quite hard to solve the rest, especially in the SE corner of the grid.
Tuesday tends to be theme day, but other than the linked clues at 14 and 15, I haven’t spotted any particular theme, such as lots of islands lurking in the grid. Perhaps more eagle-eyed solvers have spotted something that I, not for the first time, have missed?
I am happy with my parsing of all but 11, where I had been struggling to account for all the letters. I would appreciate confirmation that I got there in the end!
My favourite clues today are 6, for smoothness of surface; 8, for overall construction; and both 9 and 14 for the smile they put on my face when the penny finally dropped.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 07 | WHOLLY | This is in every way sacred for audience
Homophone (“for audience”) of “holy (=sacred)” |
| 08 | DERRIERE | Cyclist, say, cycling before and behind
DER-RI (RIDER=cyclist, say; “cycling” means that first and then second letter move to the end of the word) + ERE (=before) |
| 10 | SCIENCE | Maybe ecology sees Crosophile in landscape catching cold
I (=Crosophile, i.e. today’s setter) in [C (=cold) in SCENE (=landscape, picture)] |
| 11 | PHARAOH | An ancient royal pub joins a row over hotel
PH (=pub, i.e. public house) + A + RAO (OAR=row; “over” indicates reversal) + H (=hotel) |
| 12 | EYECATCHER | I heard a common pet’s expensive in Paris for anybody who’s striking
EYE (=homophone of “I”) + CAT (=common pet) + CHER (=expensive in Paris, i.e. the French word) |
| 13 | PEAR | Fruit and veg recipe
PEA (=veg) + R (=recipe, meaning “take” in Latin) |
| 15 | NO MAN IS AN ISLAND | Mainland North/Iona steamship’s working and we’re all connected
*(MAINLAND + N (=north) + IONA + SS (=steamship); “working” is anagram indicator |
| 18 | TEEN | Adolescent initially needs support earlier on
TEE (=support, in golf) + N<eeds> (“initially” means first letter only) |
| 20 | KETTLEDRUM | Instrument held in one area? Unusual
KETTLED (=held (e.g.) protesters) in one area) + RUM (=unusual, odd) |
| 24 | CYPRESS | Tree in WWI battle swathed in gas
YPRES (=WWI battle, in Belgium) in CS (=gas, used in riot control) |
| 25 | REFRAIN | Give up // the burden
Double definition: to refrain from is to abstain from, “give up” AND a refrain is a “burden”, a recurring line in a poem |
| 26 | NURTURES | Brings up return of routine work, ends in more stress
NURTUR (RUT (=routine) + RUN (=work, operate); “return of” indicates reversal) + <mor>E + <stress>S (“ends in” means last letters only) |
| 27 | BARLEY | A cereal crop, except on meadowland
BAR (=except) + LEY (=meadowland) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | COLISEUM | Stadium music featuring ELO post break-up, making comeback
C-OL-IS-E-UM; “ELO” is split up (“post break-up”) and slotted into “music”; “making comeback” indicates (full) reversal |
| 02 | PLANTAINS | A soldier in the pampas? That’s bananas
ANT (=soldier) in PLAINS (=pampas, in South America) |
| 03 | PEOPLE | Folk hero regularly seen to split apple with head shot
<h>E<r>O in <a>PPLE; “with head shot” means first letter is dropped; “regularly” means alternate letters only |
| 04 | BRIAR | In our Airbnb we have this climbing wild rose
Hidden (“in”) and vertically reversed (“climbing”) in “ouR AIRBnb” |
| 05 | DECADE | Rat seen in a river several years running
CAD (=rat, scoundrel) in DEE (=a river, in UK) |
| 06 | TETHERED | Edward hold that place is linked with a painter
THERE (=that place) in TED (=Edward, abbreviated) |
| 07 | SWEAT | Refuse to break sweat
*(SWEAT); “to break” is anagram indicator; refuse, as a noun is waste, rubbish |
| 09 | FENCES | Crimes of these receivers?
OF + FENCES (=receivers) = CRIMES |
| 14 | ISLE OF MAN | 15A refuted
Cryptically, the very name “Isle of Man” disproves the claim by John Donne at 15A that “No man is an island”! |
| 15 | NOTICING | Regarding request for plain cake?
Cryptically, “not icing” could be a request for plain (=uniced) cake” |
| 16 | NATURE | Character’s new, not initially fully developed
N (=new) + <m>ATURE (=fully developed; “not initially” means first letter is dropped) |
| 17 | AERIALLY | A fury flies up with consort high above the ground
A + ERI (IRE=fury; “flies up” indicates vertical reversal) + ALLY (=consort) |
| 19 | EXPORT | Formerly fortified wine and strong beer
EX- (=formally) + PORT (=fortified wine); export is a type of strong brown beer |
| 21 | EASIER | I’ll stay in festival for short time –it’s more relaxed
Letter “i” replaces letter “t (=short time, i.e. abbreviation)” in EASTER (=festival) |
| 22 | MONEY | Bread – a way to get Japanese sort to rise
M.O. (=a way, i.e. modus operandi) + NEY (YEN=Japanese sort (of bread, i.e. money); “to rise” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 23 | BEAUT | A film for everyone in the round is a wonderful thing
U (=a film for everyone) in BEAT (=the round, e.g. of policeman) |
11a: As you say, except that “row” is simply “oar” in reverse. Then it parses perfectly, with PH around A and OAR (backwards).
Thanks to both.
I may just have spotted something if applying homophones to Barley = Bali, then Cypress….suspect there are others….
…Faroe….Bute….out of time – moustache!
Holy Island
There’s a Pear Island but Bear Island is probably better known. Bear would have fitted in the grid.
well the homophones seem to confirm the island theme very nicely … but no way I would have spotted it on my own – so thanks all above! my faves were both the actual island containg clues, as well as many others! Kettledrum and Beaut took the longest… thanks Crosophile, ja kiitos RatkojaRika..
Oops – just come across Money Island. Perhaps more to be found.
No kettledrum island. However when divided we get two more islands.
…and Eire and Lea, as well as Plantain.
Tried to make the answer to 21d Easter, another island, rather than starting with that and getting Easier, but was obviously just delirious at having spotted a theme for once! Enjoyed crossword and blog Thanks to both
A small pity that RatkojaRiku has not quite copied my update on his parsing of 11a correctly (ROA is OAR backwards, not RAO), but the parsing is now correct, I believe.
The typo has now been corrected, Andy Luke! Well done to those that spotted the theme 🙂
Thanks, RatkojaRiku, for a fine blog. Glad you enjoyed it. And thanks for all comments.
I think the whole list of intended homonyms was HOLY, FAROE, TEAN, CYPRUS, BALI, BRYHER, and BUTE. But Jayjay #13 makes a good point about how EASIER could have been EASTER.
I don’t remember, but suspect I intended EASTER when I filled the grid and had forgotten why by the time I got round to clueing it. D’oh!
The other islands mentioned above are all coincidences. I guess there’s a lot of islands out there!