A tough challenge from WANDERER this Friday.
Not too embarrassed to admit I needed help to solve this one.
FF:9 DD: 10
| ACROSS | ||
| 1, 4 | GROUNDBREAKERS | Possibly picks pioneers or innovators (14) |
| cryptic def, a pick can be used to break ground | ||
| 9 | STEPPE | Bit of a walk? Exercise, that’s plain (6) |
| STEP ( bit of a walk ) PE ( exercise ) | ||
| 10 | UNCLE SAM | Muscleman losing face, when sacked in ‘Trump country’ (5,3) |
| [ mUSCLEMAN ( losing face i.e. without first letter ) ]* | ||
| 12 | OUTCLASS | Put in the shade, if not in form (8) |
| cryptic def; CLASS = FORM | ||
| 13 | AGENDA | To-do list involves data input in language computer understands (6) |
| GEN ( data ) in ADA ( language computer understands ) | ||
| 15, 16 | KING CRIMSON | Group containing eg Alfred or Ethelred, together with kind of what they have in common (4,7) |
| KING ( alfred, an example of ) CRIMSON ( another type of RED, which is common to alfRED and ethelRED ) | ||
| 20, 21 | LIBERTY BELL | Shot bally treble 1, dropping a clanger? (7,4) |
| [ BaLLY TREBLE { I (one) } , without A ]* | ||
| 25 | TEE OFF | Start round very strongly after letter of support? (3,3) |
| [ O ( round ) FF ( very strongly ) after TEE ( support, sounds like the letter T ) | ||
| 26 | SUPEREGO | See group struggling, having conscience in mind (8) |
| [ SEE GROUP ]* | ||
| 28 | MAINSTAY | Source of electricity: current one that’s most depended on? (8) |
| MAINS ( source of electricity ) TAY ( current ) | ||
| 29 | WAPITI | Wanderer’s first with a clue about one deer (6) |
| W ( Wanderer, first letter) A PIT ( clue = TIP, reversed ) I ( one ) | ||
| 30, 31 | COLORADO BEETLE | Bug state car, one with black and yellow stripes (8,6) |
| COLORADO ( state ) BEETLE ( car ) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GASWORKS | Plant goes under glass periodically (8) |
| WORKS ( goes ) under GlAaS ( periodically i.e. alternate letters ) | ||
| 2 | OVERTONE | Noticeable but not obvious quality of public figure? (8) |
| OVERT ( public ) ONE ( figure ) | ||
| 3 | NAPALM | Incendiary substance China used in war (6) |
| PAL ( china, cockney rhyming slang ) in NAM ( war ) | ||
| 5, 14 | RANK AMATEUR | Foul-smelling ham? A very inept chef perhaps (4,7) |
| RANK ( foul-smelling ) AMATEUR ( ham ) | ||
| 6 | ALLEGROS | Speedy movements of an old car (8) |
| cryptic def; read as ALLEGRO’S ( of an old car, austin allegro ) | ||
| 7 | ESSENE | Somewhat boundless energy for an ascetic (6) |
| hidden in “..boundlESS ENErgy..” | ||
| 8 | SAMPAN | Boat almost foundered negotiating a little current (6) |
| SANk ( foundered, almost ) containing AMP ( short for AMPere, little current ) | ||
| 11, 27 | E STREET BAND | Backing group cavorting topless in bed with a setter (1,6,4) |
| [ iN ( topless, without first letter ) BED A SETTER ]* – the boss’ backing band | ||
| 14 | See 5 | |
| 17 | DIFFUSER | Sure I’d waver, describing very loud hairdryer attachment (8) |
| [ SURE ID ]* around FF ( very loud ) | ||
| 18 | BENEDICT | Pope wanting English police backup in criminal case (8) |
| ( E ( English ) CID ( police ) ] reversed in BENT ( criminal case ) | ||
| 19 | FLUORINE | Gas fitter’s beginning in extension? (8) |
| F ( Fitter, first letter ) expanded to its full name as per the periodic table | ||
| 22 | ATOMIC | Coat I’m sporting: sort of number where 9 is 19 (6) |
| [ COAT IM ]*; cryptic def – | ||
| 23 | DENIAL | Cut flowers? Two of them, the second after receiving a rejection (6) |
| DEe NILe ( two flowers i.e. rivers, without last letter ) with the second river containing an A | ||
| 24 | FEMALE | Iron Man’s 13, reportedly one that’s unlike him (6) |
| FE ( iron, chemical symbol ) MALE ( man ) , 13 refers to AGENDA (~ sounds like A GENT ) | ||
| 27 | See 11 | |
Phew! Completed this but needed help on 11d and 30/31 to get unstuck. In 25a, I don’t think you need “sounds like” in the parsing. The golf tee is spelt the same as the letter T because it looks a bit like one. The question mark at the end signifies the cryptic nature. In 24d, you mean sounds like A GENDER.
Thanks to Wanderer (always appreciate the way he lines up his split solutions) and Turbolegs.
I made very heavy weather of this, I’m afraid and didn’t manage to finish. Having read the blog, I know I never would have. (I’m not owning up to the ones I didn’t get!)
–
Favourites of those I did get were AGENDA, SUPEREGO, BENEDICT and DENIAL.
I read 12 across as simply OUT (not in) + CLASS (form).
Thanks, Wanderer for the challenge – too much of one for me today. As Hovis said, and as I’ve said more than once, I do love the way you line up split solutions – six examples today!
And thanks for the blog, Turbolegs.
A proper test of the cryptic grey matter which I actually finished without assistance.
Thanks to Wanderer and to Turbolegs
I think that in 25A the reference is to the letter T which may be spelt out as TEE (as well as referring to “support” = golf tee). So I’d agree no homophone indicator is needed. Think that a golf tee looks a bit like a T (not something I’d noticed before) may be just coincidence perhaps.
Found this a stiff challenge. Needed help with the ‘crimson’ part of 15/16a (don’t know this band) and got stuck on the wordplay for GASWORKS. I am familiar, however, with The Boss’s backing group at 11/27d. Think I’ve seen WAPITI here in crossword land before otherwise that would have eluded me too.
Favourites were two of those popular split solutions: RANK AMATEUR and LIBERTY BELL.
Thank you Wanderer for adding to my fund of GK and to Turbolegs for a thorough and much-needed blog.
Thanks Wanderer & Turbolegs.
Not only does Fluorine have atomic number nine as indicated in 22 down, but its atomic weight is 19, which no doubt determined its location in the grid.
Hard! I needed to use a wordsearch to finish. Well done crypticsue!
Thanks to S & B.
Yes – one time I can’t say, ‘What crpticsue said’. 🙁
Certainly a challenge but we managed it with gentle nudges from Chambers for 2dn (we’d got ‘overt…’) and Google for 11/27 (our knowledge of the pop world is sketchy, but we did manage 15/16 without help). Otoh we had 1/4 and 30/31 as write-ins, and with one of us having been a chemist we had no trouble with 19 and 22. In fact 19 and 22 were our clues of the day.
Thanks, Wanderer and Turbolegs.
Lovely crossword.
Always surprised to see solvers stumbling over pop music references being around for half a century or so (15,16 and 11,27).
19ac (FLUORINE) is typical Wanderer but today I found it a pity that the clue gives us ‘f’ (lower case) while fluorine is ‘F’ (upper case).
Anyway.
Many thanks to Turbolegs & Wanderer.
Renaissance composers have been around for several centuries, so I’m always surprised to see solvers stumble over references to Josquin or Ockhegem. ?
I confess to also being unfamiliar with the atomic numbers of gases, so this crossword left me badly beaten.
Not complaining though, as l see that Brendan is on for the Guardian prize this weekend, so I’m in for a treat.
Thanks Wanderer for the thrashing, and Turbolegs for putting me out of my misery with all the TILTs.
LOI for me was the two rivers DE)E) and NI(a)L(E)-rather crafty
Another fine puzzle from Redshank.
Sil @10 – a good point. Normally I would consider capitalization as a bit of a personal taste, something the setter can choose to follow or not, but in this case the clue really does not work without it. F is an abbreviation for Flourine and can be expanded as such, f is not an abbreviation for Flourine so you can’t expand it that way.
Thanks Wanderer and Turbolegs
Pretty tough and some excellent clues – none better than the connected ATOMIC and FLUORIDE ones, particularly for the clever cross-reference that made good chemical use of the clue-number of FLUORIDE. I think that this setter is the leading exponent of the placement and use of split answers to a clue in a grid.
Had to dig deep to remember / work out the two bands … and both produced ah ha moments. The potato pest at 30/31 and the name of the hairdryer attachment at 17d were both new learning.
Finished in the SW corner with DENIAL (with the ‘water flowers’ taking longer than normal to surface), MAINSTAY and the E-STREET BAND (fond memories of seeing them live in the 1980’s) the last few in.
The split entries help make up for the lack of connectivity in this grid. Editors would be wise to encourage this practice so solvers have an alternate way to get a toehold in each section.