A themed offering from Basilisk that took me a while to untangle.
I’ll start with the praise. Basilisk did a brilliant job of getting so many theme entries in among the across clues. It is not a theme that is immediately obvious which means that you can’t put in a lot of answers straight away. There were some excellent clues such as those for LOLITA, ARGOT and CHAOTIC.
To the theme – I spotted the following movies in the across answers – MISERY, DISGRACE, HUNGER, TWILIGHT, WATCHMEN, FATHERLAND, POSSESSION, HOME, STOKER (although the answer is actually STONER (see comments below), TIMELINE, INSOMNIA, LOLITA and SPHERE. There’s also DIVA in the down answers. There are films called WINTER, SNOW and SATURDAY, but these are not well known mainstream movies. I haven’t had time to research if these have anything in common, like an actor or a director, but from first glance, I don’t see a link.
I do have a few quibbles which may turn out to be me missing a point, so apologies in advance if that’s the case.
15ac has no definition, even with he ellipsis bringing winter into the frame. In 3dn, I’m not convinced by “rounds” as a hidden word indicator. 19ac is a hard word to clue, and I think would have been better without including the political element. In 8dn, I think it would be fairer to the solver to indicate in some way that the letters of “hat” are not consecutive.
Thanks, Basilisk
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MISERY |
Killjoy is mean to exclude student (6)
|
| MISER(l)Y (“mean” to exclude L (learner, so “student”)) | ||
| 4 | DISGRACE |
Greek expert on the underworld put to shame (8)
|
| Gr. (Greek) + ACE (“expert”) on DIS (“the underworld”) | ||
| 9 | HUNGER |
Someone who seeks to relinquish one extreme for another in tasting desire (6)
|
| HUN(t>G)ER (“someone who seeks” i.e a HUNTER, relinquishing T for G (the “extremes’ of T(astin)G)) | ||
| 10 | TWILIGHT |
Mainly get Kindle when it’s hard to see clearly (8)
|
| [mainly] TWI(g) + LIGHT (“kindle”) | ||
| 12 | WATCHMEN |
Guards cycling contest with revolutionary new screen (8)
|
| *(new) [anag:revolutionary] screens (m)ATCH(M) (“contest”, cycling) | ||
| 13 | WINTER |
Season with continental football team . . . . (6)
|
| W (with) + INTER (Milan) (“continental football team”) | ||
| 15 | SNOW |
. . . . succeeded immediately, producing this (4)
|
| S (succeeded) + NOW (“immediately”)
Even with the ellipsis bringing winter into the equation, I don’t think that there is a proper definition in here. |
||
| 16 | FATHERLAND |
Miles pens article to secure ancestral home (10)
|
| FAR (“miles”) pens THE (“article”) + LAND (“to secure”) | ||
| 19 | POSSESSION |
State requiring spiritual and political liberation? (10)
|
| Cryptic definition – someone who is possessed by the devil would need spiritual liberation (not convinced by the political bit of the clue?) | ||
| 20 | HOME |
In an institution for people who need help (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 23 | STONER |
Pit worker’s person who likes to be high (6)
|
| STONE (“pit”) + (Worke)R [‘s last] | ||
| 25 | TIMELINE |
Electronic issue containing nothing about graphic history (8)
|
| <=(E (electronic) + EMIT (“issue”) containing NIL (“nothing)) [about] | ||
| 27 | INSOMNIA |
It’s always Sleepless in Seattle’s opening I moan about (8)
|
| IN + S(eattle) [‘s opening] + *(I moan) [anag:about] | ||
| 28 | LOLITA |
Kinky cross-dresser procures sex for nymphette (6)
|
| LOLA (a “cross-dresser” in an eponymous “Kinks” song, hence “Kinky cross-dresser”) procures IT (“sex”) | ||
| 29 | SATURDAY |
Study leads to academics rebutting arguments separately within 24-hour period (8)
|
| STUDY with [leads to] A(cademics) R(ebutting) A(rguments) [separately within] gives us S(A)TU(R)D(A)Y | ||
| 30 | SPHERE |
Without children present, you have a ball! (6)
|
| SP (sine prole, ie “without children” in genealogy) + HERE (“present”) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MOHAWKS |
Native Americans rejected order by those in favour of war (7)
|
| [rejected] <=OM (“Order” of Merit) by HAWKS (“those in favour of war”) | ||
| 2 | SANCTIONS |
Restrictions in reporting scuppered cuts (9)
|
| Homophone [in reporting] of SANK (“scuppered”) + SHUNS (“cuts”) | ||
| 3 | RE-ECHO |
Referee chooses rounds to repeat again (2-4)
|
| Hidden in [rounds] “refeREE CHOoses”
Not sure about “rounds” to indicate a hidden answer, it’s normally used for a container clue. |
||
| 5 | IOWA |
British Island briefly joins American state (4)
|
| I.o.W. (Isle of Wight, so “British island briefly”) joins A (America) | ||
| 6 | GALLIARD |
Steps taken quickly upset doctor, and cause suffering and delay (8)
|
| [upset] <=(Dr. (doctor) and AIL (“cause suffering”) and LAG (“delay”)
A galliard was a lively dance, popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. |
||
| 7 | ARGOT |
Special language discovered by thieves originally (5)
|
| (j)ARGO(n) (“special language” discovered) by T(hieves) [originally] | ||
| 8 | ENTERED |
Went on stage last, captivating theatre after removing hat (7)
|
| END (“last”) captivating T(h)E(at)RE [after removing HAT]
Should there be some indication in the clue that the letters of HAT are not consecutive? |
||
| 11 | RELAPSE |
Return to old ways is concerning liberal part of Church (7)
|
| RE (“concerning”) + L (Liberal) + APSE (“part of church”) | ||
| 14 | CHAOTIC |
Regularly adopt fashionable clothes all over the place (7)
|
| [regularly] A(d)O(p)T clothed by CHIC (“fashionable”) | ||
| 17 | ABORIGINE |
From the outset Britons inhabiting Australian region displaced her? (9)
|
| AB ORIGINE (“from the outset” in Latin) | ||
| 18 | REDEEMER |
He saves judge coming between heads of state meeting face to face (8)
|
| DEEM (“judge”) coming between RE and ER (the Queen, so “head of state” meeting face to face, think of it as two queens one facing one way, and one the other) | ||
| 19 | PASTIES |
Food and drink containing energy (7)
|
| PASTIS (“drink”) containing E (energy) | ||
| 21 | ELEVATE |
Promote side almost winning final in extra time (7)
|
| ELEVE(n) (“side”, almost) winning [final in] (extr)A + T (time) | ||
| 22 | RECOUP |
Make good theatre company start to understudy parts (6)
|
| REP (“theatre”) parted by Co. (company) and [start to] U(nderstudy) | ||
| 24 | ONSET |
Violent attack supported by firm (5)
|
| ON (“supported by”) + SET (“firm”) | ||
| 26 | DIVA |
Five stopping to help up drama queen (4)
|
| V (five) stopping <=AID (“to help”, up) |
Enjoyed this, especially ARGOT. For 17d, I had an anagram of BIA (Britons Inhabiting Australian (from the outset)) + REGION.
POSSESSION can also refer to a country in the control of another.
STONER can be a drug user (so, person who likes to be high) so STONE = pit + R = worker’s last.
Should have added that, in 17d, I took the definition to be “her” with extended wordplay, essentially a semi &lit.
Thanks for a great blog loonapick, and to Basilisk for an absorbing puzzle.
I had STONER at 23A.
Many thanks to loonapick for the excellent blog. I thought I’d just confirm that Hovis has expressed my intentions perfectly for STONER, POSSESSION and ABORIGINE.
All across entries are books, many of which have been made into films. I heartily recommend STONER, which is much better than STOKER 😉
Toughest puzzle of the day with no nina as a guideline.
At least I got them all (eventually?) except 23-I had STOKER
Didnt spot the films and probably have hardly seen any of them
A good workout for the grey cells and many thanks for blog
and puzzle, JC
I missed the theme even though I thought there must be something going on. I found this very tough and took ages to get my last few in including ABORIGINE (v. good clue), STONER (never heard of) and finally GALLIARD (liked the not so obvious def). Another couple that were ‘hard to see clearly’ were appropriately TWILIGHT and my favourite, POSSESSION.
Best and certainly the hardest of the day for me.
Thanks to Basilisk and loonapick
One of the hardest crosswords of the week so far – I did eventually notice the theme which helped with my last few. I particularly liked the Kinky cross-dresser in 28a
Thanks to Basilisk for the very enjoyable brain-mangling and loonapick for the blog
does anyone else have a problem with 7dn? “Special language” is doing double duty, for the construction (j)argi(n) and for the definition (argot – which is a specialized jargon)
grahamsw @8. The reason I mentioned ARGOT as a favourite @1 is because I thought it was a beautiful example of an &lit clue. So the whole clue serves as the definition and as the cryptic fodder. In a sense, this means everything is doing double duty but that’s fine and, in my view, one of the hardest type of clues to construct satisfactorily.
I had HUNTER for 9a – the “one extreme for another” has no directional indication. In 10a, TWIg is defined by GET not Mainly. Thanks to both.
Thanks Basilisk and loonapick
A cracking puzzle that took several sessions to complete. Even then, I failed to fully parse SANCTIONS (couldn’t get the ‘shuns’ part), ARGOT (didn’t dis-cover ‘jargon’) and ENTERED (just had no idea) … and completely missed the theme.
A new term in GALLIARD and some real substance in the word play of many of the clues. Actually thought that the HUNGER device where I thought that it was pretty clear that the HUNTER needed to ‘relinquish’ the T for a G and thought that it was the pick of a very good bunch.
Finished in the SE corner with TIMELINE (tricky reversed construction), ELEVATE (easy enough to guess from definition, but some thought required as to the why) and the tricky double definition for HOME as the last one in.
I have no problem with 8d. As a setter, I often use ‘strikeout’ clues where one word’s letters are struck out from another to produce the answer, and not only are the letters not uniformly spaced but they are not necessarily in the correct order. Also, after striking out the letters, the solver may have to anagram the result to get the answer.
Examples:
Incantation earth-man babbled after he left [6]
Payment for lifetime – no limit [3]
I don’t think these are unfair.
Can’t claim to have finished this but had fun in the attempt. My favourite, like cryptic Sue, was LOLITA, closely followed by ARGOT and I loved the surface of SPHERE. At least I spotted the theme.
Too late for anyone to see, but I agree with john@10 re HUNGER/HUNTER. Hunter is ‘someone who seeks’ at the beginning of the clue, and hunger is ‘desire’ at the end of the clue, so either could be the definition. The middle portion tells us to exchange one extreme (T or G from ‘tasting’) for the other, but doesn’t tell us which for which. The clue would be fine if the G in the solution was a crosser, but as it stands alone, either solution can be correct. Admittedly, the HUNTER solution requires a bit of yoda-speak, but that is a common construction in crosswordland. This is a tiny quibletino in a challenging and satisfying crossword, so thanks to Basilisk and loonapick for the fun. (I missed the theme as usual.)
Thanks, Basilisk and loonapick. Difficult. SE corner stumped me. Didn’t recognize theme. At first I thought it might have been a “Game of Thrones” theme with WATCHMEN, WINTER and SNOW. 17d is a clever triple clue! 10a I filled in with G/T in fourth square because either would work, as cellomaniac@14 says.
Took me 3 sessions to finish this, hence I found it very difficult. Never spotted the theme, as per usual.