Serpent has supplied this Thursday’s crossword puzzle for our stimulation and entertainment.
This old grid is one of my least preferred as a solver, since there is little variety in terms of entry length and no longer entries at all, unless the compiler chooses to accommodate phrases across more than one entry in the grid. However, true to form, Serpent’s enjoyable medium-difficulty puzzle more than made up for that original disappointment. Although a good few of the clues were write-ins, I soon had to work harder, and it took me a long time to make sense of the tight wordplay in places, e.g. at 16D, 17A, 23 … I am still not convinced of my parsing at 6, so please chip in, fellow solvers, if you have any brighter ideas.
My favourite clues today were those with silky smooth surfaces, of which there are numerous examples in today’s puzzle: 5A, 5D, 9, 13, 21, 25, to mention but a handful.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | PONTOON | Card game // on which bridge is based?
Double definition: pontoon is a card game AND a boat or float used to support a bridge |
| 05 | BOREDOM | Low level of interest is danger sign during high economic growth
RED (=danger sign) in BOOM (=high economic growth) |
| 09 | ORCHESTRA | Horse and cart transported pit workers
*(HORSE + CART); “transported” is anagram indicator; the “pit” of the definition refers to the orchestra pit in a theatre! |
| 10 | DISCS | Perhaps counters United being disqualified from event
DISC<u>S (=event, in field); “United (=U) being disqualified” means letter “u” is dropped |
| 11 | AVERT | State time to head off
AVER (=(to) state) + T (=time) |
| 12 | DIPLOMACY | Qualification voided company’s ability to negotiate
DIPLOMA (=qualification) + C<ompan>Y (“voided” means all but first and last letters are struck out) |
| 13 | CARTRIDGE | Item in magazine about game starting late
C (=about, i.e. circa) + <p>ARTRIDGE (=game (bird); “starting late” means first letter is dropped); the “magazine” of the definition is a container for ammunition |
| 16 | BATHE | City earnings initially take a dip
BATH (=city, in UK) + E<arnings> (“initially” means first letter only) |
| 17 | BONUS | Additional payment supported by British and American bank
ON (=supported by, as in on a chair) in [B (=British) + US (=American)] |
| 18 | CHEERLESS | Musical about leaders of early English rebels looks like Les Misérables?
E<arly> E<nglish> R<ebels> L<ooks> (“leaders of” means first letters only) in CHESS (=musical) |
| 20 | INAMORATA | Sailor from Arab country returns with adult girlfriend
INAMORAT (TAR=sailor + OMANI = from Arab country; “returns” indicates reversal) + A (=adult) |
| 23 | INCUR | Meet with expert flying from terminal
INCUR<able> (=terminal, of illness); “expert (=able) flying” means letters “able” are dropped |
| 25 | ANKLE | Joint resolution of Kremlin was regularly ignored
K<r>E<m>L<i>N <w>A<s>; “regularly ignored” means alternate letters are dropped from anagram, indicated by “resolution of” |
| 26 | ISOLATION | Pariah state is expelling six in breach of protocol?
IS + <vi>OLATION (=breach of protocol; “expelling six (=VI, in Roman numerals)” means letter “vi” are dropped) |
| 27 | DUDGEON | University degree oddly inspired by academic resentment
[U (=university) + D<e>G<r>E<e> (“oddly” means odd letters only are used)] in DON (=academic) |
| 28 | TREMBLE | High-pitched male parts wobble
M (=male) in TREBLE (=high-pitched) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | PROSAIC | Article penned by expert really is dull
A (=article, in grammar) in [PRO (=expert, i.e. professional) + SIC (=really, i.e. as written)] |
| 02 | NICHE | Specialised hospital takes on delicate case
H (=hospital) in NICE (=delicate); a niche interest is a specialist interest |
| 03 | OVERTURNS | Gets upset on account of changes
OVER (=on account of) + TURNS (=changes) |
| 04 | NOTED | Well-known day school suffering setback
D (=day) + ETON (=school); “suffering setback” indicates reversal |
| 05 | BLASPHEME | Curse affected sheep and lamb
*(SHEEP + LAMB); “affected” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | RADIO | Wireless router’s last two bits connected by plug
AD (=plug, i.e. advert) in [<route>R (“last” means last letter only) + 1 0 (=two bits, in computing)] |
| 07 | DISMANTLE | Strip clubs airbrushed from record cover
DIS<c> (=record; “clubs (=C, in cards) airbrushed from” means letter “c” is dropped) + MANTLE (=cover, cloak); “to strip (down) an engine” is to dismantle it |
| 08 | MISTYPE | Steamy games at school produce inappropriate characters
MISTY (=steamy) + P.E. (=games at school, i.e. Physical Education); the “characters” of the definition refers to letters on a keyboard |
| 14 | RANSACKED | Car close to black sedan crashed and turned upside down
*(RAC + <blac>K (“close to” means last letter only) + SEDAN); “crashed” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | DICTATION | Idiot can’t supply reading material
*(IDIOT CAN’T); “supply (=flexibly)” is anagram indicator; a dictation is material to be read out |
| 16 | BARRICADE | Obstacle to travel around lines?
CA (=around, i.e. circa) in [BAR (=obstacle) + RIDE (=travel)]; semi- & lit. |
| 17 | BRIGAND | Outlaw musicians stealing equipment
RIG (=equipment, kit) in BAND (=musicians) |
| 19 | STRANGE | Unusual mountains covered with stone
ST (=stone) + RANGE (=mountains) |
| 21 | OBESE | Honour terms of previous invoice with large corporation?
OBE (=honour, i.e. Order of the British Empire) + <previou>S + <invoic>E (“terms of” means last letters only) |
| 22 | ABOUT | U-boat could be somewhere nearby
*(U-BOAT); “could be” is anagram indicator |
| 24 | CLIMB | Conservative member’s route to the top?
C (=Conservative) + LIMB (=member) |
As expected from Serpent, there is a nina. The central row and column gives ANIMAL RIGHTS. Given this setter, I suspect the fact that the bare grid has a number of Ls in it (ANIMAL RIGHTS) is not a coincidence.
Favourite was RADIO.
We got it all, but couldn’t fully parse INCUR, RADIO or BARRICADE, and if there’s a nina or theme we can’t see it. Lots to enjoy, though, such as DIPLOMACY, PROSAIC and RANSACKED.
Thanks, Serpent and RatkojaRiku.
4 legs good. 2 legs bad.
1 leg? see Mr Spigot
Some lovely smooth surfaces from Serpent today. ORCHESTRA may be a setters’ favourite but I liked the clueing; INAMORATA, KREMLIN, BOREDOM, CARTRIDGE were all lovely surfaces; PROSAIC resisted til late as I so often fail to recognise SIC. Favourites from BLASPHEME with that delightful surface, BONUS for the construction and MISTYPE for its suggestiveness.
Thanks Serpent and RR. Sorry RatkojaRiku – I don’t think I’ve ever typed out your name in full when expressing my gratitude!
Hurrah! At last I’ve completed a Serpent without need for online or wordlist help. Am I getting better or is Serpent getting easier? A further thought on the nina: the letters A-N-I-M-A-L also occur jumbled up in three of the four quarters (not NW) – was that intended and significant? Thanks Serpent and RatkojaRiku.
another slow but steady cruise… most slow with DUDGEON for some reason, barking up wrong tree mostly… enchanted to find INAMORATA in a crossword altho it translates a little stronger than girlfriend! lots of other great clues..
thanks Serpent n RatkojaRiku
Another super puzzle from Serpent. ORCHESTRA made me laugh. BARRICADE is an object lesson in cryptic cluing.
Some really clever surfaces, I thought, especially MISTYPE for the antithesis of “The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.” With the Nina, it feels like the puzzle was inspired by Carrie Symonds.
Some great surfaces, thank you Serpent. Lots of tricky cluing – loved the pit-workers variation on the CARTHORSE/ORCHESTRA duo.
Was looking for a nna but only saw the forst half of it and not the grid connection.
Thanks again to setter + blogger.
Thanks RR and serpent saw the crossing Nina but didn’t know if there was more to it.
Many thanks to RatkojaRiku for the excellent blog, to Hovis for pointing out the nina and to everyone who has commented.