One of our most prolific setters, in the Wednesday slot this week. Mostly straightforward clue constructions but a few slightly obscure references.
I thought 1d pushed the limits a bit – two rather tenuous synonyms in the wordplay, and an unfamiliar definition (though a guessable name in the context). I hadn’t heard of KA either for 4d, though the definition was obvious once the crossers had gone in. But generally this was reasonably straightforward and a lot of fun. I liked 1a just because it’s a lovely word, 22a for the counter-intuitive definition, 26a for the misleading surface (it’s not about football, despite “season” and the short names of both English and Italian football teams), and 20d for its subtle dig at gossip columnists. Thanks Tees as always.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | FOSSICK |
Foreign Office initially sends deranged Australian to rummage (7)
|
| FO (abbreviation for Foreign Office) + initial letter of S[ends] + SICK (perhaps a loose term for insane = deranged).
Australian dialect word for “to rummage” – especially to search abandoned gold mining areas in the hope of finding some valuable leftovers. |
||
| 5 | BEAR CUB |
Grizzly infant to stand with inexperienced reporter (4,3)
|
| BEAR (as a verb = stand, as in “I can’t stand it any longer”) + CUB (inexperienced newspaper reporter). | ||
| 9 | TANGO |
Brown and green light — this takes two (5)
|
| TAN (light brown) + GO (green light = permission to proceed). | ||
| 10 | ZEITGEIST |
European in spot gets excited about current spirit (9)
|
| E (abbreviation for European) in ZIT (slang for spot = skin blemish), then an anagram (excited) of GETS around I (scientific symbol for current).
German-derived word meaning “spirit of the time” = the prevailing attitudes or tastes at a specific point in history. |
||
| 11 | METROPOLIS |
Mice emptied place for grain left over in city (10)
|
| M[ic]E (emptied = middle letters removed), then SILO (a place for storing grain) + PORT (left in nautical terms), both reversed (over). | ||
| 12 | ACRE |
Extent of Crusaders’ objective? (4)
|
| Double definition. An area of land, sometimes a general term for “the area one is responsible for” rather than the specific measure; or a port city in northern Israel that was repeatedly fought over during the Crusades. | ||
| 14 | LEADING LADY |
Field dismal without young man — top player (7,4)
|
| LEA (field) + DINGY (dismal), around (without = outside) LAD (young man). | ||
| 18 | CITY SLICKER |
Smoke and marine pollution here skinned smooth urbanite (4,7)
|
| CITY (smoke, often “the big smoke” = slang for the big city) + SLICK (oil slick = marine pollution) + [h]ER[e] (skined = outer letters removed).
City slicker = an urban dweller in business attire, especially one who looks down on rural people or one who is too “soft” for physical work. |
||
| 21 | ARID |
Help needed to cross river that’s dry (4)
|
| AID (help) around (crossing) R (abbreviation for river).
I thought this clue looked familiar: a quick search on Fifteensquared revealed that Tees used a very similar clue for ARID in puzzle 10,620 which I blogged in October. Let’s call it recycling. |
||
| 22 | SACROSANCT |
Untouchable carcass not to be moved (10)
|
| Anagram (to be moved) of CARCASS NOT.
Untouchable in the sense of “too important to be messed with”, rather than the sense that “carcass” would suggest. |
||
| 25 | PAROCHIAL |
Restricted area with monstrous bird in bottle (9)
|
| A (area) + ROC (mythological giant bird), inserted into PHIAL (small bottle).
Restricted in the sense of “concerned only with the local area”. |
||
| 26 | INTER |
Season failing to start for Bury (5)
|
| [w]INTER (a season), without the first letter (failing to start).
Inter, as a verb = bury in the ground. |
||
| 27 | RUN-DOWN |
Why chicken didn’t cross road: exhausted (3-4)
|
| Cryptic definition (despite the old joke, a chicken wouldn’t stand much chance of getting across a busy road) and straight definition (run-down = tired). | ||
| 28 | DENUDED |
Debt collector back in action exposed (7)
|
| DUN (a debt collector), reversed (back), in DEED (action). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FATIMA |
Handsome caliph denied last daughter to prophet (6)
|
| FAT (handsome? – perhaps as in “a handsome profit” if you’ll forgive the pun, given the rest of the clue) + IMA[m] (caliph = an Islamic leader, though whether this corresponds to “imam” is a matter for theologians) denied its last letter.
A daughter of Muhammad. |
||
| 2 | SENATE |
Name occupying chair with English governing body (6)
|
| N (name) inserted into (occupying) SEAT (chair) + E (English).
The upper house of a national parliament, or the governing body of an academic institution. |
||
| 3 | ICONOCLAST |
Dissident, stoical, reviewed Tory cuts (10)
|
| Anagram (reviewed) of STOICAL, with CON (short for Conservative = Tory) inserted (cutting it).
Literally an “idol-breaker” = one who refuses to respect what others consider important. |
||
| 4 | KAZOO |
One causing buzz, Egyptian spirit loves to embrace unknown (5)
|
| KA (ancient Egyptian concept of life or spirit), then OO (loves: O = love = zero in tennis scoring) containing (embracing) Z (mathematical symbol for an unknown quantity).
A “musical instrument”, in the loosest sense, which makes a buzzing sound when you sing or hum into it. |
||
| 5 | BAILIWICK |
Bar on one Scots town where magistrate held sway? (9)
|
| BAIL (bar: one of the two on top of the stumps in cricket) + I (one in Roman numerals) + WICK (a town in Caithness, Scotland).
The area of jurisdiction of an official such as a magistrate. |
||
| 6 | ALGA |
Sea food from loch within range (4)
|
| L (abbreviation for lake, or loch in Scotland) within AGA (range = large cooker).
Plant life at the bottom of the marine food chain. |
||
| 7 | CHITCHAT |
Lion perhaps devours couple, causing gossip (8)
|
| CAT (lion perhaps), containing (devouring) HITCH (as a verb = get married = couple). | ||
| 8 | BY THE BYE |
In passing through on vacation, we’re going outside? (2,3,3)
|
| T[hroug]H (on vaction = after emptying = middle letters removed), with BYE-BYE (colloquial for goodby” = “we’re going”) outside it.
By the bye = incidentally = in passing. Can also be written “by the by”. |
||
| 13 | AGGRESSION |
Attack SAS, Goering ordered (10)
|
| Anagram (ordered) of SAS GOERING. | ||
| 15 | ANIMATION |
A race covering one mile demands energy (9)
|
| A NATION (a race = an ethnic group), containing (covering) I (one in Roman numerals) + M (mile). | ||
| 16 | SCRAPPER |
Military engineer receives credit as fighter (8)
|
| SAPPER (military engineer), containing (receiving) CR (abbreviation for credit). | ||
| 17 | ST MIRREN |
Northern club actress Helen under stone (2,6)
|
| MIRREN (the actress Helen Mirren), after (under, reading downwards in a down clue) ST (abbreviation for stone = 14 pounds in imperial weights and measures).
A Scottish football club. |
||
| 19 | UNITED |
Married college boy? (6)
|
| UNI (short for university = college) + TED (boy’s name, short for Edward or perhaps Theodore). | ||
| 20 | STARED |
Celebrity editor held consistent views? (6)
|
| STAR (celebrity) + ED (short for editor).
Stare = to look steadily = to hold a consistent view. The question-mark suggests incredulity because gossip columnists may be seen as fickle: one whose views are well-considered and consistent might be an exception. |
||
| 23 | RILED |
One given pound, apparently indebted, angered (5)
|
| I (one in Roman numerals) + L (simplified version of £ = pound sterling), inserted into RED (so apparently “in the red” = indebted). | ||
| 24 | ECHO |
Bounce back as nymph consorting with Zeus (4)
|
| Double definition, though the two meanings are related. According to Greek mythology, Echo was one of many women that Zeus had his way with; his wife took revenge by cursing Echo so that she could no longer speak, except to repeat the last words said to her. |
Smashing grid from Tees today. Nice and trouble free.
Favourites were 1ac. I just love that word. Also 5dn and 7dn made me smile
Many thanks Tees and Quirister
In a recent Tees crossword, Pierre used the word FOSSICK in his intro, and Tees commented that he was going to put it in a crossword and here it is. Glad I remembered it.
1d reminded me of a joke Rachel Riley told in a recent Countdown. A priest, an imam and a rabbit walk into a bar and the rabbit says “I think I’m a typo”. Well, it made me laugh.
After an early awakening, I was solving 1ac when the annelid was being devoured by the precocious avian and I did so with a big smile. As Hovis points out, Tees has been true to his word and Pierre of this parish deserves commendation for reacquainting some of us with the delightful FOSSICK. it’s interesting that some puzzles clearly take months between submission and publication whereas this one must have been written in the last three weeks. Are we getting solutions by demand now? I was tempted to pop a note on the G thread to alert certain posters to this excellent challenge but thought the combination of names might just act as a spoiler so I look forward to seeing NeilH, crypticsue and Eileen later.
There were some other clues/solutions and they were pretty good too! Thanks Tees and Quirister
I too was surprised to see 1a here already as I am aware of how long it sometimes takes a crossword to go from test-solving to publication. I’m just waiting until I have to blog a crossword by one of a couple of setters who require you to do dictionary-fossicking to check their definitions so I can use this splendid word
Thanks to Tees for another excellent crossword and to Quirister for the blog
Usually, calling a solution a ‘write-in’ is less than complimentary but I laughed out loud as I entered FOSSICK at the very first clue – a brilliant start to the solve!
Other favourites were ZEITGEIST, METROPOLIS, FATIMA (because I enjoyed constructing them), SACROSANCT and ANIMATION (both for the surfaces).
I held myself up for a few minutes by contemplating an unparsable BY THE WAY at 8dn, until 14ac set me to rights.
An interesting and enjoyable puzzle, aa always from Tees. Many thanks to him and to Quirister for a good blog.
Eileen @5: I suspect many of us solvers start at 1ac if it exists and I wouldn’t be surprised if, in a puzzle devoid of either long phrases or ninas, it’s often the starting place for setters too. Which would suggest Tees began his gridfill with the aforementioned which is a lovely thought. I’ve been trying to work out why the word appeals: it’s like a portmanteau involving elements of fossil, seek, pickiness and conjures up an image of (please forgive me) the not-quite-so-young (in which I include myself) searching in not the most efficient of ways. It was only today, though, I learned of its specific usage in connection with mining.
Thanks Q & Co. That’s PETRICHOR and FOSSICK now supplied on recommendations in the blog.
Obviously I can’t guarantee that anything I write will appear, but if you see a word that needs to be in a grid, let me know. I think The Indy prides itself on freshness however, with fresh buns always popping out of the ovens, so it could happen. Interestingly, m’colleague Earl Winkle (in another place) often tells us that some of his puzzles appearing in the Manchester Centrist were composed by him many years ago. Remarkable. I think he should put COBWEBS in.
Some great misdirection.. for me at least.. singular of ALGAE!!! ..n AGA for range… obviously.. ! 1ac is a great word.. I’d not been aware of its antipodean application… KAZOO was a fave .. mostly cos I have a few n anything that makes music easier to access is a good idea..
Thanks Tees for usual excellence n Quirister for explaining quite a few for me..
Like Eileen, I tried to get BY THE WAY to work for 8d which caused a problem with 14a but that was my only complete blunder although I did have to check on the debt collector, the 4d instrument and the prophet’s daughter.
5a/d raised a smile as did RUN DOWN.
Thanks to Tees and to Quirister for the review.
Most enjoyable. I’ve got the day off and have been pecking at this when coming in from my labours in the garden. I too grinned at ALGA and patted myself on the back for remembering St Mirren is a Scottish FC.
I finished with absolutely zero cheats (rare for me) – except needing to check that Fatima and Echo were who I hoped they were.
Needed help to parse a couple to complete satisfaction, so full thanks to both Quirister and Tees alike.
A fairly swift solve as a warm-up before tackling Io in the FT.
We knew FOSSICK for ‘rummage’ but weren’t aware of its Australian origin. Plenty more to like, including ZEITGEIST, BAILIWICK and ICONOCLAST, although we thought 1dn a bit poor.
Thanks, Tees and Quirister.
Nice touch from Tees to include FOSSICK. I enjoyed the rest of the puzzle, and the blog, too.
Almost a football theme here between clues and answers. In the clues we have the Belfast team Crusaders, and Bury, who indeed very sadly failed to start their season. In the answers we have City and United, applied to many clubs, and Inter (Milan). And at 28A there’s a sort of anagram of Dundee. Or am I stretching it a bit? Thanks anyway to Tees and Quirister.