Neo is today's compiler.
If I'm honest, I found this a bit of a slog. Although I enjoyed the clues for KNOTWEED, OVERLOOKED and RINGSIDE in particular and there were a few others that got a tick, I thought some of the clueing was a bit lazy. For example, the surface of the clue for MISHIT makes no sense, and there's a superfluous "the" in there. Also, I think I'm missing something in BARITONE?
Thanks, Neo.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1, 5 | BURNT TO A CINDER |
One tucks into corn and butter, cooked and then some? (5,2,1,6)
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I (one) tucks into *(corn and butter) [anag:cooked] and semi &lit. |
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| 9 | WATERBED |
Where one can relax over many pints? (8)
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Cryptic definition |
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| 10 | DEMEAN |
Humble churchman shows me inside (6)
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DEAN ("churchman"") shows ME inside |
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| 11 | AIRFIELD |
Help to save flier crashing here? (8)
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AID ("help") to save *(flier) [anag:crashing] Save can be used to indicate a container clue if you think of "save" as meaning "to preserve" or "to hoard". |
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| 12 | SPADES |
Suit passed that needs repair (6)
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*(passed) [anag:that needs repair] |
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| 14 | LOST GROUND |
Good man breaking record with cycle dropped back (4,6)
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St. (saint, so "good man") breaking LOG ("record") with ROUND ("cycle") |
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| 18 | ELDERBERRY |
Tribal leader let sin enter via wine (10)
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ELDER ("tribal leader") let ERR ("sin") enter BY ("via") |
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| 22 | POPS UP |
Dad taking drink makes an appearance (4,2)
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POP ("dad") taking SUP ("drink") |
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| 23 | BARITONE |
Singer to hold back one note (8)
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BAR ("hold back") + I (one) + TONE ("note") |
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| 24 | SHINER |
Polish initially respected in The Sun? (6)
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SHINE ("polish") + [initially] R(espected) |
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| 25 | HITHERTO |
Chart-topper having other arrangement previously (8)
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HIT ("chart-topper") having *(other) [anag:arrangement] |
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| 26 | DONATE |
Be charitable when prospective partner holds forth (6)
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DATE ("prospective partner") holds ON ("forth") |
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| 27 | KNOTWEED |
King died confining presumably large garden invader (8)
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K (king) + D (died) containing NOT WEE ("presumably large") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BOWMAN |
Missile launcher first of eight? (6)
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In a rowing eight, the man at the bow or the "bowman" could be considered the first of eight. |
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| 2 | RETIRE |
Finish work and hit the hay (6)
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Double definition |
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| 3 | TURNIP |
Vegetable container shown in list (6)
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URN ("container") shown in TIP ("list") |
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| 4 | OVERLOOKED |
Failed to notice deliveries made by butcher’s boy (10)
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OVER ("deliveries made" in cricket) by LOOK ("butcher's") + ED (short for Edward, so "boy") Butcher's is short for "butcher's hook", rhyming slang for "look" |
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| 6 | INEXPERT |
Amateur still enthralling lover once on piano (8)
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INERT ("still") enthralling EX ("lover once") on P (piano, in music notation) |
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| 7 | DREADFUL |
Horrible daughter almost satisfied after study (8)
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D (daughter) + [almost] FUL(l) ("satisfied") after READ ("study") |
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| 8 | RINGSIDE |
Bats residing in place offering clear view (8)
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*(residing) [anag:bats] |
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| 13 | STARVATION |
Desperate need to put a Bible in the post (10)
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A + RV (Revised Version, so "Bible") in STATION ("post") The Revised Version was a late 19th century revision of the King James Bible. |
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| 15 | DESPISED |
Detested duke seen strangling son (8)
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D (duke) + ESPIED ("seen") strangling S (son) |
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| 16 | ADOPTION |
Taking up dubious point made by a party (8)
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*(point) [anag:dubious] made by A DO ("party") |
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| 17 | ARGUMENT |
Unfriendly words are not about to stick (8)
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AREN'T (are not) about GUM ("to stick") |
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| 19 | MISHIT |
This travelling under the motorway shows false stroke (6)
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*(this) [anag:travelling] under M1 ("motorway") |
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| 20 | COARSE |
Unrefined programme reported (6)
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Homophone [reported] of COURSE ("programme") |
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| 21 | SECOND |
Back in a moment (6)
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Double definition |
I enjoyed this but found it a game of two halves, with the top half taking much longer than the bottom. In the end, I used a word fit to get BOWMAN and then WATERBED was my loi. Like Chambers, I would spell this as two words but I notice my spellchecker has it as one word.
I agree that some of the clues were a bit weak. For me, SHINER was the worst of the bunch. Not sure why you are not sure of your parsing for BARITONE.
Shame Echezaux didnt fit-only proper wine I knew beginning with E.
All finished apart from having to cheat on 27A as I don’t think that we have them in Australia. Anyway, I am not a gardener…
Our setter is a very busy man these days – this is the third one of his crosswords I’ve solved this week. I enjoyed the solve but felt it lacked his usual touch of humour
Thanks to Neo and loonapick
[Peter@3 – be very grateful that you don’t have 27a in Australia]
I’m embarrassed to admit that the now obvious SHINER (‘shrine’ was my first attempt!) was my last in. Funny how such what turn out to be not difficult clues can sometimes take ages time to see.
Apart from that hold-up most answers went in nice and steadily. I only solved it with the help of crossers, but I liked the WATERBED cryptic definition.
Thanks to the ever prolific Neo and to loonapick
Thanks Loona & Co.
I’d like to have had ‘North-South route not very good’ at 19 down, but y’know: I don’t set for The Guardian, and not sure all our (i.e. The FT’s) solvers would have twigged it.
… even though it’s entirely true …
Like Hovis @1, I had trouble with 1d and 9ac, unlike him, I did not get untroubled and entered (unparsed) “bridal” and “internet”. No excuse for the latter, but a bride does toss her bouquet (missile?). UGH!
A pretty straightforward effort compared to yesterday’s IO, though I am now slightly handicapped by solving while listening to Test Match Special. Not the most elegant of puzzles, I agree, and once or twice I raised an eyebrow, for example at “wine” as a definition of “ELDERBERRY”, which really doesn’t work, IMHO.
I found this a bit of a slog, too. But with help from the Xword Solver+ app, I managed to complete it. Couldn’t parse OVERLOOKED; darn CRS gets me nearly every time.
I think Loonapick’s parsing of BARITONE is perfect. I liked NEO’s alternate clue for 19d, but I doubt if I would have figured it out. I’m fine with the clue that got used.
Thanks to both of you.
After a woeful first session over breakfast, I revisited this late afternoon and found it to be a steady, satisfying solve, finishing in the NW corner, like Hovis and John, with BOWMAN whose ‘W’ led me to WATERBED, finally. Used a human wordfitter for elimination purposes.
Needed Loonapick’s help to correctly parse OVERLOOKED and STARVATION.
Enjoyed 1/5a, KNOTWEED and DEMEAN which for some reason recalled Trollope’s Dean Arabin.
Thanks Neo and Loonapick.
While easier than yesterday’s Indy crossword this was by no means a romp in the park for me. Much of it came through guesswork followed by parsing — not my favourite way to solve. I missed WATERBED and BOWMAN, both too far-fetched for my brain. I liked AIRFIELD and ARGUMENT and didn’t know RV for Bible. Thanks to both.
Failed to get 1A, 9A, 24A, 27A and 1D (no excuses) but still enjoyed the puzzle so my thanks to NEO.
Thanks to loonapick for the blog but I found the general criticism of some of the clues harsh e.g. elderberry and mishit.
Onwards and upwards!
Well I enjoyed it and that’s the main thing! Thanks Neo & Loony
A gentle mid afternoon solve so thanks Neo – and for dropping in.
I also wondered about equating note with tone in BARITONE and wondered if there should have been an anagram indicator at the end, like “quaveringly”. Main thing is, it didn’t stop me completing the crossword. ELDERBERRY is probably the best known of the fruit wines and KNOTWEED has popped up several times recently here and there.
Thanks for the blog Loonapick.
@ copmus @ 2.
Hello Coppers, you may remember me from our banters in the Graun before the wall went up. I’ve been on this site ever since, but haven’t felt inclined to comment. Anyway, I was wondering if Azto is still holding court over there – making (semi) horse sense of the guff that permeates that irreverent forum.
Thanks Neo and loonapick
A backlog puzzle from a few weeks ago which took its time to surrender, in a pleasant way mainly from having to basically solve four mini puzzles in each quadrant.
Didn’t have the problem with the BOWMAN / WATERBED crossers as some others did, with it falling quite early and thought that they were both terrific clues. OVERLOOKED was another that fell early with the rhyming slang presenting no problems.
My main hold up was in the SW corner, even after getting the tenuous ELDERBERRY as the entry point. Didn’t help by initially writing in unparsed POPS IN and ADOPTING. Finished with SHINER (unusual definition for ‘sun’), ARGUMENT which corrected POPS UP as the last one in.