Gila latest puzzle provides this Wednesday’s cruciverbal challenge.
I found this to be an entertaining, medium-difficulty puzzle, which was pitched at exactly the right level for the middle of the week.
I solved about half the clues before I started to run into difficulties, especially in the top half of the puzzle with the intersecting entries at 5, 10, 11 and 15. Once the penny had dropped at 15, the others eventually followed suit.
I have no queries about the parsing today, which is always the hallmark of a good puzzle, although I did need to check 5 in Chambers. My favourite clues were 9, 14, 18 and 26, all for surface reading. Incidentally, the entry at 13 was new to me.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | OVER THE MOON | No other movie leaves one cracking up and delighted
*(NO OTHER MOV<i>E); “leaves one (=I)” means letter “i” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “cracking up” |
| 07 | SOZ | Very variable, casual apology
SO (=very) + Z (=variable, in algebra); “soz” is a colloquial form of “sorry”, hence “casual apology” |
| 09 | TIE UP | Moor that is covered in sheep …
I.E. (=that is, from id est) in TUP (=sheep) |
| 10 | AMERICANO | … sheep circling about in pursuit of a drink
A + [CA (=about, circa) in MERINO (=sheep)] |
| 11 | MERGANSER | Bird and small horse lying around in pool next to river
GANS (S=south + NAG (=horse); “around” indicates reversal) in [MERE (=pool) + R (=river)] |
| 12 | ADELE | Singer’s album downloads exceed low expectations at launch
A<lbum> D<ownloads> E<xceed> L<ow> E<xpectations>; “at launch” means first letters only; the reference is to UK singer and song writer Adele (1988-) |
| 13 | SHTICKS | Comic routines consisting of extremely slapdash moments
S<lapdas>H (“extremely” means first and last letters only) + TICKS (=moments); shticks are familiar routines associated with particular comedians |
| 15 | HACK | Cope with basic accommodation, but not at first
<s>HACK (=basic accommodation); “not at first” means first letter is dropped, cf. I can’t hack that job any longer. |
| 18 | SNAP | Politicians north of the border taking a break
A in SNP (=politicians north of the border, i.e. Scottish Nationalist Party); to snap is to split, break |
| 20 | DUSTMAN | He’s a rubbish worker and must get reassigned
*(AND MUST); “gets reassigned” is anagram indicator; a dustman is a refuse collector, hence a “rubbish” worker |
| 23 | HINDI | Language of south India
Hidden (“of”) in “soutH INDIa” |
| 24 | EXTENUATE | Moderate old gallery contains space for all to sea
[EN (=space, in printing) + U (=for all to see, of film)] in [EX- (=old) +TATE (=gallery)]; to extenuate is to lessen, weaken the force of, hence “moderate”, as verb |
| 26 | SAVOURIES | A serious drunk devouring five sausage rolls?
V (=five, in Roman numerals) in *(A SERIOUS); “drunk” is anagram indicator |
| 27 | TAROT | Jack returned to deck of cards
TAR (=jack, sailor) + OT (TO; “returned” indicates reversal) |
| 28 | AWL | Everybody said it’s a boring thing
Homophone of “all (=everything)”; an awl is an implement for boring holes |
| 29 | DOWNTRODDEN | Oppressed, unhappy staff hiding in back of secret lair
DOWN (=unhappy) + {ROD (=staff, pole) in [<secre>T (“back of” means last letter only) + DEN (=lair)]} |
| Down | ||
| 01 | OPTIMISM | Hope the majority of time in work isn’t so manic initially
TIM<e> (“the majority of” means last letter is dropped) in [OP. (=work, i.e. opus) + I<sn’t> S<o> M<anic> (“initially” means first letters only)] |
| 02 | EXECRATE | Damn, this is what a senior manager charges?!
Cryptically, a senior manager could charge an “exec(utive) rate”; to execrate is to damn, curse |
| 03 | TYPE A | One way you could begin to characterise “aggressive”?
Cryptic definition: if you type (the letter”) “a”, you begin to “characterise”, i.e. write the letters of, “aggressive”; people with Type A personality are prone to aggressive behaviour; semi- & lit. |
| 04 | ELAPSES | Passes English, with minor mistakes?
E (=English) + LAPSES (=minor mistakes) |
| 05 | ON EARTH | Without exception, skill is seen in a certain hospital
ART (=skill) in [ONE (=a certain) + H (=hospital)]; “on earth” means absolutely, without exception, as in best on earth |
| 06 | NUISANCES | Bothersome individuals – ones going into the finer details
IS (=ones) in NUANCES (=finer details) |
| 07 | SHAVEN | Bald-faced liars finally take note
<liar>S (“finally” means last letter only) + HAVE (=take, e.g. food or drink) + N (=note) |
| 08 | ZOOMED | Online chat with journalist went by quickly
ZOOM (=online chat) + ED. (=journalist, i.e. editor) |
| 14 | CONTINUED | Carried on working unnoticed
*(UNNOTICED); “working” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | IMPAIRED | Spoilt, naughty child shown on TV
IMP (=naughty child) + AIRED (=shown on TV) |
| 17 | UNBEATEN | Fancy bun scoffed and not licked
*(BUN) + EATEN (=scoffed); “fancy” is anagram indicator; “not licked” is “not defeated”, hence “unbeaten” |
| 19 | PREVIEW | Sample survey given to people up front
P<eople> (“up front” means first letter only) + REVIEW (=survey) |
| 20 | DATA SET | Lots of information somewhat rejected by firm
DATA (A TAD=somewhat; “rejected” indicates reversal) + SET (=firm, hardened) |
| 21 | SHISHA | Some hash is handy for a pipe
Hidden (“some”) in “haSH IS HAndy”; a shisha pipe is a hookah |
| 22 | SNIVEL | Before I have left at the end, he’s certain to cry
<he>S <certai>N (“at the end” means last letters only) + I’VE (=I have) + L (=left) |
| 25 | NITRO | Explosive start sees the two leaders switching places
INTRO (=start, to e.g. a piece of music); “two leaders switching places” means first two letters swap places |
I found this quite difficult today but my brain seemed to want to amaze me on some (NUISANCES for example) and confound me on others (SNAP should have been simple but I insisted on MSP and A)
SE corner was lovely I felt with
HINDI, AWL, SHISHA and SAVOURIES all clever/nice surfaces
I did spent the final bit of the puzzle trying to shoehorn a J in for a pangram but ended up revealing letters for the final few in the end
Thanks Gila for the fun and RR for making it make sense
I wonder if there will be quibbles about the use of ‘at the end, he’s certain’ to indicate SN in SNIVEL or ‘leaves one’ to indicate the dropped I in OVER THE MOON. I saw the devices, raised a slight eyebrow but realised the intention and it didn’t bother me too much. I do occasionally wonder about the habits of some of our setters: not long ago we had an outbreak of drug references and, in the last week or so, we’ve had bong, hookah and now SHISHA – very cheekily clued, for which it earns my COTD.
Self-inflicted injury at 8d where I stupidly entered zipped instead of ZOOMED (thinking Zip might be an app of which I was unaware) so that held me up a bit in the NE. On the other hand, delighted to remember MERGANSER which I only encounter in crosswords. Otherwise, nice and straightforward for a midweek with other favourites being TIE UP, ADELE, DUSTMAN, SAVOURIES and SHAVEN.
Thanks Gila and RR for the early blog.
Read “SW corner” for my @1 post after PostMark @2 has reminded my stupid brain about compass points
Hard to believe I’m an Explorer Scout leader in my spare time!
Postmark@2. I too considered zipped as zipp.chat appears to be an app for businesses that don’t like talking to their customers on the telephone. An increasing trend these days.
Tombsy @3: you ARE in a muddle these days 😀 I’ve no quarrel with your confused corners or Nina’s, though! But I do wonder if you’ve somehow infiltrated the setters’ opium den and shared their Bongs/Hookahs, Shishas…
Anyone got any veras?
Yes, a good mid-level difficulty mid-week puzzle. Still managed to get the right answer, but completely missed the not so hidden hidden for HINDI; it’s not the first time. I did manage to spot the previously never heard of SHISHA though.
I liked our al fresco coffee drinking ovine friend at 10a.
Thanks to Gila and RR
Did wonder about shaven surely shaved also fits since D is a musical note.
Postmark @8. I think the only mind-altering substance in play is the wacky world of cryptic crosswords
Learning that somehow Posh=U, all Scotsmen are called Ian and that most anagram indicators involve being drunk have pushed more basic knowledge out of my head
One of my pet hates at 7a and I wasn’t very persuaded by 5d but no other complaints about this otherwise enjoyable puzzle.
Podium places going to TIE UP, AWL, ELAPSES & NUISANCES.
Thanks to Gila and to RR for the review.
Best of the week so far .. ie I managed to finish without loss of sanity.. enjoyed DOWNTRODDEN n NUISANCES.. the ‘in work ‘ bit for 1dn seems odd as TIM follows the work bit…? But I’d filled it in anyway before I thought about it.. never had occasion to write SOZ before so put SOS.. until it wasn’t.. always used SOZ verbally in an ironical fashion..
Thanks Gila n RatkojaRiku
A fairly straightforward solve, although we didn’t know SOZ or that particular meaning of HACK, and the clue for 28ac was ambiguous – the answer could have been AWL or ALL with the middle letter being unchecked. We didn’t notice, though, that 7dn could have been ‘shaved’.
Plenty to like, though, such as AMERICANO and SAVOURIES.
Thanks, Gila and RatkojaRiku.
There were four I just couldn’t see today, including 5dn, where I toyed with ON EARTH and then rejected it as it obviously had nothing to do with the clue.