Mostly harmless, but with one infuriating clue…
I suppose mild infuriation is part of what makes crosswords fun, but the sooner someone puts me out of my agony about 6 Down the happier I shall be. Thanks nonetheless to Sleuth.
| ACROSS | ||
| 9 | DERRING-DO |
Director ordering supply for adventurous feats (7-2)
|
| D[irector] + anagram (‘supply’) of ORDERING. | ||
| 10 | EXTRA |
Additional section of text raised (5)
|
| Inclusion in ‘tEXT RAised’. | ||
| 11 | CONNOTE |
Suggest chapter about celebrity (7)
|
| C[hapter] + ON (‘about’) + (of) NOTE (‘celebrity’). | ||
| 12 | NATURAL |
Note one that’s certain to be a success (7)
|
| Double definition, 1st musical, 2nd as in ‘She’s a natural’. | ||
| 13 | SET |
Sweets at intervals selected for group (3)
|
| Alternate letters of SwEeTs. | ||
| 14 | ON THE WAY OUT |
You won’t hate eccentric no longer in favour (2,3,3,3)
|
| Anagram (‘eccentric’) of YOU WONT HATE | ||
| 17 | SOCHI |
Greek character trailing in this way Black Sea resort (5)
|
| SO (‘in this way’) + CHI (Gk character) for Russian city. | ||
| 18 | ART |
Cunning group in particular (3)
|
| Hidden in ‘pARTicular’. | ||
| 19 | MIDGE |
Fly fighter round Germany and Spain (5)
|
| MI.G (Russian ‘fighter’) around D[eutschland] + E[spana]. | ||
| 21 | RIGHT AS RAIN |
A star hiring ground perfectly in order (5,2,4)
|
| Anagram (‘ground’) of A STAR HIRING. | ||
| 23 | PET |
Favoured exercise by first of treadmills (3)
|
| P[hysical] E[xcercise] + 1st of T{readmills}. | ||
| 25 | INSPECT |
Check source of problems in cricket, perhaps (7)
|
| 1st of P{roblems} in INS.ECT (‘cricket, perhaps’). | ||
| 27 | POTHOLE |
Hazard for motorists? This is concealed in Dorset town (7)
|
| THis (‘is’ being hidden) contained in PO.OLE (‘Dorset town’). | ||
| 28 | HEATH |
Part of a contest next to hospital in uncultivated land (5)
|
| HEAT (part of athletic ‘competition’) + H[ospital]. | ||
| 29 | REPROBATE |
Villain concerned with investigation about a contract’s conclusion (9)
|
| RE (‘concerned with’) + PROB.E (‘investigation’) around A + last of {contrac}T. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | EDICTS |
Team upset about court decrees (6)
|
| SIDE (‘team’) reversed around ‘CourT’. | ||
| 2 | FRENETIC |
Frenchman in France with much of beat that’s very busy (8)
|
| F[rance] + RENE (a Frenchman) + most of TICk (‘beat’). | ||
| 3 | KIDOLOGIST |
Star outwardly operating in manufactured kit’s a bluffer (10)
|
| Anagram (‘manufactured’) of KITS contains IDOL (‘star’) + ‘outward’ letters of ‘OperatinG’. | ||
| 4 | OGRE |
Republican consumed by selfishness sent up as fearsome sort (4)
|
| EGO, reversed, contains R[ebublican]. | ||
| 5 | POINSETTIA |
A petition’s developed in plant (10)
|
| Anagram (‘developed’) of A PETITIONS. | ||
| 6 | BELT |
Opinion about lecturer – it could be clipped? (4)
|
| Not at all sure of this. My best shot = BE.T (‘opinion’, as in ‘it’s my opinion/belief/bet’) around L[ecturer]. Def by example: a belt may be fastened with a clip. Or a belt/clip round the ear, though the tenses don’t match. Or I’m missing something bloomin’ obvious, not unusually. Opinions very welcome. | ||
| 7 | STEREO |
Sound reproduction beginning to emerge in renovated store (6)
|
| Anagram (‘renovated’) of STORE contains 1st of E{merge}. | ||
| 8 | RACLETTE |
Allow time amid hurry to get cheese (8)
|
| LET + T[ime] in RAC.E | ||
| 15 | TRANSITORY |
Unusual strain on defender of the status quo that’s not permanent (10)
|
| Anagram (‘unusual’) of STRAIN + TORY (Conservative, ‘defender of the status quo’). | ||
| 16 | ADMONITION |
Male performing in a single TV programme without introduction needs warning (10)
|
| M[ale] + ON (‘performing’) in A eDITION (single TV prog, without 1st letter). | ||
| 17 | STRAIGHT |
Conventional sketches, say, from the south in visual range (8)
|
| S.IGHT (‘visual range’) contains reversal of ART (‘sketches, say’). | ||
| 20 | DIPLOMAT |
Decline shown by scholar in destiny representative of a country? (8)
|
| DIP (‘decline’) + MA (‘scholar’) in LO.T (‘destiny’). | ||
| 22 | GASBAG |
Such on reflection talks over time endlessly? (6)
|
| Reversal of GABS (‘talks’) + AGe (endless ‘time’) with whole-clue-def. | ||
| 24 | TEETER |
Nameless youth, tense with sign of hesitation, gets to wobble (6)
|
| TEEn (‘youth’, without N[ame]) + T[ense] + ER (‘sign of hesitation’). | ||
| 26 | ECHO |
Noise that resounds among fine choristers (4)
|
| Hidden in ‘finE CHOristers’. | ||
| 27 | PIPE |
Speck found on back of percussive instrument (4)
|
| PIP (‘speck’) + end of {percussive}E. |
Although I’ve liked Sleuth’s puzzles this year, I didn’t care much for this. Too many write-ins with a few bing it in and hopes.
Geography is a major weak point of mine. I bunged in an extremely unlikely “Sicpi” for 17a. I went for GELT for 6d. It is an archaic past tense for “geld” but I wasn’t entirely convinced by “get” as “opinion” but I think I’ve seen it used in this sense.
Don’t think I’ve ever seen “edition” for a TV episode, just books & magazines.
Bung not bing.
Hovis: I couldn’t make ‘get’ = ‘opinion’ either. Nor ‘pet’. I’m still not convinced either way…
I feel I have heard people say, “that was my get on the [subject under discussion]” but I can’t find this meaning in any of my dictionaries. It can/could mean “something gotten” and you can get/arrive at an opinion after reading/listening to a topic. Maybe somebody will have a better read.
I think the phrase is ‘my take’ rather than ‘my get’, which I’ve never heard & Chambers is certainly having none of it.
I don’t much like the surface anyway. How does one clip an opinion?
It’s also interesting that GELT appears – I’m sure coincidentally – in the SE unches.
In what context apart from crossword puzzles does the letter L mean an abbreviation for ‘lecturer’? I’ve never noticed the usage anywhere else, even in the academic world where the word would simply be spelt fully. By the same token would we expect T to indicate ‘teacher’ or P to suggest ‘professor’? If you’ve a spare L knocking around when you’re setting, you surely have to find a way of incorporating ‘litre’ or ‘left’ into the wordplay or answer.
To Jackty:
Or L= ‘angular momentum’ in physics. All can be found in Chambers and I have to say that I never really mind. The plurality of ‘standard’ abbs is another part of the fun.
Yep – but I can’t see L as an abbreviation for ‘lecturer’ in Chambers or anywhere else. Setters MTH I think.
I had no problem with BET. After all if you place a bet you are expressing an opinion about what will happen. All neat and tidy if not very demanding. Thanks Sleuth and Grant.
jmac @10. Don’t think anybody has an issue with BET for “opinion”, it is BELT for “it could be clipped”. As Grant says, “belted” can equate to “clipped” but the tenses then don’t match.
Jackty @ 9: it’s sub-definition 5 of definition 1 in the Chambers app.
Thanks Sleuth and Grant
6dn; I went for BELT, with the same worries as Grant about the overall definition. L = lecturer is certainly on page 853 in Chambers 2014 under L abbrev (as opposed to L symbol, where angular momentum can be found).
An internet search for ‘clipped belt’ finds sites trying to sell me a belt (for trousers) fastened with a clip rather than a buckle. This seems rather tenuous to me, but could it be what Sleuth had in mind? Best I can do anyway.
Thanks to Sleuth and Grant.
I agree with G+B that a belt can be fastened with a clip, especially a seatbelt in an automobile. Good enough, I suppose.
Simon S @12. Ah – well spotted. I’ve not got the app. Does it indicate where it’s in use?
Sourdough & EdK. I didn’t think of that. Makes sense.
Jackty @ 16: no, the app gives no examples of usage, though it often gives etymology.
Thanks for the blog . I think your BELT is okay but the clue is not ideal, buckled would be better.
L for lecturer is my Chambers 93. We had ” live ” for L recently which is not in Chambers but is certainly in most electrical sockets.
I’m sharing the unhappiness with 6dn… altho the seatbelt perhaps passes muster.. at least a PELT can be properly clipped.. not that enamoured of 22dn either.. less of a clue more of a suggestion.. the rest was ok..
Thanks SLEUTH n Grant Baynham
A pet is an opinion (see chambers)and round an l makes a pelt which can be clipped.
P & M
Thanks to Pelham Barton@13, Simon S@12 and Roz@19 – very worthwhile and enlightening research. But has anyone, ever, in the history of the world, used L to indicate ‘lecturer’ in recorded writing? It would be fascinating to find an identified precedent outside crosswords and even (dare I say?) Chambers. Did Sleuth detect the entertaining potential of this little clue?
That is a good point Jackty, most single letters in Chambers seem to be abbreviations for many things. I would imagine that some of these are very rarely used at all, like lecturer.
Thanks Sleuth and Grant
This took quite a while to finish – about double the average time for an FT puzzle. BELT didn’t cause as much grief as it seems to be for others – was thinking garter belts and clip buckles as the examples, although seat belts are another good example. Maybe a loos-ish definition – had more work in checking on BET for opinion, but found it.
The rest of the puzzle had a good variety of clues that challenged. Didn’t know the ‘defender of the status quo’ phrase where I needed the blog. KIDOLOGY was the last one in and a good penny drop moment when it was finally pieced together from the word play.
I would like to say that I was a lecturer for many years. It was quite common in reference to positions and pay scales to see L, SL & PL for Lecturer, Senior Lecturer & Principal Lecturer. So not just crosswordland.
KIDOLOGIST I meant if course …
Hovis I was about to say that sometimes on here we get a single letter use and no one can imagine where it is used and then someone provides a bit of specialist knowledge, I rest my case.
I suppose that is why we have to trust Chambers in the end.
I had PELT as I think pelt as in fur can be clipped.
Hovis@1 re 16dn: I think I would refer to a single programme in a documentary series such as Panorama as “this week’s edition”.
Hovis @25. You’ve cracked it. Good stuff! In mitigation, I’d say that a usage confined to pay scales and status in a specific career world is too esoteric for comfort. I was a creative director in the advertising business, but would CD have directed any potential solver into any direction other than recording technology? (Isn’t this a wonderful forum, by the way? Just discovered it. Thanks to all respondents.)
We gave up on 6dn – but the rest was fine, although we didn’t realise SOCHI was on the Black Sea. INSPECT, POTHOLE and DIPLOMAT were among our favourites.
Thanks, Sleuth and Grant.
I was with Hovis@1, going for GELT at 6d. On reading the comments I would agree that BELT is a (very slightly) better solution to a rather weak clue in an otherwise very good puzzle. I liked the concealed hazard at 27a, the endless talker at 22d, and the director ordering supply at 9a. Thanks all.