As always, a pleasure to blog an Alberich puzzle.
Alberich is one of my favourite compilers. There is rarely any reason to find fault with his surfaces or clues, and this puzzle was no exception.
I gave ticks to COMPERE, INSTEP, KETCH and RIG, but every clue was clean and precise.
I also learned something new – I don’t believe I have ever come across CARBOY before.
Thanks Alberich.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CARBOY |
Lad on estate perhaps shows bottle (6)
|
| BOY (“lad”) on CAR (“estate perhaps”) | ||
| 4 | OBSCURES |
Sick boss swallows remedy and hides (8)
|
| *(boss) [anag:sick] swallows CURE (“remedy”) | ||
| 10 | COMPERE |
Host is firm – Nancy’s mum must keep quiet (7)
|
| Co. (company, so “firm”) + MERE (“mother” in Nancy, France) must keep P (piano, in music, so “quiet”) | ||
| 11 | SENEGAL |
For instance blocks roads going to the West Country (7)
|
| e.g. (“for instance”) blocks <=LANES (“roads”, going to the West (so from right to left)) | ||
| 12 | TUNA |
Head back with a member of school? (4)
|
| <=NUT (“head”, back) with A | ||
| 13 | OCCIDENTAL |
Oscar replaces article in flat for one westerner (10)
|
| O (Oscar) replaces A (“article”) in (a>O)CCIDENTAL (“flat”, for one)
In music, an accidental can be any note (sharp, flat or natural) that is not in the key signature. |
||
| 16 | INSTEP |
Popular favourites around part of Wellington? (6)
|
| IN (“popular”) + <=PETS (“favourites”, around) | ||
| 17 | DELIGHT |
So to speak, take the shine off pleasure? (7)
|
| DE-LIGHT could possible mean to “remove the light from” or “take the shine off”. | ||
| 20 | DEVOTED |
Staunch Democrat candidate finally elected (7)
|
| D (democrat) + (candidat)E [finally] + VOTED (“elected”) | ||
| 21 | CANINE |
Hound’s tooth (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | ON THE TILES |
Where Scrabble players find characters having a lively night out? (2,3,5)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 25 | BODE |
Predict some heated objections when making U-tun (4)
|
| Hidden backwards [some…when making a U-turn] in “heatED OBjections” | ||
| 27 | AVERAGE |
On vacation, Vince is trapped by a storm? Typical (7)
|
| [on vacation] V(inc)E is trapped by A RAGE (“storm”) | ||
| 29 | COUNSEL |
Over the phone, local authority offers advice (7)
|
| Homophone [over the phone] of COUNCIL (“local authority”) | ||
| 30 | ANECDOTE |
A surprisingly decent love story (8)
|
| A + *(decent o) [anag:surprisingly] where O = love | ||
| 31 | PLAYER |
Penny meets film actor (6)
|
| P (penny) meets LAYER (“film”) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | COCKTAIL |
Male turned up drunk, carrying a screwdriver? (8)
|
| COCK (“male”) + [turned up] <=LIT (“drunk”) carrying A | ||
| 2 | REMINISCENT |
With modern clothing, short skirt’s suggestive (11)
|
| RECENT (“modern”) clothing MINI’S (“short skirt’s”) | ||
| 3 | OMEN |
Warning: women only! (4)
|
| O = zero, so O MEN would be “no men”, so “women only” | ||
| 5 | BASSINET |
Dog is brought round in basket (8)
|
| BASSET (hound) (“dog”) is brought round IN | ||
| 6 | CONGENITAL |
Complete idiot, boring clot (10)
|
| NIT (“idiot”) boring CONGEAL (“clot”) | ||
| 7 | RIG |
Regularly trying to find doctor (3)
|
| [regularly] (t)R(y)I(n)G | ||
| 8 | SOLELY |
Thus see nurses left alone (6)
|
| SO (“thus”) + ELY (“see”, as in diocese) nurses L (left) | ||
| 9 | KETCH |
Scrub up from sauce boat (5)
|
| scrub UP from KETCH(up) (“sauce”) | ||
| 14 | TCHAIKOVSKY |
Free kick, a shot securing victory with unknown scorer (11)
|
| *(kick a shot) [anag:free] securing V (victory) with Y (“unknown”, in algebra)
Scorer is this clue refers to “one who scores”, so a c composer. |
||
| 15 | BEFOREHAND |
Ben heard of riots in advance (10)
|
| *(ben heard of) [anag:riots] | ||
| 18 | PEDIMENT |
Part of Temple Bar I’m missing (8)
|
| I”M missing from (im)PEDIMENT
The pediment is the large triangular structure that sits astride columns on the front of a Greek building, especially a temple. |
||
| 19 | JEWELLER |
Ring merchant, maybe to ridicule keeping healthy (8)
|
| JEER (“to ridicule”) keeping WELL (“healthy”) | ||
| 22 | SONATA |
Change Aston Villa’s final composition (6)
|
| *(aston) [anag:change] + (vill)A [‘s final] | ||
| 23 | FETCH |
Get female to eat out (5)
|
| F (female) + ETCH (“to eat out”) | ||
| 26 | HULL |
Part of ship’s outer covering (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 28 | EYE |
A looker? Yes, we’re told (3)
|
| Homophone [we’re told] of AYE (“yes”) |
I’m in complete agreement, Loonapick, regarding the clean cluing in this grid…excepting 1a because, to me, it reads like ‘estate on lad’ rather than vice versa. No matter, I did know it though (think it’s an old colonial word like ‘teapoy’ and is still used in Asia).
I also loved COMPERE, REMINISCENT and the immaculate surface of TCHAIKOVSKY but there were many other ticks.
I knew SOLELY and FETCH had to be right but needed the blog for clarity. Never heard ‘etch’ for dine out before.
A very enjoyable morning spent on this. Thanks to Alberich and Loonapick.
Still on 1a, there’s a minor error in the blog which should read CAR (estate perhaps).
I suppose the sense is CAR with BOY added ‘on’.
Where does the ‘n’ in ‘bassinet’ come from?
Diane @1, it is not ‘dine out’, but ‘eat out’; think of acid etching away material.
@4 I took 5 down to be BASSET is brought round (contains) IN
Cruciverbophile @ 5 – of course, you’re right. Will edit when I get the chance
And Diane @2 – will also edit the typo – thanks for spotting out
What a super puzzle! So much clever misdirection, leading to so many groans, grins and sighs of satisfaction as the pennies dropped.
I see I have more clues ticked than not, so I can’t possibly list them all: there’s not a dud one to be seen, as usual with this setter, who is one of my favourites, too.
Many thanks to Alberich for a real treat and to loonapick for a fine blog.
Thanks bdg @4
Cruciverbophile @5 got there first re BASSINET.
Lots of good clues as others have pointed out. Some harder ones at the end such as PEDIMENT, FETCH and my last in ON THE TILES (which I parsed as a double def) made this very satisfying to eventually parse and solve.
Thanks to Alberich and loonapick
Great puzzle, not too difficult. Our only complaint is that it was over too quickly.
Thanks, Alberich and loonapick.
A carboy is a 5 gallon, or larger (up to 60 gal.) glass jar used to transport bulk liquids particularly chemicals. Thanks Alberich for a fine puzzle and loonapic for much elucidation.
Thanks Alberich & loonapick.
I struggled with 25 across trying to make something of the misprint.
What Eileen said but I’m going to list my ticks — COMPERE, SENEGAL, INSTEP, DELIGHT, REMINISCENT, KETCH, and BEFOREHAND. I liked the misdirection in BEFOREHAND — when I saw “heard” I thought homophone, not a word for anagram fodder. I failed at CARBOY but that was on me, not the clue. Thanks to both.
Great fun – thanks Alberich.
Carboys were the big glass containers you used to find in chemist shops or labs and contained the bulk supplies of various chemicals.
It took me ages to get SENEGAL for some reason. Loved the ring merchant.
Thanks for the blog Loonapick.