Klingsor tests us today.
Klingsor usually includes at least one musical reference in the grid, with SONATA (6 down) being the example today.
CHINE at 17 across looks like an entry I can add to my list of contronyms or janus words which can have one meaning as well as an almost opposite meaning. I knew CHINE could refer to a ravine, but I wasn’t aware of the of ‘crest of a ridge’ meaning.
I don’t think there is a theme or hidden message.
There were a few reasonably well known devices in the wordplay with NINE for [a] square, M for Mark [Deutschmark] and Nancy as an allusion to a French word, but there will be solvers who have not come across these tricks before.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Rig built with care producing oil (9) LUBRICATE (supply with oil; oil, as a verb) Anagram of (rig) BUILT and CARE LUBRICATE* |
| 9 |
Surrounded by flounder, you caught river fish (7) GROUPER (any one of many fishes, especially various kinds resembling bass) (U [sounds like {caught}] YOU contained in [surrounded by] GROPE [flounder]) + R (river) GRO (U) PE R |
| 10 |
So square brackets start to irritate? That’s silly (7) ASININE (silly) (AS [so) + NINE [9 is the square of 3]) containing (brackets) I (first letter of [start to] IRRITATE) AS (I) NINE |
| 11 |
Fussy bastard’s content: flipping hell! (5) ABYSS (hell) ABYSS (hidden word reversed [flipping] in [content] FUSSY BASTARD) ABYSS |
| 12 |
Initially appear bitter about cutting sick tree’s root out (9) ERADICATE (root out) (A [first letter of {initially} APPEAR] + ACID [bitter]) reversed (about) contained in (cutting) an anagram of (sick) TREE ER (ADIC A)< TE* |
| 13 |
Plug more suitable as multi-socket device? (7) ADAPTER (device that allows more than one electrical appliance to be powered from one socket; multi-socket device) AD (an advert; a plug) + APTER (more suitable) AD APTER |
| 15 |
Did dog, we hear, stretch? (5) TRACT (a stretch of land) TRACT (sounds like [we hear] TRACKED [shadowed; dogged; did dog) TRACT |
| 17 |
A ravine ridge’s crest (5) CHINE (ravine) CHINE (crest of a ridge) double definition CHINE |
| 18 |
You once repeated after Mark, "I don’t believe it" (2,3) MY EYE (expression of disagreement; I don’t believe it) M ([Deutsch]mark) + YE (old form of [once] YOU) + YE (old form of [once] YOU) M Y E YE |
| 19 |
Country wants open society brought back (5) SYRIA (Country in the Middle East) (AIRY [open to the air] + S [society]) all reversed (brought back) (S YRIA)< |
| 20 |
Ring to check about transport going to West Ham (7) OVERACT (HAM describes the performance of an actor who rants and OVERACTs) O (ring shaped letter) + (VET [check] containing [about] [CAR {form of transport} reversed {going to the West}]) O VE (RAC<) T |
| 23 |
Arouse extremes of utmost ire in a fellow? (9) INFURIATE (anger; arouse) Anagram of (arouse) UT (outer letters of [extremes of] UTMOST) and IRE IN A and F (fellow) INFURIATE* |
| 25 |
One having links mostly with Republican president (5) CHAIR (president [of a conference for example]) CHAIN (item with links) excluding the final letter N (mostly) + R CHAI R |
| 27 |
What accompanies this insect in Susan Coolidge’s book (7) KATYDID (North American insect related to the grasshopper) WHAT KATY DID is a children’s book by Susan Coolidge, so WHAT accompanies KATYDID KATYDID |
| 28 |
Right away, family transport (7) ELATION (transport,as in transport of delight) RELATION (family [member]) excluding (away) R (right) ELATION |
| 29 |
One harasses guys in Twin Peaks (9) TORMENTOR (one who harasses) MEN (guys) contained (in) (TOR [rocky height; peak] + TOR again giving twin peaks) TOR (MEN) TOR |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Field study is depressing (6) LEADEN (depressing) LEA (meadow; field] + DEN (study) LEA DEN |
| 2 |
Ship is Titanic, one sinking in the sea (10) BRIGANTINE (two-masted vessel, with the mainmast of a schooner and the foremast of a brig) GIANT (titanic) excluding (sinking) I (Roman numeral for one) contained in (in) BRINE (sea) BRI (GANT) NE Edit: As Hovis points out at comment 1 below, this should be parsed as GIANT with the I sinking to the bottom to form GANTI contained in BRINE BRI (GANTI) NE |
| 3 |
Found dietitian taking day off? That’s unusual (8) INITIATE (originate; found) Anagram of (that’s unusual) DIETITIAN excluding (taking … off) D (day) INITIATE* |
| 4 |
Stadium reflected a new age (5) ARENA (stadium) (A + N [new] + ERA [age]) all reversed (reflected) (ARE N A)< |
| 5 |
Helicopter, say, taking diner around Britain (3,6) EGG BEATER (an informal term for a helicopter, a term most commonly used in America) (EG [for example] + EATER [diner]) containing (around) GB ([Great] Britain) EG (G B) EATER |
| 6 |
Moonlight, perhaps working in smart bar periodically (6) SONATA (reference Beethoven’s Moonlight SONATA) ON (working) contained in (in) SATA (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [periodically] of SMART BAR) S (ON) ATA |
| 7 |
Agile son is given prize (4) SPRY (agile) S (son) + PRY (PRY is a form of prise / prize) S PRY |
| 8 |
Can Penny hold back? (8) PRESERVE (can [of food, keep for a longtime by PRESERVing in a can]) P (penny) + RESERVE (set aside; hold back) P RESERVE |
| 14 |
It’s when everything began going wrong there today (3,4,3) THE YEAR DOT (the very beginning of time) Anagram of (wrong) THERE TODAY THE YEAR DOT* |
| 16 |
Restrained a tendency to eat eggs up (9) ABSTINENT (self-restrained) A + (BENT [tendency] containing [to eat] NITS [eggs of a louse or similar insect] reversed [up; down clue]) A B (STIN<) ENT |
| 17 |
Decorative work needs time to be put in, note (8) CROTCHET (musical note) CROCHET (decorative work consisting of intertwined loops, executed in wool or thread with a small hook) containing (needs … to be put in) T (time) CRO (T) CHET |
| 18 |
Partner harbours determination to become artist (8) MAGRITTE (reference Rene MAGRITTE [1898 – 1967], Belgian surrealist artist) MATE (partner) containing (harbours) GRIT (determination) MA (GRIT) TE |
| 21 |
Nancy’s right to support American expert (6) ADROIT (skilful; expert) A (American) + DROIT (French [Nancy is a city in France] for ‘right’) as this is a down entry,the letters DROIT are supporting the letter A A DROIT |
| 22 |
Night drinking, primarily getting stuck into lager? (6) BENDER (drunken spree, which usually takes place at night) ND (first letters of [primarily] NIGHT and DRINKING) contained in (getting stuck into) BEER BE (N D) ER |
| 24 |
Religious ascetic is a sham, as some say (5) FAKIR (religious, especially Muslim, mendicant, ascetic or wonder-worker in India, etc) FAKIR (sounds like [as some say] FAKER [a sham person) FAKIR |
| 26 |
Fussy creature’s heartless (4) ANAL (having personality traits such as obsessiveness; fussy) ANIMAL (creature) excluding the central letters (heartless) IM ANAL |
BRIGANTINE is BRI(GANTI)NE where GANTI is GIANT with the I sinking to the bottom.
I think INFURIATE and BENDER are clue-as-definition (&lit) clues?
Hovis@1
Thanks – you are correct. I have updated the blog detail
I agree with Hovis re brigantine, and cruciverbophile re bender and infuriate, although I didn’t spot bender as an &lit till I came here.
Quite straightforward today, but flawlessly clued and entertaining as always.
Thanks Duncan and Klingsor
That’s two Indy’s in a row where the surfaces have just been a joy to read. As Blah says above, flawlessly clued. And the &lit for BENDER is superb. I did need Duncan’s help with accounting for the extra G in EGG BEATER. At first, I thought it had been overlooked – surely not. Then I wondered if the diner might be an egg eater??
I’d add ‘as some say’ in the clue for FAKIR to our blogger’s mini list of well known devices – and it’s the signal preferred by our more precise posters, avoiding the tedious debate about which of us don’t see (or hear) a precise homophone.
Did anyone else think initially of The Big Bang for THE YEAR DOT and wonder if the enumeration had been muddled? That’s twice I suspected an error that wasn’t to be. Oh me of little faith!
Thanks Klingsor and Duncan
I’d forgotten both meanings of CHINE so ended up failing at the last hurdle. I liked BENDER and INFURIATE and I wondered if SYRIA could also be seen as an &lit.
A bit CROTCHETy about not being able to finish this off but it’s the journey that matters and a very pleasant one it was too.
Thanks to Klingsor and Duncan
What is the “A” doing at 17A? I spent too much time looking for how this fitted into the wordplay. I didn’t know PRY in that sense so couldn’t parse 7D. But much enjoyed anyway so thanks Klingsor and Duncan.
Tatrasman@7
The A is part of the definition – a ravine – I just forgot to underline it in the clue.
It’s updated now
Thanks both. Failed to finish unaided, even after my first cheat which was to research the author in 27 – glad I did, as the insect was also an unknown. Agree the needless ‘A’ made a difficult clue harder
Straightforward for some, maybe, but not for me. I liked the &lits. I misread the enumeration and thought of the Big Bang too for THE YEAR DOT. My only quibble is acid being equated to bitter (as was said recently about tart.
I didn’t know either of those meanings of CHINE, either, knowing only the anatomical/cooking meaning – that was the only one I couldn’t get.
Curiously, KATYDID was my FOI, though why I remember the name of the author of What Katy Did, I can’t say. I recall a television adaption back in the sixties, but I probably haven’t thought about it since then.
Never heard of either meaning of chine and as the clue was not cryptic there was no wordplay to help either.
CBA to search the dictionary for all possibilities so a disappointing DNF when another word could have left me with a much more positive feeling.