ALBERICH dishes out a friendly challenge this Friday AM.
FF: 9 DD: 7
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CENOTAPH |
Criminal can’t hope for a memorial (8)
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[ CANT HOPE ]* |
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| 5 | FRANCK |
Composer is candid about opening of concerto (6)
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FRANK ( candid ) around C ( Concerto, first letter ) ; cesar franck |
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| 9 | REMINDER |
Without a rest, one jogs? (8)
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REMaINDER ( rest, without A ) |
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| 10 | ALMOND |
Scottish politician, first character to do one’s nut! (6)
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sALMOND ( scottish politician, alex salmond, without first letter ) ; i hadnt come across "do one" ( meaning to 'go away' ) earlier. |
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| 11 | TRAVERSE |
In short, artist gets very cross (8)
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[ RA ( artist ) V ( very ) ] in TERSE ( short ) |
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| 12 | CARAFE |
A fellow in custody finds water- bottle (6)
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[ A F ( fellow ) ] in CARE ( custody ) |
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| 14 | INTERLEAVE |
Quit after one collecting rent abused position regularly (10)
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I ( one ) [ RENT ]* LEAVE ( quit ) |
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| 18 | COLD TURKEY |
At first, ditching coke truly could give you this? (4,6)
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[ D ( Ditching, first letter ) COKE TRULY ]* |
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| 22 | LIMPLY |
Loosely suggest following end of trail (6)
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IMPLY ( suggest ) after L ( traiL, end ) |
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| 23 | MACERATE |
Steep price of club? (8)
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MACE ( club ) RATE ( price ) |
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| 24 | TONGAN |
Islander’s not backing horse, after reflection (6)
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TON ( NOT, reversed ) GAN ( horse = NAG, reversed ) |
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| 25 | CONTRITE |
Common criminal first is remorseful (8)
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CON ( criminal ) TRITE ( common ) |
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| 26 | ROOSTS |
Ferret’s going around small hen houses (6)
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ROOTS ( ferret's ) around S ( small ) |
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| 27 | SYMPHONY |
My shop is renovated with extremely nifty work (8)
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[ MY SHOP ]* NY ( NiftY, extremely, end letters ) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CURATE |
Clergyman from university tucked into banger (6)
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U ( university ) in CRATE ( banger, old rundown car ) |
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| 2 | NUMBAT |
Insensitive cheers upset Australian native (6)
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NUMB ( insensitive ) AT ( cheers = TA, reversed ) |
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| 3 | TENDER |
Offer easily impressed carer (6)
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triple def |
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| 4 | PLEASANTRY |
Sally brewed ales in food store (10)
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[ ALES ]* in PANTRY ( food store ) |
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| 6 | RELIABLE |
Engineers responsible for sound (8)
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RE ( engineers ) LIABLE ( responsible for ) |
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| 7 | NEONATAL |
Drone on at all nurses concerned with baby care (8)
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hidden in "droNE ON AT ALl.." – smooth surface |
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| 8 | KEDGEREE |
Largely eager to conceal greed, cooked rice dish (8)
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KEEn ( eager, largely ) containing [ GREED ]* |
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| 13 | REVELATORY |
Conservative Party leader to appear up front? That’s enlightening (10)
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REVEL ( party ) A ( Appear, first letter ) TORY ( conservative ) |
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| 15 | SCULPTOR |
College dons added to rising eminence for artist (8)
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[ C ( college ) in reverse of PLUS ( added to ) ] TOR ( eminence ) |
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| 16 | FLAMENCO |
Partner sergeant for one dance (8)
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FLAME ( partner ) NCO ( sergeant ) |
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| 17 | STALWART |
Stout? Begin eating low-fat regularly (8)
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START ( begin ) containing LWA ( LoWfAt, regularly ) |
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| 19 | PENT UP |
Enclosure ram’s held in (4-2)
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PEN ( enclosure ) TUP ( ram ) |
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| 20 | PACINO |
Maybe Al Capone briefly contrived to acquire one (6)
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[ CAPONe ( briefly ) ]* containing I ( one ) – loved this clue! |
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| 21 | HERESY |
I’m showing you why we’re told it’s unorthodox (6)
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HERE'S ( ~i'm showing you ) Y ( sounds like WHY ) |
Thanks for the blog, lots of neat , clever and very concise clues here.
Really liked COLD TURKEY and ALMOND.
Perhaps FRANCK could have been a science clue for once ? We get so few.
I agree with Roz – COLD TURKEY was very good, along with MACERATE, PLEASANTRY (for their subtle definitions) and NUMBAT.
Needed all the crossers for SCULPTOR, my LOI, as I was trying to find an artist whose name started with SCHE…
Thanks very much to Alberich and Turbolegs.
I’ll echo the admiration for COLD TURKEY and the definitions for MACERATE and PLEASANTRY – we’ve seen umpteen plays on P[l]EASANTRY over the years and Sally was a refreshing change, with a lovely surface, too.
Alberich’s surfaces, of course, are always excellent – there isn’t a dud one to be seen – and I thought 1ac was a great introduction. I had ticks, too, for ALMOND, SYMPHONY, SCULPTOR, PENT UP, PACINO and HERESY – and a double one for REVELATORY, which made me laugh out loud (party = revel – brilliant!).
Many thanks, as ever, to Alberich, for a most enjoyable and witty puzzle and to Turbolegs for a fine blog.
I share your praise of this grid’s quality, Eileen. Alberich is a setter I enjoy more and more.
Lots of good ones here, as mentioned by others. The deletion indicator in 10a was an original one and PLEASANTRY for ‘Sally’ wasn’t the first word to come to mind.
Top marks for originality and enjoyment though to the appearance of ‘Al Capone’ in the surface for PACINO. One of those clues that made the crossword worth doing by itself.
Thanks to Alberich and Turbolegs
Roz @1 – I’ve just read your comment on the Guardian thread.
To perhaps save you any future annoyance, I think it’s fair to say that, in an Alberich puzzle, references are more than likely to be musical 😉 and this, for me, was a lovely example.
Any suggestions for a scientific alternative?
James Franck Nobel prize winner brilliant physicist , most important experiment of quantum theory, saved lots of Jews from the Nazis , helped numerous women physicists including Lise Meitner, Not a second rate composer.
I enjoyed this. My ignorance of classical music just about matches my ignorance of science. A Franck was also a scientist, so the clue would just need to swap Scientist for composer and a scientific word beginning with c for concerto. Having said that, Google seems more familiar with the composer than the physicist.
Roz @ 7 – indisputable credentials! I didn’t make myself clear: I was asking for a suggestion for an alternative clue.
I never write clues , not even for Azed once a month. Just thought this could be a good chance to have our monthly science clue.
I have no answer to that.
How about physicist candid about the beginning of creation (6)?
FRANCK was my FOI and I know neither the composer nor the scientist so either would have worked for me. As I’ve heard, a nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse. Anyway, lots of good clues like TRAVERSE, RELIABLE, and STALWART (great surface) and some I just couldn’t get like ALMOND, HERESY, and KEDGEREE. Thanks to both.
For 5ac, maybe ‘Physicist: “Fahrenheit, Réaumur and, briefly, Celsius precede Kelvin” (6)’
Great puzzle, anyway. SYMPHONY, NEONATAL and PACINO among our favourites.
Thanks, Alberich and Turbolegs.
[ He wrote a beautiful violin sonata, but apart from that I agree with Roz that Franck was a second rate composer. ]
Thanks for the suggested clues , at least James Franck has now been actually noticed.
Cellomaniac@15 I did not intend to belittle Cesar Franck , it was just a more general point I was making.
[The Franck D minor Symphony is rather good too, at least the way Beecham did it. But then Sir Thomas could make any old tosh sound like a masterpiece!]
Thanks Alberich and Turbolegs
A week late to this, mainly because I wasn’t able to parse my CASINO at 20d or SCULPTOR at 15d. Eventually was able to parse the amended PACINO at 20d (and became one of my favourites) and eventually was able to untangle the word play at the correct answer at 15d. As it turns out not quite correctly – had the last bit as TO + R (rising eminence) which takes away the reversal direction for PLUS.
The little NUMBAT naturally was my first entry and clues flowed slowly across a longer than normal single sitting last Saturday.
Ended up with a couple of the long ones – INTERLEAVE and the very clever REVELATORY. Lots to enjoy and satisfied to have dodged that error with Al PACINO.