Thursday fun from Serpent.
For me, this didn’t get off to a good start with 1a; I always feel a bit short-changed by “double definitions” where one meaning of the word is derived from the other, which I think is the case here. But to make up, we have a triple and even a quadruple definition later. I laughed at the confused animals in 14a and the sneaky definitions in 17a and 28a, as well as Serpent’s determined attempt to forestall the homophone police in 7d.
We also have a Nina: the unchecked letters in rows 2, 4, 12 and 14 give us two comedy greats of the silent-film era. I couldn’t find an obvious aniversary or enough associated words to consider a theme, though 5d (and perhaps 1a as a 7d of their screen characters?) might be relevant; no doubt someone will tell me if I’ve missed something. Thanks Serpent as always.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | GAUCHE |
Side of Paris lacking in sophistication (6)
|
| Double definition – though the two aren’t really separate definitions. Gauche is French for “left” (as opposed to right) = one side in Paris; but “gauche” meaning clumsy or unsophisticated seems to originate from the same word, as part of a long-standing prejudice against left-handers. (In many languages, “right” is more or less the same word as “correct” or “straight”, but “left” tends to have negative connotations; as well as “gauche” there’s the Latin “sinister”.) | ||
| 5 | SAFETY |
Secure position, for example, protects fleet regularly (6)
|
| SAY (for example), around (protecting) alternate letters (regularly) of F[l]E[e]T. | ||
| 8 | ISIS |
Part of River Island’s … (4)
|
| IS IS = two of IS, short for island. Of course apostrophe-S doesn’t normally indicate a plural, but sometimes it’s used for plurals of abbreviations; or you could just say we should follow the usual crossword rule of ignoring punctuation. [UPDATE: As Hovis @3 points out, it’s one IS for “island” and another IS for the apostrophe-S = “is”.] And for the sake of the surface, “River Island” is a high-street clothing brand.
Name for the upper part of the River Thames, especially where it flows through Oxford, before it joins with the River Thame to become the Thames. |
||
| 9 | TRADEMARK |
… publicity found in note on back of T-shirt’s label (9)
|
| AD (short for advertisement = publicity) in REMARK (note), after (on) the last letter (back) of [t-shir]T. | ||
| 11 | CHORISTER |
Rhetoric’s upset member of vocal group (9)
|
| Anagram (upset) of RHETORIC’S. | ||
| 12 | INTER |
Football players missing start of season (5)
|
| [w]INTER (a season), missing the starting letter.
Short name for the Italian football club Inter Milan (officially Football Club Internazionale Milano). Or perhaps for any one of several clubs elsewhere that have “Inter” or “International” as part of their name. |
||
| 13 | SIDING |
Celebrate about One Direction’s first track (6)
|
| SING (celebrate), around I (one in Roman numerals) + first letter of D[irection]. The boy band One Direction are often abbreviated to 1D, but that isn’t necessary to solve the clue.
Siding = a section of railway track that isn’t part of the main route. |
||
| 14 | ANAGRAMS |
Mixes up a horse and sheep (8)
|
| A + NAG (slang for horse) + RAMS (male sheep, plural).
Anagram, as a verb = make an anagram of = mix up. |
||
| 17 | EN DASHES |
Object when he has rules connecting words? (2,6)
|
| END (object = target) + AS (when) + HE’S (he has).
En dash = a medium-width horizontal line (rule) that can be used as a connector in a sentence, for example in ranges such as “April–July”. Printing style guides can go on for hours about the “correct” usage of hyphens, en dashes and em dashes; let’s not go there. |
||
| 19 | FIASCO |
Uncertainty about terms of EFTA causes company’s failure (6)
|
| IF (uncertainty) reversed (about) + end letters (terms) of [eft]A [cause]S + CO (company). | ||
| 22 | ISSUE |
Children announce supply problem (5)
|
| Quadruple definition. As in “deceased without issue”; as in “to issue a decree”; as in “to issue rations to . . .”; or as in “Houston, we have an issue . . . ” as they would probably have said a few decades later. | ||
| 24 | PRESCRIBE |
Pressure on writer to specify rules (9)
|
| P (abbreviation for pressure) + RE (on = on the subject of) + SCRIBE (writer). | ||
| 25 | SEA BREEZE |
Cocktail drink with piece of cake (3,6)
|
| SEA (drink, as in “in the drink” = slang for the sea, especially when one falls into it unexpectedly) + BREEZE (piece of cake = slang for something easy to achieve).
Vodka with cranberry and grapefruit juices. |
||
| 26 | SEES |
Witnesses reporter’s arrest (4)
|
| Homophone (reporter’s . . .) of SEIZE = arrest. | ||
| 27 | TENDER |
Sympathetic minister to make a proposal (6)
|
| Triple definition. Caring; someone who tends (looks after) another; or a formal offer to supply goods or services for a stated price. | ||
| 28 | ERRATA |
Singer in time produces wrong notes (6)
|
| RAT (someone who “sings” = informs on another) in ERA (time).
Errata = a list of errors in an earlier version of a document = notes on what’s wrong. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | ABSCONDED |
Sailor transferred having dropped ecstasy and gone AWOL (9)
|
| AB (short for able seaman = an experienced member of a ship’s crew) + S[e]CONDED (as in “on secondment” = transferred), without the E (short for the drug ecstasy). | ||
| 3 | CUSHION |
Reduce the impact of Conservative Government leaving housing in a mess (7)
|
| C (Conservative) + anagram (in a mess) of HOUSIN[g] without the G (short for Government).
As in “to cushion a fall”. |
||
| 4 | ESTATE |
Property in European country (6)
|
| E (European) + STATE. | ||
| 5 | STARRING |
I’m annoyed about cartel playing a big role (8)
|
| RATS (rats! = a mild expression of annoyance) reversed (about), then RING (cartel). | ||
| 6 | FEELING |
Touching love scene finally unites divided cast (7)
|
| Final letters of [lov]E [scen]E, inserted into FLING (cast = throw), and therefore uniting the divided parts of it. | ||
| 7 | TRAIT |
Characteristic means of conveying something to some of the audience (5)
|
| Homophone, or not, depending on your pronunciation (“to some of the audience”) of TRAY (a means of conveying, or carrying, something). Personally I’d pronounce the T at the end of TRAIT, but the dictionaries accept both pronunciations, and Serpent has acknowledged that the homophone won’t work for everyone. | ||
| 10 | KERBSTONE |
Solid border on some flags? (9)
|
| Cryptic definition: “flags” here are flagstones, such as might be found on a pavement, with kerbstones forming the border at the edge. Our US readers would probably call them curbstones, and they’d also find flagstones on a sidewalk instead of a pavement. | ||
| 11 | COSMETICS |
Universal Studios finally accepts film features may be enhanced by them (9)
|
| COSMIC (universal) + final letter of [studio]S, containing (accepting) ET (the Spielberg film that’s a gift to crossword setters). | ||
| 15 | ABSTINENT |
Moderate state briefly confused with Benin (9)
|
| Anagram (confused) of STAT[e] (briefly = all but the last letter) with BENIN.
Moderate = abstinent = not given to over-indulgence. |
||
| 16 | REAPPEAR |
Come back to harvest fruit (8)
|
| REAP (to harvest) + PEAR (a fruit).
Isn’t it a pity that a word meaning “come back” is so nearly but not quite a palindrome? |
||
| 18 | SPEARED |
Drove home point and moved quickly to capture attention (7)
|
| SPED (moved quickly) containing (to capture) EAR (attention, as in “give ear to”). | ||
| 20 | INCISOR |
What may be biting and ironic satire’s beginning to be broadcast (7)
|
| Anagram (broadcast = scattered) of IRONIC + beginning letter of S[atire].
Incisor = front tooth. |
||
| 21 | DELETE |
Remove what stops court action blocking incomplete legal document (6)
|
| LET (what stops court action: on a tennis court, an instruction to stop play and replay the last service) inserted into (blocking) DEE[d] (legal document) without its last letter (incomplete). | ||
| 23 | SHAKE |
Small fish flourish (5)
|
| S (small) + HAKE (fish).
Shake = flourish = wave something vigorously to attract attention; or shake = flourish = trill = ornamentation of a musical note. |
Fantastic!
Since I thanked Serpent for his Basilisk puzzle the other day, can I make amends today by thanking Basilisk for his Serpent puzzle.
Thanks too to Quirister.
That was weird. Normally take around an hour to do a Serpent but rattled this off in around 15 mins. Would prefer needing a bit more thought but can’t really complain as the clueing was beautifully done with the usual nice added extra. I saw ISIS as ISland + “is” for the ‘s bit.
Didn’t parse TRAIT as I‘ve never heart of not pronouncing the T. Assumed it might be a homophone of “tray ‘t” but that’s a phrase I’ve never seen.
Heard not heart of course. Must learn to type.
Hovis @3: yes, of course, “island is” makes more sense. Thanks – I’ll update the blog.
Knocked this off in the hospital waiting room between appointments and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Not sure why Buster and Charlie are present but both are more than worthy of more exposure these days.
Thanks to Serpent and Quirister
Unlike Hovis, I took a while to get this. After seeing Charlie and Buster, I looked to see if there were any other silents apart from the the silent “t” in TRAIT.
Not so easy for me either and another one to add to the list of puzzles in which the trusty Nina has ridden to the rescue. I was becalmed in the SW, being stuck on the “growing” sense of ‘flourish’, before the Nina gave me the “wave” sense instead and I could then finish things off.
Glad that l’m not alone in wondering about the significance of the Nina. Good thought of Petert @7’s, but I can’t see anything.
Thanks to Serpent and Quirister
I did consider that to some the “to” bit being the yorkshire pronunciation of “t'” in TRAIT
What Copmus said – thanks to Serpent and Quirister
..and KERBSTONE is frustratingly similar to KEYSTONE.
Fun treat from Serpent with a treat near the end when the Nina showed up (helped with LOI 18d). I admired the quadruple ISSUE and then along came TENDER for afters! Special ticks too for DELETE, REAPPEAR, ERRATA. I did find myself looking for more in KERBSTONE. Fixed on the Anglicised TRAIT so missed the homophone 🙁
Many thanks Serpent and Quirister.
The combination of a slightly unusual grid and Serpent as the setter put us on nina alert but despite that we only saw Buster Keaton, although that helped us to finish. As for TRAIT, which we pronounce by sounding the final T, we parsed it as ‘means of conveying’ = ‘trai’ then separating ‘something’ as ‘some thing’ to give the final T. Of course that does mean the homophone indicator is no longer next to the homophone so the parsing’s not entirely satisfactory. And we parsed ISIS as did Hovis@3.
ABSCONDED and COSMETICS were our favourites.
Thanks, Serpent and Quirister.
After bombing with Basilisk earlier this week I hit my stride with this gem by Serpent, one of my favourite setters. I enjoyed the nina as well as clues like the devious ANAGRAMS, SEA BREEZE, and STARRING. Thanks Quirister for the blog — I didn’t understand ISIS. Thanks Serpent for the fun.
Many thanks to Quirister for the fine blog, and to everyone who has taken the time to solve the puzzle and leave a comment. There’s no particular significance to the inclusion of Chaplin and Keaton, I just like having something in the grid for solvers to discover.
Well, I did finish this, but it was quite a struggle. I nearly gave up with about half done but got a second wind. I did parse everything, once I remembered the other pronunciation of TRAIT.