An enjoyable Monday challenge from Wire.
I liked the anagram in 1a, the sneaky definition in 2d, the chemistry in 15a, and the Robin Hood idea in 19a (which had me trying to justify MORE OR LESS for a while until the crossers contradicted it). My favourite, unusually, was the cryptic definition in 22a; I often find clues of this type a bit disappointing, but when they’re done well they can be great. Thanks Wire for the entertainment.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | STEAL THE SHOW |
Special athletes who possibly get most attention (5,3,4)
|
| S (abbreviation for special) + anagram (possibly) of ATHLETES WHO. | ||
| 9 | BUMPH |
Centre admitting Boris sent back a lot of paperwork (5)
|
| HUB (centre), containing PM (Prime Minister = Boris Johnson), all reversed (sent back).
Also spelled “bumf” = unwanted paperwork. (From “bum fodder” = slang for toilet paper.) |
||
| 10 | WONDERFUL |
Fund lower after crash: great! (9)
|
| Anagram (after crash) of FUND LOWER. | ||
| 11 | OPEN DAY |
Chance to visit Doris following competition? (4,3)
|
| DAY (actress and singer Doris Day) after OPEN (a sports competition, especially in golf or tennis, which is open to all entrants regardless of professional or amateur status).
Open day = an opportunity to visit a building or institution normally closed to the public. |
||
| 12 | RINGLET |
Lock phone before Terry returns (7)
|
| RING (phone, as a verb) before TEL (Terry = short for Terence) reversed (returns).
A curled lock of hair. |
||
| 13 | BRIGANTINE |
Huge one going last into saltwater vessel (10)
|
| GIANT (huge), with the I (one in Roman numerals) moved to the end (going last), inserted into BRINE (salted water).
A sailing ship with two masts. |
||
| 15 | CATO |
22’s elemental unit detailed for Roman senator (4)
|
| Reference to 22a DIAMOND: this is a form of carbon, chemical symbol C, so its elemental unit is a C ATO[m], here seen without its last letter (de-tailed).
Either of two Roman senators with this name, a few generations apart in the same family. |
||
| 18 | RO-RO |
Connection out of Dover or Ostend (2-2)
|
| Hidden answer (out of . . .) in [dove]R OR O[stend].
Clue-as-definition: short for a roll-on-roll-off vehicle ferry, for example one linking the ports of Dover and Ostend. |
||
| 19 | GIVE OR TAKE |
Approximately Robin Hood’s dilemma over low earners? (4,2,4)
|
| Definition and cryptic definition. Robin Hood (according to legend) took from the rich and gave to the poor, but a low earner might not fit into either category. | ||
| 22 | DIAMOND |
It’s cut not paste (7)
|
| Cryptic definition, with a surface reference to “cut and paste” as in electronic text editing. A cut gemstone, as opposed to “paste” (imitation gemstones used in costume jewellery). | ||
| 24 | DEFLATE |
Collapse of residence into river (7)
|
| FLAT (apartment = residence) inserted into DEE (a river, one of several with this name in the UK and elsewhere). | ||
| 25 | CATERWAUL |
Surprised at a curlew’s cry (9)
|
| Anagram (surprised) of AT A CURLEW.
A shriek like the cry of a cat when fighting or mating. |
||
| 26 | INCUS |
Tiny bone is inlaid with new copper (5)
|
| IS, with N (new) + CU (Cu = chemical symbol for copper) inserted (inlaid).
A bone in the middle ear, also known as the anvil. |
||
| 27 | CROSS-EXAMINE |
Question angry old tyrant associated with Spain (5-7)
|
| CROSS (angry) + EX (prefix meaning “old” in the sense of “former”) + AMIN (tyrant = Idi Amin, former military dictator in Uganda) + E (abbreviation for Spain, from España). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SOMMELIER |
Person serving in battle on ship essentially lost (9)
|
| SOMME (WW1 battle) + LI[n]ER (ship) with the middle letter missing (essentially lost).
Someone who recommends and serves wine in a restaurant. |
||
| 2 | ECHIDNAS |
Hard cutting smooth 22s up to form spiky layers (8)
|
| SAND (as a verb = smooth using an abrasive) + ICE (slang for diamonds = reference to 22a), with H (hard) inserted (cutting), all reversed (up, in a down clue).
Otherwise known as spiny anteaters: spiky-coated animals that lay eggs. |
||
| 3 | LOWRY |
Painter humble with the second-hand exchange? (5)
|
| LOW[l]Y (humble), with the second L (left hand) exchanged for R (right hand).
L.S. Lowry, Northern English painter best known for urban scenes with “matchstick” figures. |
||
| 4 | HINDRANCE |
Obstacle course evacuated after deer bolted (9)
|
| C[ours]E (evacuated = inner letters removed), after HIND (female deer) + RAN (bolted = escaped). | ||
| 5 | SIENNA |
Mounting of princess is brown tinged with yellow (6)
|
| ANNE (the Queen’s daughter, Princess Royal) + IS, all reversed (mounting = upwards in a down clue).
A yellowish-brown pigment, which becomes reddish-brown (burnt sienna) when heated. |
||
| 6 | OFFAL |
Gory bits maybe supplied by Gore (5)
|
| OFF (slang for supplied by, as in “a rumour off the Internet”) + AL (Al Gore, former US vice-president).
Animal organs or other edible parts, as distinct from the standard cuts of meat. |
||
| 7 | ABSORB |
13 hands regularly on ruby cushion (6)
|
| ABS (plural of AB = able-bodied seafarer = a “hand” on a vessel such as 13a BRIGANTINE) + alternate letters (regularly) of O[n] R[u]B[y].
As in “to cushion an impact” = to absorb its force. |
||
| 8 | CLOTHO |
Fate of idiot atop house (6)
|
| CLOT (idiot) + HO (abbreviation for house). “Atop” gives the order reading downwards in a down clue.
One of the three Fates in ancient Greek mythology: Clotho spins the thread of life, Lachesis measures it out, and Atropos cuts it off. |
||
| 14 | THIRD-RATE |
Poor ‘rithmetic perhaps later discovered (5-4)
|
| THIRD R (‘rithmetic perhaps, as in the “three Rs” of basic education: Reading, [w]Riting, and [a]Rithmetic) + [l]ATE[r] without its outer letters (dis-covered). | ||
| 16 | AVALANCHE |
Revolutionary supports a structured naval barrage (9)
|
| A + anagram (structured) of NAVAL, with CHE (Che Guevara, Argentine revolutionary) at the end (at the bottom, in a down clue = supporting).
Avalanche = barrage = metaphorically, a lot of things arriving at the same time. |
||
| 17 | GRAFFITI |
Player of tennis match beginning to inspire artwork (8)
|
| GRAF (Steffi Graf, German tennis player) + FIT (match, as in “a good fit for the role”) + beginning letter of I[nspire].
Artwork or vandalism, depending on the quality and/or the observer’s viewpoint. |
||
| 18 | REDACT |
Edit scenes south of Bordeaux? (6)
|
| ACT (a section of a play or opera, which may consist of two or more scenes) after (south of = below, in a down clue) RED (red wine, for example Bordeaux).
“Redact” has two different meanings in text editing: to combine multiple sources of text into a single document with slight alterations to create coherence, or to remove or obscure sensitive information in a document before publishing. |
||
| 20 | EVER SO |
Really upset contingent of Mykonos revellers (4,2)
|
| Hidden answer (contingent of . . . ), reversed (upset = upwards in a down clue), in [mykon]OS REVE[llers]. | ||
| 21 | BOARDS |
Stage when steroid finally is injected into swine (6)
|
| Last letter (finally) of [steroi]D, injected into BOARS (wild pigs = swine).
As in “treading the boards” = acting on stage. |
||
| 23 | ASTER |
What might be picked from behind mostly (5)
|
| ASTER[n] (nautical terminology for behind = in the direction of the stern of the boat), without its last letter (mostly).
A flower, which one might pick. |
||
| 24 | DELTA |
Heads of departments eventually left thank you letter (5)
|
| Initial letters (heads) of D[epartments] E[ventually] + L (left = or that could be another initial letter if you prefer) + TA (slang for “thank you”).
The Greek letter D. |
Hard afternoon slog. Much to appreciate. Very much liked include ‘Brigantine’, the ‘ship essentially lost’ which had me trying to parse ‘sp’ somewhere in the solution, ‘mounting’ as a reversal indicator (obvious now), the hidden, reversed ‘ever so’. Favourite was Third Rate. Parsed the ‘ate’ but not the third ‘r’ (obvious now). Thanks Quirister and Hi Wire.
Rather liked this.1d is a frightening surface but it works
Rather liked LOWRY (well I do like him)
Thanks Wire and Quirister-nice start to the day
A reasonably challenging one from Wire to get the solving week off to a start. I couldn’t parse RO-RO or the OFF bit of OFFAL and didn’t really understand the GIVE OR TAKE, so no gentle Monday stroll.
As well as CUT AND PASTE, I enjoyed the wordplay for CATO, my last in, and the ‘spiky layers’ for ECHIDNAS, which brings to mind the ‘eats natives’ def for the same creature a few years ago.
Thanks to Quirister – including for the explanation of REDACT – and to Wire
This was a very entertaining crossword with lots to like.
I particularly enjoyed STEAL THE SHOW for the surface, DIAMOND for the clever cryptic description, SOMMELIER for the surface, ECHIDNAS for the ‘spiky layers’ and THIRD RATE for the ‘rithmetic.
Thanks Wire and Quirister.
I haven’t encountered that spelling of ‘bumf’ before but that didn’t cause a problem. Nice to see the ECHIDNA again. Several of my favourites have already been mentioned – LOWRY, BRIGANTINE, CUT AND PASTE and THIRD RATE. I also enjoyed the smooth anagram for CATERWAUL.
1ac put me in mind of the upcoming Winter Paralympics – nicely done.
Thanks Wire and Quirister
Thanks Wire and Quirister.
Yes -much to enjoy. CLOTHO was news to me (oh for a classical education)(perhaps not), and CATO was yet another instance of my being awestruck by bloggers’ perspicacity (not if I were there ’til Tibb’s Eve). I’ve only ever seen ‘bumpf’ but no argument here. Favourite was CATERWAUL – such a nice word.
I was reminded recently that these puzzles have to be proof solved; whoever does it deserves an AVALANCHE of DIAMONDS.
Thanks both. I guessed CATO but would still have been here attempting to parse it long after the wind and the rain eventually abated had I not elected to come here first – there is a lot going on beyond my knowledge for a four letter clue
V good. Esp C-ATOM and RO-RO, but top stuff throughout for me (not LOWRY though).
Great fun. Couldn’t parse CATO, though the answer was obvious (A-level Latin) – I assumed there was some chemical unit of measurement relevant to diamonds that I couldn’t recall or had nho and didn’t bother to look it up.
Thanks to Wire and Quirister.
It’s nice to see 15 across combining arts and science (though I am still nervous that someone will come and disabuse us of the notion of an ATOM as an elemental unit). Which Cato do American conservatives take as an inspiration? The one who stood up to Caesar, or the one who kept saying Carthage had to be destroyed?
Thanks to Quirister and all the contributors. Cato dividing the roo I think.
Found this quite a lot more difficult than the other Mondays I’ve done recently. A few groaners and some words I’d never heard of, as well as some convoluted answers. A couple of nice clues – the Robin Hood one especially.