Brunel has set today’s puzzle for our delectation. I can see from 15² that Brunel is a relatively new compiler, and it is definitely the first time that I have solved and blogged a puzzle by this setter.
I found this to be an original and entertaining puzzle, which revealed itself little by little to me. Overall, it was a tad harder than I am used to tackling on a Wednesday. I am satisfied with my parsing overall, although I may be missing something at 3.
My favourite clues today were 21 and 23, for their originality of construction; and 24, for its topicality. 2 raised a smile, while 20 proved tricky to parse.
I hope it won’t be long before it falls to be to blog another puzzle by Brunel.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | TOPICAL | Tory leader gets over quandary reported in the news
T<ory> (“leader” means first letter only) + O (=over, on cricket scorecard) + homophone (“reported”) of “pickle (=quandary)” |
| 05 | DISTEND | Reduce length of course by half, then finish – that’s swell!
DIST<ance> (=course, as in stay the course/distance; “reduce … by half” means 4 of 8 letters are dropped) + END (=finish) |
| 09 | PAPAL NUNCIO | A pupil canon trained as religious representative
*(A PUPIL CANON); “trained” is anagram indicator |
| 10 | IOS | Zeus lover’s island
IO (=Zeus’ lover, an Argive princess) + ‘S; Ios is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea |
| 11 | SIT-UPS | Oddly, said Trump is getting exercise
S<a>I<d> T<r>U<m>P <i>S; “oddly” means odd letters only are used |
| 12 | BASALTIC | Break a slab, turning over about one ton of rock
*(A SLAB) + TIC (C=about, i.e. circa) + I (=one) + T (=ton); “turning over” indicates reversal); “break” is anagram indicator |
| 14 | RHODE ISLANDER | American’s radioed path is followed by spacecraft
Homophone of “road (=path)” + IS + LANDER (=spacecraft, one which makes a soft landing on the surface of an astronomical body) |
| 17 | BUDGET DEFICIT | Move by Times to poach excellent old company, causing lack of 13?
BUDGE (=move) + {[DEF (=excellent, in hip-hop culture) + ICI (=old company, in chemicals sector)] in T T (=times, i.e. 2 x T=time)}; a budget deficit is a “lack of ready money (=entry at 13)” |
| 21 | CONFIRMS | Ratifies two companies, a different partner backing each
[CO (=company) + N (=partner, i.e. north in bridge)] + [FIRM (=company) + S (=(different) partner, i.e. south in bridge)] |
| 23 | TOMATO | Fruit peel: pair of tiny fragments
<a>TOM ATO<m> (=pair of tiny fragments); “peel” indicates removal of “outside” letters |
| 25 | NIL | Back in line 24
L (=line) + IN; “back” indicates reversal; nil is love (=entry at 24), i.e. zero score in tennis |
| 26 | SINFONIETTA | Work feverishly at tennis, if Open’s beginning
*(AT TENNIS IF + O<pen>); “beginning” means first letter only is used in anagram, indicated by “feverishly”; a sinfonietta is a short or light symphony |
| 27 | SORCERY | Deplorable, involving church in black magic
CE (=church, i.e. Church of England) in SORRY (=deplorable, wretched, as in a sorry state of affairs) |
| 28 | EASIEST | Have a siesta, keeping most comfortable
Hidden (“keeping”) in “havE A SIESTa” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | TYPIST | Key worker?
Cryptic definition: typists type on keyboards |
| 02 | POP STAR | Lady Gaga perhaps to look briefly after her Dad
POP (=Dad, in American English) + STAR<e> (=to look; “briefly” means last letter is dropped) |
| 03 | CELLPHONE | Mobile in Mobile
??? “a cell phone” is what one might have if in prison |
| 04 | LAUD | Praise archbishop and nobleman aloud
Homophone (“aloud”) of “lord (=archbishop and nobleman)” |
| 05 | DECLASSIFY | Release publicly and freely CD and files, say
*(CD + FILES SAY); “freely” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | SKODA | Drink overcomes Kay and Octavia, possibly
K (=kay, i.e. the 11th letter of the alphabet) in SODA (=drink); a Škoda Octavia is a small family car, manufactured since 1996 |
| 07 | EMITTED | Gave out drug, wearing gloves?
E (=drug, i.e. Ecstasy) + MITTED (=wearing gloves, cryptically, i.e. in mitts) |
| 08 | DUSTCART | Penny and you land up beneath small trash carrier
D (=penny, as in LSD) + U (=you, in textspeak) + S (=small, in sizes) + TCART (TRACT=land; “up” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 13 | READY MONEY | Yon dreamy Echo modulating to liquid notes, perchance
*(YON DREAMY + E (=echo, i.e. in radio telecommunications); “modulating” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | ANCHOVIES | Kedge maybe missing bottom, struggles to find fish
ANCHO<r> (=kedge; “missing bottom” means last letter is dropped) + VIES (=struggles) |
| 16 | ABSCONDS | Sailor, moments after leaving base, goes AWOL
AB (=sailor, i.e. able-bodied seamen) + S<e>CONDS (moments; “after leaving base (=e, in logarithms)” means letter “e” is dropped) |
| 18 | DANGLER | One hanging from top of ladder in peril
L<adder> (“top of” means first letter only) in DANGER (=peril) |
| 19 | TOASTIE | Snack food and wine taken in extremity
ASTI (=wine) in TOE (=extremity, of human body) |
| 20 | COBALT | Mike fails in search, overlooking key element
CO<m>B (=search thoroughly; “Mike (=M, in radio telecommunications) fails” means letter “m” is dropped) + ALT (=key, on computer keyboard) |
| 22 | ISSUE | Subject of newspaper’s petition
(the) i (=newspaper) + ‘S + SUE (=petition) |
| 24 | LOVE | Dear fuel finally leads to some deliveries falling short
<fue>L (“finally”) means last letter only + OVE<r> (=some deliveries, in cricket; “falling short” means last letter is dropped; dear and love are terms of endearment |
RHODE ISLANDER, TOMATO, DUSTCART and COBALT are my favourites.
CELLPHONE: Was thinking on the same lines as indicated in the blog. I think we are missing something.
Thanks to B and RR!
William Laud (LAWD; 7 October 1573 – 10 January 1645) was a bishop in the Church of England. Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury by Charles I in 1633,
Any connection with 4?
Wasn’t it enough to say ‘nobleman aloud’ otherwise?
For CELLPHONE I parsed it as an Americanism for mobile – in Mobile, Alabama.
Sheepish@3
Bingo! Thanks.
Parsed CELLPHONE as Sheepish. I parsed NIL as a backwards inclusion but prefer your version – either works (although, some argue against inclusions that aren’t wholly contained). SINFONIETTA was new to me and probably will be again when it next crops up. Having the two A’s in 12a, I struggled for a while trying to get VACATION (= ‘break’) to fit, with the TION coming from I (one) with TON about. Bunged in IOS. Didn’t know the island and forgot IO as one of Zeus’s many lovers. Great crossword, I should add.
Likewise on CELLPHONE – a simple American indicator but helped by one of those unusual US town names. I took LAUD as a double-def and homophone KVa, as I think did you though I don’t understand your ‘Any connection with 4?’
Thanks both
PM@6
I asked: Is William Laud the archbishop considered in clue no. 4 (LAUD)? From your explanation, it is clear that you considered this Laud as the second def. Two def and a homophone.
Get it now. Thought your comment re Laud was written to throw light on No.4. And then you, yourself, said ‘is there a connection with 4?’ which was the connection I thought you’d just made!!! 😀 😀 😀 We appear to be aligned, if not in our reading of the blog, in our parsing of the clue.
I’m annoyed I had to use an anagram finder to get SINFONIETTA. A sinfonietta can also be a small orchestra and I have long been a fan of the London Sinfonietta, known for their championing of new music. (I have many of their recordings.) The Britten Sinfonietta is also quite good.
Thanks Brunel, that was enjoyable; I hope you become a more frequent contributor. COBALT, ISSUE, and TOMATO were my top choices from many good clues. I couldn’t fully parse TOPICAL, BUDGET DEFICIT, and DUSTCART so thanks RR for the help.
Yes, 3d (CELLPHONE) refers to the American city of Mobile. The parsing of 25a (NIL) seems to have caused some slight confusion – ‘back’ applies only to ‘in’, hence giving NI. Then L for ‘line’ is simply added on the end. 11a (SIT-UPS) is intended as a ref to Donald Trump famously never exercising, so that it would be ‘odd’ to suggest that he does – don’t know how many solvers spotted that!
Brunel @11 re. Trump — I did! He doesn’t and it shows, both in his girth and his intellect. Excellent crossword.