Thank you to Crucible. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1. Excessive exploitation very nearly blocks river (7)
OVERUSE : “very” minus its last letter(nearly) contained in(blocks) OUSE(river in Yorkshire, England).
5. More costly Father Ted given modern look (7)
UPDATED : UP(higher in price/more costly) + DA(father, in the vocabulary in Ireland, Scotland and North England) + TED.
10. Worry about cutting paper (4)
FRET : RE(with reference to/about) contained in(cutting) FT(the Financial Times daily newspaper).
11. Padding over where arm’s held close to body (10)
UPHOLSTERY : UP(over, as in “time’s up!”) + HOLSTER(the accessory worn on the body, in which/where a handgun/firearm is held) + last letter of(close to) “body“.
Defn: … covering and fixed to furniture items.
12. McIlroy’s first club covered constant tiny distance (6)
MICRON : 1st letter of(…’s first) “McIlroy” + IRON(a club, as may be used by Rory McIlroy, professional golfer) containing(covered) C(mathematical symbol for a value that is constant).
Defn: … equal to one-millionth of a metre.
13. Refreshed squaddies slept outside (8)
RESTORED : OR(abbrev. for “other ranks”/non-commissioned military personnel/squaddies) contained in(… outside) RESTED(ceased activity and slept).
14. Trim fruits in different heaps (9)
SHIPSHAPE : HIPS(fruit of a rose) contained in(in) anagram of(different) HEAPS.
16. Fit ground inside city? That’s clever (5)
NIFTY : Anagram of(… ground) FIT contained in(inside) NY(abbrev. for New York City, USA).
17. Do without extra small prune left over (5)
SPARE : S(abbrev. for “small’) + PARE(to prune/trim/remove unwanted parts).
Double defn: 1st: …, say, mass or fat/thin; and 2 … and above what’s in use. Or could it be a triple defn?
19. Former coach‘s conscientious commitment (9)
DILIGENCE : Double defn: 1st: Historically, a public stagecoach.
23. Designs using fine wood particles (8)
FASHIONS : F(abbrev. for “fine”) + ASH(wood from the ash tree, of course) + IONS(tiny particles/atoms or molecules that have gained or lost an electron).
24. Case section of canal Egypt added (6)
LOCKET : LOCK(section of a canal, where boats are raised or lowered) plus(… added) ET(International Vehicle Registration code for Egypt).
Defn: Ornamental ….
26. Drills maybe two poles or rocks (5,5)
POWER TOOLS : Anagram of(… rocks) TWO POLES OR.
Defn: Examples of which/maybe are electric drills.
27. Make up time lost in first class (1-3)
A-ONE : “atone”(to make up/to make amends for) minus(… lost) “t”(abbrev. for “time”).
Defn: …/the best.
28. Wheels shy tourist now and then (7)
CASTORS : CAST(shy/to fling or throw at a target) + 2nd, 4th and 6th letters of(… now and then) “tourist“.
Heavy-duty ones:
29. Modified an obsolete piano brought in (7)
ADAPTED : A(like “an”, an article for a single object) + DATED(obsolete/out of date) containing(… brought in) P(abbrev. for “piano”, the musical direction).
Down
2. Japan referee lives in new hotel (7)
VARNISH : VAR(abbrev. for “Video Assistant Referee”, in sports, an official who helps with the main referee’s decision-making by reviewing the play on video recording) + IS(lives/exists) contained in(in) [ N(abbrev. for “new”) + H(letter in the phonetic alphabet represented by “hotel”) ].
Defn: Of which japan, a hard dark lacquer, is an example.
3. It goes round and round most of North Island city (5)
ROTOR : 5 letters out of 7 of(most of) “Rotorua”(a city in the North Island, New Zealand).
4. One of five arrivals in small church a supporter there (7)
SQUINCH : QUIN(short for “quintuplet”, one of five babies born/arrivals at one birth) contained in(in) [ S(abbrev. for “small”) + CH(abbrev. for “church”) ].
Defn: An arched structure supporting, say, a dome as may be found in a church/”there” in the clue.
6. European sophistication (6)
POLISH : Double defn: 2nd: …/elegance in a person or thing.
7. Sanction unit in renovated art house (9)
AUTHORISE : I(Roman numeral for “one”, a single unit) contained in(in) anagram of(renovated) ART HOUSE.
8. Heading across France occasionally to find grave (7)
EARNEST : EAST(a heading/a direction) containing(across) 2nd, 4th and 6th letters of(… occasionally) “France“.
Defn: …/serious.
9. Fixing TV show could make others happier (3,6,4)
THE REPAIR SHOP : Anagram of(could make) OTHERS HAPPIER.
Defn: British TV show in which experts restore/fix family heirlooms, which make the owners happier, no doubt.
15. When out of cash, workers split wrapping paper (9)
PARCHMENT : [ “as”(when/at the time specified, as in “please close the door when you leave”) deleted from(out of) “cash” + MEN(workers/labourers) ] contained in(… wrapping) PART(to split/to divide).
18. Architect left one instrument (7)
PIANOLA : PIANO(Renzo, Italian architect whose work includes The Shard in London) + L(abbrev. for “left”) + A(one/article for a single item).
20. Badly sullied? (3-4)
ILL-USED : Anagram of(Badly) SULLIED.
Defn: What would result in something being …
21. Sanitise lists Anglicans put outside (7)
CLEANSE : LEANS(lists/tilts to one side) contained in(… put outside) CE(abbrev. for the Church of England, whose members are “Anglicans”).
22. Harry a competitor in the Crucible (6)
POTTER : Double defn: 1st: …, in J.K. Rowling’s fantasy novels; and 2nd: What you might call a player who pots balls, and would be a competitor in The Crucible (Theatre), the venue in Sheffield, England, where the World Snooker Championships are held.
Is our setter a snooker player, too?
25. Vice perhaps affected inspiring student (5)
CLAMP : CAMP(affected/deliberately exaggerated and theatrical) containing(inspiring) L(letter displayed by a student driver).
Defn: A device for fastening something in place, an example of which/perhaps, is a vice.
You haven’t mentioned “the repair shop” theme, scchua! Otherwise, thanks for blog and many thanks to Crucible for a cunningly designed puzzle.
17a I reckon it’s a quadruple definition. Any advance on this?
Totally agree, LC – a v v clever clue. (If you could split left and over it might be 5?)
Unsuccessful struggle with this one this morning. Had to come here to parse around a third of them.
DNK: THE REPAIR SHOP, DILIGENCE (as a coach), JAPAN (varnish), ROTORUA, SQUINCH, RENZO PIANO
Ho hum, the Quiptic will be back in three days, hopefully back at my level… Have a good weekend everyone!
A good challenge this morning. Finally finished one this week. Thanks to crucible and scchua.
SQUINCH was a nice jorum. (Not a sentence you hear often.)
I took SPARE to include wordplay (“small prune”) and three definitions: “do without” (“Buddy can you spare…”), “extra”, and “left over”. But as suggested by Liverpool Chris, “left” and “over” could be two different ones. (TerriBlislow@3: where’s the fifth?)
Many thanks Crucible and scchua (particularly for the parsing of PARCHMENT).
Worth the entry fee for PARCHMENT which just about made up for a few lesser clues like UPDATED & ROTOR
OK, Lord Jim@6, I was being ambitious. You are right that the small prune is wordplay, not a definition. Actually @3 I suggested that “left” and “over” could be split (and they can) – but Liverpool Chris could have meant that, too. He will no doubt chip in.
Dnk Japan as a varnish or squinch which both threw me. I also had 17 as a potential quad. Nice.
And I will offer for amusement my attempt to force ‘tachyons’ into 23 but really this was just desperate because I’m tired and wanted to be done!
I vote for triple, with small prune as wordplay … oh no, yes, splitting left and over makes 4!
SQUINCH was new for me.
Don’t know about 4 or 5 definitions for SPARE. It’s hard to see small prune other than wordplay but then I’m thick sometimes.
TerriBlislow @1, yes it seems to be a theme, what with Power Tools, Fret (guitar repair?), Upholstery, Restored, Shipshape, Spare, Fashions, Locket, Castors, Adapted, Varnish, Rotor, Polish, Parchment, Pianola, Potter, Ill-Used, Cleanse and Clamp (have I missed any?). Not to mention THE REPAIR SHOP whose fame has spread abroad and I believe there is now an Australian version.
Favourite was the lovely &lit ILL-USED.
ps. I was splitting ‘do without’ and ‘extra’. So I think we can agree there are many!
The constant C in 12a is the speed of light. Which is rather faster than my speed to finish today. I found the bottom half difficult to get a foothold in for some reason. I have never seen (or even heard of) the TV show mentioned, so if it’s a theme it’s outside my comprehension. Hadn’t heard of SQUINCH either and 3d was solved from the crossers and a check on the NZ map afterwards. Took me a long time to work out the parsing of 15d as well. But pleased to finish it, so thanks to Crucible for the challenge and to Scchua for the blog.
Tim C@11 I took fret to be a fret saw
Tomsdad@13 c could be the speed of light, but it could also be an integration constant or any other constant in general.
Yes, David Ellison @14, I’m sure there’s a bit of scrollwork done in TRS. It could also be “fret” as in the first definition in C2014 “to wear away by rubbing”.
No meltdown in the Crucible today, which I found rather easier than usual, for some unaccountable reason. I had to check that SQUINCH existed, but the wordplay had led me straight there. I spotted THE REPAIR SHOP quickly, but failed to notice that many of the other words in the puzzle were related.
I liked UPHOLSTERY, DILIGENCE, and the novel clue for the crossword favourite ROTOR (good to see a mention of a NZ town other than the usual suspects). I read SPARE as three defs and a teeny charade, but other interpretations seem valid.
Thanks to S&B
And yes, TB@1, after a g-threader said theme, there it was down the middle, along with lots of stuff the do, or use, or comment about in that supercute thatched workshop. Liked the VAR = referee, but it’s decades since hearing Japanned as varnished. Squinch’s meaning was a tilt (thought it might be a folkism, like scooch or scrunch). Fun puzzle all up, thanks both.
And oh yes, nwst liking Pot Black etc, didn’t know of that venue, so Potter was a bit que?
… lots of stuff they do …
Tim C@11; I think you could add updated and A-one? And similar to ill-use but an even bigger stretch “overuse(d)”? khayyam@12 – yes, I counted “do without” and “extra” as two separate definitions, plus “left” and “over.” (And I also noted that something that has been pared down can be said to be “spare” – but that would not be a small pare!).
Even though THE REPAIR SHOP was my FOI (without even spotting the anag) I failed to notice the theme in the other answers. Obvious now!
Didn’t quite finish as had to reveal two. SQUINCH was a NHO so not too worried about that, but kicking myself for not seeing the now-obvious UPDATED.
Good puzzle for a Friday though.
Like most others, I hadn’t heard of SQUINCH but enjoyed sewing it together, as I did with PARCHMENT, too.
My other ticks were for UPHOLSTERY, DILIGENCE, A-ONE, PIANOLA and THE REPAIR SHOP. I liked the two uses of p/Piano in the clues.
A feel-good puzzle based on a feel-good programme – many thanks to Crucible and to scchua.
TimC@11: guitar FRETS have also needed attention, and several items have come from JAPAN
Lovely, lovely puzzle. Thank you to scchua for the parsing of ROTOR, which I sort of worked out must be part of a city in a North Island, but hadn’t pinned down to NZ. And also for confirmation that ET is an abbreviation for Egypt, which Mr. Google failed to do, insisting it was Ethiopia.
And I think SQUINCH (which I Jorummed) is my favourite new word. Unfortunately I can’t think of an opportunity to use it in the near future. (Can I use Jorum as a verb, or is that as frowned upon as Podium?)
Couldn’t justify VAR in 2d, never heard of this referee, but LACQUER wouldn’t parse either so biffed it in.
Never heard of ROTORUA or SQUINCH or the Crucible either. Or THE REPAIR SHOW, but the definition and the anagram supplied that.
Last night I did the upper half, couldn’t broach the lower. Then later filled in the SE quadrant, but the SW needed the check button this morning.
Pleasant puzzle, thanks Crucible and scchua.
Missed the theme completely!
Straightforward enough, although I didn’t know the old coach.
SQUINCH is such a great word – I must find a way to get it into conversation soon!
Thanks Crucible and scchua
Japan can be thematic because, back in the day, black round-headed screws, as used with black door furniture, were called ‘black-japanned’.
Thanks for the blog , I thought PARCHMENT was very neat , SPARE I had as 2 definitions , word play, two more definitions, quite unusual.
Orlando once had five ways to get the answer with, I think, four different types of word play.
Khayyam@9 had tachyons and it does fit, they were in a recent Paul crossword, are they particles ? A matter of dispute really, real relativistic mass but imaginary rest mass.
Thank you scchua, I didn’t know the coach and couldn’t parse 15d beyond “MEN”.
Completely missed the theme, thank you TerriBlislow.
I think this is the first time I have seen “Most of” used for anything other than ‘all but the last letter of a word’ (can anyone think of another?). It is logically fair enough but hopefully not the thin end of a wedge as we could get into indirect anagram territory in terms of number of permutations available.
I really liked SPARE when finally unravelled, and both clue and solution SHIPSHAPE, thanks Crucible.
Very enjoyable. [I remember as a boy seeing Teach yourself Polish on a friend of the family’s bookshelf and wondering how you filled a book with ways of making things shiny]
Gazzh@29 I can vaguely recall another “most of” with more than one letter knocked off fairly recently, but can’t say where exactly.
Enjoyable but tough. Several parsings were beyond me, so I was pleasantly surprised when the app informed me I’d completed it first time (a rarity this week).
Felt 22D needed a ‘perhaps’ and a ‘?’ to show the DBE / cheeky def, but otherwise no quibbles of any degree.
Thanks scchua and Crucible.
Excellent puzzle, the best of the week for me. A theme that wasn’t obviously signposted in the clues, a first ever clue type with the quad def + wordplay for SPARE, some devious parsing for eg PARCHMENT and a new word in SQUINCH.
Couldn’t ask for more.
Thanks to Crucible and scchua
A several hour out(r)age with our internet connection meant that I was left staring at the SW corner uncompleted for ages. The tricky SPARE clue help me finish up there eventually. Very much liked UPHOLSTERY and THE REPAIR SHOP, which I had watched for the very first time yesterday…
Tough puzzle. I could not parse 17ac, 19ac (former coach), 22d (competitor in the Crucible bit).
Liked PARCHMENT.
New: SQUINCH; japan = varnish; VAR = video assistant referee (in soccer); THE REPAIR SHOP (tv show).
Thanks, both.
Khayyam@9 I had tachyons too. I will henceforth mispronounce fashions – and probably fail to remember why!
Close, but no cigar.
Beaten by the SW corner.
Looking forward to the hints.
Great anagram of THE REPAIR SHOP.
(I see a rogue “Cryptic crossword No 1,183” has appeared online and on the app – I assume it’s next Monday’s Quiptic. How do they manage to screw up so many times?)
Thanks Crucible and scchua. Good puzzle. I struggled with 17a – both SPARE and SPURN fitted the crossers, and the latter had tempting letters from small and prune. Eventually I plumped for the right one but I think it was more luck than judgement!
A great end to the week and my favourite was SQUINCH which is new to me – fairly clued and a lovely word. Many thanks to Crucible and scchua.
Thanks Crucible. Much of this was beyond me — I never heard of THE REPAIR SHOP, SQUINCH, Japan as VARNISH, or DA as father. Many of my answers were guesses from the crossers followed by parsing — not my preferred way of solving. That being said I found enough to like including OVERUSE, PARCHMENT, and ILL-USED. I’ll add SPARE to the list after reading the blog. Thanks scchua for parsing.
Took me ages to get THE REPAIR SHOP despite the fact I was at the Weald & Downland Museum watching the Damon thing being filmed on Tuesday. Dammit. You
The varnish and the architect were new to me, as was the thing in the church.
Much to enjoy.
Thanks both.
[Shirl @38 I expect they have a trainee or work experience person from school doing crossword editing. They’re hardly the most important thing a newspaper does.]
Enjoyable and chewy enough so thanks to both. The clue for PARCHMENT (imho) deserves an award for ‘most difficult for a while’.
It seems that I am the only one who considered “resorted” instead of RESTORED. I would make a long blah in support of that alternative if I could just get going… (I may have to resort to refreshments).
Crossbar@44 very good point, perhaps an intern which was an answer this week. Maybe even setting the puzzle last Saturday, for one brief moment I thought I had slept through my whole weekend and it was Monday, Perhaps I had better not comment on that blog.
Good puzzle and blog, thanks both.
What’s a jorum please?
In case no-one else gets back to you on this, it means a word which you didn’t know, but worked out from the wordplay, then checked and were delighted to find it meant what you needed it to. There are many more people with original recollections of this, but I think it was coined when Eileen came across the very word jorum in a crossword in exactly this way.
I still don’t know whether I have approval to use it as a verb!
Hi Moth @48 – you just use it any way you wish. 😉
Moth@: A ‘jorum’ is an alcoholic drink at the back of it all so using it as a verb might give the wrong impression of how you spend your leisure hours. (“Let’s see – one down: that was easy…”).
I was a bit late on this one. Didn’t know SQUINCH and struggled with a few.
Thanks for the explanations and puzzle.