Wire provides this Saturday’s challenge.
We have enjoyed all Wire’s previous puzzles, and this lived up to expectations. Some nice surfaces, crafty definitions and a good mixture of relatively straightforward and tricky clues.
We can’t see a theme, although there are three French words or phrases and a French writer in the grid. We can’t find any connection between them though – perhaps others more familiar with the language can?
A reversal (‘rejected’) of MAD (really foolish) + ASK (request)
AB (able-bodied seaman – ‘sailor’) + alternate or ‘regular’ letters of gIvEn No + TOT (rum)
A reversal (‘overturned’) of NAG (shrew) + NET (trap)
A reference to the old children’s song ‘The Teddy Bears’ Picnic’
TICK (arachnid) Y (Yankee in the phonetic alphabet) in SEND (post)
EL (‘the’ in Spanish) FIN (‘end’ in French – ‘another language’)
Pluto is categorised as a ‘dwarf planet’ – IT’S A SMALL WORLD
WHIP (‘cat perhaps’) + first or ‘primary’ letters of Prefers Eating Raw + SNAPPER (fish)
CAREeR (job) with one ‘e’ (European) omitted or ‘quitting’
An anagram (‘cooked’) of H (hot) and PUREE NOT
Hidden (‘linking’) in llaMAS TO DONkeys
TUN (cask) + last or ‘final’ letters of milD punteR + A (accepted)
STAB (‘go’ as in have a ‘go’ at) LE (‘the’ in French) ST (street – ‘road’)
aCEr (without the first and last letters or ‘exposed’) round or ‘conserving’ LOCH (water)
DIG (barb) + E (first letter or ‘beginning’ to enjoy) + STIFf (alcoholic) without the last letter or ‘most of’
An anagram (‘all over the place’) of M (mass) and SHRINE – a new word for us – prehistoric megaliths or standing stones
A reversal (‘hoisted’) of KEELS (parts of ships)
BLOOD (claret – in old slang) B-LISTER (minor celeb)
A reversal (‘climbing’) of OZ (Australia) in or ‘packing’ ALE (beer) LIME (fruit)
ThANKFUL (relieved) with the ‘h’ (husband) omitted or ‘leaving’
TE (note) ChurcH (first and last letters or ‘outside’) NO
An anagram (‘playing’) of A STAGE IN ROME
SUPERB (excellent) OWL (‘member of parliament’ – the collective noun)
RUN (series) C (college) ‘held’ in TATE (gallery)
An anagram (‘treated’) of RASH IS + A
PAP (mash) A (American) DOC (medic)
SCAM (fiddle) + PromenadeS without the middle letters or ‘deserted’
QUALm (misgiving) without the last letter (‘briefly’) after E (English)
Fans of Asterix will know that Obelix likes to carry menhirs.
Very nice and tightly clued puzzle though I was beaten by MENAGE A TROIS spotting neither the anagram nor the disguised definition. A bit too lateral for this dim solver. I suspected it was going to be an Italian phrase or name for – yes – a stage or theatre in Rome.
Favourites today include IT’S A SMALL WORLD, MASTODON, A BIENTOT, TUNDRA, MENHIRS and the delightful TANKFUL. Very nice spot.
Thanks Wire and B&J
It’s a long time since I read Asterix so I didn’t recognise MENHIRS either and it had to go in from the anagram fodder. My last in was DIGESTIF which was another never heard of. I’m also not entirely convinced by STIFF for ‘alcoholic’. Maybe I’m splitting hairs, but to me a ‘stiff’ drink means a strongly alcoholic drink and not an ‘alcoholic’ drink by itself.
Anyway, a very enjoyable puzzle with a French flavour; I think DIGESTIF would count as a French word too. I liked A BIENTOT and the misleading capitalisation and wordplay for MÉNAGE A TROIS in particular.
Thanks to Wire and B&J
The two French phrases sprang out quickly, which helped a lot with the rest of it. Very enjoyable, so thanks Wire and B&J.
MENAGE A TROIS was my loi but worth the wait. TANKFUL was excellent and MASTODON a nice find. I always admire a longer hidden clue. Packing is a clever inclusion indicator as you can’t be sure which way round the inclusion goes.
Good stuff from Wire. I am another who remembers Obelix’s love for the menhir.
WP @3, I would agree- the word *strongly* could have been added and improve the surface and the clue IMO
I rather enjoyed this. Pity the blog has so few comments. I did wonder if there was more to the language stuff. Hope wire might come in.
Most enjoyable. We thought NO PICNIC was a bit groanworthy but amusing all the same. But we suspect that ‘member of parliament’ for ‘owl’ is becoming something of a cliché (it cropped up in Serpent’s puzzle on Thursday) – although we’re inclined to think that a few wise owls at Westminster wouldn’t come amiss!
Thanks, Wire and B&J.
What with one thing and another, I’ve only just got round to finishing this but I did finish it, although I needed a word search for 26ac, which I just couldn’t see. Apart from that, no real problems, apart from misspelling MASTODON in my grid.
MENHIRS in Wales are called CROMLECHS. We have a lot of them in West Wales. Three stones holding up another . Asterix carried one of the standing stones. They are burial sites for important people.
I managed this after four beers and a glass of wine, so it may have been easier than I thought. Thanks anyway.
Merci B&J and to all who have commented. The Frenchy feel was unintended but on completion I thought it was rather nice to have a slight Gallic whiff. Looking forward to catching up with some of you at S&B in York.