Hippogryph is occupying today’s slot. It is the first puzzle by this compiler that I have solved and blogged, and I can see that only two puzzles by him or her have been blogged on 15².
I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle, especially its highly topical nature – Hippogryph must have taken a punt on the outcome of the Tory leadership election when setting the clue at 12! Nevertheless, Hippogryph has had the last laugh on me, since I cannot parse the entry at 21. I look forward to hearing the explanation from other solvers – thanks, blog now adjusted!
My favourite clues today are 2, for making me smirk, as a Brussels-dweller; 11, for the original use of “lo-cal”; 12, for topicality; 27, for surface reading; and above all 8, for the use of the “spring-loaded” device.
I look forward to seeing more of this compiler’s work in the future.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | HACKSAW | Ordinary horse – spotted one with teeth
HACK (=ordinary horse) + SAW (=spotted, observed) |
| 05 | GOSPORT | Aussie’s encouragement for Hampshire town
Cryptically, “Go, sport!” would be words of encouragement given by an Australian |
| 09 | CROWD | Mass murder participant died
CROW (=murder participant, i.e. from the collective noun a murder of crows) + D (=died) |
| 10 | SERIALISE | On the radio, breakfast item is expected at first to air in several parts
Homophone (“on the radio”) of “cereal (=breakfast item)” + IS + E<xpected> (“at first”) |
| 11 | LOCAL DERBY | Slimming wine knocked over by neighbours in confrontation
LO-CAL (=slimming, i.e. low-calorie) + DER (RED=wine; “knocked over” indicates reversal) + BY |
| 12 | WIMP | Liz Truss reflects after women’s organisation’s “ineffectual person” label
WI (=women’s organisation, i.e. Women’s Institute) + MP (PM=Liz Truss, as of yesterday!; “reflects” indicates reversal) |
| 14 | SUPPLEMENTS | Adds to // “Vitamin and Mineral” // magazines?
Triple definition; the Sunday supplements tend to be magazines |
| 18 | HIBERNATION | Swimming in hot brine, a winter relaxation
*(IN HOT BRINE A); “swimming” is anagram indicator |
| 21 | DHOW | Yes, certainly not an Arab vessel
<an>D HOW (=yes, certainly); “not an” means letters “an” are dropped |
| 22 | PLASTIC ART | 3-D modelling a cryptic representation of rat?
“art” is an anagram (“plastic”) of “rat”, hence “a cryptic representation” |
| 25 | ONEROUSLY | Heavily rely on us going off chasing love
O (=love, i.e. zero score in tennis) + *(RELY ON US); “going off” is anagram indicator |
| 26 | ASCOT | Tie coats up
*(COATS); “up” is anagram indicator; an ascot is a type of necktie with broad ends that are tied to lie one across the other |
| 27 | DIETERS | Weightwatchers finish with detailed brief
DIE (=finish) + TERS<e> (=brief; “de-tailed” means last letter is dropped) |
| 28 | EMETICS | Pharmacists cite measures restricting return of medicines
Hidden (“restricting”) and reversed (“return of”) in “pharmacistS CITE MEasures” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | HECKLE | Taunt flipping partner leading empty life
HECK (=flipping partner, i.e. in the expression Flipping heck!”) + L<if>E (“empty” means all middle letters are dropped) |
| 02 | CHOICE | Best frozen treat, no longer cold in the middle
CHO<c>ICE (=frozen treat); “no longer cold (=C, e.g. on a tap)” means the second letter “c” is dropped |
| 03 | SADDLE SORE | Mix up in heart of Brussels, nothing concerning but a pain in the backside
[ADDLE (=mix up) in <bru>SS<els> (“heart of” means middle letters only] + O (=nothing, pictorially) + RE- (=concerning, regarding) |
| 04 | WASTE | Lavish women like terribly expensive originals
W (=women) + AS (=like) + T<erribly> E<xpensive> (“originals” means first letters only); e.g. “(to) lavish money on something” is to waste it on something |
| 05 | GARIBALDI | American soldier arrests a foul-mouthed Italian general
[A + RIBALD (=foul-mouthed)] in GI (=American soldier); the reference is to Italian general and republican Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-82) |
| 06 | SWAY | Power boat deviates from course, capsizing
YAWS (=deviates from course, of boat); “capsizing” indicates vertical reversal; sway is power, influence, as in to hold sway |
| 07 | OPINIONS | Views duck wings
O (=duck, i.e. zero score in cricket) + PINIONS (=wings) |
| 08 | TRESPASS | Breaking into spring-loaded lock …
SPA (=spring) in TRESS (=lock, of hair) |
| 13 | EMANCIPATE | … anaemic pet runs free
*(ANAEMIC PET); “runs” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | PLAYLISTS | Overheard instruction to perform composer’s selected recordings
Homophone (“overheard”) of “play Liszt’s! (=instruction to perform composer’s)” |
| 16 | SHEDLOAD | A large amount of stuff that’s fallen off the back of a lorry
Cryptically, a shed (=dropped) load could have “fallen off the back of a lorry” |
| 17 | OBSOLETE | No longer in job, so let empty houses
Hidden (“houses”) in “jOB SO LET Empty”; something that is obsolete is “no longer in (use or fashion)” |
| 19 | TAI CHI | Spooner’s refreshing drink for exercise class?
Spoonerism of “chai tea (=refreshing drink)” |
| 20 | STATUS | Standing stone tops American tours regularly
ST (=stone) + A (=American) + T<o>U<r>S (“regularly” means alternate letters only) |
| 23 | SKYPE | Video call from Blue Peter’s first couple
SKY (=blue) + PE<ter> (“first couple” means first two letters are used) |
| 24 | NOSE | Instinct // to pry into // wine quality
Triple definition; cf. to have a nose for a bargain// to nose around // the nose of a wine |
21Ac: Yes, certainly is (AN)D HOW.
I really enjoyed this. With plenty of choice for favourite, LOCAL DERBY gets my nod.
I parsed 21a as explained by QB @1.
Many thanks to Hippogryph and to RR.
Blog has partners for 1D – should be singular.
I parsed 21 A as QB above.
Wasn’t sure if 24D was actually a triple definition.
Enjoyed this after a slow, late start and 8D was my favourite for the spring-loaded device.
Thanks to RR and Hippogryph
Thanks both. Again an entertaining challenge today. Did not know ‘Chai Tea’ but had started with ice tea, which convinced me TAI CHI had to be right, otherwise I fell slightly short only with PLASTIC ART for which I had elastic art – just seemed a better anagrind; I have seen ‘plastic’ used before, but it does not convince me, if in the sense of it being fake is intended, as something which is fake looks in essence like the original
I suspect 12a was a late editor’s change.
The ‘change’ was late not the editor, I hope 🙂
A most enjoyable solve with the possible exception of 22a which seemed a decidedly odd phrase – perhaps it covers those little plastic toys that kids rooted around for in cereal boxes?
Long list of ticks here – 9,10,11&27a plus 7&15d of which CROWD was my favourite.
Thanks to Hippogryph – good to see you back again, and to RR for the review.
Re 22a: Chambers gives PLASTIC ART as “the art or any of the arts of shaping in three dimensions, such as ceramics, sculpture, modelling; art which is, or appears to be, three-dimensional”.
TFO @4 plastic (adj. having the power to take on different forms, mouldable; .. modifiable) must be better than elastic for anagrams, as the letters stay put once moved.
James@9 I take your point, though would add my iPad dictionary has as definition 3 for elastic: ‘flexible, adaptable’ None of which detracts from me not knowing of plastic art, and of course our beloved Google has some nice images for elastic art, regardless of the fact it does not really exist
Entertaining puzzle. Favourites were as mentioned by others, especially LOCAL DERBY. I agree with redddevil @3 that NOSE works as a triple def.
Thanks to Hippogryph for number three and to RR
Re 12a – the version Hippogryph sent me for test-solve some months ago began with “Boris Johnson…”. At that time the esteemed Alexander de Pfiffle hadn’t even spoken of quitting the job, so the clue was quite apposite. I reckon Mike H was happy to accept a last-minute edit!
But the word WIMP is very topical whatever happens…!
Thanks to RR for the blog and thanks to Hippogryph (it’s a ‘he’ btw) for giving me an early look!
Thanks to rededevil@3 for pointing out the typo. And to one and all for pointing out the triple definition at 24, and for explaining the wordplay at 21 – I really have never heard the expression “And how!” Is it in common usage or slightly old-fashioned, perhaps?
Thanks Hippogryph for a very inventive puzzle today. Kept the grey matter working for a lot longer than normal and raised a few smiles along the way. Enjoyed WIMP too.
Thanks RatkoaRiku for the blog – you had a real treat of a puzzle to blog today.
@6 still here 🙂 unlike Sunak’s supporters – I suspect that the person mentioned in 12 Across’s real political inspiration is Stalin rather than Thatcher
Thanks Ratkojariku and Hippogryph.
Excellent puzzle.
Likes: CROWD, DHOW, TRESPASS, SWAY (top fav for the best surface), and the triple definitions.
Would like to see the setter more often!
Plenty to enjoy in this. Brought a lot of smiles on the way to completion.
I agree that “plastic” is fine as an anagram indicator and, in literal terms, even better than “elastic”. Plastic surgery is called that precisely because it involves changing the shape of tissues, and / or moving them around the body.
The word’s “fake” meaning is a later one, I suppose, coming from the use of thermoplastic materials to simulate other things but, even then, the origin relates to how the object is moulded and shaped rather than a comment on its authenticity?
Bit late commenting so I hope the setter sees it as I thought this was top-notch.
1&5a got us off to a great start, also liked 12a (can hardly get more topical and I suspect she’ll be anything but) plus 19&23d.
Many thanks to Hippogryph and RR.
Many thanks to RR for the excellent blog and to all who took the time to solve and comment on the puzzle. I’m really pleased that you enjoyed it and hope to be back with another one soon.
Another late comment although we solved the puzzle earlier. An enjoyable solve, although we couldn’t parse DHOW, and we get the feeling that the collective noun for crows (and that for owls) is becoming a bit of a cliché in Crosswordland these days.
Thanks, Hippogryph and RR.
I think there’s a typo with OBSELETE 🙂