We have a puzzle from Dutch
I think there is a slight political theme in the clues with reference to Liz Truss, French mismanagement, trickle-down [economics], Tory U-turn. Possibly gagging experts , smiles despite it all going wrong and an accident waiting to happen are also references to aspects of recent politics in the United Kingdom.
I found the across clues in this puzzle easier to understand than the down ones although I was able to solve them all. Some of the definitions seemed to be to a bit forced, but perhaps I just wasn’t on Dutch’s wavelength today.
I liked the clues for MILLION, ALPHA and SIT-INS.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
A lot of grind – that could be positive or negative (7) MILLION (a large number; a lot) MILL (grind) + ION (IONs [electrically charged particles] can be positive or negative) MILL ION |
| 5 |
Killer regularly stabbing workers in chains (7) ANKLETS (chains for the ANKLE) KLE (letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly]) contained in (stabbing) ANTS (workers) AN (KLE) TS |
| 9 |
This could precede cap and gown happening at the end of the day (5) NIGHT (a word that can precede each of CAP and GOWN to form the longer words NIGHTCAP and NIGHTGOWN) NIGHT (period at the end of the day) double definition NIGHT |
| 10 |
Left province to sulk about exercise day (6,3) NIPPED OUT (went away [briefly[; left) NI (part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland [NI] is variously described as a country, region or province) + (POUT [to sulk] containing [about] (PE [physical exercise] + D [day]) NI P (PE D) OUT |
| 11 |
Antics involved gagging angry niche experts (11) TECHNICIANS (people skilled in a practical or mechanical field; experts) Anagram of (involved) ANTICS containing (gagging) an anagram of (angry) NICHE T (ECHNI*) CIANS* |
| 13 |
Country wanting a Dutch amateur is the place to go (3) CAN (informal term for toilet; place to go) CANADA (country) excluding (wanting) ADA (A + D [Dutch] + A [amateur]) CAN |
| 14 |
Saw new books on the shelf (7) NOTICED (saw) N (new) + OT (Old Testament; books) + ICED (reference ‘put on ICE‘ [suspended; shelved; on the shelf) N OT ICED |
| 15 |
Stop the French mismanagement (6) BUNGLE (a gross mismanagement) BUNG (stop [up]) + LE (one of the French forms of ‘the’) BUNG LE |
| 17 |
Some trickle-down reveals basis for assessment (6) METRIC (quantative basis for assessment) METRIC (hidden word in [reveals] SOME TRICKLE-DOWN) METRIC |
| 18 |
Dirty smell set back prospect (7) OBSCENE (filthy; dirty) BO (body odour; smell) reversed (set back) + SCENE (landscape view; prospect) OB< SCENE |
| 20 |
Shouting takes place now and again in the UAE (3) HUE (shouting) HUE (letters 2, 4 and 6 [now and again] of THE UAE) HUE |
| 21 |
Vacuous personnel piercing nipple? That just won’t happen (5,6) EMPTY THREAT (a THREAT made with no chance of being implemented; that just won’t happen) EMPTY (vacuous) + (HR [Human Resources {personnel}] contained in [piercing] TEAT [nipple]) EMPTY T (HR) EAT |
| 23 |
Met Rose in shower to get wetter (9) MOISTENER (something that makes things MOIST; a wetter) Anagram of (shower) MET ROSE IN MOISTENER* |
| 24 |
South African native is overwhelmed by any alarm (5) NYALA (large antelope native to South Africa) NYALA (hidden word in [overwhelmed by] ANY ALARM) NYALA |
| 26 |
Scope the bard out (7) BREADTH (scope) Anagram of (out) THE BARD BREADTH* |
| 27 |
For Spooner, dubious material for policemen is something to chew on (7) POPCORN (maize burst open and swelled by heating; something to chew on) Reverend Spooner would pronounce POPCORN as COP [policeman] PORN [an example of dubious material] POPCORN |
| Down | |
| 1 |
In which Liz Truss has delivered? (8) MONOTONE (a single, unvaried tone or utterance; a succession of sounds having the same pitch) MONOTONE – I know that Liz Truss (the UK’s shortest serving Prime Minister having held office for just 7 weeks) is frequently reported as delivering her speeches in a MONOTONE. However, I am not sure where the cryptic element of this clue is, so I feel I am missing something. MONOTONE |
| 2 |
Footwear is carbon free, for the record (3) LOG (record of performance or work done) CLOG (type of shoe) excluding (free) C (chemical symbol for carbon) LOG |
| 3 |
You’re right, physio helped my posture (1,5,9) I STAND CORRECTED (I acknowledge my mistake; you are right) I STAND CORRECTED (a physiotherapist has helped my posture so that my back or leg muscles have been improved such that I STAND CORRECTED) I STAND CORRECTED |
| 4 |
Upcoming police department has one rule that might be basic (9) NON-ACIDIC (chemically neutral or basic) (CID [Criminal Investigation Department; police department] + I [Roman numeral for one] + CANON [law or rule]) all reversed (upcoming; down entry) (NONAC I DIC)< |
| 5 |
Mountain’s not half hard for a Greek (5) ALPHA (the letter A in Greek; a Greek) ALP (mountain) + HARD excluding the final 2 [of 4; half] letters, RD ALP HA |
| 6 |
Reason for facelift? Smiles, despite it all having gone wrong (5,4,4,2) KEEPS ONE’S CHIN UP (stays cheerful in a difficult situation; smiles despite it all having gone wrong) KEEPS ONE’S CHIN UP (lofting the FACE will KEEP ONE’S CHIN in a higher position [up]) KEEP ONE’S CHIN UP |
| 7 |
After English pass, on to enter quality school (4,7) ETON COLLEGE (English public school) E (English) + ([COL {mountain pass} + LEG {on side in cricket terminology}] contained in [to enter] TONE [quality]) E TON (COL LEG) E |
| 8 |
Demonstrations of three elements (3-3) SIT-INS (demonstrations) SI (chemical symbol for the element silicon) + TIN (an element) + S (chemical symbol for the element sulphur) giving three elements SI T IN S |
| 12 |
Enter tube gnashing teeth with caries (11) CATHETERISE (insert a tube for admitting or removing gases or liquids through channels of the body) Anagram of (gnashing) TEETH and [with] CARIES CATHETERISE* |
| 15 |
Perhaps Tory U-turn after mistake is an accident waiting to happen (5,4) BOOBY TRAP (a form of practical joke, by which something is made to fall upon someone entering a door, or the like; an accident waiting to happen) BOOB (mistake) + PARTY (the Conservative or Tory PARTY is an example of a political PARTY) reversed (U-turn) BOOB Y TRAP< |
| 16 |
Twist again, as Checker might (8) RESTRAIN (STRAIN [twist] again [RE-]) RESTRAIN (a checker is someone who RESTRAINs or hinders) RESTRAIN |
| 19 |
Our rivals with old blood-feud, primarily (3,3) THE MOB (American term for the Mafia, or organised crime in general. Members often engage in blood-feuds) THEM (our rivals) + OB (initial letters [primarily] of OLD and BLOOD-FEUD) THE M O B |
| 22 |
Nick just a little bit (5) PINCH (steal; nick) PINCH (a small quantity, e.g. a PINCH of salt) double definition PINCH |
| 25 |
Love promotion to start commotion (3) ADO (fuss; commotion) AD (advertisement; promotion] + O (character representing zero [love score in tennis] AD O |
A rare outing for Dutch, but I always look forward to his puzzles.
6d doesn’t quite work for me and I am not totally convinced by “twist” = “strain” in 16d. Apart from those two, this was great fun with THE MOB my favourite and special mentions for MILLION and ALPHA.
Many thanks to the two Ds.
I suppose MONOTONE is the only thing in which Truss did deliver; that’s how I took it. But that one, together with, for me – in contrast to RD, THE MOB were the only two slightly meh definitions (the ‘Our’ in the surface didn’t sit comfortably). I was fine with the rest; twist/strain an ankle worked for me as synonym. Favourites included MILLION, NIGHT, TECHNICIANS, HUE, LOG, ALPHA, SIT-INS and the amusing POPCORN.
Thanks Dutch and duncan
… and Checker is also Chubby who sang ‘Let’s twist again, like we did last summer’ in 1960 and who could quite possibly have sprained his ankle while singing, and twisting to it …
sorry, strained …
Nice. I like Dutch’s style – inventive in a fun way. The spoonerism got a laugh from me.
Took me ages to spot MONOTONE even with all the crossing letters in place.
Thanks for the blog, Duncan. I’m very much in agreement with your assessment.
Thanks both. I was another not quite on the wavelength, though managed to solve unaided. The first five words of the clue to 1 down are monosyllabic but not pointing obviously at MONOTONE for me
Good to see Dutch back again. Everything made sense except I couldn’t understand MONOTONE and ended up bunging it in with a shrug as my last in. ‘Enter’, rather than insert, ‘tube’ (as per Duncan) was also an unusual way to clue CATHETERISE but I suppose it was meant as a transitive verb. Again I just put it in (no parallel intended) from the anagram fodder.
I liked our setter’s environmentally appropriate footwear being referred to at 2d.
Thanks to Dutch and Duncan
The Chubby Checker surface makes any stretch in the definition of STRAIN worth it in my view. I enjoyed this, though MONOTONE took ages, almost as long as Ms Truss’s stint as Prime Minister. I agree with PostMark that the cryptic element is in the different senses of delivery.
Loved twist again, and MONOTONE certainly cryptic enough for me, being LOI. 13ac rang a faint bell, perhaps crossword setter being on a list of occupations qualifying for Canadian visas?
How nice to see the lesser-spotted Dutch on parade even though it would seem that his obsession with British politics continues……..
Top of my pops was I STAND CORRECTED and I also liked the simple but effective NOTICED.
Thanks to Dutch and also to Duncan for the review.
One of those croswords where the first two or three across answers go in straight away and you think ‘this is going to be a doddle’ but then …
But we did get it all in the end and unaided. Favourites were TECHNICIANS and EMPTY THREAT – a nice misdirection in the latter, we thought, with ‘vacuous personnel’ making us think we had to have the letters PL somewhere.
Just one niggle: we would enumerate 4dn as (3-6) – as indeed Duncan has done in the blog – rather than (9).
Thanks, Dutch and Duncan.
Never seen a Dutch crossword before, although I’ve seen him before now on the bigdave site explaining the convoluted parsing of the Elgar toughies. I found this a toughie, being unfamiliar with his clueing style. Filled in 1d with the only word that would fit but still don’t get what’s cryptic about it.
2 days late but spotted it was by Dutch & like NNI only know him from BD. Assumed it would be fiendish but actually reasonably gentle. I STAND CORRECTED my fav. Enjoyed it.
Thanks both