A really tough one from BUCCANEER this Friday.
I have one clue that i haven’t been able to satisfactorily solve ( 11d ) so will leave that here for others to come in and help me out of my misery. 🙂
FF:10 DD:10
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | FRANCO |
Autocrat managed to invade government department (6)
|
| RAN ( managed ) in FCO ( govt dept, Foreign and Commonwealth Office ) – referring to francisco franco; i needed google to confirm the solve | ||
| 4 | ICE SKATE |
Glide around in circles, occasionally, with fish (3,5)
|
| ICE ( cIrClE, occasionally ) SKATE ( fish ) | ||
| 9 | NEOCON |
One struggling against someone like Dubya (6)
|
| [ ONE ]* CON ( against ) | ||
| 10 | PRURIENT |
Endlessly interrupt criminal of a salacious nature (8)
|
| [ INTERRUPt ( endlessly ) ]* | ||
| 12 | LOAF |
Large, clumsy person in lounge (4)
|
| L ( large ) OAF ( clumsy person ) | ||
| 13 | PALIMPSEST |
The writer’s postscript in least colourful manuscript (10)
|
| [ I’M ( the writer’s ) PS ( postscript ) ] in PALEST ( least colourful ) | ||
| 15 | BALL AND CHAIN |
Restraint shown by Beethoven finally in song series (4,3,5)
|
| [ N ( beethoveN, finally ) in BALLAD ( song ) ] CHAIN ( series ) | ||
| 18 | CAPITAL GAINS |
American in great spirits making profits (7,5)
|
| A ( american ) in [ CAPITAL ( great ) GINS ( spirits ) ] | ||
| 21 | CONGREGATE |
Meet detainee, say, caged by metal bars (10)
|
| CON ( detainee ) [ EG ( say ) in GRATE ( metal bars ) ] | ||
| 22/24 | EMMA THOMPSON |
Phantom Menace’s opening shot with some British acting talent (4,8)
|
| [ PHANTOM M ( Menace, first letter ) SOME ]* | ||
| 25 | HAIRDO |
Pageboy, perhaps, I introduced to tough love (6)
|
| [ I in HARD ( tough ) ] O ( love ) | ||
| 26 | CAMISOLE |
Old king hiding foreign friend’s underwear (8)
|
| COLE ( old king ) containing [ AMI’S ( ami is french for friend ) ] | ||
| 27 | TALKIE |
Sound of tea drinker who overdoes it in film with dialogue (6)
|
| T ( sound of tea ) ALKIE ( sounds like ALKY – alcoholic, drinker who overdoes it ) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FAN CLUBS |
Where to find admirers in cooler suit (3,5)
|
| FAN ( cooler ) CLUBS ( suit ) | ||
| 2 | AMORALLY |
Welsh politician using speech without ethics (8)
|
| AM ( welsh politician, Assembly Member ) ORALLY ( using speech ) – i wonder if ‘without ethics’ is accurate | ||
| 3 | COOP |
Supermarket which may exclusively stock chicken? (4)
|
| double def | ||
| 5 | CORNISH PASTY |
Sentimental stuff to an extent sickly? Some scoff (7,5)
|
| CORNISH ( sentimental stuff to an extent ) PASTY ( sickly ) | ||
| 6 | STRIPLINGS |
Kids have psychedelic experience tucking into cocktails (10)
|
| TRIP ( psychedlic experience ) in SLINGS ( cocktails ) | ||
| 7 | AXEMEN |
Mean, when drunk, to seize cross English fellers (6)
|
| [ MEAN ]* containing [ X ( cross ) E ( english ) ] | ||
| 8 | ESTATE |
Energy consumed crossing street in car (6)
|
| E ( energy ) [ ATE ( consumed ) containing ST ( street ) ] | ||
| 11 |
You might dabble in this gently confusing game (8,4)
|
|
| 14 | MALAPROPOS |
Unsuitable maiden sadly without support and love (10)
|
| M ( maiden ) [ ALAS ( sadly ) outside { PROP ( support ) O ( love ) } ] | ||
| 16 | BISMARCK |
Former Chancellor again given brandy by king (8)
|
| BIS ( again ) MARC ( brandy ) K ( king ) – i learnt about MARC in solving this clue | ||
| 17 | ESCALOPE |
Duck wraps left over, or some meat (8)
|
| ESCAPE ( duck ) around [ L ( left ) O ( over ) ] | ||
| 19 | ACETIC |
Monk, say, drops special kind of acid (6)
|
| AsCETIC ( monk, say, without S – special ) | ||
| 20 | INFORM |
Playing well, do some singing? (6)
|
| cryptic def; someone in form in a game would play well | ||
| 23 | CAVA |
In Paris, I’m fine getting wine (4)
|
| google translate tells me cava in french is “it’s okay” which is similar to ” i’m fine “ |
11down is PADDLING POOL p gently addling confusing pool game.
I read 11d as “You might dabble in this” as the def, with the wordplay being ‘gently’ = P (musically), ‘confusing’ = ADDLING, ‘game’ = POOL, > PADDLING POOL.
Far from finding this tough, I found it one of the swiftest Buccaneer’s (and his ilk) I’ve ever done, all over in about ten minutes!
Thanks Buccaneer and Turbolegs.
11D must be paddling pool, but I can’t work out exactly why. Does ‘paddle’ also mean to confuse?
Thanks Buccaneer and Turbolegs. I agree with the others about paddling pool.
23dn: I think the French is actually “Ça va” (two words with a cedilla under the initial C. Literally “it goes”.
I parsed 11d in the same way as commenters 1and 2
Tricky in places but as enjoyable as ever
Many thanks to Buccaneer and Turbolegs
In a rush, so will just settle, as so often, for what crypticsue said.
I think 5D parses as: CORN (sentimental stuff) + “ISH” (to some extent) + PASTY (sickly?)
I found that this puzzle required some thought but that it was not too hard.
Annoyed not to know what fco was about and neocon but I’ll go and find out but really enjoyed the journey . Ball and chain held me up (pun intended) for a long time but when it was unlocked . . .
16d – Is Bis a musical term?
Todays was beyond me
Thanks Buccaneer, this hit my sweet spot between too easy and too hard. I managed to solve and parse just about all of this and I enjoyed the journey. I had many favourites including PRURIENT, BALL AND CHAIN, HAIRDO, CORNISH PASTY, and ACETIC. Thanks Turbolegs for the blog.
Rattlin @ 9
Bis is a musical term meaning ‘repeat’ or ‘do it again’.
Maybe we were on Buccaneer’s wavelength having encountered him as Rodriguez in the Indy yesterday, but like Simon S we didn’t find this tough at all and fairly rattled through it with only momentary holdups on FRANCO (recalling the government department) and CAVA (remembering the French expression). .Favourites were PALIMPSEST, AXEMEN and MALAPROPOS.
Thanks, Buccaneer and Turbolegs.
As usual, I agree with crypticsue and Eileen. I always look forward to puzzles from this compiler and this one does not disappoint.
No longer in a rush – just in from choir practice – so just wanted to add to Allan’s praise for PALIMPSEST – a lovely word, which I enjoy saying out loud: not simply a manuscript but one ‘on which two or more successive texts have been written, each one being erased to make room for the next’ (from Greek palin (again) + psestos (rubbed smooth) – see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palimpsest
As a climate campaigner, I’m heavily into recycling – but I can’t help thinking about all that must have been lost …
Witty and enjoyable. Agree with Eileen on PALIMPSEST and what has been lost.
Thanks to Buccaneer and Turbolegs.
I’ve been really spoilt this last week with Picaroon, Rodriguez and Buccaneer one after the other. Another fine puzzle.
Thanks, Buccaneer and Turbolegs. Cracking puzzle. I’ll add my love for PALIMPSEST – such a delightful word. As Eileen says, it needs to be said out loud.
My solving experience was more towards the Simon S @2 end of the spectrum but I sympathise, Turbolegs – we all have those days sometimes.
Rattlin @9 – as well as being musical notation, it’s the same as the BIS in BISCUIT, which literally means “cooked twice”.
Rats @16 – if you subscribe to 1 Across magazine, there’s also an excellent Picaroon in the latest issue, just out this week.
Rattlin@9 The Latin words for once , twice, thrice etc are semel, bis, ter etc.Every school boy used learn this but alas no more.
Simon S @ 11
Thank you mate
Strange, SM@18, to hear that you think that every schoolboy learnt to count in Latin … not a’one did at my secondary modern school – the sort of school attended by about 75% of boys back in the good old days …
Late thanks Turbolegs – I printed for the weekend but only just polished it off at lunchtime, and couldn’t parse 27A despite being a big fan of both tea and, er, alcohol. At first thought there might be a “pianit” acid for 19d, 11d took a while to parse, but no shame there, unlike 3d which was my antepenultimate entry, despite there really only being 2 supermarkets in Switzerland of which Coop is one! Loved the longer, less-often-seen words, thanks Buccaneer.