[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
Oh IO. Such a challenge, but worth every minute of frustration.
As ever, IO has set the bar quite high. A wonderful challenge that had me going this way and that mentally – unpredictable, witty and hugely satisfying.
I know there is something very clever going on with 13a that no doubt one of you will be able to elucidate, and alas, I have run out of time, so I hope you will.
I was looking for something else in 13a, but all resolved!
Thank you IO!
IN THE NICK OFT (with regular rap, like poet (i.e. poetically)) + ME (number one) after I (number one)
Nick meaning prison in a different context
S (special) + TAG (label)
(RECALLED)* (*sketchily); IN parts
I’S (one’s) + LE[ft] (12 inches (i.e. a foot / ft) away)
A; (AM-DRAM ACT)* (*fresh) collects
Cryptic definition
(REH COAP)< = POACHER
A GAMEKEEPER might send a POACHER away? I.e. make them turn around?
REH COAP is a POACHER who has turned themselves around to get a “new proper job”
ADOS< (fusses, <about)
ABUT (border) cycling
(U[sain] (start for) + PERSON (individual)) breaking SIC (so (in Latin))
Before DA (lawyer): A NIP< (say, a Whiskey, <on counter) and COLA (Coke)
W (women) with HOLE (this difficulty) will be restored to health (i.e. WHOLE)
A + NO (negative) + (M (Master); INTENT (plan) includes))
(Hx2 + O)* (water, from the chemical formula, *outspreading) on U (bend)
(In a spin FT: WENT (left) + Y (yard)) + OURS (what we own) + EVEN (nearly)
(WORKS ON FANTASIA)* (*ravel)
HI (welcome) + G[irls] (first of) + HERE (attending) + A in DUC + TION (two-part)
Cryptic definition
The reference to ‘prom’ pointing us towards an American term
CAN’T RIP (fully protected from slashers)
PEN (compose) smashing O (love) + AIR (song)
(MAINS)* (*supply) + ON THE HOUSE (free); THE (article) promoted
MILL (factory) + [y]ARD[s] (off limits) + FILL MORE (further satisfy)
Double definition
The first referring to the European Monetary Union, and the second to the large flightless bird
[th]E YE[ar] (of)
E[xotically] (edge to); ((HOST[e]LRY)* (*refurbished)) bars
PLACE (put) on B[uffal]O (skin)
A filling ROSTER (roll)
I found thus tough too, and came here to parse things, but I did parse 13a, it’s poacher turned GAMEKEEPER.
Thank you to Oriel and Io
Yes, ok, I agree with you Shanne. I was looking for something more in the wordplay, but it’s a cryptic definition.
REH CAOP turns themselves around to find a “new proper job” as GAMEKEEPER.
Thank you for your input!
I had a very slight difference in the parsing for 3d. I don’t think Io subscribes to the lift-and-separate clueing. So the ‘two-part’ refers to IN + DUCTION. (At least that’s my read.)
For an Io / Nimrod / Enigmatist I found this slightly less formidable than usual, but even so, there were a couple I couldn’t parse (IN THE NICK OF TIME and UH-OH) and I only saw GAMEKEEPER well after finishing. Interesting to see the HOLE def in the middle of the clue.
Liked the NECKTIE cryptic def. If I ever knew, I’d forgotten the ‘POTUS’ and now know what the ‘Minack’ Theatre is.
Thanks to Oriel (I don’t envy your gig today!) and Io
A lovely puzzle. Enjoyed it thoroughly. Enjoyed reading the nice detailed blog.
Thanks, Io and Oriel.
HIGHER EDUCATION
I had the same parsing as Hovis.
A IN DUCTION
This was brilliantly tricky, Took me a long time but I agree with you, Oriel – “A wonderful challenge … unpredictable, witty and hugely satisfying”.
First pass through I just had a few short answers STAG, ISLE, SODA, EYE – and they were all amusingly clued.
Assumed “the Minack” must be an OPEN-AIR theatre, having forgotten it’s this one in Cornwall there was a row about:
https://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/tourism/tourismnews/19369487.minack-theatre-funding-row-oliver-dowden-tweet/
2d – Using a composer as an anagram indicator!
Last one in – CANTRIP – I knew it was a word but couldn’t remember what it meant.
The wordplay for CINDERELLA “recalled sketchily in parts” could describe my memory about most things – great surface!
Thanks O&Io.
“20. Hot chicken and potato – a filling roll (7)”
Three kinds of food – yum yum!
Brilliantly challenging with lots of clever stuff, eg 13a
Thanks very much to Io and Oriel
‘Ravel fantasia, arr. Bob Marley? (11)’ – Guardian Cryptic 27,001 by Arachne – September 28, 2016
Not too hard but didn’t get ANOINTMENT, and couldn’t work out a few including 1a which went straight in from the enumeration. CINDERELLA and NECKTIE favourites.
I still don’t understand the TWENTY-F part of TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN: how do we get WENT Y inside TF? FT needs the whole of ‘in a spin’ for the reversal, but then ‘in’ isn’t available for putting WENT Y inside.
Thanks IO, Oriel
Technically impressive, but, sorry, I really did not enjoy this.
IO IO its off to work we go!
’24. There may be trouble ahead … ‘
‘… But while there’s moonlight
And music and love and romance…’
Let’s Face The Music And Dance · Nat King Cole
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh13k-ELKJ0
For UH-OH the “outspreading” anagrind is nice – suggesting the O (=out) is getting in between the 2 aitches, and spreading them apart like the legs of a man who is manspreading.
Thanks Io and Oriel
24ac: Is outspreading really meant to indicate an indirect anagram, or is it (more respectably) an indication of the fact that in a single molecule of water, the oxygen atom comes between the two hydrogen atoms?
James @10. I thought ‘spin’ by itself was enough to give the TF, leaving ‘in’ for the inclusion (with ‘a’ a bit superfluous perhaps).
Oh, I also took HOH as Pelham Barton @15. That is, it is the water molecule written out in full (outspread) rather than the abbreviated form H^2O (haven’t mastered a quick and easy way to do superscripts).
Hovis @16 Wouldn’t it have to be ‘In a spun FT’? I’m going for it being either FT WENT Y looping/cycling to T WENT Y F, or F and [T WENT Y] switching places. That way in a spin doesn’t have to be separated and spin is no longer an awkward imperative. Not clearly that, but less bothersome for me at least.
Failed only on ANOINTMENT although I did guess a few.
James @18. I take your point. I quite like your ‘spin cycle’ take, as it were.
Thanks for a great blog, always good to see IO , a touch less fearsome today I think. Many clever clues , CINDERELLA is a beautiful construction. I found the short answers pretty friendly giving lots of useful letters for the long Down answers.
I thought you told us you solved clues without looking at the grid, Roz.
I attempt all clues without using the grid , all Across in order and put them in, all Down in order without the grid, put them in after trying each Down clue. Then I do the corners or in this case all the long answers.
Saw 13 across “gamekeeper” immediately then failed utterly on just about everything else. Not my day i suppose.
Late thanks Oriel and Shanne@1, slow and satisfying for me though I needed help to get the first part of 5d and the second part of 8d. Got very lucky indeed with 13A – did not spot the reversal, very nice, but Reh in German is a type of deer (hence “game”) and I guessed that “Caop” was a medieval spelling of “keep” or “keeper”! Still not fully happy with instruction for “DUC – A – TION” but it had to be that. I thought UH-OH was especially neat, thanks Io.
This way beyond my pay grade, I’m afraid. I Got 6 clues, and then gave up. After reading Oriel’s parsing of 1a IN THE NICK OF TIME, I’m glad I did.
However, I do read the blogs of IO’s puzzles, in the hope that I might learn something. What I mostly learn is that there is nothing wrong with his clues, the fault is just with my brain.
I also don’t mind that there are occasional puzzles in the FT And Guardian that are beyond me and that I cannot enjoy, because those who can do them deserve to have these challenges from time to time. The spectrum from easy to very hard is one of the admirable features of these daily crosswords, so thanks IO on behalf of your constituency, and thanks Oriel for the enjoyable and informative blog.
Managed all but three, including gamekeeper. . Very hard.
I thought this was easier than the usual Io. I completed it in one session. The usual. lusciousness was a little lacking except for 13ac.