A rare Thursday outing for Gozo.
This is the first Gozo puzzle I have blogged since 2016, and it was fun, but in my opinion, not perfect.
There were some interesting devices used, such as the clash of DAI and IAN in the clue for NAIAD, and the “double duty” in the clue for ISHMAEL, but I do have a couple of issues.
The most obvious one is the use of UP to denote reversal in 18ac – UP should only be used to indicate reversal in a DOWN clue, in my opinion. When I see UP in an across clue, I expect an anagram. The second is much more minor, but I think of soft drinks as being cold drinks rather than hot ones. Chambers simply states a “non-alcoholic drink’, though, so that may just be a personal thing. AOC for “French wine” is also a bit loose as it is a designation of a French wine rather than a wine itself and can also be applied to cheese and other foodstuffs of French origin.
These minor issues aside, a good start to an overcast Glasgow morning.
Thanks Gozo.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PEACHES AND CREAM |
Sweet complexion (7,3,5)
|
| Double definition, the second referring to a complexion of smooth pale skin with slightly pink cheeks. | ||
| 9 | ISHMAEL |
Call me this in novel — not ‘Clint’ (7)
|
| *(almehis) [anag:novel] where ALMEHIS is (c)AL(l) ME (t)HIS (in) without the letters of CLINT, and semi &lit.
“Call me Ishmael” are the opening words of Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick. |
||
| 10 | WARRANT |
Authorise battle cry (7)
|
| WAR (“battle”) + RANT (“cry”) | ||
| 11 | TRIAD |
Eastern criminals — one into jazz (5)
|
| I (one) into TRAD (a type of “jazz”) | ||
| 12 | SIMULATOR |
Pilot training device, as turmoil spreads (9)
|
| *(as turmoil) [anag:spreads] | ||
| 13 | HOT-HEADED |
Having a fever and rash? (3-6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 15 | COCOA |
Company to knock back French wine and soft drink (5)
|
| CO. (company) + <=AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée, so “French wine”, knocked back) | ||
| 16 | TERNS |
Set-back embracing navy birds (5)
|
| <=SET [back] embracing RN (Royal “Navy”) | ||
| 18 | SPARE ROOM |
Sir Roger criticises being put up — here? (5,4)
|
| <=(Sir Roger MOORE + RAPS (“criticises”)) being put up
This device (UP) would only work in a down clue… |
||
| 20 | WANDERERS |
Errands we organised for wayfarers (9)
|
| *(errands we) [anag:organised] | ||
| 23 | NAIAD |
Welshman and Scotsman clash over nymph (5)
|
| <= (DAI + (i)AN) (“Welshman and Scotsman”, over)
As the two have clashed, the I’s in their names have merged into one I |
||
| 24 | REHEATS |
Puts back in the oven — but there’s a difficulty (7)
|
| *(theres a) [anag:difficulty] | ||
| 25 | EPISODE |
Incident is described in poem (7)
|
| IS described in EPODE (“poem”) | ||
| 26 | DISADVANTAGEOUS |
Not sausage, David, stewed — it’s bad for you (15)
|
| *(not sausage david) [anag:stewed] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PAINT THE TOWN RED |
Celebrate 13 down — apt after a fashion (5,3,4,3)
|
| *(thirteen down apt) [anag:after a fashion] | ||
| 2 | ATHEIST |
Disbeliever in hijack (7)
|
| AT (“in”) + HEIST (“hijack”) | ||
| 3 | HEADDRESS |
Ambassador’s speech for the Crown, say (9)
|
| HE (His Excellency, so “ambassador”) + ADDRESS (“speech”) | ||
| 4 | SOLES |
Shoulders, oddly, on feet (5)
|
| S(h)O(u)L(d)E(r)S [oddly] | ||
| 5 | NEWS MEDIA |
Novel is made complicated for radio and TV (4,5)
|
| NEW (“novel”) + *(is made) [anag:complicated] | ||
| 6 | CAROL |
Some music — a rollicking seasonal song (5)
|
| Hidden in [some] “musiC A ROLlicking” | ||
| 7 | ELASTIC |
Able to extend terminal, one located in city area (7)
|
| LAST (“terminal”) + I (one) located in EC (City of London postcode, so “city area”) | ||
| 8 | MOTORWAY MADNESS |
Worst Monday — same bad, erratic driving (8,7)
|
| *(worst monday same) [anag:bad] | ||
| 14 | DYSPEPSIA |
Upset stomach on bad days drinking cola (9)
|
| *(days) [anag:bad] drinking PEPSI (“cola”) | ||
| 15 | CLEANSING |
Removing impurities from single can (9)
|
| *(single can) [anag:from] | ||
| 17 | RANCHES |
Cattle farms organised by small county (7)
|
| RAN (“organised”) by Ches. (abbreviation of Cheshire, so “small county”) | ||
| 19 | ORINOCO |
Gold coin tossed over Womble (7)
|
| OR (“gold”, in heraldry) + *(coin) [anag:tossed] + O (over, in cricket) | ||
| 21 | ELAND |
Animal making dash, getting trapped ultimately (5)
|
| ELAN (“dash”) getting (trappe)D [ultimately] | ||
| 22 | SCENT |
Fragrance of early stocks — one hundred in France (5)
|
| [early] S(tocks) + CENT (100 in French) |
Appellation d’origine controlée? Good heavens.
Hadn’t heard of EPODE either. And I wasted time trying to work out why DA was a Welsh name, until I worked out why they clashed. Didn’t get ISHMAEL as I’m not familiar with Moby Dick.
Wasn’t sure whether 1a was cryptic. I suppose it is.
Apart from the above, nothing too difficult, and most went in pretty quickly. Thanks Gozo & loonapick.
Gozo’s grids always cheer me up, whether it’s a bit of silly fun (DISADVATAGEOUS, ORINOCO) or the wittiness of SPARE ROOM.
Also liked REHEATS, SIMULATOR, NAIAD and 1A just because it’s a lovely phrase in both senses.
Thanks for the entertainment, Gozo, and Loonapick for the blog which cleared up a few questions I had.
Pretty straightforward but enjoyable. Thanks Gozo and to Loonapick for the clear blog although a new county has been named: in 17d Chestershire?
SM – I’m pretty sure I typed Cheshire? Don’t know what happened there!
Found a few more typos, so will amen when next at a PC
*amend – think I should go back to bed and start the day again!
Amen to that 😉
Stuff happens Loonapick.
Thanks, Gozo and loonapick!
ISHMAEL
I was looking for a connection between ‘Clint’ and the novel in question. Couldn’t find one. Somehow looks like the setter intended an &lit but we are missing something.
I think that was the fastest I’ve ever completed an FT crossword: 2 slices of toast and a cup of coffee. That means it was easy.
Thanks Gozo and loonapick
9ac (ISHMAEL): I have no problem with taking the whole clue as the definition – Clint is certainly a name which the speaker does not wish to be called.
Pelham Barton@11
That makes sense.
It would have been a sweeter &lit, if ‘Clint’ had some connection with the novel. Nonetheless, I agree with you.
Moby Dick is a wonderful novel, but I can confirm (having read it several times) there are no Clints in it.
Thanks for the blog, pretty good overall , ISHMAEL is very neat.
I did wonder about SPARE ROOM and “puts up” , maybe the grid has been flipped , I think this one is possible across a diagonal axis.
I would tend to agree with you for soft drinks but Chambers does support the setter.
Thanks Gozo for an entertaining crossword. My top picks were ISHMAEL, MOTORWAY MADNESS, and DYSPEPSIA. I had the same quibble with “up” in 18a as loonapick did. I guessed ORINOCO from the wordplay as I was unaware of Womble. Thanks loonapick for the blog.
[Peter@16: One of my favourite rounds ever on the former Radio 4 panel game Quote Unquote involved identifying substantial works of fiction with well known opening sentences from the first three words. The three words given to the first panellist were “It was the” – followed by “It was a (bright cold day in April)” and “It is a (truth universally acknowledged).” Unfortunately there does not seem to be a famous opening sentence beginning “It is the”.]
I thought we called it “road rage” in the UK too!
[ Someone had been telling lies about Josef K ]
Motorway Madness was a 60s thing , piles-ups in the fog on the newish motorways . It led to the speed llimit being introduced.
1d & “Clint” in 9a reminded me of this movie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Plains_Drifter
‘…1973 … Western … directed by ‘ – and starring – ‘Clint Eastwood’ as
‘The Stranger … To keep the townspeople busy … orders every building in town painted blood red…’
They literally PAINT THE TOWN RED.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea_(film)
‘…2015 historical adventure-drama film directed and produced by Ron Howard … based on Nathaniel Philbrick’s 2000 non-fiction book … about the sinking of the American whaling ship Essex in 1820, an event that in part inspired Herman Melville’s 1851 novel Moby-Dick.’
Ron Howard’s brother’s name is Clint. Coincidence? – I don’t think so. 🙂
I’m with Diane @2 – this was great fun. I really liked ISHMAEL and SPARE ROOM despite the misgivings. NAIAD also very clever. Thanks, Gozo and Loonapick.
PB @17 – the closest I can come up with off the top of my head is The Crow Road by Iain Banks, which opens with the line “It was the day my grandmother exploded.”
I’ve not read the novel but I’ve seen the film
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moby_Dick_(1956_film)
‘… 1956 … directed by John Huston … screenplay by Huston and Ray Bradbury … stars Gregory Peck(Ahab), Richard Basehart(Ishmael) and Leo Genn(Starbuck)’
I’ve just sat through the opening titles, and can confirm that the first words heard, in voiceover, are “Call me Ishmael”
‘During a meeting to discuss the screenplay, … Bradbury informed … Huston that regarding Melville’s novel, he had “never been able to read the damned thing”.
I found this most enjoyable, getting 1 & 26 across as well as 1 & 8 down really helped, I did this in two sittings, sleeping came in between.
TIA
“Call me Ishmael” is the best line in the book-I think-I didnt finish it-in that manner it shares a place with Tristan(geddon with it)Shandy