Filbert is occupying this week’s Wednesday slot, which I am not that used to finding him in.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle, pitched at the right level for a mid-week day.
I think that I have parsed everything to my satisfaction, although I would like to hear if others parsed 9 and 24 as I did.
As for my favourite clues today, I rather liked the athletics theme sustained across 1A and 5A; 10, for originality; 13 and 20, both for smoothness of surface; and 23, for making me smirk.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | CLAPPED | Charlie more than 400m behind given a hand
C (=Charlie, in radio telecommunications) + LAPPED (=more than 400m behind, on the athletics track); “given a hand” is applauded, hence “clapped” |
| 05 | MUGGINS | Charlie’s face smiles having taken lead in race
MUG (=face, mush, colloquially) + G<r>INS (=smiles; “having taken lead – i.e. first letter – in race” means letter “r” is dropped) |
| 09 | MATRIMONY | Apron worn in companionable relationship
[RIM (=apron, border) + ON (=(being) worn)] in MATY (=companionable) |
| 10 | LIVID | Very cross, if cover lets four or six through?
IV (=four, in Roman numerals) in LID (=cover) or VI (=six, in Roman numerals) in LID (=cover) |
| 11 | CORPS DE BALLET | Troupe putting daughter in best role, clap wildly
D (=daughter) in *(BEST ROLE CLAP); “wildly” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | WRETCHED | Very unhappy with journalist penning gag
RETCH (=gag, strain as if to vomit) in [W (=with) + ED (=journalist, i.e. editor)] |
| 15 | MIDDEN | Dungheap in the centre of animal’s lair
MID- (=in the centre of) + DEN (=animal’s lair) |
| 17 | SOLACE | Really marvellous blankets back in hotel providing comfort
<hote>L (“back in” means last letter only) in [SO (=really) + ACE (=marvellous)] |
| 19 | JUVENTUS | Club you heard evacuated urinals after opening
JU (=you heard, i.e. homophone of “you”) + VENT (=opening, aperture) + U<rinal>S (“evacuated” means all but first and last letters are dropped); the reference is to the Italian football club |
| 22 | DOWN TO THE WIRE | Unhappy child, heir we spoiled as long as possible
DOWN (=unhappy, sad) + TOT (=child) + *(HEIR WE); “spoiled” is anagram indicator |
| 25 | IMARI | Two cups affect the quality of porcelain
MAR (=affect the quality of, spoil) in II (=two, in Roman numerals); Imari is a type of Japanese porcelain |
| 26 | TIMEFRAME | Back issue celebrity holds close to her window
TIME (EMIT=issue, give out; “back” indicates reversal) + [<he>R (“close to” means last letter only) in FAME (=celebrity, renown)] |
| 27 | LADDERS | Boy initially seen blushing about short cuts taken in game
LAD (=boy) + DERS (S<een> (“initially” means first letter only) + RED (=blushing); “about” indicates reversal); the reference is to the board game snakes and ladders |
| 28 | NON-USER | New queen accepts burden – no trips for her?
ONUS (=burden) in [N (=new) + ER (=queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regina)]; a non-user will not trip on drugs |
| Down | ||
| 01 | CAMP | Party politician supports more or less
CA (=more or less, i.e. circa) + MP (=politician, i.e. member of parliament); a party is a side in a dispute, hence “camp” |
| 02 | AUTOCUE | Prompter if traffic jam reported?
Homophone (“reported”) of “auto queue (=traffic jam)” |
| 03 | PRIOR | Ireland starts to rack points up, coming first
ROI (=Ireland, i.e. Republic of Ireland) + R<ack> P<oints>; “up” indicates vertical reversal |
| 04 | DOORSTEP | Threshold cats, dogs etc cross over
PETS (=cats, dogs, etc) + ROOD (=cross, crucifix); “over” indicates reversal |
| 05 | MAYBES | Uncertainties PM ideally brought to an early conclusion
MAY (=PM, i.e. Theresa, in UK) + BES<t> (=ideally; “brought to an early conclusion” means last letter is dropped) |
| 06 | GALVANISE | In storm, commercial vehicle is waterproof
[VAN (=commercial vehicle) + IS] in GALE (=storm); to glavanise is to coat in a protective layer of zinc to prevent rusting, hence “(to) waterproof” |
| 07 | INVALID | Boxer punches popular 5D without good reason
ALI (=boxer, i.e. Mohamed) in [IN (=popular) + V (=5, in Roman numerals) + D] |
| 08 | SEDATENESS | Calm bully teased by head
*(TEASED) + NESS (=head(land)); “bully” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | TWIST DRILL | Dance practice, boring kit
TWIST (=dance) + DRILL (=practice, training exercise) |
| 14 | CICATRICE | Military leader given a second scar
CIC (=military leader, i.e. Commander-in-Chief) + A + TRICE (=second, moment) |
| 16 | SUPERMAN | Film star catches first wave
PERM A (=first wave, whimsically, as opposed to Perm B!) in SUN (=(our) star) |
| 18 | LOW-PAID | Cut keeping women’s charity on reduced income
[W (=women) in LOP (=cut)] + AID (=charity, as in charity work = aid work) |
| 20 | THE OAKS | Short show Kate adapted is a classic
*(SHO<w> + KATE); “short” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “adapted” |
| 21 | STATUS | Importance of fact to America?
STAT (=fact, i.e. statistic) + US (=America) |
| 23 | IN FUN | One celibate woman beds fellow as a joke
I (=one) + [F (=fellow) in NUN (=celibate woman)] |
| 24 | BEAR | Stand and // deliver
Double definition: to stand is to bear, to put up with AND to deliver, give birth to a child |
Thanks, Filbert and RR!
MATRIMONY and BEAR
I parsed them as you did.
Very enjoyable. Liked LADDER (loi) for the ‘short cuts taken in games,’ LIVID for the look and the ‘two cups’ in the clue for IMARI but my tops is INVALID for 5D. Couldn’t parse MATRIMONY but I had stand and deliver as in bear tidings etc. Thanks RR and Filbert.
Brilliant puzzle and lots of fun, thanks, Filbert and RR.
I parsed MATRIMONY and BEAR the same as you, and agree on the favourites, especially WRETCHED, CLAPPED and THE OAKS.
Yet another superb creation by Filbert. Nary a duffer in this. I jumped too soon at a possible answer for THE OAKS, plumping for an anagram of Kate and an unparsed THE, The Take being both a film and a series which, for some reason unbeknownst to me, might be a classic. And that threw me on LOI NON-USER. My bad, entirely.
So, whilst I am beating myself up in public, I might as well admit that I learned today what a CICATRICE is. I think I have been misleading myself that it was a cockatrice. I rather think I have read the first word as the second on the few occasions I have encountered it – though how I have made sense of the resulting sentence, I do not know! Shame I have never encountered a cockatrice with a cicatrice which would have clarified, rather than complicated, things.
Thanks Filbert and RR
My faves:
CLAPPED
I was lapped ‘and then some’ for a long time. Eventually, parsed it right without getting stranded with Charlie!
MATRIMONY
Wasn’t in sync to start with. It worked out well at last (took some online help).
IMARI
‘Two cups’ had to be lifted and separated. Gave some hard time. Loved it entirely. Bravo!
AUTOCUE
Promptly fell in place. No jam upstairs.
THE OAKS
Dramatic change of course! You bet I enjoyed it.
The usual high standard, maybe a touch tougher than usual which is fine by me
Thanks
24d – BEAR – Stand and Deliver – “Beware of Greeks bearing gifts”
Other BEARs are available – Biffo from The Beano. But BEWARE of The Dandy Highwayman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4B2a6l6wM2k
“Qua Qua Da Diddley” – indeed. I couldn’t put it better myself.
Collins, OED and Chambers have MATY as a variation of MATEY
Curiously Wiktionary & Merriam-Webster don’t – they have ‘noun – (archaic) – A native house servant in India.’ instead.
That’s lifted straight out of Webster’s 1913 edition.
Thanks both. Worth plugging away as usual following an indifferent start. IMARI derives from a clever device, but I did not know the word, so was looking for something meaning quality of pottery. I took forever over TIMEFRAME whereby my only defence is that it looks better as two words or hyphenated, which my iPad dictionary confirms. The perm A in SUPERMAN also cost me some time, by which point I was just glad to spot MATRIMONY as the solve, let alone parse it
Nothing too difficult but enough to challenge us. We liked the intersecting JUVENTUS and SUPERMAN, as well as AUTOCUE.
Thanks, Filbert and RR.
Thanks both and just dropped by to applaud CLAPPED, AUTOCUE and SUPERMAN. But this beat me all ends up (just don’t have the leisure at the moment – ah well (fierce busy)).
Well, out blogger might have considered this of medium difficulty, but it nearly totally defeated me. Just about completed the top right corner before getting stuck.
Thanks Filbert. One of these days I’ll complete a Filbert crossword but not today. I missed AUTOCUE, MUGGINS, MIDDEN, and IMARI but I still loved this puzzle with JUVENTAS, DOWN TO THE WIRE, TIMEFRAME, DOORSTEP, MAYBES, GALVANISES, and IN FUN all earning ticks. Filbert remains on my “must attempt” list because he’s one of the best in the business. Thanks RR for the helpful blog.