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This week begins with a SLORMGORM…
Good mix of solid clues with some great surfaces, as one has come to expect from this setter. A very enjoyable start to the week.
Thanks SLORMGORM!
ACROSS
7. House of cards (4)
CRIB
Double definition
Referring to cribbage
8. Derision MP newly-experienced in jail (10)
IMPRISONED
(DERISION MP)* (*newly experienced)
10. Success is meal where date becomes wife (6)
WINNER
DINNER (meal) where D (date) becomes W (wife)
11. Hot, fast and wobbly (8)
INSECURE
12. Is it possible piles curtailed kiss and cuddle? (8)
CANOODLE
CAN (is it possible) + OODLE[s] (piles, curtailed)
13. Silver lining on high border (6)
UPSIDE
UP (on high) + SIDE (border)
15. Mickey Mouse fan is inciting riots (13)
INSIGNIFICANT
(FAN IS INCITING)* (*riots)
18. Concealed rifleman by river going after bird (6)
SNIPER
R (river) going after SNIPE (bird)
20. Soldiers and sprog will get extremely rowdy (8)
INFANTRY
INFANT (sprog) will get R[owd]Y (extremely)
22. Take stock after editing Polish paper (8)
SHOPLIFT
(POLISH)* (*after editing) + FT (paper)
24. Country type in a hurry to get on radio (6)
RUSSIA
"rusher" (type in a hurry, "on radio")
25. Female dons try Latin module in St. Andrews, perhaps (4,6)
GOLF COURSE
F (female) dons (GO (try) + L (Latin) + COURSE (module))
26. Thought Slormgorm had: first for everything I’m told, eh? (4)
IDEA
ID (Slormgorm had) + E[verything] (first for) + A ("eh", "I'm told")
DOWN
1. Old taxmen helping to put away relations in pain (10)
IRRITATION
IR (old taxmen, Inland Revenue) + RATION (helping) to put away IT (relations)
2. A fellow seen in bars and ditches (8)
ABANDONS
A + (DON (fellow) seen in BANS (bars))
3. As is Anfield match on Liverpool player? (6)
TIERED
TIE (match) on RED (Liverpool player)
4. State teacher associated with US institute (8)
MISSOURI
MISS (teacher) + OUR (associated with us) + I (institute)
5. Military in shambles … over for head of army? (6)
FORCES
FARCES (shambles), O (over) for A[rmy] (head of)
6. My love is expensive (4)
DEAR
9. I’m premier in blasted Downing Street! (5,8)
PRIME MINISTER
(IM PREMIER IN)* (*blasted) downing ST (street) &lit
14. Tenacious nerd tied me up (10)
DETERMINED
16. R&R in Saigon refreshed army detachment (8)
GARRISON
RR in (SAIGON)* (*refreshed)
17. I’m not sure a good boy pushed over jerk (8)
AGNOSTIC
A + G (good) + (SON)< (boy, <pushed over) + TIC (jerk)
19. Go away with American dad (3,3)
POP OFF
OFF (away) with POP (American dad)
21. Don’t even think about decaff or getting drinks (6)
FORGET
[decaf]F OR GET[ting] (drinks)
23. Blow your own horn for a laugh (4)
HOOT
From this end of the world, had no hope of getting TIERED, not knowing what Anfield is, and I’m assuming that a Liverpool player (of whatever sport it is) wears red? Couldn’t parse IRRITATION as I didn’t remember the British Inland Revenue, and I still have no idea why IT is relations. I didn’t like the double use of “street” in the clue for PRIME MINISTER. Wasn’t aware of CRIB/house. Didn’t parse FORCES, but should have. And I’ve never been a fan of “up” as an anagrind (14d).
Thanks for the blog, Teacow.
GDU@1
It means sex appeal, sexual intercourse or activity.
Also, relations means sexual intercourse
(Chambers)
I see. I knew the former is a staple in Crossword Land, but was unaware of the latter which, if it’s in Chambers, must be right!
‘Up’ in the sense of ‘in an excited state’, ‘in revolt, or ‘amiss’ could work all right as an anagrind, I think. I remember that a setter (maybe a couple of setters on different occasions) explained how ‘up’ worked as an anagrind. I don’t recall the exact explanation(s). I was convinced then. Convinced now.
GDU@3
Chambers is after all a work of fiction!
😀
Like Geoff, I had no idea of 7A. I know of cribbage as a card game but had no idea of its abbreviation as “crib”. The only “crib” that I know of is what “houses” a baby.
Unlike Geoff, I do know that Anfield is the home ground for Liverpool FC (The Reds), but don’t most (if not all) English football stadiums have tiered seating?
Again, I agree with Geoff about “up” as an anagram indicator; usually it means that a word is hidden backwards in a down clue.
GDU: “It” is a common word meaning “having sexual relations”. As in “did you do it last night?”
KVa @ 5, did you miss my touch of sarcasm above?
GDU@7
I caught on to it.
Just recalled what you said a few days ago about Chambers. 🙂
Gdu @1 Aren’t you being a bit hard on PRIME MINISTER? Why does Street do double duty any more than, say, premier? Both are anagram fodder and then part of the &lit definition. Thought this was a really good clue.
Chambers – “a work of fiction” – I couldn’t agree more.
For 1d IRRITATION – I wondered just how old the “Old taxmen” were
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inland_Revenue
‘Dissolved 18 April 2005’ – so HMRC is now over 18 and we still have to remember IR for crosswords.
FrankieG @10 the tax‘men’ are still the IRS in the US so that might help to keep the synapses ticking over in this regard? Thanks Slormgorm for a nice distraction from my current bout of covid. Keep well all
Thanks Slormgorm for an enjoyable crossword. I needed a nudge to get IRRITATION not knowing IR and not connecting IT with relations. (I do know “it” in the sexual sense and I’ve heard that “if you don’t get it you don’t get it”.) I got CRIB on the house definition alone but all else made sense. My top picks were INSIGNIFICANT (loved the surface), PRIME MINISTER, DETERMINED, and AGNOSTIC. Thanks Teacow for the blog.
I can’t understand the various criticisms of this as I thought it excellent with the possible exception of CRIB.
It for sex/relations isn’t ideal, it’s a bit of a stock reference (and somewhat dated) but “up” for me works fine as an anagram indicator and setters have been using it for years. I thought PRIME MINISTER was a great spot and an excellent clue. Yes all football stadia are TIERED but the setter is being generous in clueing a well-known one and not all football teams play in red.
CANOODLE and INSIGNIFICANT were both clever and funny and I also liked AGNOSTIC.
Thanks S&T for a top puzzle and blog
Thanks for the blog, great puzzle , a string of clever clues.
PRIME MINISTER is a pretty perfect &Lit, Downing Street very clever.
I have played many card games all my life and nearly everyone refers to cribbage as CRIB. There is also a CRIB board (never cribbage) used to keep score , also used for other games and dominoes.
Nice one, Slormgorm. As a lover of witty surfaces I especially liked 12a CANOODLE (no, they shouldn’t have), 9d PRIME MINISTER (&lit or CAD, whatever), and 17d AGNOSTIC (I hope he did).
And thanks, Teacow for the excellent blog. (Re 24a RUSSIA, “aural wordplay” please, and not the dreaded “h” word.)
Roz, re 20a, I’m not sure your offspring would appreciate being called infants. ?
? was supposed to be a 🙂
I must admit, I missed the implied meaning of “downing” in the clue f9r PRIME MINISTER. So yes, it’s a clever clue.
Chambers is useful in the rarefied atmosphere of Cryptic Crossword Land, but some of its synonyms as far as I can see would hardly pass muster in the real world. Once one or two setters have based a clue on a dodvy obscure anachronism it seems that Chambers will list it as definition 23, or something. Thereafter it’s a case of quod erat demonstradum, and no further correspondence will be entered into. I’m reminded of those obsessed Scrabble players with their list of silly words that aren’t.
Apologies for the typos. I’m using a microscopic tablet.
Cellomaniac@15 , there least favourite term is sprog, I still use it mainly to annoy them, especially MiddleSprog who gets very irate. I must confess that she is very like me really.
there =their @19 , not been swimming yet to wake up.