A breezy challenge from SLEUTH this Friday.
Nice to see a full set of boundary clues around the grid.
FF: 9 DD: 7
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CONSERVATIONIST |
Talk with two characters swapping places? It’s upset green type (15)
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{ CONvERsATION ( talk, with V and S swapping places ) } [ ITS ]* |
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| 9 | MUSTANG |
Fool guards second light brown horse (7)
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MUG ( fool ) containing [ S ( second ) TAN ( light brown ) ] |
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| 10 | MEGABIT |
Bag time for reviewing a quantity of data (7)
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[ BAG TIME ]* |
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| 11 | EGRET |
Feel disappointment having missed river bird (5)
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rEGRET ( disappointment, without R – river ) |
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| 12 | EXECRABLE |
Hateful banker has source of riches held by liberal Vince (9)
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EXE ( banker ) [ R ( Riches, first letter ) in CABLE ( referring to the british liberal politician sir john vincent cable ) ] |
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| 13 | COMPENDIA |
Map I’d once revised for anthologies (9)
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[ MAP ID ONCE ]* |
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| 15 | COSTA |
Damage seen by area, part of Spanish seaside? (5)
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COST ( damage ) A ( area ) |
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| 16 | ARGOT |
Jargon in the past trapping Republican critics essentially (5)
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[ R ( republican ) in AGO ( past ) ] T ( criTics, central character ) |
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| 18 | GREEN BEAN |
After part of course, started to shun good vegetable (5,4)
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GREEN ( part of course ) BEgAN ( started , without G – good ) |
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| 20 | BENCHMARK |
Group of magistrates note point of reference (9)
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BENCH ( group of magistrates ) MARK ( note ) |
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| 23 | ROTOR |
Something providing lift in work schedule, reportedly (5)
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sounds like ROTA ( work schedule ) |
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| 24 | ENCORED |
Gave a further performance in centre amid finale (7)
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CORE ( centre ) in END ( finale ) |
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| 25 | ORLANDO |
Soldiers arrive by plane over US city (7)
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OR ( soldiers ) LAND ( arrive by plane ) O ( over ) |
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| 26 | KEEP ONES SHIRT ON |
Teen kips on shore stupidly? Stay calm (4,4,5,2)
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[ TEEN KIPS ON SHORE ]* |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | COMMERCIAL BREAK |
Remarkable comic recreated pause in a programme? (10,5)
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[ REMARKABLE COMIC ]* |
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| 2 | NOSTRUM |
Number stumped by strange remedy (7)
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NO ( number ) ST ( stumped ) RUM ( strange ) |
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| 3 | ENACTMENT |
Two points before a court designed to pass a ratification? (9)
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EN ( two points, East North ) A CT ( court ) [ MEaNT ( designed, without A ) ] |
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| 4 | VAGUE |
Imprecise judge close to irritating for learner (5)
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VAlUE ( judge , with G – last letter of irritatinG replacing L – learner ) |
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| 5 | TEMPERATE |
Mild anger destined to be uncovered (9)
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TEMPER ( anger ) fATEd ( destined, without end letters ) |
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| 6 | ONGAR |
Some prolong argument in part of Essex (5)
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hidden in "..prolONG ARgument.." |
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| 7 | IMBIBES |
Swinger’s introduction before a lot of choice drinks (7)
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I'M BI ( swinger's introduction ) BESt ( choice, a lot of ) |
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| 8 | TO THE MANNER BORN |
Naturally suited Northern boatmen at sea (2,3,6,4)
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[ NORTHERN BOATMEN ]* , a new phrase for me |
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| 14 | DOG-PADDLE |
Follow beginner in pool with putrid basic stroke? (3-6)
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DOG ( follow ) P ( Pool, first letter ) ADDLE ( putrid ) – new beginning of the word ADDLE for me |
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| 15 | CONTRALTI |
Study trustee with a liberal bit of advice quietly dispensed for singers (9)
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CON ( study ) TR ( trust ) A L ( liberal ) TIp ( bit of advice, without P – quietly ) |
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| 17 | GANACHE |
Guy’s first with a new longing for chocolate filling (7)
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G ( Guy, first letter ) A N ( new ) ACHE ( longing ) |
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| 19 | EXTINCT |
Former clubs put in shade or gone for ever? (7)
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EX ( former ) [ C ( clubs ) in TINT ( shade ) ] |
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| 21 | HARPO |
Comical brother gets to talk repeatedly without end (5)
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HARP On ( talk repeatedly , without last letter ) – marx brothers |
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| 22 | KOONS |
US artist stunning joints on a regular basis (5)
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KO ( stunning, Knock Out ) ONS ( jOiNtS, alternate letters of ) – referring to jeff koons |
Yes, Turbolegs, the perimeter clues made light but enjoyable work of this grid. I was also thankful that ONGAR was hidden!
Thanks to Sleuth and Turbolegs.
I found it a bit tougher than Diane and Turbolegs – possibly because I am quite tired, possibly because I am not familiar with Sleuth and not on his wavelength.
I too was glad to see the perimeter clues and they certainly lightened the load. I also found much to like in the puzzle
Thanks Sleuth and Turbolegs
Slight pause when I forgot that it was not “To The Manor Born” , TV romcom ,but the quotation from Hamlet:
“But to my mind-though I am native here
And to the manner born,-it is a custom
More honoured in the breach than the observance”
Most enjoyable puzzle and flawless blog. Thank you Sleuth and Turbolegs.
I think this is the first time I have done a Sleuth puzzle and I really enjoyed it. The four perimeter clues were a great help.
Favourites were: CONSERVATIONIST, EXECRABLE, ARGOT, ENACTMENT, KOONS
Thanks Sleuth and Turbolegs
Breezy is the perfect word – for the puzzle, if not the weather this morning. CONSERVATIONIST was a delight and set the BENCHMARK for the rest of the crossword. Nice clean simple cluing for the most part. I was briefly held up in parsing COMMERCIAL BREAK – remarkable was clearly the anagrind – until it clearly wasn’t! What a lovely, lovely find – the sort of thing that goes first into the grid once one’s discovered it. I liked ‘liberal Vince’ = CABLE; naturally I tried to anagram VINCE. I guess I have encountered DOG-PADDLE before but grew up ‘doggy-paddling’.
Thanks Sleuth and Turbolegs
Stumped by “liberal Vince” — but I did remember river Exe. And never heard of Ongar, but it was pretty obvious from the wordplay. Never heard of Jeff Koons. I was surprised by note/mark. Failed to parse GREEN BEAN & IMBIBES.
I enjoyed this, and was on the right wavelength for most of the wordplay. Thanks Sleuth & Turbolegs.
Breezy indeed
Loved Koons
Thanks
Epping yesterday. ONGAR today. You used to be able to get there on the tube, but now you need a steam train.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epping_Ongar_Railway#/media/File:Epping_Ongar_Railway_map.png
Knew Jeff Koons from his Pupi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Koons#Puppy I learned today that this giant dog was born in Bad Arolsen, Germany; emigrated to Sydney; moved to Bilbao; has holidayed in New York; and has a twin brother in Connecticut.
Thanks S&T
Thanks for the blog, I also know it as doggy-paddle but Chambers does give the alternative used here. I too thought of “To The Manor Born ” , Penelope Keith just after The Good Life.
Failed on KOONS – not a name that comes to mind at all, although once we saw it we had a VAGUE recollection of having heard it before. Otherwise a steady solve with no problems, not even the manner/manor trap. COMPENDIA, ORLANDO and CONTRALTI were among our favourites.
Thanks, Sleuth and Turbolegs.
Thanks Sleuth. While I agree that getting the right answers was “breezy” I was stumped by the parsing of EXECRABLE, VAGUE, IMBIBES, and DOG-PADDLE. My top picks included EGRET, GREEN BEAN, COMMERCIAL BREAK (good anagram), ENACTMENT, TEMPERATE, and TO THE MANNER BORN (good anagram). Thanks Turbolegs for the blog.
Further to Roz@10 and SM@3, MANNER at 8d almost seems like a misspelling, thanks to Penelope Keith. Eileen would shudder to hear me say that.
In 14d DOG-PADDLE, are addle and putrid the same part of speech? (I’m too lazy to look it up.)
Thanks Sleuth for the fun, and Turbolegs for the excellent blog (which, for perhaps the first time, I didn’t need for parsing help.)
Cellomaniac @ 13 Addle can be an adjective as well as a noun and a verb.
Thanks Sleuth and Turbolegs. Highly enjoyable. Minor query on 7D. Is a swinger bi?
I thought “To The Manor Born” was a great piece of aural wordplay for a TV series title and applied in both senses to the character.
Piratewitch @15 , the modern version of swinger seems to be couples mixing, it used to be called wife-swapping and not typically bi. Bi itself is sometimes called swinging both ways so maybe okay in that sense.
Simon@14, I’m probably being obtuse, but I still can’t see addle as an adjective – I’d never refer to “addle milk”, only “addled milk”. Can you (or anyone) give me an example of when you would say addle instead of addled?
Etymology 2
From Middle English adel (“rotten”), from Old English adel, adela (“mire, pool, liquid excrement”), from Proto-West Germanic *adal, from Proto-Germanic *adalaz, *adalô (“cattle urine, liquid manure”).
Akin to Scots adill, North Frisian ethel (“urine”), Saterland Frisian adel “dung”, Middle Low German adele “mud, liquid manure” (Dutch aal “puddle”), Old Swedish adel “urine”, Bavarian Adel (“liquid manure”).
Adjective
addle (comparative more addle, superlative most addle)
Having lost the power of development, and become rotten; putrid.
addle eggs
(by extension) Unfruitful or confused; muddled.
addle brains
1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: […], London: […] Jo. Hindmarsh, […], ?OCLC, (please specify the page number):
(prologue)
Thus far the poet; but his brains grow addle,
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/addle#Adjective
Thanks, FrankieG, I see now.
[Turbolegs: do please tell (or confirm?) – FF for fun factor and DD for degree of difficulty, but then if out of ten – that wouldn’t feel right somehow? Many thanks – just wish to be put out of my mystery!]
Hi William,
If I found a puzzle really fun to solve and amongst the best I have seen in my solving experience, I would rate it a 10 on Fun Factor ( out of 10 ). If its a real head-scratcher, and I end up not completing the puzzle on my own ( especially when I am unable to solve multiple clues ) or I take a really long time to fully solve/parse, I would rate it a 10 typically, on difficulty. FF and DD are independent of each other.
Does the above help?
Regards,
Mahesh
Hi Mahesh – that’s brilliant! And kind of you to scratch my itch. I haven’t solved many FTs since the last century(!) but have recently had time to foray from my usual Guardian diet and came across your system. I’ve seen something similar elsewhere so I guessed right it seems – I must say you’re a very generous fellow in your marking, but I’m not surprised given your generosity in replying!
I rather like it, though I wonder if it would sit so well on a Guardian blog given the much longer volume of comments and the prolixity of opinion! But perfect for the leaner, more gentle and less populated waters of 15²’s pink corner
Bless you, Mahesh
William