Happy New Year! There, that’s my one exclamation mark for 2024 out of the way, so we’ll move on to a blog of a delightful puzzle from Twin.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Largely dishonest idiot from USA entering further presidential address?
MOUNT RUSHMORE
This appears to be an insertion of UNTRU[E] and SHMO[CK] in MORE, with ‘entering’ as the insertion indicator. If so, ‘largely’ is a broadbrush way to signal removal of one letter from the first element and two letters from the second. And most dictionaries give SCHMOCK as the preferred spelling for the ‘idiot from the USA’.
10 Where you might get pearls reset, body having changed
OYSTER BED
(RESET BODY)*
11 I’m not impressed by technology backing everyone to score
TUTTI
A charade of TUT and IT reversed gives you the orchestral instruction for all to play together.
12 Team in claret, say, was at home
RESIDED
An insertion of SIDE in RED. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.
13 Help child king to return ancient city
KNOSSOS
A reversal of SOS, SON and K.
14 Rescues tortured soul in temptation
BAILS OUT
An insertion of (SOUL)* in BAIT. The insertion indicator is ‘in’ and the anagrind is ‘tortured’.
16 Paper from Time magazine?
TISSUE
A charade of T and ISSUE.
19 Throw away a regrettably void type of code
BINARY
A charade of BIN, A and RY for the outside letters of ‘regrettably’.
20 Some notes to hold down in confusion
FLAT SPIN
A charade of FLATS and PIN.
22 Try each drunken sailor
YACHTER
(TRY EACH)* with ‘drunken’ as the anagrind.
24 Cheek turned by stern religious adherent
PILGRIM
A charade of LIP reversed and GRIM.
27 Part of good restaurant recalled
AMONG
A reversal of G and NOMA, which is ‘widely considered the best restaurant in the world – not only for the quality of its food, but the standard it created for fine dining’. So says the Grauniad. But the bad news for those who can afford £550 per person for lunch (including wine) is that it’s shutting down in 2024.
28 Breaking rule with one TV participant?
VOLUNTEER
(RULE ONE TV)* with ‘breaking’ as the anagrind.
29 Solver flying our helicopter
HERCULE POIROT
(OUR HELICOPTER)* with ‘flying’ as the anagrind.
Down
2 Focus outside broadcast on hearing
OBSESSION
A charade of OB and SESSION.
3 Sign agreement to save space significantly
NO END
An insertion of EN, the printers’ space, in NOD.
4 Element of hillbilly language overheard
RUBIDIUM
Aural wordplay (‘overheard’) of RUBE IDIOM.
The OED has:
rube (n) informal, North American: a country bumpkin
Comes from the name Reuben, which seems a little unfair.
5 Puzzle party hosted by retired British/American
SUDOKU
An insertion of DO in UK and US reversed.
6 Christian lyric-writer led by spirit, mostly
METHODIST
A charade of METH[S] and ODIST.
7 Topless priest ruined weddings, perhaps
RITES
([P]RIEST)* with ‘ruined’ as the anagrind.
8 Backing over University square
FOUR
An insertion of U in FOR. The insertion indicator is ‘over’. 4 = 2²
9 Passage of prose in Steinbeck shows genius
EINSTEIN
Hidden in prosE IN STEINbeck.
14 Singer distressed by old band missing final note
BOB DYLAN
(BY OLD BAN[D])* The anagrind is ‘distressed’.
15 Planned redesign of cigarettes abandoned by one European
STRATEGIC
(CIGARETT[E]S)* with ‘redesign’ as the anagrind.
17 One powerful star mostly supported by a woman’s love
SUPERHERO
A charade of SUPER[B], HER and O.
18 Change line of footwear
FLIP-FLOP
A dd.
21 Encourage liberal nonsense
DRIVEL
A charade of DRIVE and L.
23 Individual after carbon copy
CLONE
A charade of C and LONE.
25 Indian cloth I found under organ
LUNGI
A charade of LUNG and I.
26 Writing possibly penned by top philosopher
MARX
An insertion of R in MAX. The insertion indicator is ‘penned by’ and ‘writing’ is one of the three Rs, along with reading and ‘rithmetic.
Many thanks to Twin for this Monday’s puzzle.
Thanks Twin and Pierre!
MOUNT RUSHMORE
SHMO is in Chambers in the sense indicated in the clue.
SUPERHERO
I read it as
Star=SUN -? mostly SU, a=PER, a woman’s=HER, love=O.
Loved RUBIDIUM. Excellent.
Happy New Year to all.
Had the same as KVa @1. Only ever seen the SCHMO spelling but wasn’t surprised that Chambers gave the required one.
FLIP-FLOP
Possibly …
Def 1 Change line (in the sense of policy)
Def 2 Footwear
me@1 ….some cleaning up
Star=SUN —>mostly —>SU, a=PER, woman’s=HER, love=O.
4D had to be RUBIDIUM, though the hillbilly reference was lost on me. I like the sound of it (bursts into flame spontaneously in air, reacts violently with water): who needs ridiculously expensive, money-wasting fireworks? Thanks and Happy New Year to Twin, Pierre, Eimi and all!
SCHMO works by itself as American slang for idiot. Never thought of it as an abbreviation of schmuck/schlock. Is it?
Thanks Twin and Pierre
Twin has posted on that-which-is-still-twitter: “What better way to start the year than with a Twin Indy crossword? It has a Nina so self-indulgent that surely no one will get it (clue: the only thing missing is Doctor Who).”
Anyone?
My crossword New Year’s Resolution is to remember “per” for “a”. Like every other resolution, it will be broken, but I agree with KVa’s parsing of SUPERHERO. No idea about the Nina, unless it’s Twin’s Christmas TV watching. Happy New Year.
I wondered if the outer solutions indicated Twin’s choice of FOUR heros for an alternative MOUNT RUSHMORE.
Thanks and happy new year to all.
Or even SUPERHEROS
Thanks both. Just the right level of challenge for my ‘tired and emotional’ state. Plenty of points of learning for 2024 already including KNOSSOS, ‘shmo’ in MOUNT RUSHMORE and that meaning of FLAT SPIN which I only knew relating to aircraft. I first came across Noma in a Filbert puzzle in November so was able to parse AMONG though I still think the reference feels pretentious. I will probably need the remaining 365 days of the year to find the Nina. Best wishes all.
Dunct I think you may be right. Top marks for the use of the little grey cells.
DuncT@11 and 12
Great spot.
Most entertaining and a new setter for me. I needed Pierre’s insights for, inter alia, AMONG (pl excuse the interaliation). Thanks both.
When I struggle with a crossword it generally boils down to perceived mismatch in the area of definitions and I had some difficulty with ‘participant’=VOLUNTEER (but I can live with it), ‘significantly’=NO END (but hey-ho) and ‘confusion’= FLAT SPIN (but (like) what do I know?…). All this leads to ‘singer’=BOB DYLAN being a leap of fancy beyond the grey cells of this particular ‘solver’ (for all that I shall remember ‘our helicopter’ – magnificent).
DuncT@11: Are there other SUPERHEROs on view?
I know that Twin once set an award-winning Dylan-themed Listener puzzle…