Slormgorm is the setter this "back to work" day.
After a weekend away, I was glad that, having volunteered to step in for the regular Tuesday blogger, todays puzzle was not a stinker, although it did require a bit of Googling to ensure that LOEWI was indeed a person. Some good clues in this puzzle, and a welcome start to the solving week.
Thanks, Slormgorm
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BLASTED |
Flipping finally getting into the sack (7)
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LAST ("finally") getting into BED ("the sack") |
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| 5 | BABBAGE |
Black vegetable put off cold mathematician (7)
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B (black) + (c)ABBAGE ("vegetable" put off C (Cold)) |
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| 9 | EAGER |
Thirsty and always necking a drop of gin (5)
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E'ER ("always") necking A + [drop of] G(in) |
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| 10 | SAILOR HAT |
Lid on salt in Rialto has broken (6,3)
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*(rialto has) [anag:broken] |
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| 11 | TAILORING |
Fitting cocktail or ingested drinks (9)
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Hidden in [drinks] "cockTAIL OR INGested" |
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| 12 | ANNIE |
Film article one from Berlin reviewed (5)
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AN ("article") + <=EIN ("one from Berlin", reviewed) |
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| 13 | ETHER |
Tie, but no top? Heavens! (5)
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(t)ETHER ("tie" with no top) |
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| 15 | SUBLIMATE |
I am subtle when changing channel (9)
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*(i am subtle) [anag:when changing] |
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| 18 | ODDFELLOW |
Rum declined by old Welsh society type (9)
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ODD ("rum") + FELL ("declined") by O (old) + W (Welsh) The Oddfellows is an international fraternity. |
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| 19 | SOFIA |
Foreign capital I smuggled into Chesterfield? (5)
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I sumggled into SOFA ("Chesterfield") |
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| 21 | IGLOO |
One German game to see the White House? (5)
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I (one, in Roman numerals) + G (German) + LOO (card "game") |
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| 23 | HAIRBRUSH |
One in shock in hospital with graze receiving oxygen (9)
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H (hospital) with BRUSH ("graxe") receiving AIR ("oxygen") |
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| 25 | OVERGORGE |
Horrible Rev. Gore… go stuff yourself! (9)
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*(rev gore go) [anag:horrible] |
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| 26 | GANJA |
Drug cartel finally knocked off judge close to Bogotá (5)
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GAN(g) ("cartel", finally knocked off) + J (judge) + [close to] (bogot)A |
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| 27 | SCIENCE |
Discipline prisoner abandoning moral compass? (7)
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CON ("prisoner") abandoning (con)SCIENCE ("moral compass") |
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| 28 | SOLVENT |
Vessel primarily seen in strait or sound? (7)
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V(essel) [primarily] seen in SOLENT ("strait" between Hampshire and the Isle of Wight) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BREATHE |
Puff on a joint at last with British diplomat round (7)
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RE ("on") + A + (join)T [at last] with B (British) + HE (His Excellency, or "diplomat") around |
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| 2 | ANGUISHED |
Tormented genius had to undergo treatment (9)
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*(genius had) [anag:to undergo treatment] |
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| 3 | TORSO |
Trunk men carried by contrary East German (5)
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OR (other ranks, so "men") carried by [contrary] <=OST ("east" in "German") |
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| 4 | DISMISSAL |
Call about satisfactory teacher’s sacking (9)
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DIAL ("call") about S (satisfactory) + MISS ("teacher") |
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| 5 | BEING |
Living large takes Euros, knight admitted (5)
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BIG ("large") takes E (Euros) with N (knight, in chess notation) admitted |
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| 6 | BLOW A KISS |
Airmail X? (4,1,4)
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Cryptic definition |
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| 7 | ASHEN |
A small layer of a pale greyish colour (5)
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A + S (small) + HEN ("layer") |
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| 8 | EXTREME |
Very strict old setter downs treble, half-cut (7)
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EX ("old") + ME ("setter") downs TRE(ble) [half-cut] |
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| 14 | REED ORGAN |
Unfortunately nearer dog (one with the wind) (4,5)
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*(nearer dog) [anag:unfortunately] |
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| 16 | BAWDINESS |
Is bad news about comically vulgar behaviour? (9)
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*(is bad news) [anag:about] |
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| 17 | AFFLUENCE |
Wealth a female with power squanders at home (9)
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A + F (female) with (in)FLUENCE ("power" squandering IN ("at home")) |
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| 18 | OMINOUS |
Sinister minister loves to hug American (7)
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O + O ("loves" in tennis") to hug Min. (minister) + US ("American") |
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| 20 | AT HEART |
This man fills a pastry dish essentially (2,5)
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HE ("this man") fills A + TART ("pastry diah") |
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| 22 | LOEWI |
Nobel-winning pharmacologist Chloe Wise has drawn (5)
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Hidden in [has drawn] "chLOE WIse" Otto Loewi was a German pharmacologist who won a Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1936. |
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| 23 | HORSE |
Nag about eating salt after heart op initially (5)
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RE ("about") eating S (salt, on a cruet set) after H(eart) O(p) [initially] |
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| 24 | BAGEL |
A set following foremost of betters on a roll (5)
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A + GEL ("set") following [foremost of] B(etters) |
I seem to have found this tougher than our blogger and needed a little bit of health. (con)SCIENCE, in particular, defeated me and ODDFELLOW was harder than it should be. Throw in ANGUISHED with the fodder bookended by anagrinds, plus a few other cryptic leaps – BLOW A KISS and SUBLIMATE which I did not recognise from the def – and the pharmacologist and this certainly exercised the mind.
Favourites include SAILOR HAT for the def, TAILORING for a very nice disguise, HAIRBRUSH and BEING for the surfaces, BLOW A KISS for the originality and REED ORGAN which made me laugh. Not quite sure about ‘on’ as a link in BAGEL and need to ponder than one.
Thanks Slormgorm and loonapick
Loi 22d LOEWI – a worthy Nobel laureate, hidden inside an artist most famous for 24d BAGEL No.5 (a pun on Chanel No.5)
‘After a fashionista debuted the Bagel No 5 bread bag at a Chanel dinner, artist Chloe Wise tricked the world into thinking her design was bona fide. Here are her best bread-based sculptures, from a rasta Dior brioche to a Prada challah and a Moschino belgian waffle’
Ha. Even with the three minutes of editing time, I managed to leave ‘health’ instead of ‘help’ in my comment! Somewhat distracted by the Indy blog appearing. However, it strikes me that ‘health’ is certainly appropriate to a Slormgorm (or Hoskins) puzzle, whether preceded by ‘Good’ or ‘Bad’
COTD: BLOW A KISS.
Also liked BEING for being a gospel truth!
FrankieG@2
Liked the link (always like the links you make…)! Who was the setter who lauded you for
discovering themes he/she didn’t know were built into his/her grids?
There seemed to be a lot of anagrams, including some clever ones. I particularly liked ANGUISHED and BAWDINESS. Other favourites were ODDFELLOW and HAIRBRUSH for their surfaces.
Would someone please explain BLOW A KISS? I can think of a couple of explanations, but nothing satisfactory. I hope this is not too annoying, as I am probably missing the obvious
Thanks Slormgorm and loonapick
Martyn – this may not be how others parsed it but I took it as to airmail something is to send it by air; if I airmail a kiss – represented by the X – then I am sending it by air. Sending a kiss by air/blowing a kiss..
Martyn and Postmark
I thought this rather straightforward . You kiss the air and then blow with your mouth the kiss(x) towards the recipient.
Maybe this is not common practice?
SM@7
BLOW A KISS
You kiss your palm and blow that kiss (copied on your palm) towards the target (to paste it on them). 🙂
X air-mailed! All of us are saying the same thing in different words, I guess.
Thanks all
Hmm.. i found this tough… eg not convinced that a cartel is a gang, definitely unsure what “on” was doing in the BAGEL clue, superfluous n misleading seems the most charitable, and “air” is not synonymous with “oxygen”.. otoh… BLOW A KISS was a straightforward write-in, the anagrams were fairly excellent, and really enjoyed the “lid on the salt”..
Thanks Slormgorm n loonapick