More geography-based cruciverbal fun. Find it to solve online at ft.com/crossword
The usual preamble:
A cryptic puzzle themed on one particular country. The name of the country should be inserted at 15 across. Work out the name of the country by solving the *asterisked clues, all undefined – their solutions have some relevance to the country, such as its places, famous people, culture, language
Iceland is a country for which I have great affection so I found myself getting on Hamilton’s wavelength pretty quickly today. A fairly gentle puzzle overall, although there are a couple of places where I’m not entirely sure of the parsing – suggestions welcome in the comments.
Thanks, Hamilton!
| ACROSS | |
| 7 BAROMETER | Glass is awkwardly remote within tavern (9) Anagram (awkwardly) of REMOTE within BAR (tavern) |
| 8 MINIM | Note it’s the lowest without hesitation (5) MINIM[um] (the lowest) without UM (hesitation) |
| 10 SMUDGIER | More dirty — Reg is in a frenzy over mud (8) Anagram (in a frenzy) of REG IS over MUD |
| 11 | See 9 Down |
| 12 ANTI | Against pieces 2-5 of women’s legwear (4) Letters 2-5 of [p]ANTI[es] (women’s legwear) |
| 13 ALEHOUSE | He comes back in a horrid person’s pub (8) HE reversed (comes back) in A LOUSE (horrid person) |
| 15 ICELAND | * [See setter notes] (7) The place referred to by the asterisked clues |
| 17 ABIDING | A heartless command that’s always remembered (7) A BID[d]ING (command) with middle letter removed (heartless) |
| 20 VIRGINAL | Uncorrupted // old music maker (8) Two definitions |
| 22 EDDA | * Unexpected damage limitation (4) Hidden (limitation) in unexpectED Damage A collection of medieval Icelandic literary works |
| 25 | See 2 Down |
| 26 HERITAGE | Museum rejects master’s endowment (8) HER[m]ITAGE (museum) less (rejects) M (master) |
| 27 DANES | * Condescends in conversation (5) Sounds like DEIGNS Iceland was under Danish rule from 1380 until gaining independence in 1944 |
| 28 UNIONISTS | They’re all for marriage and workers’ rights (9) Two definitions |
| DOWN | |
| 1 MAGMA | * Periodical for mum (5) MAG (periodical) + MA (mum) Iceland is known for its volcanic activity |
| 2/25 GOLDEN CIRCLE | * Wedding band? (6,6) Cryptic definition A popular tourist route in southern Iceland |
| 3 MERIDIAN | Iron Maiden has no delirious worldwide circle (8) IRON MAIDEN is a composite anagram (delirious) of the solution + NO |
| 4 BEER DAY | * Broken reed in the harbour (4,3) Anagram (broken) of REED in BAY (harbour) Held on the 1st March every year, Beer Day celebrates the end of prohibition in Iceland |
| 5 RING ROAD | * The way to reach 25 (4,4) Cryptic definition The route that circles the entire island of Iceland |
| 6 LIMOUSINE | I’m in Seoul, stretched when it comes to travel? (9) Anagram (stretched) of IM IN SEOUL |
| 9/11 BLUE LAGOON | * Depressed convict in the nude? (4,6) BLUE (depressed) + LAG (convict) + ??? Tourist attraction in southern Iceland |
| 14 OCIPITAL | Chief Inspector’s optical illusion concerning the skull bone (9) Anagram (illusion) of CI (chief inspector) + OPTICAL |
| 16 LEGACIES | Where there’s a will, there’s ways… to get rich? (8) Cryptic definition |
| 18 BEETROOT | It’s red, better cut up, loves being eaten (8) Anagram (cut up) of RED BETTER containing (being eaten) OO (loves) |
| 19 ALTHING | * Light an alternative way (7) Anagram (alternative way) of LIGHT AN The ancient Icelandic parliament |
| 21 NOEL | Heartless tale at Christmas (4) NO[v]EL (tale) with middle letter removed (heartless) |
| 23 DOTTIR | * Spot the intense relationship in the beginning (6) DOT (spot) + first letters (in the beginning) of The Intense Relationship Icelandic for daughter, used as a patronymic, as in eg Björk Guðmundsdóttir |
| 24 AGATE | Mineral range Thomas Edison discovered (5) AGA (range) + TE (Thomas Edison) discovered? |
First one of those I have ever done. And I knew less about Iceland than I thought. My list started with Bjork, Althing, and ended with Edda – with little in between; so two from three wasn’t bad. Btw I will now celebrate on 1st March along with the Icelanders – any excuse.
Thanks Hamilton and Widdersbel
Thanks Hamilton and Widdersbel!
BLUE LAGOON (looks like)
in the nude=nothing ON=O ON
AGATE
Will wait for any better ideas.
“Nothing on” is slightly oblique but works for me – thanks, KVa
I got the nothing on, but I’m still stuck on the TE from AGATE – he didn’t discover or use tellurium, the telegraph and telephone, which Edison did invent, don’t have TE as an abbreviation.
Thank you to Hamilton and Widdersbel
Many thanks Widdersbel for another of your excellent Sunday blogs. Iceland is a much favoured destinations and I’m hoping to go back again next year. I tried to keep the puzzle fairly light so as not to get too involved with place and people names – it’s a wonderful language, but there’s rather a lot of consonants.
Looks like ‘LAG + O + ON’ has been dealt with. Both the OED and Chambers offer up ‘originate’ as a synonym for one of the meanings of discover. Thomas Edison originated – TE. Bit of a liberty maybe, but the clue read better for it than all the usual ‘first letter’ directions. Please forgive me if you don’t agree.
Aha! Thanks for the clarification, Hamilton – I couldn’t quite see that meaning of discovered but as long as you’ve got dictionary support, that’s good enough for me.
AGATE
Thanks Hamilton for dropping in & sharing the setter’s perspective.
AGATE
Yes. The surface reading is appealing. Also, the ‘discovered’ has increased the freshness index of the clue. Learnt a new synonym for ‘discover’.
Thanks again.
Couldn’t see 12a PANTIES as legwear. Thought PANTIHOSE would work better? — [H@5 hasn’t mentioned it. though.]
Parsed 9d/11a BLUE LAGOON “in the nude” = “with nothing on” = “+O+ON”
and 24d AGATE with “discovered” as “taking the covers off” — [But I see I was wrong.]
[A typo, W: the RED in 18d BEETROOT}
Thanks H&W
Agree on panties. I certainly would not leave the house with my panties on my legs! Pantihose surely – but more used US than UK.