This puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hello all. I always enjoy Serpent’s puzzles. They almost always have something extra going on, which is not why I solve them (that’s for the entertaining, original and accurate clueing) but is always a bonus to look forward to. There is a theme here, not explicitly stated, but signposted in 16a: IMPERIAL MEASURE which defines twelve of the answers (and gives another example). In a pleasing touch, these entries are symmetrically distributed too.
Some of the theme words were among my first in, which meant that I spotted it early. This in turn was a great help with the others, and 16a itself.
It’s impossible really to choose a favourite clue, but I will pick the central 16a: short and neat with an amusing surface. 5d, HOPPING MAD, also deserves an honourable mention for “movement based on one member.” Thanks Serpent!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 9a | Get to know tragic character close to queen (5) |
| LEARN — LEAR (tragic character) + the last letter of (close to) queeN | |
| 10a | Turn on corrupt Tories inflicting economic chaos at the outset (9) |
| EROTICISE — An anagram of (corrupt) TORIES with Inflicting Economic Chaos at the outset. Lovely clue, but the surface does jar disconcertingly with the answer! | |
| 11a | See support recover (3,4) |
| GET BACK — GET (see) + BACK (support) | |
| 12a | Blossoming growth area behind favourite academic institution (7) |
| PETUNIA — A (area) behind PET (favourite) and UNI (academic institution) | |
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|
| 13a | Adult feature contains bondage equipment? (5) |
| CHAIN — A (adult), CHIN (feature) contains | |
| 14a | Weight loss affecting firmness of body ultimately (3) |
| TON — TONe (firmness of body) with a loss affecting its last letter | |
| 15a | A child’s resting place (5) |
| PERCH — PER (a) + CH (child) | |
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|
| 16a | Step on ruler’s foot? (8,7) |
| IMPERIAL MEASURE — MEASURE (step, as in dance) on IMPERIAL (ruler’s) | |
| 18a | Beat poet (5) |
| POUND — Double definition: to beat, and the poet Ezra | |
| 20a | Bar crowd in prime locations (3) |
| ROD — Prime-numbered letters of (… in prime locations) cROwD | |
| 21a | What may mark graves of saint and cardinal? (5) |
| STONE — ST (saint) and ONE (cardinal? – an example of a cardinal number) | |
| 22a | Game played on court using some elements of tennis (7) |
| NETBALL — NET and BALL (some elements of tennis) | |
| 24a | The Spanish getting into brown sauce in a serious way (7) |
| GRAVELY — EL (the Spanish) getting into GRAVY (brown sauce) | |
| 26a | Electronic device’s only lines disconnected by discharge (5,4) |
| SOLAR CELL — SOLE (only) and LL (lines) split by (disconnected by) ARC (discharge) | |
| 27a | Specialist army unit brought back to protect English ruler overseas (5) |
| EMEER — REME (specialist army unit) reversed (brought back) around (to protect) E (English) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Large mouthful of punch (4) |
| SLUG — Two definitions | |
| 2d | Like to interrupt both officer and doctor at the death (4-4) |
| LAST-GASP — AS (like) going into (to interrupt) both LT (officer) and GP (doctor) | |
| 3d | Rude article in Le Monde by fashion journalist (10) |
| UNMANNERED — UN (article in Le Monde) + MANNER (fashion) + ED (journalist) | |
| 4d | Spellbound actor’s kiss (4) |
| PECK — Two definitions. Gregory PECK was in the film Spellbound | |
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|
| 5d | Furious movement based on one member supported by lunatic (7,3) |
| HOPPING MAD — HOPPING (movement based on one member) above (supported by) MAD (lunatic) | |
| 6d | Volume of sanctimonious religious books (4) |
| PINT — PI (sanctimonious) + NT (religious books) | |
| 7d | Greedy individual possibly has second meal but no starter (6) |
| SINNER — S (second) + dINNER (meal) but without the first letter (no starter) | |
| 8d | Competitor cheated badly, receives sanction (10) |
| DECATHLETE — An anagram of (… badly) CHEATED takes in (receives) LET (sanction) | |
| 13d | Brittle quality of princess is fitting (10) |
| CRISPINESS — PRINCESS IS anagrammed (fitting) | |
| 14d | Drinks provider still coming back round to consume sandwich (3,7) |
| TEA TROLLEY — YET (still) reversed (coming back) round EAT (to consume) ROLL (sandwich) | |
| 15d | Wrong couple reportedly cast (4-6) |
| PEAR-SHAPED — Soundalike of (… reportedly) PAIR (couple) + SHAPED (cast) | |
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|
| 17d | Lack of physical exercise stops nude cast waiting to be revealed (8) |
| UNOPENED — NO PE (lack of physical exercise) goes inside (stops) an anagram of (… cast) NUDE | |
| 19d | Countless sources of useful news were informative (6) |
| UNTOLD — The first letters (sources) of Useful News + TOLD (were informative) | |
| 23d | This measure confused with the equivalent of hectare (4) |
| ACRE — The answer anagrammed with (confused with) THE is equal to HECTARE | |
| 24d | Cook wants right means of keeping fish fresh? (4) |
| GILL — G[r]ILL (cook) lacks (wants) R (right). Very fresh! As per the first definition of fresh in Chambers, “in a state of activity and health” | |
| 25d | Goods vehicle reversing in confined space (4) |
| YARD — DRAY (goods vehicle) reversed (returning) | |
For reasons of symmetry, I looked up 1d SLUG, n2, to find that it’s: ‘…6.1902– Engineering. A unit of mass equal to 32·1740 lb., being the mass of a body which accelerates at one foot per second per second when acted on by one pound force.’ oed.com’s latest citation suggests it never really caught on:
‘1973 The statement that the unit of mass in the British system is the slug is several years out of date. Nature 20 July 184/3′
Thanks S&K
Enjoyed the puzzle & loved the blog.
Thanks Serpent and Kitty!
IMPERIAL MEASURE
COTD. An approximate measure, a measuring device & a measure in the clue. Sooooo apt a surface!
GILL
What a def!
NETBALL
Lovely surface & WP.
Also liked LAST-GASP and HOPPING MAD.
Thank you Kitty for the entertainingly illustrated blog.
Loved the puzzle, particularly the definition of HOPPING.
I think KVa has summed up my thoughts precisely. An economic way of cluing the themers with no intersecting answers: very clean.
Thanks both
I have come across too many furious movements like those in 5d. A great clue in a fine puzzle which was very well blogged.
Thanks Serpent for a most satisfying crossword. I found this on the easier end of the Serpent spectrum, both in the clues themselves and in spotting the ‘extra layer’. My top picks were POUND, GRAVELY, LAST GASP, UNMANNERED (great surface), PECK (great DD), DECATHLETE, and my COTD, GILL. Thanks Kitty for the blog and beautifully illustrating the entry for PERCH.
Super blog by Kitty of yet another Masterclass from the Outstanding Ophidian. Air-tight CRs, delightful SRs and a literally imperial Nina. A joy to solve. SOLAR CELL and HOPPING MAD were ingenious. Bravo Serpent!
Many thanks to Kitty for the lovely blog and to everyone who has been kind enough to leave a comment.
Very nice (My highest praise). Especially liked 18a – a ‘lift and separate’ and nothing else.
Late again, but I always feel a weekend puzzle some extra time… which was well rewarded, even though I only explored the thematic possibilities after solving 16ac (LOI).. who wants an easy life anyway… speed usually leads to accidents, so I was happy..
Thanks Serpent n Kitty for the graphic blog which raised a chuckle..