Filbert in his usual Wednesday slot.
I enjoyed Filbert’s slightly offbeat definitions, especially 23a and 28a (with its helpful surface). 9a was obvious from the crossers but I needed help with the parsing; obvious enough when you see it. I also liked the two “riddles” in 5d and 13d, and the concise construction of 6d. Thanks Filbert for the fun.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BIG WEDNESDAY |
70’s surfing film that’s famous today (3,9)
|
| BIG (slang for famous or popular) + WEDNESDAY (today).
I hadn’t heard of this 1978 film, but it was guessable with the crossing letters. |
||
| 9 | SHALLOT |
Can it divide an onion? (7)
|
| SH (sh! = can it! = a command to be quiet) + ALLOT (to divide = share out).
A small variety of onion. |
||
| 10 | ENTRANT |
New member posted but initially deleted tirade (7)
|
| [s]ENT (posted) with its initial letter deleted, then RANT (tirade = an angry outburst). | ||
| 11 | CASH |
Small account sent over Henry means to pay (4)
|
| S (abbreviation for small) + AC (abbreviation for account), all reversed (sent over), then H (abbreviation for Henry, a unit of electrical inductance). | ||
| 12 | COME ACROSS |
Bump into fellow seal hunter back in canteen (4,6)
|
| CO (as a prefix = fellow = companion, as in co-pilot), then ORCA (otherwise known as the killer whale, which eats seals and oither marine life) reversed (back) within MESS (a military canteen or dining-room).
Bump into = come across = to meet [someone] by chance. |
||
| 14 | SHOWERED |
Son who cooked before daughter washed (8)
|
| S (abbreviation for son) + anagram (cooked) of WHO + ERE (archaic word for “before”) + D (abbreviation for daughter). | ||
| 15 | VIRAGO |
Amazon v Inland Revenue, in the past? (6)
|
| V + IR (abbreviation for Inland Revenue, formerly the Government department responsible for taxation; now part of HM Revenue and Customs) + AGO (in the past, as in “a year ago”).
Virago = a strong woman displaying typically “masculine” virtues or characteristics. Originally a positive term, but now usually used (like Amazon = legendary female warrior) as a disparaging one. |
||
| 18 | BREAST |
The more expensive turkey, perhaps animal that eats right (6)
|
| BEAST (animal) containing (that eats . . .) R (abbreviation for right).
Breast meat from poultry is typically more expensive than leg meat. |
||
| 19 | MILANESE |
Italian motorway that is divided by its separate sections (8)
|
| M (abbreviation for motorway, as in M1) + IE (i.e. = abbreviation for Latin id est = that is), containing (divided by) LANES (separate sections into which a motorway is divided).
From the Italian city of Milan. |
||
| 20 | EXTERNALLY |
Former partner traps bird outside (10)
|
| EX-ALLY (former partner), containing TERN (a seabird). | ||
| 23 | OTIS |
Lift outfit so it twirls (4)
|
| Anagram (. . . twirls = spins around) of SO IT.
Outfit = slang for a company or organisation; Otis is an American company that makes passenger lifts (though they would call them elevators). |
||
| 26 | RUBBISH |
Terrible mistake started with massage (7)
|
| BISH (slang for a mistake), with RUB (massage) at the start. | ||
| 27 | SECLUDE |
Make lonely Conservative law lord date nurses (7)
|
| C (abbreviation for Conservative) + LUD (variant of “lord” used when addressing a judge in court, usually “m’lud” for “my lord”), all surrounded by (. . . nurses) SEE (date = have a romantic meeting with someone).
A verb usually used in the passive form: we might talk about a place or person as “secluded”, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen “to seclude” meaning to shut away from view. |
||
| 28 | TENNIS RACKET |
Dry clothes Serena and Nick modelled – smashing kit! (6,6)
|
| TT (abbreviation for teetotal = dry = not copnsuming alcohol), around (clothing) an anagram (modelled) of SERENA + NICK.
Equipment (kit) used in tennis, which may involve a smash shot (hitting the ball downwards very fast). The surface presumably suggests the tennis players Serena Williams and Nick Kyrgios. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BASIC |
No-frills airline intentionally like that (5)
|
| BA (abbreviation for British Airways) + SIC (intentionally like that: an editor’s note that what looks like a mistake in text is intentional, or matches what was said or written by the person being quoted). | ||
| 2 | GLADSTONE |
Old PM close to perfecting the sound of a younger man? (9)
|
| Last letter (close) of [perfectin]G, then LAD’S TONE (the sound of a young man’s voice).
William Ewart Gladstone, 19th-century Prime Minister. |
||
| 3 | ELLE |
Macpherson report the first of lots (4)
|
| Homophone (report) of L which is the first letter of L[ots].
The Australian actor and model Elle Macpherson. It would help to have an indication of a definition-by-example, or some additional information (as in the following clue), because there are many other people called Elle and many other people called Macpherson. |
||
| 4 | NITROGEN |
Gas from egg Seth considered funny (8)
|
| NIT (the egg of a headlouse) + ROGEN (Canadian comedy actor Seth Rogen, whose job is to be considered funny). | ||
| 5 | SIEVE |
Riddle one: who came second, with second first? (5)
|
| I (one in Roman numerals) + EVE (the second human in the Biblical creation story, after Adam), with S (abbreviation for second) at the beginning (first).
Riddle = a coarse sieve. |
||
| 6 | ANTICLIMAX |
Lack of fireworks in act sadly left one old lady cross (10)
|
| Anagram (sadly) of IN ACT, then L (abbreviation for left) + I (one in Roman numerals) + MA (old lady = slang for mother) + X (a cross).
Anticlimax = lack of fireworks = something that isn’t as exciting as expected. |
||
| 7 | HALO |
Gosh, look at that ring round the sun (4)
|
| HA (ha! = gosh! = an expression of surprise) + LO (lo! = look at that!). | ||
| 8 | OTOSCOPE |
Shell-like probe in photos cop examined (8)
|
| Hidden answer (in . . .) in [ph]OTOS COP E[xamined].
Shell-like = slang for ear, as in “a word in your shell-like”; otoscope = a medical device (probe) for looking into the ear. |
||
| 13 | TEA SERVICE |
Riddle number two: set out at four? (3,7)
|
| TEASER (a riddle = puzzle) + VICE (number two = deputy, as in vice-president).
A set of crockery or silverware conventionally used for afternoon tea, so brought out around four o’clock. |
||
| 14 | SUBGENRE |
Green bus, travelling lower class (8)
|
| Anagram (travelling) of GREEN BUS. | ||
| 16 | AWESTRUCK |
Astonished bridge player interrupts a brawl (9)
|
| WEST (one of the four players in the card game of bridge) inserted into A RUCK (a brawl). | ||
| 17 | DIALYSIS |
Phone sibling after years, clearing bad blood (8)
|
| DIAL (phone, as a verb, from the days when we used a rotary dial to indicate phone numbers one digit at a time), then SIS (short for sister = sibling) after Y (abbreviation for years).
Medical treatment to filter blood, for people whose kidneys don’t work properly. |
||
| 21 | TUBE |
Squeeze it, before applying Clearasil, perhaps (4)
|
| Cryptic-ish definition: the cryptic element is that our first thought is probably the unpleasant surface image of squeezing a spot, rather than squeezing the tube of medication to apply to it. | ||
| 22 | ASHEN |
Haggard woman in article is very pale (5)
|
| SHE (title character of a novel by H Rider Haggard, so “Haggard woman”) in AN (a form of the indefinite article). | ||
| 24 | SWEAT |
Result of hard exercise, with bench presses? (5)
|
| W (abbreviation for with), contained in (. . . presses) SEAT (bench: definition by example, suggested by the question mark). | ||
| 25 | ACTA |
Seconds in Japanese sci-fi story last minutes (4)
|
| Second letter in each word of [j]A[panese] [s]C[i-fi] [s]T[ory] [l]A[st].
Acta = minutes = official record of the actions and decisions of an organisation or committee. |
A bit of lacking GK made this hard to finish. NHO Seth ROGEN so NITROGEN went in with a shrug. And I did not make the connection between ‘number two’ and VICE; given the tricky definition, that eventually required a reveal. Also NHO the surfing film or ACTA but was able to stumble through those. Everything else went in OK with some very nice constructions including COTD, TENNIS RACKET along with SHALLOT, COME ACROSS, MILANESE, BASIC, ELLE, ANTICLIMAX, SUBGENRE, DIALYSIS (possibly also COTD for the surface!) and the very neat SWEAT.
Thanks Filbert and Quirister (though not sure about Filbert’s ‘usual Wednesday slot’: this is one setter who pops up all over the week including, rather frighteningly, on a Monday)
A bit of lacking GK made this hard to finish. NHO Seth ROGAN so NITROGEN went in with a shrug and I was well beaten by TEA SERVICE, neither spotting VICE for ‘number two’ nor making sense of the definition. Also NHO the film or ACTA though they went in from WP and checking. COTD for me was TENNIS RACKET closely followed by DIALYSIS with other faves including SHALLOT, COME ACROSS, MILANESE, BASIC, ELLE, ANTICLIMAX and SWEAT.
Thanks Filbert and Quirister
Trying from Chrome:
A bit of lacking GK made this hard to finish. NHO Seth ROGAN so NITROGEN went in with a shrug and I was well beaten by TEA SERVICE, neither spotting VICE for ‘number two’ nor making sense of the definition. Also NHO the film or ACTA though they went in from WP and checking. COTD for me was TENNIS RACKET closely followed by DIALYSIS with other faves including SHALLOT, COME ACROSS, MILANESE, BASIC, ELLE, ANTICLIMAX and SWEAT.
Thanks Filbert and Quirister
Have now tried from Chrome and it will not accept my comment. Trying one more time and copying it in below.
A bit of lacking GK made this hard to finish. NHO Seth ROGAN so NITROGEN went in with a shrug and I was well beaten by TEA SERVICE, neither spotting VICE for ‘number two’ nor making sense of the definition. Also NHO the film or ACTA though they went in from WP and checking. COTD for me was TENNIS RACKET closely followed by DIALYSIS with other faves including SHALLOT, COME ACROSS, MILANESE, BASIC, ELLE, ANTICLIMAX and SWEAT.
Thanks Filbert and Quirister
Trying one last time as I have been able to post test messages on GD and today’s Guardian blog. I’ll keep this really short – loved TENNIS RACKET and DIALYSIS. Thanks both
[Note from Quirister: PostMark, I’m removing your other comments about posting issues, as you suggested. Admin has confirmed that it’s a spam filter thing, and will say more when he’s less busy later.]
Always enjoy Filbert and thought this was one of his best. In particular, I loved the two riddle clues – top class clueing.
Postmark. Had that problem yesterday posting via Chrome on Windows PC.
I found that very tough and even after reading correct parsings I am left a bit unimpressed.
Loved Awestruck and Tea Service but breast, Elle, and tube are a bit weak.
Enjoyed the workout
Thanks Filbert and Quirister
Splendid puzzle. Very satisfying indeed to solve. Agree with you, Quirister, about the offbeat definitions and the two riddles.
FOi 1a BIG WEDNESDAY – had heard of the film.
In 3d ELLE “Macpherson report” is a ‘lift and separate’. – 25 years and things have only got worse.
LOi 9a SHALLOT – that took a while to parse – COTD
Thanks F&Q
Filbert is going from strength to strength
I managed to trip up on MILANESE probably because I was trying to work out 21
I decided against-TUBA which could hardly be squeezed.
Keep up the good work,
Tube reminded me of a rude schoolyard joke about Tarzan’s Grip.
I was so convinced that the more expensive turkey had to be BRONZE that I just assumed that a bonze was an animal. Instead, I find it’s a Buddhist priest. I agree with Widdersbel about the puzzle and a great blog as ever.
Defeated by TEA SERVICE and needed the blog to parse it, and also COME ACROSS.
Fair and inventive clueing, as usual from Filbert. Thanks, Quirister.
Filbert is pretty much a pleasure, once tuned in to the correct wavelength… currently I’m adopting a more zen approach, which may have contributed to not realising it was indeed Wednesday today for 1ac. The riddles were both clever in different ways… interesting to find the “haggard woman” again this week, but my picks today were the just-do-what-the-clue-says clues ANTICLIMAX, DIALYSIS, AWESTRUCK, and ACTA…
Thanks Filbert n Quirister