We have a plain puzzle from Azed this week.
There didn’t seem to be as many really obscure entries this week compared to some others. However the 1 across and 6 down intersection (ICHTHYOSIS and YOLK STALK) yielded two that were unknown to me before solving this crossword.
Clearly CAPRI PANTS at 13 down should be indicated as two words – perhaps it was in the Observer newspaper.
I’m a little bit confused about the definition of PELION, but that’s probably down to my lack of knowledge of Greek mythology and whether Centaurs are considered to be monsters)
I think NARCO at 31 across is a word that could apply to both ‘poacher and gamekeeper’ in the drugs field. I thought a NARCO was a drug user in the past but the word now seems to apply to the US agents who track down drug dealers. I remember doing a crossword where many of the entries were words that could have opposite meanings in different contexts.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Rare skin condition is so itchy, nasty, involving hospital (10)
ICHTHYOSIS (a rare inherited condition in which the skin becomes thickened, scaly and rough, due to an abnormality in the production of keratin) Anagram of (nasty) IS SO ITCHY containing (involving) H (hospital) ICHT (H) YOSIS* – either H could be the one contained, or you could just view the wordplay as an anagram of IS SO ITCHY and (involving) H |
| 11 | The main idea, dull but lacking depth (4)
CLOU (the main point of interest) CLOUD (to dull) excluding (lacking) D (depth) CLOU |
| 12 | E.g. TV reporting, short of introduction as surplus (7)
OVERAGE (surplus) COVERAGE (TV reporting for example) excluding (short of) the initial letter (introduction) C OVERAGE |
| 13 | What’s qualified dad to appear in Telegraph? (7)
CAPABLE (something or someone that has the ability to do a specific job) PA (father; dad) contained in (to appear in) CABLE (telegraph) CA (PA) BLE |
| 14 | Expressions, oddly ugsome, concealing what’s central to disgust (5)
MOUES (grimaces of dicontent; expressions) Anagram of (oddly) UGSOME excluding (concealing) G (middle letter of [central to] DISGUST) MOUES* |
| 16 | Scene of siege? Richard’s leader involved in one (4)
ACRE (Richard the Lionheart took part if the Siege of ACRE [1189 – 1191]. A later Siege of ACRE took place in 1291 and resulted in the Crusaders’ losing control of ACRE to the Mamluks) R (first letter of [leader] RICHARD) contained in (involved in) ACE (one) AC (R) E |
| 17 | Loose jargon – listen here – among Irishmen (6)
PATOIS ([loosely] jargon) OI (expression used to attract attention meaning ‘listen here’) contained in (among) PATS (PATrick is used frequently in crosswords as an Irish name) PAT (OI) S |
| 18 | Monstrous pile in progress? I’ll go to making it (6)
PELION (a mountain that was said to be the summer residence of the Gods of Mount Olympus, the homeland of Centaurs [monsters?] and the battlefield of the “Battle of the Giants”) – Anagram of (monstrous) PILE + ON (in progress) PELI* ON |
| 20 | Bar, worsted inside, is French (9)
ESTAMINET (small bar or cafe) TAMINE (a thin worsted fabric) contained in (inside) EST (French for ‘is’) ES (TAMINE) T |
| 22 | To the extent that, losing power, Spain’s Rafa gets walloped (9, 4 words)
IN AS FAR AS (to the extent that) Anagram of (gets walloped) SPAIN’S RAFA excluding P (power) – presumably a reference to the Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal who is now probably past his best. IN AS FAR AS* |
| 25 | SI unit indicating pressure on a graduated measure mostly (6)
PASCAL (SI unit of pressure) P (pressure) + A + SCALE (measure) excluding the final letter (mostly) E P A SCAL |
| 26 | Old Scottish coin to issue with former monarch on (6)
TURNER (a 17th century Scottish copper coin also known as a bodle) TURN (issue) + ER (Elizabeth Regina, former monarch) TURN ER |
| 28 | Disturbed when recipe is lacking wine (4)
ASTI (a wine) ASTIR (in a state of excited movement; in motion; disturbed) excluding (when … is lacking) R (recipe) ASTI |
| 31 | US lawman, not one catching Arab with cocaine (5)
NARCO (US drugs [narcotics] agent; US lawman) NO (not one) containing (catching) (AR [Arab] + C [cocaine]) N (AR C) O |
| 32 | Food factor? See one element central to 20 (7)
VITAMIN (accessory food factors) V (vide; see) + I (Roman numeral for one) + TAMIN (middle letters of [central to] ESTAMINET [entry at 20 across]) V I TAMIN |
| 33 | Cash bagging what’s awfully dear to give in part payment (7, 2 words)
TRADE IN (give in part payment) TIN (money; cash) containing (bagging) an anagram of (awfully) DEAR T (RADE*) IN |
| 34 | Wooden sandals catch middle of prehallux! (4)
GETA (Japanese wooden sandals with a thong between the big toe and the other toes) GET (catch) + A (central letter of [middle of] PREHALLUX [a rudimentary innermost toe, so relevant to the clue]) GET A |
| 35 | Auditor maybe is involved in relaxation of rent line (10)
LISTENER-IN (some one hearing a conversation; auditor) IS contained in (involved in) an anagram of relaxation of) RENT LINE L (IS) TENER-IN* – perhaps this too could be seen as just an anagram (of IS and [involving] LINE RENT) |
| Down | |
| 2 | Composer’s wife maybe wearing coloured bands in black stuff (7)
CLARAIN (lustrous, brightly-coloured bands in coal [black stuff]) CLARA (CLARA Schumann [1819 – 1896] was the wife of the composer Robert Schumann[1810 – 1856] – she was a distinguished musician in her own right, not just a wife) + IN (wearing) CLARA IN |
| 3 | Work during strike producing call to buzz off? (5, 2 words)
HOP IT (buzz off) OP (opus [work]) contained in (during) HIT (strike) H (OP) IT |
| 4 | Marsupial one’s kept in barrel (4)
TUAN (the brush-tailed phascogale or wambenger, an Australian arboreal marsupial) A (one) contained in (kept in) TUN ( barrel) TU (A) N |
| 5 | Example of arrogance I brush off (6)
HUBRIS (arrogance) Anagram of (off) I BRUSH HUBRIS* |
| 6 | ‘Anatomical “viaduct”’? Joins together lecture for audience (9, 2 words)
YOLK STALK (a short stalk by means of which YOLK substance may pass into the alimentary canal of the embryo; anatomical viaduct) YOLKS (sounds like [for the audience] YOKES [joins together]) + TALK (lecture) YOLK S TALK |
| 7 | Source of oil? Understand money, taking in written text (6)
SEMSEM (sesame, a source of oil) (SEE [understand] + M [money]) containing (taking in) MS (manuscript; written text) SE (MS) E M |
| 8 | Re such application of flavour – could be sprinkling sugar, nice (7)
SAUCING (an application of flavour by adding a SAUCE) SUGAR NICE* is an anagram of (could be) RE [first word of the clue) and SAUCING (the entry) SAUCING |
| 9 | Tidal flood, as on eastern river (4)
EGER (alternative spelling of EAGRE [bore; tidal flood]) EG (for example, as) + E (Eastern) + R (river) EG E R |
| 10 | Small intestine to penetrate in men so being operated on (10)
MESENTERON (the mid-gut; small intestine) ENTER (penetrate) contained in (in) an anagram of (being operated) MEN SO MES (ENTER) ON* |
| 13 | Tapering bloomers: cover end of tear one got on upended stone (10)
CAPRI PANTS (women’s tapering trousers [bloomers] ending above the ankle, with a short slit on the outside leg) CAP (cover end of) + RIP (tear) + AN (one) + ST (stone) reversed (upturned; down entry) CAP RI P AN TS |
| 15 | Oily treatment for heart portion trapped in foreign river (9)
SPARTEINE (an oily three-ringed alkaloid obtained from the branches of the common broom plant and the seeds of the lupin, sometimes used to treat heart irregularities) PART (portion) contained in (trapped in) SEINE (French [foreign] river) S (PART) EINE |
| 19 | Clubs featuring stars under canvas? (7)
CASTRAL (belonging to the camp [under canvas]) C (clubs, suit in a deck of cards) + ASTRAL (relating to or featuring stars) C ASTRAL |
| 21 | Honorary fellows showing fancy tie round club (7)
EMERITI (people who have been honourably discharged from public duties – fellows and emeriti can be both male and female) Anagram of (fancy) TIE containing (round) MERI (war-club) E (MERI) TI* |
| 23 | Island group: what’ll be paid for ferry circling ring? (6)
FAROES (The FAROE islands are a self-governing archipelago [island group], part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It comprises 18 rocky, volcanic islands between Iceland and Norway in the North Atlantic Ocean) FARES (price paid for ferries) containing (circling) O (ring-shaped character) FAR (O) ES |
| 24 | A suit looks odd on new friar (6)
AUSTIN (an Augustinian friar) Anagram of (looks odd) A SUIT + N (new) AUSTI* N |
| 27 | One calling from Canada shortly? (5)
NAMER (one who designates or calls a NAME) N AMER (abbreviation fro [shortly] North AMERica which could describe Canada) N AMER |
| 29 | Last of vessels heading for north island (4)
SARK (island in the Channel Islands) ARKS (vessels) with S (the final letter [last of]) moving north up this down entry [heading] to form SARK SARK |
| 30 | Member of priestly class, m-mature (4)
MAGE (member of a priestly class) M + AGE (mature) M AGE |
Thanks duncanshiell.
Two giants tried to reach Olympus by heaping the mountains Pelion and Ossa on top of each other, in order to assail the gods.
‘To pile Pelion on Ossa’ is a phrase meaning something like ‘add an extra difficulty or task to an already difficult situation or undertaking’.
So the clue is quite &lit.
Thanks as ever to Azed.
Thanks duncan for the excellent blog.
PELION
Thanks Gonzo for the explanation.
Does the surface mean something like this?
I (PELION) will go (there) to make (a) monstrous pile?
Or does it mean…
I (PELION) will go (away) to make it (let progress be made)?
Someone may help me understand this.
Another question:
YOLK STALK
‘joins together lecture’ for audience
Given that only a synonym of ‘lecture’ is used in the solution, is the
cluing for TALK all right?
NARCO
drug, drug user, drug dealer and drug law enforcer—an interesting word. 🙂
Thanks for the blog , I agree about Clara Schumann, Azed seems to think we need husbands to justify our existence.
PELION, I think the definition is just the I of I’ll . ( I will help to make the monstrous pile .)
CAPRI PANTS, I agree it is two words but NOT shown in the paper.
PASCAL , I just took SI unit as the definition .
KVa@2 you have it correct . Yokes talk = YOLK STALK for the audience.
The PHRASE is a soundalike , the fact that “talk” is unchanged does not matter .
Agree with KVa and Roz about YOLK STALK that the “for audience” applies to the whole phrase not both words individually.
Also SI unit as the definition as per Roz. It’s just a clever clue in that pressure (P) is measured in Pascals, and I think could be said to be a CAD as a result. It was one of my first ones in, given my past career as a “stressman” working with MPa and GPa half of the time (psi, ksi and msi the other half).
My false start in this was bunging in Pre-pass for CAPABLE which held me up a bit. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
I was held up some time by the hunt for a 10 letter word for 13 down. I also had trouble with the definition for Pelion. I think Roz@3 is right. Thanks as always to Azed, also to duncanshiell.
PELION – I think the surface is: I (Pelion) will go to (go towards, contribute to) making it (the monstrous pile, which consisted of Pelion + Ossa).
I had blank spots in parsing twice. First, SARK: I thought “last of vessels” simply referred to the S and tok ages to realise it was ARKS with the last letter moved up. Then, NAMER: again, I took ages to see it was N AMER. Otherwise, I found it reasonably straightforward, but agree that CAPRI PANTS should be two words.
Same blind spots here, MunroMaiden 🙂
Nice job on the blog. Thanks.