Filbert on Sunday this week, why do I struggle with his crosswords?
I found some of the parsing difficult to spot to put it mildly, can’t see a theme of nina, doesn’t mean there isn’t one. Thanks Filbert
ACROSS
1. With bows bent, finally ready for battle (3,5)
WAR CHEST
Ready as in money, W(ith) & ARCHES – bows & end of (ben)T
6. Intimate shot of poor quality (6)
PALTRY
PAL – friend, an intimate & TRY – shot
9. British house plastered (6)
BLOTTO
B(ritish) & LOTTO – house, bingo
10. Health food stocked by Liverpool markets in a fresh way (8)
REBRANDS
BRAN – a health food apparently inside the REDS as Liverpool FC are known
11. Getting pregnant achievable by half of people? (12)
INSEMINATION
IN – achievable by & SEMI NATION – half the people, although if they only have semis, maybe not 🙂
13. Skimpy costume Colin modelled with reluctance (9)
LOINCLOTH
COLIN* modelled & LOTH – reluctant
15. Common sense feature of Moscow Olympics? (4)
NOUS
America boycotted the Moscow Olympics hence there were NO U.S.
16. Somewhat misleading description of Lewis, say (4)
ISLE
17. Day a Murdoch journalist wrote for Private Eye, perhaps (9)
SATIRISED
SAT(urday) & IRIS – murdoch say & ED(itor)
19. Broke English taboo, returning meals (2,4,6)
ON ONES UPPERS
E(nglish) & NO-NO – taboo all reversed & SUPPERS – meals
22. Eponymous tortoise beginning to gain, 400m back? (8)
GALAPAGO
Start of G(ain) – 400m is the length of A LAP & AGO – back
23. Good person with awful smell not fussed (6)
STOLID
ST – good man & OLID bad smell
24. Star in need of a drink makes several (6)
SUNDRY
SUN – star & DRY – in need of a drink
25. Faulty elements limiting the Dualit range (8)
LATITUDE
The elements – bits that limit [T(h)E & DUALIT]* are faulty
DOWN
2. Finally working on size 15 shoes? (2,4,4)
AT LONG LAST
Size 15s would be pretty big shoes hence the need for a long last
3. Queen roughly treated in tower, Henry heard (9,6)
CATHERINE HOWARD
Well beheading was pretty rough on the girl, CA – circa, roughly & a treated [IN TOWER H(enry) HEARD]*. Excellent clue Filbert
4. Pass German egg sandwiches that might make him sick (1,4)
E COLI
EI – German for egg sandwiching COL – pass
5. Fighter jet’s broken flap (7)
TORNADO
TORN – broken & ADO – a flap
6. Drug dealer keeps one pound back, for bookmaker? (9)
PUBLISHER
1 & LB – pound all reversed inside PUSHER – drug dealer
7. Large income, more expensive wine, extra tuition (8,7)
LEARNING SUPPORT
L(arge) & EARNINGS – income & UP – more expensive & PORT – wine
8. Pole back in Katowice travelled on (4)
RODE
ROD – pole and back of (katowic)E
12. Talented child beginning to work less than class (10)
WUNDERKIND
W(ork) & UNDER – less than & KIND – class
14. Conventional scout bizarrely worshipped mother (9)
CUSTOMARY
SCOUT* bizarrely & MARY – a worshipped mother
18. Without work, top referee painting club, perhaps (7)
TREFOIL
T(op) – OP – work removed & REF & OIL – type of painting
20. Defeat prearranged after leading (5)
UPSET
UP – leading & SET – prearranged
21. Silver in sport topping for Italian (4)
RAGU
AG – silver in RU – Rugby Union
Thanks flashling. And yes, rough indeed, and his daughter by Boleyn allegedly knocked a few hundred off too, but less famboyantly and she wasn’t married to ’em. Anyhoo, nice puzzle, ta Filbert.
Top faves:
INSEMINATION, NOUS, GALAPAGO, LATITUDE, AT LONG LAST, CATHERINE HOWARD and UPSET.
Thanks both.
LOINCLOTH
reluctance/with reluctance both don’t seem to lead to LOTH.
Does LOTH also mean reluctance or ‘with reluctance’?
I think ‘loth’ can imply ‘with reluctance’ albeit I am loth to sound like a know-all. A Sunday treat with my toppies including ‘semi nation’ for ‘half of people’, ON ONE’S UPPERS, the ‘long last’, and PUBLISHER. The Isle of Lewis looks lovely in pics on Google (taken in summer).
Thanks flashling (nho OLID) and Filbert.
In 13a LOINCLOTH the LOTH is “with reluctance”. And in 23a STOLID the OLID is “with awful smell”. Two “with”s that aren’t just link words.
FrankieG@4
One more question (2 parts)
LOINCLOTH
Part A
Does ‘with +reluctance’ not become adverbial (reluctantly) whereas LOTH means ‘reluctant’?
STOLID
Part B
…
Fibert has become a reliably good and challenging setter.
It was good to see him on a Sunday.
Thanks F &F
Very good as always and I think I am ticking many of the same faves as others: INSEMINATION, ON ONE’S UPPERS, LEWIS, CATHERINE HOWARD. Plus WAR CHEST (another ‘with’ not used as a link word), GALAPAGO, WUNDERKIND, CUSTOMARY and TREFOIL.
Thanks Filbert and flashling
Filbert is probably my favourite regular setter, and this was a treat, with the “worshipped mother” raising the biggest smile.
Thanks both.
Thanks both. I made good steady progress, and enjoyed AT LONG LAST once ironically I finally saw the light. E-COLI went in towards the end, as I thought the ‘him’ in the clue must be relevant, but it could have read ‘make you sick’ and whilst I dredged Ei from A-Level German 40+ years ago, I am not sure why it might be considered general knowledge. My Sunday brain still isn’t fully following the construction of LATITUDE.
18d TREFOIL. Surely this is a playing card reference.
Yes Bill it is, perhaps I should have said the clubs symbol is a trefoil.
Too late to add anything but praise.
Terrific puzzle.