This is the second Filbert puzzle this week following his appearance on Sunday.
I thought there were some well-crafted clues with DOUBLE BASS, FATS DOMINO and SAFARI PARK and being good examples. I doubt if I was the only solver initially looking for a 28 across or down when solving FATS DOMINO. After realising there wasn’t one, my next thought involved mah-jong, but I realise now that game has a lot more than 28 tiles.
The plural of ultimatum at 10 across was not a word I have used much, but the clue was very clear.
SIT-UP as a definition of crunch at 6 down was also new to me. I’m guessing it relates to exercising.
I wondered about the importance of ‘soft’ in the clue for HOLMIUM as the clue would work without it. Perhaps it’s part of the allusion to the dentist filling a cavity in a tooth with something that appears soft when filling is being prepared.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| Across | 1 Blues so bad, mishandling this? (6,4)
DOUBLE BASS (musical instrument often used when playing blues music) Anagram of (mishandling) BLUES SO BAD DOUBLE BASS* |
| 7 | Welshman left house in Ireland (4)
DAIL (DAIL Éireann is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Irish legislature) DAI (Welsh name) + L (left) DAI L |
| 9 | My, that is something only the young should wear (6)
ONESIE (A soft, loose-fitting, one-piece garment worn by adults for sleeping or lounging. It seems that Filbert doesn’t agree that it is suitable wear for adults, but should only be worn by the young) ONE’S (belonging to; my) + IE (id est; that is) ONES IE |
| 10 | Last words somewhat difficult? I’m a taskmaster (8)
ULTIMATA (plural of ULTIMATUM [last word]) ULTIMATA (hidden word in [somewhat] DIFFICULT I’M A TASKMASTER) ULTIMATA |
| 11 | A lot must go on making this (7,5)
RESERVE PRICE (the minimum price acceptable to a seller of an item [lot] in an auction) RESERVE PRICE (the whole clue is a cryptic definition implying that if an auction lot reaches its RESERVE PRICE then it must be sold) RESERVE PRICE |
| 13 | Stringed instrument, awful noise (6)
RACKET (a stringed tool [instrument] for playing tennis) RACKET (dreadful noise) double definition RACKET |
| 14 | Top three sit out (3,5)
TEE SHIRT (an item of clothing worn as a top) TEE SHIRT (anagram of [out] THREE SIT) TEE SHIRT* |
| 16 | Bear inside offers to discuss food (8)
EATABLES (food) EA (middle letters of [inside] BEAR) + TABLES (puts forward for discussion; offers to discuss) EA TABLES |
| 19 | Without diamonds, I appreciate that Indian paste (6)
TAHINI (an oily paste made of crushed sesame seeds) TA (thankyou; I appreciate that) + HINDI (Indian) excluding (without) D (diamonds) TA HINI |
| 21 | Hopeless Irish sunburned sailor in melee at sea (12)
IRREDEEMABLE (beyond the point of being brought back; beyond hope; hopeless) IR (Irish) + RED (sunburned) + (AB [able seaman] contained in [in] an anagram of [at sea] MELEE) IR RED EEM (AB) LE* |
| 24 | Austrian governess given cold welcome makes music (8)
MARIACHI (descriptive of a form of Mexican dance music played traditionally by strolling musicians) MARIA (reference the name of the governess, and later step-mother, of the von Trapp children, as depicted in the film The Sound of Music) + C (cold) + HI (an expression of greeting) MARIA C HI |
| 25 | Did carp fascinate first couple in Eden? (6)
GRIPED (moaned; did carp) GRIP (fascinate) + ED (first two letters [first couple] of EDEN) GRIP ED |
| 26 | Orthodox image Japanese camera ejects first (4)
IKON (in the Eastern Orthodox Churches, a figure [image] representing Christ, the Virgin Mary or a saint, in painting, mosaic, or low relief sculpture) NIKON (Japanese camera company) excluding (ejects) the first letter (first) N IKON |
| 27 | Rock’n’roller runs out of wind, playing piece in set of 28 (4,6)
FATS DOMINO (FATS DOMINO [1928 – 2017] was an American singer-songwriter and pianist. He was one of the pioneers of rock and roll music) FARTS (wind) excluding (out) R (run) + DOMINO (there are 28 pieces in a set of tiles used to play DOMINOES) FATS DOMINO |
| Down | |
| 2 | Has snow drifted? (4)
OWNS (has) Anagram of (drifted) SNOW OWNS* |
| 3 | Bill harnesses psychic ability to foretell (7)
BESPEAK (foretell) BEAK (bill [of a bird for instance]) containing (harnesses) ESP (extra sensory perception; psychic ability) B (ESP) EAK |
| 4 | Basic melt-in-the- middle cheese left by one Monsieur (9)
ELEMENTAL (basic) EL (central letters of [in the middle] MELT) + EMMENTAL (type of cheese) excluding (left by) one of the Ms (Monsieur) EL EMENTAL |
| 5 | Spirit shown by a victor during a surrender (7)
AQUAVIT (Scandinavian spirit made from potatoes or grain, flavoured with caraway seeds) (A + V [victor is the International Radio Communication code for the letter V]) contained in (during) (A + QUIT [surrender]) A QU (A V) IT |
| 6 | Crunch unidentified object in drink (3-2)
SIT-UP (a crunch can be defined as a SIT-UP – I think it relates to exercises in the gym) IT (unidentified object) contained in (in) SUP (drink) S (IT) UP |
| 7 | Hydroelectric project that’s ridiculous, hardly wet (7)
DAMPISH (slightly or hardly wet) DAM (A barrier of concrete, earth, etc, built across a river to create a body of water for a hydroelectric power station, domestic water supply, etc) + PISH (expression of impatience or contempt such as “that’s rubbish”) DAM PISH |
| 8 | Not just Edward, oddly, admitted to wearing tiny pants (2,3,5)
IN THE WRONG (not right; not just) EWR (letters 1, 3 and 5 [oddly] of EDWARD) contained in (admitted to) (IN [wearing] + THONG [A skimpy article of beachwear, worn by men or women, consisting of thin strips of leather or cloth attached to a piece of material that covers the genitals while leaving the buttocks bare; tiny pants]) IN TH (E WR) ONG |
| 12 | What’s the attraction, if your car’s a troop carrier? (6,4)
SAFARI PARK (a tourist attraction) In a SAFARI PARK your car could be ‘boarded’, [on the outside, I hope], by a troop of monkeys for example – cryptic definition SAFARI PARK |
| 15 | Is French spread never seen now? (9)
ESTRANGED (cut off from friendship; never seen now) EST (French for ‘is’) + RANGED (spread) EST RANGED |
| 17 | Try listening to a shower (7)
ARRAIGN (put on trial; try) ARRAIGN (sounds like [listening to] A + RAIN [shower]) ARRAIGN |
| 18 | Unusual Islamic law dealing with the sari (7)
SHERIAT (alternative [unusual] name for SHARIA [the body of canonical law based on the Koran that lays down certain duties and penalties for Muslims]; Islamic Law) Anagram of (dealing with) THE SARI SHERIAT* |
| 20 | Most of cavity mother filled with one soft metal (7)
HOLMIUM (metallic element that is relatively soft and malleable) HOLE (cavity) excluding the final letter (most of) + (MUM [mother] containing [filled with] I [Roman numeral for one]) HOL M (I) UM |
| 22 | Coffee mug upended by daughter (5)
DECAF (DECAFfeinated coffee) D (daughter) + (FACE [mug is a slang term for the FACE] reversed [upended; down entry]) D ECAF< |
| 23 | Glower half-way through Eugene Onegin (4)
NEON (a type of lighting that glows) NEON (middle four letters [half-way through] of the twelve letters of EUGENE ONEGIN) NEON |
Another enjoyable traipse from Filbert with a few tricky words but all well clued. ‘Pants’ for ‘thong’ felt a bit odd – most of such items are pluralised – boxers, undies, shorts, knickers etc – but a thong feels like a single thing but it had to be that. The surface for MARIACHI is simply superb and earns my COTD. I also liked ONESIE for the surface, TEE SHIRT which proved surprisingly difficult as I was thinking of other tops, IRREDEEMABLE for the clever construction, FATS DOMINO for that clever reference to the game, DAMPISH for the amusement and DECAF for the lovely surface and fresh take on an old chestnut.
Thanks Filbert and duncan
RESERVE PRICE and SAFARI PARK were among my favourites.
ONESIE
Something only—>to indicate that it’s a one-piece garment?
dictionary.cambridge.org gives this meaning
ONESIE (US)
a piece of clothing for a baby that covers the whole body, sometimes including the arms, legs, and feet, and that fastens between the legs
We don’t have a US English indicator though.
Thanks Filbert and duncan!
Hi Duncan, your second “a” in ULTIMATA has turned into an “e” in the grid posted !
Shame as it’s blighting the NINA – outside columns and middle row –
DO RE MI FA SO LA TI DO !
Thanks Filbert and Duncan.
A normal Filbert… I’ve learned not to rush into the first thing I think of, and usually, after some mulling over, it all becomes clear.. except for LOI 16a (which i couldn’t parse) after 12dn, which I guessed n justified as the blog, maybe also taking a “troop/people carrier” into a safari park is what many seem to do, the “troops” being inside.. ?
A lot of fun, Farts Domino being a favourite, closely followed by the unjust thong wearer..
Thanks Filbert n duncansheill
Flea @ 3
Thanks – I’m frustrated that I had noticed the Nina when I was solving the puzzle last week (bloggers get Independent puzzles in advance of publication), but I’ve since been battling with a computer that seems to have corrupted a bit of Windows and that’s the only thing I have been thinking about recently and forgot to mention the Nina when blogging. I have updated the grid now.
There is a Hawkwind album of 1992 entitled DOREMI FASOL LATIDO (not the extra L after SDo) and I had meant to mention that as well.
😉 Nice spot, Flea@3. You seldom see a Nina or a theme in a Filbert. It goes with 24a MARIACHI – “Doe a deer…” (1965).
The song is actually called Do-Re-Mi, apparently. I’ve deliberately never seen the movie.
KVa@2 – Premium Oxford Dictionaries (as used by Susie Dent on Countdown) has TWO definitions for 9a ONESIE: ‘
1 a loose-fitting one-piece leisure garment covering the torso and legs.’ — (For adults) — 2 North American English a one-piece close-fitting lightweight garment worn by a young child, usually having sleeves but leaving the legs uncovered and fastening with press studs at the crotch.’
Either definition means it’s allowable on Countdown (as is DONUT), while words marked US English are not.
Unexpectedly – what with it being a Filbert – I got off to a flying start and was all excited… but then started struggling with the second half. I agree with the highlights mentioned by others, and personally I also enjoyed TAHINI (though something like “With daughter away,” instead of “Without diamonds,” would have made the surface smoother for me – or am I missing something about the relevance of diamonds?)
There were several new or unusual words here for me, but all could be gleaned from the clear clueing.
I failed on IKON and hence SAFARI PARK (I suspect that the checker from the latter would have led me to the former).. I was fixated upon fair rides.
Thanks both!
duncan @5 and Flea @3: I, too, meant to mention the nina but had forgotten by the time I posted. It was the Hawkwind album that was triggered for me, rather than Maria’s song. And that album is regularly in mind as a solving tool whenever I encounter ‘note’ in a crossword. Helps me remember for sure whether it’s TI or TE for the note.
[… Appropriately enough ONESIE has only been used once on Countdown, in March last year.]
Thanks F&DS
🙂
Towards the trickier end of the Filbert spectrum I thought, although the website timer stuck on 1 second, so despite that, a record solve 🙂 I spotted the Nina at the end, which got me to my LOI EATABLES, where I’d previously been looking for a foodstuff.
Thanks both.
Thanks both. Certainly tricky for me too, with a number of unknowns , and with a sense of it feeling contrived, I did look for a Nina, but was evidently expecting longer words and missed it altogether. SAFARI PARK eventually occurred to me, once I was over being fixated on identifying some type of tank – on a game reserve in South Africa, we travelled in what looked like repurposed army vehicles, so perhaps that is the angle of the clue?
An excellent puzzle, as usual, from Filbert and, unusually, I spotted the Nina at the end which helped me, too, to get EATABLES as my LOI after failing to figure out how it worked for a long time.
RESERVE PRICE and SAFARI PARK were great CDs, TEE SHIRT, MARIACHI, and IRREDEEMABLE all got ticks. Nho SHERIAT but guessed correctly.
Thanks, both.