This entry from Gurney seemed to get harder as I worked my way from top to bottom.
I am not entirely sure about 7D. In my vernacular, I might call a “funny guy” a “hoot” or a “scream,” but probably not a “howl,” so I am not confident that I have landed on the correct parsing there.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ACCOST |
Boldly confront air conditioning price (6)
|
| AC (air conditioning) + COST (price) | ||
| 4 | CATACOMB |
Cold, attending a search in underground area (8)
|
| C (cold) + AT (attending) + A + COMB (search) | ||
| 10 | TRAILER |
Roof worker maybe taking in artist’s promotional material (7)
|
| TILER (roof worker maybe) around (taking in) RA (artist) | ||
| 11 | SECULAR |
Rule as caretaker originally — unusual to be there for long time (7)
|
| Anagram of (unusual) {RULE + AS + first letter of (originally) C[ARETAKER]} | ||
| 12 | NARK |
Informer upset complainer (4)
|
| Triple definition | ||
| 13 | COINCIDENT |
Exactly corresponding to company scene maybe (10)
|
| CO. (company) + INCIDENT (scene maybe) | ||
| 16 | SHOVEL |
Push large tool (6)
|
| SHOVE (push) + L (large) | ||
| 17 | MEANDER |
Move aimlessly, somewhat lame and erratic (7)
|
| Hidden in (somewhat) [LA]ME AND ER[RATIC] | ||
| 20 | PAGEANT |
Sheet worker’s colourful public display (7)
|
| PAGE (sheet) + ANT (worker) | ||
| 21 | NECTAR |
Close by accepting court’s drink (6)
|
| NEAR (close by) around (accepting) CT (court) | ||
| 24 | ACTIONABLE |
Something done at island ramble not half dangerous legally (10)
|
| ACT (something done) + IONA (island) + [RAM]BLE minus first half (not half) | ||
| 25 | RING |
Indication one’s engaged in racecourse betting area (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 27 | DIARIST |
Writer repelled attack at first (7)
|
| RAID (attack) reversed (repelled) + IST (first, i.e., stylized form of “1st”) | ||
| 29 | SPANIEL |
Second discussion group one included for King Charles, say (7)
|
| I (one) inside (included) {S (second) + PANEL (discussion group)}, i.e., a dog breed | ||
| 30 | DEADLINE |
After return, finish, adopting unexpectedly ideal time limit (8)
|
| END (finish) reversed (after return) around (adopting) anagram of (unexpectedly) IDEAL | ||
| 31 | PLENTY |
Lots losing heart — penalty out of order (6)
|
| Anagram of (out of order) PEN[A]LTY minus middle letter (losing heart) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ASTONISH |
Surprise when wife leaves town? Sort of (8)
|
| AS (when) + TO[W]N minus (leaves) W (wife) + -ISH (sort of) | ||
| 2 | CLAIRVOYANT |
Actor vainly working to be perceptive (11)
|
| Anagram of (working) ACTOR VAINLY | ||
| 3 | SOLE |
Just one swimmer (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | ABSENTEE |
One missing a competition directed inside (8)
|
| SENT (directed) inside {A + BEE (competition)} | ||
| 6 | AUCTIONEER |
Change euro at Nice — lots, one’s specialty (10)
|
| Anagram of (change) EURO AT NICE | ||
| 7 | OWL |
Flier, funny guy, doffing cap (3)
|
| I think this is supposed to be: [H]OWL (funny guy) minus first letter (doffing cap) | ||
| 8 | BERATE |
Blast introduction of big energy charge (6)
|
| First letter of (introduction of) B[IG] + E (energy) + RATE (charge) | ||
| 9 | PRIOR |
Previous head of religious house (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 14 | ELECTRICIAN |
Sparks article, nice, lively (11)
|
| Anagram of (lively) ARTICLE NICE | ||
| 15 | CEREMONIAL |
Romance, lie, unfortunately — there’s formal pattern to it (10)
|
| Anagram of (unfortunately) ROMANCE LIE | ||
| 18 | UNFASTEN |
Open new version of fans’ tune (8)
|
| Anagram of (new version of) FANS’ TUNE | ||
| 19 | FRUGALLY |
In thrifty manner following game by missing out friend (8)
|
| F (following) + RUG[BY] (game) minus (missing out) BY + ALLY (friend) | ||
| 22 | CANDID |
Conservative with papers is being frank (6)
|
| C (Conservative) + AND (with) + ID (papers) | ||
| 23 | CLASS |
Excellent group (5)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | HALL |
Large room in hotel? Quite (4)
|
| H (hotel) + ALL (quite) | ||
| 28 | AGA |
Regularly visited Afghan military commander (3)
|
| Alternate letters of (regularly visited) A[F]G[H]A[N] |
How interesting, Cineraria. I solved the bottom half first, with the last two being in the NW corner.
Overall, I found lots of smiles. Several long anagrams with great surfaces were a feature. Maybe too many anagrams? Favourites were CLAIRVOYANT, CEREMONIAL, UNFASTEN, DIARIST, PAGEANT (simple but clever), and the nicely-hidden MEANDER. I could name more.
NHO sparks for ELECTRICIAN, but it is in OED. I did not understand ASTONISH and was unfamiliar with NARK in any of the three meanings. And thank you for your help in parsing FRUGALLY – I knew it was Rugby but could not account for the G. I had the same interpretation and the same doubts as you for 7D.
A nice puzzle and an equally nice blog. Thanks Gurney and Cineraria
Pleasant puzzle with a few that I was uncertain about. I just put in OWL from the def, but see that sense 3a for HOWL in Collins is: “(slang) a person or thing that is very funny”. I didn’t know the ‘complainer’ sense, so couldn’t parse NARK properly as a triple def and I was too lazy to notice the unaccounted for G in FRUGALLY. The ‘there for a long time’ sense of SECULAR was another new one to me but the answer was clear enough from the wordplay and crossers.
An enjoyable confidence builder, with some unknown senses thrown in for good measure, after a few toughies elsewhere recently.
Thanks to Gurney and Cineraria
If anyone had asked me what “secular” means, I ceetainly wouldn’t have said “there for a long time”. But sure enough, there it is — definition seven in Collins. A learning experience.
I too was a little surprised by “howl” for a funny guy.
I took “something done” to mean “action” in ACTIONABLE, so failed to work it out.
All/quite?
I thought the clue for CLASS was a bit lame.
Overall enjoyable. Happy Christmas all.
[7d Jonathon Green’s Dictionary of Slang: “hOWL n. …3. a highly amusing story, situation, experience or person.
1939 [US] J. Weidman What’s In It For Me? 37: To me, these guys with their fancy codes of honour were a howl.
1989 [Ire] H. Leonard Out After Dark 19: A distant grumble of laughter confirmed that The Young Man from Rathmines was, as the curate predicted, a howl.”] …
… [and 23d “CLASS adj. (orig. US) stylish, impressive, superior.
1982 [Ire] E. Mac Thomáis Janey Mack, Me Shirt is Black 21: No, this mot was class and so was her mother.”]
I’m with Martyn on this one. I also finished the bottom before the top . No issues with OWL on this side of the pond. I have heard and used HOWL to describe a funny person. Enjoyable puzzle and great blog–thanks Gurney and Cineraria.
Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year to all.
Liked MEANDER (nice surface, more like an extended def), SPANIEL and FRUGALLY.
Thanks Gurney and Cineraria.
I agree that the bottom half was harder and SE was the last to complete for me.
Favourites included CATACOMB (FIO), DEADLINE, SPANIEL, PAGEANT, ASTONISH, ABSENTEE, FRUGALLY
Like GDU @ 3 I took ‘something done’ to be ‘action’ so didn’t pars24 ac.
Thanks Gurney and Cineraria
Thanks Gurney and Cineraria
7dn: As well as the sources cited by Frankie earlier, Collins 2023 p 951 gives howl as “a person or thing that is very funny”, marked slang.
26dn: Collins gives “completely” as meanings of quite (p 1638) and all (p 50), with the usage example all alone. I would happily substitute quite for all in that usage example.
Thank you for the excellent blog, Cineraria, and many thanks to all who commented. Season’s greetings to all.
I found the left side much harder than the right. I know SECULAR as longer term from the idea of a secular trend as opposed to a temporary one. Thank you all.
I completed this one and generally enjoyed it. Like others, I couldn’t understand H(Owl) and found it a trickier offering than the previous day.