Artexlen is today’s compiler.
This was a prettry good puzzle let down by an error in OPINION POLLS where the anagram fodder had 13 letters, but the solution only 12, with a stray S finding its way in. A shame, because apart from a minor quibble (not convinced PILL and CAPSULE are properly synonymous), this was a good puzzle. I liked the anagram for FRANCIS BACON and also the clue for NUTS AND BOLTS.
Thanks, Artexlen.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | FRANCIS BACON |
Artist abused cannabis for creativity, primarily (7,5)
|
| *(cannabis for c) [anag:abused] where C is C(reativity) [primarily] | ||
| 8 | UTILISE |
Employ universal surface covering going round indoors at edges (7)
|
| U (universal) + TILE (“surface covering”) going round I(ndoor)S [at edges] | ||
| 9 | MARXISM |
Figure hit back against mass political ideology (7)
|
| <=(SIX (“figure”) + RAM (“hit”), back) against M (mass) | ||
| 11 | SETBACK |
Check seeing body’s head in casket moved (7)
|
| B(ody) [‘s head] in *(casket) | ||
| 12 | PEACOCK |
Bird strike with beak catches raccoon regularly (7)
|
| PECK (“strike with beak”) catches (r)A(c)C(c)O(n) [regulartly] | ||
| 13 | NORSE |
Language used in minor’s education (5)
|
| Hidden [used] in “miNORS Education” | ||
| 14 | UNWELCOME |
Poorly diminished by issue that’s disagreeable (9)
|
| UNWEL(l) (“poorly”, diminished) by COME (“issue”) | ||
| 16 | BOOKCASES |
Spooner’s to manipulate supports for items of furniture (9)
|
| If the Reverend Spooner had tried to say COOK BASES (“manipulate supports”), he may have said BOOK CASES instead. | ||
| 19 | POSED |
Put forward initial tips to soft-boil egg in shell (5)
|
| [initial tips to] S(oft-boil) E(gg) in POD (“shell”) | ||
| 21 | LEEWARD |
Direction for sailor: haul fish back (7)
|
| <=(DRAW (“haul”) + EEL (“fish”), back) | ||
| 23 | INTERIM |
Sample from painter impressed caretaker (7)
|
| Hidden in [sample from] *paINTER IMpressed” | ||
| 24 | SOLOMON |
Ancient monarch’s single brother spurning king (7)
|
| SOLO (“single”) + MON(k) (“brother”, spurning K (king)) | ||
| 25 | GRAPPLE |
Clutch fruit, squeezing peel, extracting innards (7)
|
| GRAPE (“fruit”) squeezing P(ee)L [extracting innards] | ||
| 26 | OPINION POLLS |
They gauge views on poison spill at sea (7,5)
|
| I think this is supposed to be an anagram – *(on poison spill) [at sea] – however there are two Ss in the fodder, and only one in the solution, so this looks like an error. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FAINTER |
Comparatively dim footballers on Italian team (7)
|
| FA (Football Association, so “footballers”) on INTER (Milan) (“Italian team”) | ||
| 2 | ANIMATE |
Instil spirit in a prisoner having returned home (7)
|
| A + (IN)MATE (“prisoner”, having returned IN (“home”), so (NI)MATE | ||
| 3 | CHECKOUTS |
Covered in geometric pattern, old- fashioned areas of shop (9)
|
| OUT (“old-fashioned”) covered in CHECKS (“geometric pattern”) | ||
| 4 | SUM UP |
Several heard Pixar film review (3,2)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [heard] of SOME (“several”) + UP (“Pixar film”) | ||
| 5 | AIRMAIL |
Certain post is excellent support comprising metal, primarily (7)
|
| A1 (“excellent”) + RAIL (“support”) comprising M(etal) [primarily] | ||
| 6 | ORINOCO |
Soldiers in company crossing over river (7)
|
| OR (other ranks, so “soldiers”) + IN + Co. (Company) crossing O (over, in cricket) | ||
| 7 | NUTS AND BOLTS |
Basic requirements of head rub shown with arrows (4,3,5)
|
| NUT (“head”) + SAND (“rub”) shown with BOLTS (“arrows”) | ||
| 10 | MAKE ENDS MEET |
Force sides to unite and survive financially (4,4,4)
|
| MAKE (“force”) + ENDS (“sides”) + MEET (“to unite”) | ||
| 15 | WASHING UP |
Swung a hip performing household task (7-2)
|
| *(swung a hip) [anag:performing] | ||
| 17 | OVERLAP |
Ride across US city quietly (7)
|
| OVER (“across”) + LA (Los Angeles, so “US city”) + P (piano, so “quietly”, in music) | ||
| 18 | COALMAN |
Supplier of rocks and loam transported aboard vessel (7)
|
| *(loam) [anag:distributed] aboard CAN (“vessel”) | ||
| 19 | PITFALL |
Potential danger behind going upside- down within capsule, perhaps (7)
|
| <=AFT (“behind”, going upside-down) within PILL (“capsule, perhaps”)
Pill and capsule are synonyms in Chambers thesaurus, but I would consider them to be different. |
||
| 20 | STRIPES |
Persist going around bars (7)
|
| *(persist) [anag:going around] | ||
| 22 | DUNNO |
No idea of pair of names appearing in double act (5)
|
| [pair of] Ns (names), so NN, appearing in DUO (“double act”) |
Slight typo in 6d: OR + IN + Co crossing O for over; river is the definition.
Thanks for the blog
Thanks, bdg, now amended.
As a recent recruit of big pharma, I had no problem with pills, tablets, capsules, and caplets being synonymous. — [But why are the tiny ones the hardest to swallow?]
Hadn ‘t even noticed that 26a should’ve read “…on poison pill…”. — [Saw 24a as name-dropping two fellow FT m’colleagues.]
Spotted 26Ac quickly and didn’t notice the extra S.
A much more pleasant outing after yesterday.
Approachable with a couple of tricky clues (particularly the reverse clues).
I most liked FOI FRANCIS BACON, and CHECKOUTS
I wonder when issue = come, as in 14ac? I read 26ac the same way as you, and the error held me up for quite a long time. I did not have enough crossers to see the answer and I initially did not realise it was an error, so I had a number of attempts at finding a different reading of the clue. I think it was my last one in
Thanks Artexlen and loonapick
Thanks Artexlen for a pleasant crossword with my favourites being FRANCIS BACON, SOLOMON, ORINOCO, and PITFALL. I, too, noticed the extra S in 26a which could have been fixed with, ‘spill, not the first, … Thanks loonapick for the blog.
I hope that ARTEXLEN, is, indeed, a chap called LEN who applies ARTEX, expertly, to surfaces: because this puzzle is a work of art, as I find it.
Lots of variety, even a smooth Spooner wordplay, and I cannot find anything to moan about.
Maybe, [S] oft- boil was a bit naughty for a single “first letter” play; maybe, ISSUE = COME is a bit naughty.
Whatever, this is a perfect puzzle, dare I use the word……
a Goldilocks.
I enjoyed every clue + solution.
Big applause, ART & loonapick
Apart from the error at 26ac (where was the editor?) this was a fine puzzle which we enjoyed. We did wonder if the clue for 1ac as a bit &lit-ish.
Thanks, Artexlen and loonapick.
E.N.Boll& @7: The convention in crossword clues is that hyphenated words are treated as single words, hence the initial letters of ‘soft-boil egg’ are just SE.
Good fun. I wondered about the come/issue equivalence but for COME Chambers has: To issue, to happen, to turn out
Cheers L&A
Thanks for the blog , good set of neat clues , perhap Spill was just a misprint from the paper . I only know two Italian teams so was lucky , INTER Milan and their bitter rivals Exhume Milan .
allan @8
I stand corrected, and humb-led.
I was thinking on the basis, that hyphenated words are separated by the hyphen, in solution numerators.
But… I might have that wrong, too.
Loonapick, re 19a PITFALL, at worst a capsule is one kind of pill, so “perhaps” in the clue signals a definition by example.
26a OPINION POLLS could easily have had poison pill in the clue, and maybe it did originally; as the mistake could have been the fault of the setter, the editor, or the typesetter, I don’t think we should ascribe blame to any one of these in particular.
Roz, Exhume Milan is now my favourite football club.
Thanks A and L for the very enjoyable puzzle and blog.