An excellent puzzle from Jason.
I enjoyed this. There were just enough straightforward clues to get me started then some chewier ones to get me thinking, and a couple that took a while to fully parse. If every day's a achool day, I learned a new word (ANIMADVERT) and a new meaning for an everyday word (GLOSS).
Thanks, Jason.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CASHEW |
Tree starting to creak when cut (6)
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[starting to] C(reak) + AS ("when") + HEW ("cut") |
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| 4 | PLEASANT |
Cheerful line adopted by rustic (8)
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L (line) adopted by PEASANT ("rustic") |
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| 10 | TRIGGER |
Famous horse set off TV sweep? (7)
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Triple definition. TRIGGER was Roy Rogers' horse and the name of the road sweep in the TV sitcom Only Fools and Horses. His famous broom was twenty years old but the handle and brush had both been replaced several times. |
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| 11 | SKI POLE |
Miss Spain’s shout that approves support for one going downhill (3,4)
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SKIP ("miss") + OLE ("Spain's shout that approves") |
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| 12 | OAKS |
When son goes to the back drench trees (4)
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(S)OAK ("drench") with S (son) going to the back becomes OAK(S) |
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| 13 | MALEFACTOR |
Criminal chap with relevant detail (10)
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MALE ("chap") with FACTOR ("relevant detail") |
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| 16 | CINEMA |
Pictures blokes going back into shadowy agency (6)
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<=MEN ("blokes", going back) into CIA (Central Intelligence Agency, so "shadowy agency") |
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| 17 | PURVIEW |
Scope is not quite clean on inspection (7)
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[not quite] PUR(e) ("clean") on VIEW ("inspection") |
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| 20 | GESTATE |
Conceive and slowly develop grand property (7)
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G (grand) + ESTATE ("property") |
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| 21 | ARMADA |
A drama unfolds as one sails into sight (6)
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*(a drama) [anag:unfolds] |
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| 24 | ON THE TABLE |
Potter’s play is done here being up for debate (2,3,5)
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A snooker player (i.e. a "potter") plays ON THE (snooker) TABLE |
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| 25 | BEDE |
Plot against English monk and historian (4)
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BED ("plot") against E (English) |
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| 27 | REALISM |
Fantastic serial on motorway — it shows it like it is (7)
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*(serial) [anag:fantastic] on M (motorway) |
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| 29 | STARTLE |
Right time to infiltrate old spook (7)
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R (right) + T (time) to infiltrate STALE ("old") |
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| 30 | SCRAG END |
Wild gardens, home to cold ingredient for stew? (5,3)
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*(gardens) [anag:wild] providing home for C (cold) |
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| 31 | DISCUS |
For the most part debate pitching event? (6)
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[for the most part] DISCUS(s) ("debate") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CUT NO ICE |
Make no difference and do what former diamond workers do? (3,2,3)
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Forner diamond workers would no longer cut any ice. |
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| 2 | STICK INSECT |
Jammin’ party that’s hard to see for all the wood? (5,6)
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STICKIN' ("jammin'") + SECT ("party") |
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| 3 | ERGO |
For this reason stroppy sort rolled up (4)
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<=OGRE ("stroppy sort", rolled up) |
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| 5 | LISTEN UP |
Pay attention being unusually silent at uni, say (6,2)
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*(silent) [anag:unusually] + UP ("at uni, say") |
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| 6 | ANIMADVERT |
Speak ill of plan to retain new trailer (10)
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AIM ("plan") to retain N (new) + ADVERT ("trailer") |
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| 7 | ADO |
Article on mimic causes trouble (3)
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A (article) on DO ("mimic") |
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| 8 | THEORY |
Male in the grip of blue ideal (6)
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HE ("male") in the grip of TORY ("blue") |
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| 9 | BREAD |
Bishop to dip into funds? (5)
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B (bishop) + READ ("to dip into") |
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| 14 | THERAPEUTIC |
Re-employing that epicure could be relaxing (11)
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*(that epicure) [anag:re-employing] |
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| 15 | SMATTERING |
A little problem cutting grass (10)
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MATTER ("problem") cutting SING ("grass") |
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| 18 | STRAWMAN |
Ratty rant was about opening from mostly sham argument (8)
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*(rant was) [anag:ratty] about [opening from] M(ostly) |
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| 19 | DATELESS |
Home alone and likely to stay in vogue (8)
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Double defintion |
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| 22 | BOARDS |
Panels of poets grasping nothing (6)
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BARDS ("poets") grasping O (nothing) |
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| 23 | GLOSS |
Explain Government deficiency (5)
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G (Government) + LOSS ("deficiency") |
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| 26 | TAXI |
Overload one hire vehicle (4)
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TAX ("overload") + I (one) |
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| 28 | AIR |
Couple avoiding soft look (3)
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(p)AIR ("couple") avoiding P (piano in music notation, so "soft") |
Plenty to learn for me in this one. I was unfamiliar with ANIMADVERT, SCRAG END, and CUT NO ICE, but still managed to solve it and enjoyed most of the voyage. Thanks Jason and Loonapick for a great blog.
I failed on quite a few in the NE. I wasn’t aware of that meaning of GLOSS either but it is clearly linked with the word GLOSSARY.
Thanks Jaosn and loonapick.
Liked many including TRIGGER, STICK INSECT and SMATTERING.
ANIMADVERT is shown as an intransitive verb in Chambers. ‘Speak ill’ looks truncated
for a def. ANIMADVERT on=speak ill of.
Probably, I am missing something.
I did not know know the TV sweep reference, although I assumed it was a third definition. I have heard enough about the show to know that it was influential.
Thanks Jason and Loonapick
10ac: I have got used to hearing the phrase “Trigger’s broom”, when previously it would have been “the philosopher’s axe” with the similar idea of replacing the blade and handle on separate occasions.
6dn: Further to KVa@3, animadvert is also given as (only) intransitive in Collins 2023 p 76 and ODE 2010 p 61, but I think the definition “to express censure” from Chambers 2016 p 55 works for “speak ill”, taking “of” as a link word introducing the wordplay.
Thanks PB@5.
Thanks for your explanation.
My doubt was if ‘speak ill’ could act as a def. You have cleared it. Thanks.
I am very late to this party, it took me an age to solve the final 6 or 7.
STRAWMAN and ANIMADVERT were basically gungadins, from the wordplays.
GLOSS seemed right, from the wordplay, but I refused to put it in, because “gloss over” means the opposite:to avoid explaining? My best guess, at first, was GLEAN, which also doesn’t work.
For me, a very tough one to complete, but looking back over the clues, that’s my bad.
A new setter for me ( I think), so hopefully I will do better next time.
Thanks for the schoolday, Jason & loonapick
Ian@7: your comment led me to the discovery (or possibly rediscovery) of the fact that there are two completely different words in English with the spelling GLOSS. Going by Chambers 2016 p 650, gloss¹ is related to an Old Norse word and is the meaning used in gloss paint and gloss over, while gloss² – the one used in 23dn – comes from the Ancient Greek word for tongue, from which glossary is also derived. I often lose time in solving the Azed crossword when I know one meaning of a word, but Azed has used a completely different meaning of a word with the same spelling.
A bit chewy, but we got it all in the end. Not having watched OFAH we diodn’t ger the TV sweep reference but the rest of the clue was sufficient to lead us to the answer. Lots to like, including SKI POLE, BEDE and STICK INSECT.
A minor quibble (and we’re open to correction) in that we thought 18dn should be enumerated 5,3.
Thanks, Jason and loonapick
PB@9, as ever, you are mine (or is that, a mind),of information, and I am slightly ashamed by my Greek, ancient or modern.
The modern Greek, “explain”, is εξηγώ, which we’d say, sort of “ex-ee-go”. But, language ( or as you rightly say, “tongue”) is Γλωσσα, pronounced as it looks, “glossa”.
In fact, one the few Greek words that translates quite well, into English, using literal phonetics. ( Gamma Lamda omega sigma sigma alpha ). If only they were all that easy!
Good spot, PB. Another day at school for me.
Cheers….YAMMAS…ian b
This was a bit beyond my (modest) powers but there was still enough that I was able to solve so that in the end I enjoyed it.
Thanks to Jason and loonapick.
I’m familiar with GLOSS specifically as detailed explanatory notes in annotated editions of the Bible or Shakespeare. I’d seen “animadversion” before, but not the verb form.
Ian @11: from which we get the word exegesis, presumably. Exegesis being basically just a fancier word for GLOSS.
First one that I failed on for a while. Gave up with about 6 to go.
I usually find Jason enjoyable and doable.
For this solver, this one was neither enjoyable nor doable.
Thanks for the blog , clues that were neat and precise and generally concise .
TRIGGER from OFAH was named after the horse according to Del-Boy in the first episode , Rodney was worried about him carrying a gun .
Mr.P@13, thank you: another post, another lesson! Yes, that must be spot on, and I had not put two and two together.
I gave up long ago, trying to link Greek to English, phonetically, never the twain shall meet. It’s because of the natural mis-translation of the Greek letters to the English.
β= Beta = Veeta, etc., etc.
αυτο, or auto, is a car, of course…..except in Greek, it’s AFTO (kineto). The Greek “υ” is an “eff”.
Opa! mrp, Yanni.
Ian@15: I think it is fair to say that a lot of English words are closer to (ancient) Latin than to (modern) Italian. Similarly they are closer to Ancient Greek than to Modern Greek. I was brought up in a culture that naturally took the unqualified word Greek to mean Ancient Greek. I can accept intellectually that the unqualified word is better used for Modern Greek, but I have to force myself to do it every time. I can remember some years ago now seeing a list of languages offered by some language school. Modern Greek was listed alphabetically under M.
18dn: I agree with allan_c@9. Collins p 1956, Chambers p 1537 and ODE p 1762 all give straw man as two words.