A tougher-than-usual challenge from NEO this Friday.
FF:8 DD:10
Difficulty level is at 10 because there were 2 clues that I had to resort to the web for getting help on.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BUFFET CAR |
Pay for train fare here? (6,3)
|
| cryptic def | ||
| 6 | ELAND |
Antelope, any number in valley returning (5)
|
| N ( any number ) in reverse of DALE ( valley ) | ||
| 9 | TOPSPIN |
Notice back leg that generates Swiatek’s advantage? (7)
|
| TOPS ( reverse of SPOT , notice ) PIN ( leg ) | ||
| 10 | AGRIPPA |
Roman general an old man without control (7)
|
| [ A ( an ) PA ( old man ) ] containing GRIP ( control ) | ||
| 11 | DIEGO |
Maradona’s pass away before game? (5)
|
| DIE ( pass away ) GO ( game ) | ||
| 12 | EIDERDOWN |
Did you say Neo had a blue bedcover? (9)
|
| EIDER ( sounds like ‘ i’d ‘., neo had ) DOWN ( blue ) | ||
| 14 | BAY |
Horse to howl as dog (3)
|
| double def | ||
| 15 | BATRACHIANS |
17 among these Scotsmen with motorists in city (11)
|
| [ RAC ( motorists, Royal Automobile Club ) in BATH ( city ) ] IANS ( scotsmen ) ; i needed help to solve and parse this having no knowledge of the word. the solution refers to amphibia of which the answer to 17a are a part of. | ||
| 17 | FROG AND TOAD |
Good rant AfD spoiled in a way? (4,3,4)
|
| [ GOOD RANT AFD ]*; cockney rhyme for ROAD / First version of the blog had inadvertently put this down as a cryptic def. | ||
| 19 | ELS |
Recognised driver in Chelsea? (3)
|
| hidden in “..chELSea”, ernie els | ||
| 20 | DESTROYED |
Ruined small city once involved in action (9)
|
| [ S ( small ) TROY ( city once ) ] in DEED ( action ) | ||
| 22 | NACRE |
Iridescent material from northern land area (5)
|
| N ( northern ) ACRE ( land area ) | ||
| 24 | LAUNDER |
Wash flooded Californian city? (7)
|
| cryptic def; read as LA ( californian city ) UNDER ( flooded ) | ||
| 26 | ASSUMED |
Adopted as 500 birds flown back? (7)
|
| AS [ reverse of D ( 500 ) EMUS ( birds ) ] | ||
| 27 | DREAR |
Dull and tedious day with parent (5)
|
| D ( day ) REAR ( parent ) | ||
| 28 | PIKESTAFF |
Fish second Welsh river — not with this rod! (9)
|
| PIKE ( fish ) S ( second ) TAFF ( welsh river ) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BATED |
Club European duke held? (5)
|
| BAT ( club ) E ( european ) D ( duke ) | ||
| 2 | FOPPERY |
Folly as Pope forced to feed cook (7)
|
| [ POPE ]* in FRY ( cook ) | ||
| 3 | EUPHORBIA |
Transport going round British plant (9)
|
| EUPHORIA ( transport ) around B ( british ) | ||
| 4 | CONTENTEDLY |
Happily under canvas in cold and alone? (11)
|
| TENTED ( under canvas ) in [ C ( cold ) ONLY ( alone ) ] | ||
| 5 | RYA |
Over years artist makes Scandinavian rug (3)
|
| RA ( artist ) around Y ( years ) | ||
| 6 | ERROR |
Wear armour regularly — mistake (5)
|
| alternate letters of “wEaR aRmOuR..” | ||
| 7 | AMPHORA |
Jar with no lid for insect repellent, first-class? (7)
|
| cAMPHOR ( insect repellant, without starting letter ) A ( first class ) ; i needed help to solve and parse this having no knowledge of the word | ||
| 8 | DIAGNOSES |
Which doctor off ers in sea dogs to be cured (9)
|
| [ IN SEA DOGS ]* | ||
| 13 | DIAMONDBACK |
Snake in sports field, far end (11)
|
| DIAMOND ( sports field ) BACK ( far end ) | ||
| 14 | BEFUDDLED |
Bewildered wabbit hunter left to fill sack (9)
|
| [ E.FUDD ( elmer fudd, wabbit hunter, bugs bunny ) L ( left ) ] in BED ( sack ) | ||
| 16 | HEDONISTS |
Sybarites from Wear in robberies (9)
|
| DON ( wear ) in HEISTS ( robberies ) | ||
| 18 | OBSCURE |
Enigmatic alumnus safe outside clubs (7)
|
| OB ( alumnus, old boy ) [ SURE ( safe ) containing C ( clubs ) ] | ||
| 19 | ENCOMIA |
Accolades? I’m no ace, unfortunately! (7)
|
| [ I’M NO ACE ]* | ||
| 21 | RADAR |
Beams reflected back and forth? (5)
|
| &lit; palindrome | ||
| 23 | END OF |
Foden crocked? That’s that! (3,2)
|
| [ FODEN ]* | ||
| 25 | RIP |
Tear open late message: almost ready? (3)
|
| Double definition; Rest In Peace, RIPe ( ready, almost ) |
I loved this puzzle, although I had to look up BATRACHIANS. My favorites were TOPSPIN, and BEFUDDLED. Thank you NEO and Turbolegs!
Thanks to setter & blogger.
There’s an anagram of GOOD RANT AFD for 17a. I was about to write in DINING CAR for 1ac before realising BUFFET CAR would fit too & switching to the downs to find the crossers. 15a was NHO for me, too, but with all the crossers the wordplay was very fair in enabling me to solve it.
I got FROG AND TOAD from the anagram as I did not know the rhyming slang. Had to look up BATRACHIANS too.
Excellent puzzle and blog so thanks to Neo and Turbolegs
Ref 17a, I parsed it as an anagram as well but made the error in the blog whilst multi-tasking on my phone. Will fix it now.
Cheers
TL
I am not really into motor racing or tennis so did not get 19A as I have never heard of him. Similarly in 9A, I had no idea what or who “Swiatek” is. What really gets me though is just who in this world knew 5D as a rug or 19D as an actual word.
I did manage to solve 17A from the anagram and cross letters but I was not aware of the Cockney expression.
Thanks anyway to all and especially to Turbolegs.
shikasta @2: What is “NHO”? I have searched the internet but couldn’t find anything appropriate.
I am pretty sure that it doesn’t stand for “National Hospice Organization” or “Nigel Harman Online”.
On reflection, maybe it is “Not Heard Of”…. Please enlighten this oldish lady…
Virginia @6
It is never heard of!
SM : thanks, I was close, but do I still get a cigar?
Virginia. I am afraid not but you may get an encomium.
Thanks Neo and Turbolegs
Further to SM@7, I always interpret “nho” or its expanded form as meaning “I do not remember ever having heard of”.
Virginia @5. Ernie Els is the crossword setter’s favourite golfer so worth remembering.
NHO, a term commonly used at Times for The Times, meaning Never Heard Of. The similar DNK stands for Did Not Know. The number of less well-known entries is gradually declining in Times puzzles, and I am not totally sure that this is a good thing. It certainly speeds up solvers’ times, which seems to be the most important thing on that blog. I don’t care, as long as the clues are doable, as they were here, especially in BATRACHIANS and EUPHORBIA. ENCOMIA perhaps a bit more of a challenge, being an anagram.
Anyhow I liked this. Nice to see Swiatek’s most fearsome weapon acknowledged, for those who tolerate tennis.
Virginia @5: Iga Świątek is one of the top women’s tennis players at the moment (currently sitting at world No. 2, but a frequent visitor to the top slot over the last four seasons). She’s won five majors already (Roland Garros four times plus a US Open) and is still young. Our setter could have picked literally any tennis player, so could have appeased the fogeys by picking an old-timer and crosswordland veteran like Evert or Ashe, but why not bring the crossword page up-to-date?
Speaking of the clue for TOPSPIN, I interpreted the definition as “that produces Swiatek’s advantage?” which is more accurate (advantage-in or advantage-out being a tennis score, produced perhaps by a hit with a lot of topspin), and also leaves no word unused. I don’t know Iga’s game well enough to know if she’s particularly known for topspin, for what it’s worth.
I managed to get just over half of this, being still of modest experience. I enjoyed Befuddled, Hedonists and Eiderdown. I also solved 17A as an anagram, completely forgetting the Cockney Slanging Rhyme meaning, D’oh!
Still, this was fun before breakfast.
Thanks Neo for the challenge. I was able to figure out most of this but I resorted to the check button to validate my guessing for 3d & 15a. I didn’t understand FROG AND TOAD; I only know a little rhyming slang. I thought RIP had 2 definitions, ‘tear open’ & ‘late message’; ‘late message’ seemed sufficient without ‘tear open.’ Favourites included ELAND, AGRIPPA, ELS, DREAR, and DIAMONDBACK. Thanks Turbolegs for the blog.
I always enjoy solving a clue from wordplay alone, so BATRACHIANS was my favourite.
I completed the grid correctly, but I cannot say I finished – so many unparsed answers, so many words I do not know (or forgot, per PB@10), so many stretched synonyms. This is not the sort of puzzle I like.
I liked BEFUDDLED
Thanks Neo and Turbolegs
I think that 25d is a triple definition plus a subtraction: TEAR, OPEN, R.I.P. and RIP(e) (almost ready).
Well 25d is a hybrid thingy really, 2 defs plus wordplay, tear open/ late message/ RIPe.
As mentioned somewhere in the thread, Iga Świątek is renowned for her topspin forehand, which can come at you comprised of 3400 rpm. So while all tennis players at that level will be using topspin, Iga is a particularly formidable exponent of same.
Thanks Turbz, thanks all for comments.
Neo
It took two visits, but I got there and enjoyed this one. NHO Batrachians but got it from wordplay, so that was pleasing. Only then did I solve the frog and toad anagram. I’ve never heard the expression.
Having failed on the normally straightforward Jason this week, it was pleasing to finish a Neo relatively easily.
Thanks for the blog
Well, you know you are a slow solver, when the ref has already come on to the pitch, to blow for full time.
I enjoyed every clue, but ironically, RIP, 25(d), was my man of the match. “LATE MESSAGE”, a cunning definition, and original.
Double def , plus a wordplay. A new variation, on me.
Only JAR, in 7(d), jarred with me, because my image of an AMPHORA is “pot” or suchlike, but I find that “jar” is a common synonym. My bad.
The final shot: an excellent puzzle, and enjoyably tough.
Rgds, Neo + Turbolegs
This is very late I know. But I put in LAUNDRY for 24 across as in LA UN-DRY!
meaning wash as a noun not the verb!
Anil
Anil@22: I hope you will agree that UNDER fits flooded better than UN-DRY. Your message is tantalisingly incomplete. Did you correct the answer to 24ac on finding RIP at 25dn, did you find an alternative answer to 25dn fitting Y.P, or did you just leave 25dn unsolved, or none of the above?