Gurney is today’s setter.
A comparatively straightforward puzzle that was mostly solved in a couple of passes, although a few answers in the southeast corner resisted for a while. I had a couple of quibbles. In the clue for GROTTO, having GOT TO in the clue made the solution too obvious, and I don’t like the clue for INTENSE as we count in ones, not tens, and I think the definition is at best dodgy. Otherwise, all good.
Thanks, Gurney
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CIRCUS |
Noisy behaviour where streets converge (6)
|
| Double definition. For the second, think Piccadilly CIRCUS, eg. | ||
| 4 | ESCARGOT |
Arranges cargo trip to import food (8)
|
| Hidden in [to import] “arrangES CARGO To” | ||
| 9 | ABSURD |
Preposterous, a changed bus route, detour primarily (6)
|
| A + *(bus) [anag:changed] + R(oute) D(etour) [primarily] | ||
| 10 | HAWTHORN |
Tree originally highly associated with north somehow (8)
|
| [originally] H(ighly) A(ssociated) W(ith) + *(north) [anag:somehow] | ||
| 12 | NORMALLY |
Central choice of letters supporter makes in usual way (8)
|
| N or M (“choice of letters, centrally” in alphabet) + ALLY (“supporter”) | ||
| 13 | BANTER |
Joking prohibition — note resistance follows (6)
|
| BAN (“prohibition”) + TE (musical “note”) + R (resistance) | ||
| 15 | SKIP |
Avoid captain (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | STARTLE |
Surprise opening by the French (7)
|
| START (“opening”) by LE (“the” in “french”) | ||
| 20 | INTENSE |
How we count, ultimately reliable, having firm purpose (7)
|
| IN TENS (“how we count”) + [ultimately] (relaibl)E
I count in ones, personally. Also, “intent” would mean “having firm purpose”; “intense” is a bit different, in my opinion. |
||
| 21 | CLUE |
Provide with helpful information about sequel regularly on return (4)
|
| C (circa, so “about”) + <=(s)E(q)U(e)L [regularly, on return] | ||
| 25 | RENTER |
Tenant’s re-entry almost botched (6)
|
| *(reentr) [anag:botched] where REENTR is [almost] RE-ENTR(y) | ||
| 26 | ORNAMENT |
Love exotic remnant that’s nice to look at (8)
|
| O (love, in tennis) + *(remnant) [anag:exotic] | ||
| 28 | TIGHTWAD |
Strange tag with description at front makes one profligate? No (8)
|
| *(tag with) [anag:strange] + D(escription) [at front] | ||
| 29 | ADDICT |
Not entirely glad, dictionary user (6)
|
| Hidden in [not entirely] “glAD DICTionary” | ||
| 30 | LITERATE |
Well-educated, free, having time for book (8)
|
| LI(bERATE (“free”) with T (time) for (i.e. instead of) B (book) becomes LI(T)ERATE | ||
| 31 | MERGER |
Minor eyebrow raise at first German amalgamation (6)
|
| M(inor) E(yebrow) R(aise) [at first] + Ger. (German) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CLANNISH |
Conflict about pub on the rise shunning outsiders? (8)
|
| CLASH (“conflict”) about <=INN (“pub”, on the rise) | ||
| 2 | RESTRAIN |
Check bucket after break (8)
|
| RAIN (“bucket”) after REST (“break”) | ||
| 3 | UNREAL |
Fantastic university, learn differently (6)
|
| U (university) + *(learn) [anag:differently] | ||
| 5 | SNAG |
Fall in value around November is drawback (4)
|
| SAG (“fall in value”) around N (November, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) | ||
| 6 | ACTUALLY |
A cold calculation impresses you? Really? (8)
|
| A + C (cold) + TALLY (“calculation”) impresses U (you) | ||
| 7 | GROTTO |
Having accepted recommendation at the outset, got to cave (6)
|
| GOT TO having accepted R(ecommmendation) [at the outset]
It’s disappointing that so much of the answer is in the clue. A synonym such as “reached” or “arrived at” might have made the solution a wee bit less obvious. |
||
| 8 | TENURE |
Clear up with head of union about right to remain in post (6)
|
| <=NET (“clear”, up) with [head of] U(nion) + RE (“about”) | ||
| 11 | CLUTTER |
100 left total mess (7)
|
| C (100, in Roman numerals) + L (left) + UTTER (“total”) | ||
| 14 | ERASURE |
Removal of reference to period? Indeed (7)
|
| ERA (“reference to period”) + SURE (“indeed”) | ||
| 17 | ANCESTOR |
Star once, lively forerunner (8)
|
| *(star once) [anag:lively] | ||
| 18 | FLEETING |
Spirited dance, event regularly seen inside, not taking long (8)
|
| E(v)E(n)T [regularly] seen inside FLING (“spirited dance”) | ||
| 19 | TESTATOR |
One leaves exam schedule on way up (8)
|
| TEST (“exam”) + <=ROTA (“schedule”, on the way up) | ||
| 22 | BRUTAL |
Dry and latterly initially cruel (6)
|
| BRUT (“dry”) + A(nd) L(atterly) [initially] | ||
| 23 | KNIGHT |
Broadcast dark piece (6)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [broadcast] of NIGHT (“dark”) | ||
| 24 | DAWDLE |
All inside having left wood in valley, lag behind (6)
|
| [all inside (letters) having left] W(oo)D in DALE (“valley”) | ||
| 27 | FACT |
Account in paper that’s true (4)
|
| Ac. (account) in FT (Financial Times, so “paper”) |
I had a slightly different experience to you, loonapick. For me, RHS went quickly but LHS presented some challenges. NW corner held out the longest. Liked UNREAL and CLUTTER best
CIRCUS is a particularly English description for what I would call a roundabout and it took me ages to see. I did not quite parse NORMALLY (I also thought the order of words in clue a bit odd). Agree with your comments on INTENSE.
thanks Gurney and loonapick
I couldn’t parse NORMALLY, but all else was tickety-boo. No real quibbles or stand-out favourites.
Humbling: got there in the end but either not on his wavelength or I was making hard work of it. I got the middle stuff last rather than one of the corners. Agree no lightbulb moments today.
I enjoyed this quite straightforward puzzle with no quibbles . I had thought that CIRCUS for a roundabout was widespread in English speaking lands. I remember Columbus Circus in NY but perhaps it is a one-off.
Thanks Gurney and loonapick.
Thanks Gurney and loonapick
20ac: Collins 2023 p 1012 has intense adj 2 characterized by deep or forceful feelings: an intense person, which I think covers it.
PB @ 5 – I think we may have to agree to differ – intent is a better synonym for having firm purpose than intense. Anyhow, I don’t think we count in tens normally, so clue is still flawed, IMHO.
I took it to mean we use base ten.
Collins on-line dictionary has for INTENSE
“having or showing strong emotion, firm purpose, great seriousness, etc.”
Yes, that we are said to count in tens, is because we use base ten.
Thanks for blog, Loonapick, and also to commenters.
Thanks Gurney for a nice set of clues. I didn’t care much for the grid itself because the 4 corners were mostly isolated but that ended up being of little consequence. I liked the hidden clues, ESCARGOT & ADDICT (LOI) as well as LITERATE, ACTUALLY, and FACT. I had no problem with INTENSE; the wordplay & definition both made sense to me. Thanks loonapick for the blog.
I was confused by INTENSE too.
But I think Geoff @7 has hit the nail on the head
I’m in base ten base camp (in tents?). I thought the clue was fine, one of my quicker ones, but I take the point.
Like Geoff, I didn’t parse NORMALLY. Like Martyn, iI didn’t find it that straightforward, but then my evening solves rarely are.
All good, thanks GURNEY and loonapick
Ah, as a New Yorker, I must make a correction. It is Columbus Circle, not Circus. (I live about a mile from there.) Anyway, I enjoyed this one very much, as I think I was on Gurney’s wavelength.
Sharon Bear @12: Circles, roundabouts, and rotaries — they’re all a CIRCUS, aren’t they?
Quite right Sharon Bear@8. My poor memory.
If I may add a self-indulgent comment at this point, for the benefit (or otherwise) of anyone who is still reading this blog. I do on occasions literally find myself counting the number of lines in a table or block of text or other contents in print or onscreen. I have done quite a bit of that this afternoon, which made me think of coming back here. Let me say, without a shadow of doubt: I count in threes.