Eccles has served up this week’s Wednesday puzzle. This was just what I needed to get me at least part-way through the day.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle, typically of Eccles’ work for the Indy. I got off to a swift start, but gradually slowed down, almost coming to a complete halt towards the end.
My favourite clues today were 12, for making me smirk; the ingenious splitting device at 18; and, above all, the brilliant 2, with its surface teeming with cricket references and a solution bearing no relation to cricket at all. Incidentally, 13D was a new word for me, but the wordplay allowed me to arrive confidently at the correct solution.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | COFFIN |
Females stuffing money in stiff box (6)
|
| FF (2 x F=female) in COIN (=money); a coffin is a holder for the deceased, hence a “stiff box” | ||
| 4 | REDCAP |
Summary about dead bird (6)
|
| D (=dead) in RECAP (=summary, as noun) | ||
| 8 | BALLAST |
Brawl regularly, and continue to put on weight (7)
|
| B<r>A<w>L (“regularly” means alternate letters only) + LAST (=to continue, endure); to ballast is to put weight on a vessel to give it added stability | ||
| 9 | SINATRA |
The Voice upset artisan (7)
|
| *(ARTISAN); “upset” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the US singer-actor Frank Sinatra (1915-98), who was known as The Voice | ||
| 11 | SET IN STONE |
Confirmed what compiler from Staffordshire might do? (3,2,5)
|
| Cryptically, a compiler from Staffordshire might set (=compile) in Stone (=a town in Staffordshire)! | ||
| 12 | CHAR |
Daily fetish: shaving backside (4)
|
| CHAR<m> (=fetish, talisman; “shaving backside” means last letter is dropped) | ||
| 13 | STYLE |
Panache shown by feisty left-wingers (5)
|
| Hidden (“shown by”) in “feiSTY LEft-wingers” | ||
| 14 | MISTRAIN |
Teach incorrectly in two types of wet weather (8)
|
| MIST (=type of wet weather) + RAIN (=type of wet weather) | ||
| 16 | REPORTER |
Journalist regarding beer (8)
|
| RE (=regarding, concerning) + PORTER (=beer, a dark-brown malt liquor) | ||
| 18 | BATHE |
Wash Batman after split! (5)
|
| If we split “Bat/man” into two words, we get BAT + HE (=man)! | ||
| 20 | SOFT |
Son frequently sympathetic (4)
|
| S (=son) + OFT (=frequently); a soft tone or manner is one which is sympathetic, gentle | ||
| 21 | CONGENITAL |
Friendly nurses start to tend from birth (10)
|
| T<end> (“start to” means first letter only) in CONGENIAL(=friendly, agreeable) | ||
| 23 | LONGISH |
Fairly extensive NHS log, I suspect (7)
|
| *(NHS LOG I); “suspect” is anagram indicator | ||
| 24 | SHAVING |
Henry enters bar to get Flake (7)
|
| H (=Henry, SI unit) in SAVING (=bar, except); a flake is a small loose mass of something, a shaving | ||
| 25 | TIN CAN |
Tip from tool of old South American found in container (3,3)
|
| T<ool> (“tip from” means first letter only) + INCAN (of old South American) | ||
| 26 | CLASSY |
Sophisticated girl within county’s borders (6)
|
| LASS (=girl) in C<ountr>Y (“borders” means first and last letters only) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CRATE |
Make first base not available, in case (5)
|
| CR<e>ATE (=make, bring into being; “first base, i.e. e in mathematics, not available” means the first letter “e” is dropped) | ||
| 2 | FALSIFY |
Stokes quits following Root and Cook (7)
|
| F (=following) + <s>ALSIFY (=root, tasting of oysters; “Stokes (=S, unit of kinematic viscosity) quits” means letter “s” is dropped); to cook books is to falsify accounts | ||
| 3 | INSISTENT |
Resolute and popular nun cut books from the Bible (9)
|
| IN (=popular) + SISTE<r> (=nun; “cut” means last letter is dropped) + NT (=books from the Bible, i.e. New Testament) | ||
| 5 | EXILE |
Former island of Napoleon’s enforced absence (5)
|
| EX (=former, old) + ÎLE (=island of Napoleon, i.e. the French word for island) | ||
| 6 | CHAUCER |
Old writer is unscrupulous opportunist, getting University to replace central figure (7)
|
| CHANCER (=unscrupulous opportunist); “getting University (=U) to replace central figure (=middle letter)” means letter “u” relaces letter “n”; the reference is to the English poet and writer Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343-1400). | ||
| 7 | PURGATIVE |
At four, stops quietly with desire for medicine (9)
|
| [AT + IV (=four, in Roman numerals)] in [P (=quietly, i.e. piano, in music) + URGE (=desire)]; a purgative is a medicine that empties the intestines | ||
| 10 | BOOMERANG |
“I’ll be back!” compiler called, following disapproving reaction (9)
|
| BOO (=disapproving reaction, heckle) + ME (=compiler, i.e. Eccles!) + RANG (=called) | ||
| 13 | STEGODONT |
Herbivore gets drunk on tequila, primarily, taking too many drugs (9)
|
| *(GETS) + OD (=too many drugs, i.e. overdose) + ON + T<equila> (“primarily” means first letter only); “drunk” is the anagram indicator; the stegodont is an extinct mammal with ridged teeth, related to the mastodon and the elephant | ||
| 15 | SUBLETHAL |
Dangerous, but not fatal, to underlease with Harold (9)
|
| SUBLET (=underlease) + HAL (=Harold, i.e. diminutive form) | ||
| 17 | OCTAGON |
Old Charlie Brown covers: go figure (7)
|
| O (=old, as in OT) + C (=Charlie, in NATO alphabet) + [GO in TAN (=brown)] | ||
| 19 | THIEVES |
Husband entertained by fantastic Stevie Nicks (7)
|
| H (=husband) in *(STEVIE); “fantastic” is anagram indicator; as a verb, to nick is to steal, thieve | ||
| 21 | COSTA |
Rate a coffee shop (5)
|
| COST (=rate, charge) + A; the reference appears to be to a well-known high-street chain of coffee shops | ||
| 22 | ANNOY |
Speaker not starting to irritate (5)
|
| <t>ANNOY (=speaker, i.e. public address system, such as in a store; “not starting” means first letter is dropped) |
I found this on the gentler side of this setter’s range, which made this puzzle an enjoyable and fairly quick one. I must admit that the parsing of FALSIFY was completely beyond my ken, having never heard of the salsify; yet it was in as soon as I had the “I” checker to go with the “Y”, the former allowing me to discard my instinctive initial thought “stir-fry” 😉.
Faves were COFFIN for the wonderful “stiff box”, EXILE for the brilliantly hinted definition, and INSISTENT for the lovey surface (tho FALSIFY would probably have been up there too had I parsed it). I did appreciate BATHE (18a) too; very Guardian-esque! (They wouldn’t have been so generous with their hint.)
Thanks both!
Excellent fare as usual from this setter. It was relatively mild for him and with STEGADONT my only NHO.
With ticks aplenty, my top picks were SET IN STONE, FALSIFY (my favourite), EXILE and CHAUCER.
Many thanks to Eccles and to RR.
Thanks both. I was slow on the uptake for COFFIN, which hugely assisted FALSIFY, which I was unlikely to have satisfactorily parsed any sooner than a STEGODONT might knock on our front door.
Finished this in one sitting which is unusual with this setter, but it was as enjoyable as ever. Only knew the dinosaur without the ‘T’ ending but see that it’s listed as an alternative spelling.
Plenty of ticks including SET IN STONE, CONGENITAL, FALSIFY & CHAUCER.
Many thanks to Eccles and to RR for the review.
Guessed that the critter was an -odont because of something about its teeth, but then took ages getting the (gets)* bit at the front, d’oh! And the oysterish root was a total nho. Otherwise, a pleasant potter, tas to Eccles and RR.
Had to use the word finder to get STEGODONT – not the first herbivore to come to mind – and FALSIFY was the last one in – but I did parse it. But otherwise a very pleasant workout. Must be on Eccles’ wavelength today – sometimes I can hardly get started.
Another who had never heard of salsify, so FALSIFY was a mystery until I came here. But as I have a husband who is a fairly big Stevie Nicks fan (like so many other gay men of a certain age), I do have to give special mention to THIEVES.