A puzzle for those who like double definitions – there are no fewer than six here. Otherwise a straightforward Monday challenge: thanks to Vulcan.
| Across | ||||||||
| 1 | SPORTSMANSHIP | Mutants staff vessel; what can be expected from amateurs? (13) SPORTS (a sport is “a part of a plant that shows morphological differences from the rest of the plant.”) + MAN (staff) + SHIP (vessel). I would hope that sportsmanship could be expected from professionals too |
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| 10 | ECONOMY | Not first class management of resources (7) Double definition: for the first, think airline seats |
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| 11 | PARQUET | Floor covering as standard: I must leave without a sound (7) PAR (standard) + QUIET (without a sound) less I |
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| 12 | DRAFT | Sketch doctor at back of ship (5) DR + AFT |
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| 13 | SPINAL TAP | Band made up for lumbar puncture (6,3) Double definition – the first is the “made-up band” in the spoof rockumentary |
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| 14 | SPARE | Second trim not needed (5) S + PARE (to trim) |
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| 16 | WRITE DOWN | Make record of lower value (5,4) Double definition |
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| 18 | EYE-OPENER | Watch player taking first ball get a surprise (3-6) EYE (watch) OPENER (batter who faces the first ball in a cricket match) |
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| 19 | SWAMI | Religious teacher, live in Westminster (5) AM (live, as in “I am”) in SW1 (postal area of the City of Westminster) |
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| 20 | DUCHESSES | Subscriptions cover board game for ladies (9) CHESS in DUES |
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| 23 | TIGER | Such a pushy mother, a Lily (5) Double definition |
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| 24 | GODLIKE | Enjoy following pet round, almost divine (7) Reverse of DOG + LIKE (enjoy) |
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| 25 | BRUMMIE | Midlander mum sort of tucks in to cheese (7) MUM* in BRIE, crosswordland’s favourite cheese |
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| 26 | EXPECTORATING | Clearing mouth, look forward to public speaking (13) EXPECT + ORATING |
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| Down | ||||||||
| 2 | PROPAGATE | Pass on article for actor, a marble (9) PROP (an article for an actor) + AGATE |
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| 3 | ROOST | Without hesitation cock finds somewhere to sleep (5) ROOSTER less ER |
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| 4 | STYES | They make for painful viewing (5) Cryptic definition… |
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| 5 | AMPLIFIER | One will give you a bigger volume (9) … and another |
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| 6 | SCREAMERS | Hysterical people mess violently with carer (9) (MESS CARER)* |
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| 7 | INUIT | One night in Montreal for Canadian perhaps (5) I + NUIT (“night” in French, as spoken in Montreal) |
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| 8 | READY STEADY GO | Yesterday a dog disrupted starter’s orders (5,6,2) (YESTERDAY A DOG)* |
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| 9 | STIPENDIARIES | The way I write journals for magistrates (13) ST (street, way) + I PEN DIARIES |
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| 15 | EXPLETIVE | Often a short word liable to be deleted (9) Cryptic(ish) definition, alluding to the phrase “expletive deleted”, made famous by the redactions in the transcripts of Nixon’s White House tapes during the Watergate scandal |
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| 16 | WINDSWEPT | Dishevelled and put out of breath, son cried (9) WIND (to put out of breath) + S[on] + WEPT |
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| 17 | ORANGEMAN | Trump a Protestant? (9) Double definition: Trump is known for his bizarre orange colouring, and the Orangemen are a protestant order in Northern Ireland |
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| 21 | CODEX | Book in secret language unknown (5) CODE + X |
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| 22 | SOBER | Serious, therefore live right (5) SO + BE (another use of “live” referring to the verb “to be”) + R |
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| 23 | TRUST | Financial arrangement to have confidence in (5) Double definition |
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Yes, straightforward Monday fare. Had no idea about ‘mutant’ and sport’; liked STIPENDIARIES and WINDSWEPT. Thanks to V & A (ho ho).
EXPLETIVE
‘short’ in the sense of angry/rude? That will up the crypticity index of the clue a bit, I think.
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
KVA @2 I parsed short as ‘four letter [words]’.
Didn’t know mutants/sports beforehand.
[New rose varieties sometimes arise as a “sport” from an existing one – the significantly different bit of the plant is separated and propagated for sale. The pretty rose “Little White Pet” is a sport from an old climbing variety called “Felicite-Perpetue”: same flowers but growing on a short bush instead of a climber. I planted one, which after some years of blooming as a three-foot bush has this year produced a sport of its own – a huge climbing shoot that headed for the top of the nearest tree and flowered there, ten feet up.]
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew
A SPORT is more generally an alternative term for a mutant offspring.
I liked ORANGEMAN!
Favourite: ORANGEMAN. And there was an amusing post by squarepig at the Guardian blog today:
I hope the Guardian has a good team of lawyers.
New for me SPORTS=mutants (1ac); SPINAL TAP = lumbar puncture (I vaguely knew of it as the name of a movie and didn’t realise it is actually a medical procedure); AGATE = a coloured toy marble resembling a banded gemstone (for 2d).
Up to Vulcan’s excellent and frequent standard, with PARQUET as my favourite.
Had to bung and shrug re sport, and was confused by the unneeded a in the PROPAGATE clue.
Many thanks both.
Re; 1a) , comprehend from the explanation and now the answer, which I guessed from crossers then hit ‘Check word’ afterwards. Still not altogether educated. Must away things to do! Thanks all.
Coming from a long line (although not one myself), I really chuckled at ORANGEMAN. I also enjoyed EXPECTORATING and STIPENDIARIES amongst others. I was hesitant about going to see the sequel to the wonderful SPINAL TAP, but thankfully it was great fun.
Ta Vulcan & Andrew.
Found this harder than a usual Vulcan but then it is cold season so maybe I wasn’t at my best. I wasn’t in tune with the CDs today which is often the deciding factor in how well you do on Vulcan puzzle.
Sport/mutant was one of those things I know from crosswords but it is the fourteenth definition in Chambers so tough for those who haven’t come across it before.
Liked ECONOMY (not sure if there’s a political slant to that clue), ORANGEMAN (let’s hope the most powerful man in the world doesn’t have a tantrum about it) and STIPENDIARIES
Thanks Andrew and Vulcan
I’m another who has learned a new meaning for SPORT today. But I am slightly confused by the def: I wonder why Vulcan singled out amateurs as those expected to show SPORTSMANSHIP. I’ve seen plenty of unsportsmanlike conduct on amateur sports pitches and, equally, plenty of fine behaviour from pros.
Thanks both
Thanks both. 4d I took as a sort of double definition, as in the eye condition and something unpleasant to look at.
The only problem I had with this excellent Monday Vulcan challenge was with Sports equating to Mutants. Which meant the far NW corner was the very last to yield with loi SPARE reminding me of a title of a recent book written by a virtually exiled Prince. Many thanks Vulcan and Andrew…
1a was clearly … MANSHIP but I had to work my way round the grid to complete it. Then I remembered I did know SPORT=mutant.
Not a big fan of DDs, to which Vulcan seems addicted, and being from NI I dislike having to know London postcodes, but by the same token ORANGEMAN raised a smile.
…the Amateur/Sportsmanship debate also reminds me that not so very long ago in the cricketing world there was a distinct difference between amateur Gentlemen and professional Players. Even on the 1954/5 Ashes tour to Australia, which battle is about to be rejoined this coming week. But of course 70 years on without any distinction now between the members of the squad. Whether Gentlemanly conduct was always expected of the Amateurs, I’m not too sure…
Thought it was going to be a struggle too start with, but it all fell into place pretty regularly. 5D was it LOI.
I’m not a great fan of so many DDs and CDs, but they were all fair.
I confidently entered EXPECTORATION at 26a, but when 17d started looking a bit unlikely I twigged it must be -ING. READY STEADY GO earned a tick for a nice image.
Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
I also interpreted EXPLETIVE as Rich@3. Short four-letter words.
michelle@ 6. Yes, Trump is suing the BBC for $5 billion. I don’t think he or his minders would be looking here though, and would they get it anyway? Loved the clue for ORANGEMAN.
SimpleS @12, STYES: I read it as if you have a stye it’s painful to see (out of). I like your take on it. I think the clue could work either way.
Good Monday stuff, nothing too fancy. Surprised that crossword peeps haven’t come across that meaning of sport.
ORANGEMAN made me guffaw.
Thanks both.
Good puzzle – liked the clue for the whacko TACO.
I don’t think STYES as something unpleasant to look at works. If you are thinking of homes for pigs, they are spelt differently – (pig)STIES, or sometimes (pig)STYS.
Nicely pitched for a Monday. LOI was PROPAGATE as I’d got stuck on “pro” being “for” and couldn’t see how the rest of it worked, especially since “ham ” for actor also got stuck in my head. Once I’d seen that PROPAGATE flitted the crossers and the definition, the correct chopping up of the clueing snapped into place. READYSTEADYGO was a nifty anagram and surface, and ORANGEMAN nearly had me snorting my coffee over the table.
Good stuff all round from Vulcan and a nice blog from Andrew. Thanks both!
Muffin@22: the ‘viewing’ is the act, surely – not the object of the deed …
That way it works just fine.
I thought AMPLIFIER was grammatically incorrect but perhaps that was deliberate to misdirect. “Greater” but not “bigger” for a sound amplifier?
Thanks both,
5d probably goes all the way up to eleven.
William @7. AGATE is a (type of) marble. Thanks Vulcan and Andrew.
Today I liked the shorties, INUIT and SOBER.
Some background on EXPECTORATING. It ‘s from the Latin for chest (that’s where you find the PECTORAl muscles), so literally means ejecting from the chest. Of course the outward passage is through the mouth, but that’s not really the definition.
This is more of a philosophical point. A SPARE is not a reject, but something/one that is kept around for a purpose. So maybe it’s not 100% accurate to say “not needed”, if not qualified by a “right now”. Just a thought.
upset that check all removed the metal umlaut on Spın̈al Tap
Yorkshire Lass and I were amongst the many who laughed out loud on getting ORANGEMAN (random thought – does Florida Law not have the concept of the vexatious litigant?)
TIGER and SPINAL TAP, and the good anagrams – very nice start to the week. Knew sport – maybe a Darwin period plant breeders word?
Thanks to both V&A.
I was going to complain about AGATE, a form of chalcedony, not being nuffink like marble, a limestone. But then a quick look in Chambers went and blew my pedantry out of the water. I don’t even know why I am posting this comment. Time for a rest or a nice cup of tea.
Another thumbs up for ORANGEMAN.
Yes Andrew, it would be nice if professionals exhibited SPORTSMANSHIP but I guess there’s too much at stake, such as Broad not walking and Ronaldo falling over in a mild breeze.
Good start th the week’s crosswords Thanks.
Fun puzzle. 10a I had an unparsed ECOLOGY instead of ECONOMY, so *headdesk* and dnf. Fun to see 13a SPINAL TAP and 5d AMPLIFIER crossing. Thanks for the Canadian references at 7d INUIT. Top favourite was 8d READY STEADY GO, with a great anagram and a surface that tells a funny story. Also not mentioned yet, 21d CODEX
Thanks both!
An OPENER in cricket is either of the two batters who go in first, not just the one who takes the first ball.
Before the distinction was abolished in 1963, amateurs frequently got more in expenses than players did in wages, and were not always sportsmanlike, W.G. Grace being a notorious example.
I found this much easier and quicker to solve than the most recent quiptic. Did they somehow get mixed up?
DId the puzzle this morning, having fallen asleep over it last night.
bristle@28 What’s a metal umalaut? And what has it to do with Spinal Tap?
Thanks, Vulcan and Andrew.
Zoot @34,
But the one who takes the first ball is necessarily an opener, so the clue’s fine.
… although I suppose the first ball could be a no-ball and the batsman could decide to run and get the striker run out, meaning that the number 3 could come in and face what would technically be the first ball. So the clue’s wrong. Tsk, tsk, Vulcan 😉.
Valentine @36,
It’s an umlaut used pretentiously by a heavy metal band to enhance their name as in the case of Spinal Tap. See Andrew’s link for evidence.
Dr. WhatsOn @27. While I appreciate your point about SPARE, Chambers does give the second adjectival definition as “not required”.
[When we bought our current car we paid extra for the option of a spare wheel. I’m hoping that “not required” turns out to be the case… I’ve still not fully recovered from some traumatic moments replacing one on a previous car in a busy Barcelona street, on a really hot day, after some local kids on a scooter slashed our tyre at the traffic lights, about two minutes away from the hotel we were heading for.]
Like Lord Jim@17 I wrote EXPECTORATION across the bottom of the grid and didn’t notice what a mess it would make of 17d until quite a bit later.
I had to check the definition of PROPAGATE in Chambers, having solved it from the shape of the word. I didn’t read “article for an actor” as a thing, I saw it as a replacement instruction, so the wordplay didn’t help. This often happens to me with easier clues. I make them harder.
Thanks to Vulcan and Andrew.
I was staring at “- – – R – SMANSHIP” thinking “I have a PhD in genetics, how can I not think of a synonym for mutants that works here?!”
Came here to find that it’s because I never studied botany. So I feel OK about it and will remember this one for future reference!
phitonelly@37 If you’re still there. I didn’t say, or mean to imply, that the clue was wrong. There are many on this thread who admit to a complete ignorance of cricket who, I thought, might have been misled by the way the blogger phrased the explanation. I was just trying to be helpful.
Re 1a, as a former competitive curler who now only plays in club leagues, I can attest to the fact that poor sportsmanship is more prevalent at the amateur club level. The poor sports tend to be ostracized at the ‘pro’ level, and eventually find it difficult to find good teams to play on. For reasons I don’t understand, they seem to be tolerated more in the less- competitive environment.
Regarding styes and amplifier, can someone explain how these are cryptic? They could easily be used in a general knowledge crossword. But, I am probably missing something.
I often have the same reaction as Riviera Kid @44 with cryptic definitions. The idea is that the surface is supposed to lead you to an incorrect parsing, although, properly interpreted, the clue is just a definition. The problem is that if you’re not misled as the setter intended, then the clue just looks like a straightforward definition.
I actually had that experience with one of the other cds in this puzzle, namely EXPLETIVE. I’m honestly still not sure what the misleading reading is supposed to be.
Regarding the two you mention: the clue for STYES is meant to make you think of something ugly, and hence painful to look at, rather than something that causes physical pain. And I guess the clue for AMPLIFIER is supposed to mislead you into picturing a larger book (volume), or perhaps something that inflates like a balloon, rather than something that increases the volume of sound. But I agree that the last one in particular is barely cryptic.
@Riviera Kid: amplifier is linked to Spinal Tap (13A), “These go to eleven”
Ted @45 – thanks, glad to see I am not alone.
Jamie @46 – ok, I get the reference as I love that film, but I still thgink is is very tenuous. When you say linked, I guess you are referring to the fact that that they cross each other in the gird, as there is no other link. Unless the entire crossword was made up of music related terms.