I was curious to find out what would lie in store for me this morning, as I tackled a puzzle by a compiler whose work I very much enjoy solving but have rarely had an opportunity to blog.
Once again, Madcap did not disappoint, offering solvers an entertaining and at the same time fairly challenging puzzle to grapple with this Thursday.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty crossword, through which I made steady progress and which I completed to my satisfaction without needing to cheat. I needed the dictionary only after the solve to check 5D and “tonk” at 8.
My favourite clues today were 1D, 4, 14, 16 and 23, all for brilliantly smooth surfaces, with 23 being a belter of a clue, in my humble opinion. I also liked the (semi-) & lit. clues at 5A, 18 and 27, even though I am not sure exactly how to classify them.
I haven’t spotted a theme today, but then, it’s not Tuesday. In conclusion, all I can say is that of Madcap I am a true fan, and I can’t wait to have a go at his next creation!
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
|
||
| 1 | SALIENT |
Prominent man venerated when hosting immigrant (7)
|
| ALIEN (=immigrant, administratively) in ST (=man venerated, i.e. saint) | ||
| 5 | SELFIES |
Sights if front of lens held backwards? (7)
|
| LFI (IF + L<ens> (“front of” means first letter only); “backwards” indicates reversal) in SEES (=sights, spots); at least semi- & lit. | ||
| 9 | RATIO |
Correspondence has neither start nor end in address (5)
|
| <o>RATIO<n> (=address, formal speech; “has neither start nor end” means first and last letters are dropped); a ratio is the correspondence, relation, of one thing to another, e.g. in maths | ||
| 10 | SARCASTIC |
Pole’s a cold place to be drinking when scoffing! (9)
|
| S (=Pole, i.e. South Pole) + [AS (=when, as conjunction) in ARCTIC (=a cold place)] | ||
| 11 | PRESIDENTS |
Papers with coverage of ‘Freebies for Leaders‘ … (10)
|
| ID (=papers, i.e. identity papers) in PRESENTS (=freebies, gifts) | ||
| 12 | YARN |
… reflected new light in story (4)
|
| N (=new, as in NT) + RAY (=light); “reflected” indicates reversal | ||
| 14 | INCONTINENT |
Popular region – desperate to go! (11)
|
| IN (=popular, fashionable) + CONTINENT (=region, of world); if you are incontinent, you are desperate to “go” to the toilet! | ||
| 18 | OPALESCENCE |
At heart of stone, when cut, light’s an intrinsic quality, they say (11)
|
| <st>O<ne> (“heart of” means middle letter only) + PAL<e> (=light, of colour; “when cut” means last letter is dropped) + homophone (“they say”) of “essence=an intrinsic quality”; semi- & lit., I suppose | ||
| 21 | WIPE |
Erase, clearing out webpage describing rules of on-line communication (4)
|
| IP (=rules of on-line communication, i.e. internet protocol) in W<ebpag>E (“clearing out” means all central letters are dropped) | ||
| 22 | PORTUGUESE |
People upset – rogue beaten up (10)
|
| *(UPSET ROGUE); “beaten up” is anagram indicator; the Portuguese are one of the peoples, nations, of Europe | ||
| 25 | TOWN CLERK |
Local administrator regenerated empty canal network (4,5)
|
| *(C<ana>L + NETWORK); “empty” means all middle letters are dropped; “regenerated” is anagram indicator | ||
| 26 | NAILS |
Tacks north and south to circumvent trouble (5)
|
| AIL (=(to) trouble, bother) in [N (=north) + S (=south)]; tacks are short, sharp nails with broad heads | ||
| 27 | HARPOON |
Instrument connected with catching orca primarily (7)
|
| HARP (=instrument, in music) + [O<rca> (“primarily” means first letter only) in ON (=connected with, concerning)]; & lit. | ||
| 28 | OVERRUN |
Limitless rules restricting game go too far (7)
|
| RU (=game, i.e. rugby union) in <g>OVERN<s> (=rules, as verb; “limitless” means first and last letters are dropped) | ||
| DOWN
|
||
| 1 | STRIPE |
Remove clothes, bare bottom and streak! (6)
|
| STRIP (=remove clothes) + <bar>E (“bottom” means last letter only); a streak is an irregular stripe of colour | ||
| 2 | LITTER |
Perhaps pups make a mess (6)
|
| Double definition: a bitch can have a litter of pups AND to litter a park, say, is to make a mess there | ||
| 3 | EROTICISED |
Sexed-up face of obnoxious jerk is consumed by rampant lust (10)
|
| [O<bnoxious> (“face of” means first letter only) + TIC (=jerk, twitch)] in ERISED (DESIRE=lust; “rampant (=rearing, as in heraldry)” indicates vertical reversal) | ||
| 4 | TASTE |
What a steak – packed with flavour! (5)
|
| Hidden (“packed with”) in “whaT A STEak” | ||
| 5 | SEROTONIN |
Something to control mood or tension when agitated (9)
|
| *(OR TENSION); “when agitated” is anagram indicator; serotonin is a neurotransmitter that regulates e.g. mood in the central nervous system | ||
| 6 | LEAD |
Head scan moving right to left (4)
|
| READ (=(to) scan, peruse); “moving right (=R) to left (=L)” means letter “r” becomes “l”; to head (up) is to lead, run, e.g. an organisation | ||
| 7 | INTRANET |
Skill in sport mainly raised local business connections (8)
|
| ART (=skill, craft) in TENNI<s> (“mainly” means last letter is dropped); “raised” indicates vertical reversal; an intranet within a company, say, enables “local business connections”, cryptically | ||
| 8 | SICK NOTE |
Report of illness: East hit initially – Covid is returning (4,4)
|
| E (=east) + TONK (=(to) hit, strike) + C<ovid> (“initially” means first letter only) + IS; “is returning” indicates reversal | ||
| 13 | DIVERGENCE |
Layperson runs off amidst uproar, leading to church separation (10)
|
| [VERGE<r> (=layperson, in church; “runs (=R, on cricket scorecard) off” means letter “r” is dropped) in DIN (=uproar, great noise)] + CE (=church, i.e. Church of England) | ||
| 15 | CACAO BEAN |
State head invests approximately nothing – that might lead to grounds for bitterness (5,4)
|
| [CA (=approximately, circa) + O (=nothing)] in [CA (=state, i.e. California) + BEAN (=head, colloquially)]; the “bitterness” of the definition refers to chocolate | ||
| 16 | FOB WATCH |
Force old boy to keep an eye on ticker (3,5)
|
| F (=force, as in RAF) + OB (=old boy) + WATCH (=to keep an eye on); the “ticker” of the definition is a timepiece, not a heart! | ||
| 17 | MANPOWER |
Loose Women rap human resources (8)
|
| *(WOMEN RAP); “loose” is anagram indicator | ||
| 19 | DENIER |
Peter for one ruled heartlessly in retrospect (6)
|
| REI<g>NED (=ruled; “heartlessly” means middle letter is dropped); “in retrospect” indicates reversal; the reference is to the Apostle Peter and his denial of Jesus, described in the New Testament | ||
| 20 | REASON |
Sedition – beheaded for cause (6)
|
| <t>REASON (=sedition; “beheaded” means first letter is dropped) | ||
| 23 | TOKYO |
City skinned Stoke then United lost to you (5)
|
| <s>TOK<e> (“skinned” means outer layers, i.e. first and last letters are removed) + YO<u> (“United (=U, as in Man U) lost” means letter “y” is dropped) | ||
| 24 | ECHO |
What comes before foxtrot is recorded in dance choreography (4)
|
| Hidden (“is recorded in”) in “dancE CHOreography”: Foxtrot (for F) follows Echo (for E) in the NATO alphabet |
SELFIES and HARPOON were great clues too. I was thinking that papers were “Press” and wondering why an “ident” would form the covered of a Freebie, so thanks for putting me right.
Thanks RR. I had SELFIES down as a straight CD ’till you showed me the way. (14 reminded me of a terrible one-liner I heard on Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion years ago: “Continence hot-line … can you hold?”). Thanks to Madcap for the challenge.
Agree with the blog about this one. It took a while as the best puzzles should. I liked DENIER, and not being biblical myself it took some time, and everything else really. It was very balanced in terms of the challenge, the style and the enjoyment on offer. Thanks RR (couldn’t parse 28a but I see it’s not difficult now) and Madcap.