As a debutant blogger I’m honoured to be writing up the first MyCrossword Featured puzzle, which can be found here: https://mycrossword.co.uk/featured/1
I found this an enjoyable solve, a good challenge with clear & smooth surfaces. I particularly liked 4d, 7d, 16d and (as a professional nerd) 23d.
27a brings to mind one of my mother’s favourite minced oaths although that’s not part of the surface, wordplay or definition.
Many thanks to PostMark for the puzzle.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CONSERVATIVE |
Right and wrong, not vice versa (12)
|
| Anagram (‘wrong’) of NOT VICE VERSA | ||
| 9 | ANGER |
Wind up line cast from rod? (5)
|
| ANGLER (‘rod’, metonymically) with L removed (‘line cast’) | ||
| 10 | SPASMODIC |
Erratic Asian leader joining health resorts and clubs (9)
|
| MODI (Narendra Modi, current Prime Minister of India – ‘Asian leader’) between (‘joining’) SPAS (‘health resorts’) and C (‘clubs’) | ||
| 11 | CURTAIL |
Trim a couple of dogs (7)
|
| CUR (one dog, a noun) + TAIL (the other dog, a verb) | ||
| 12 | IRELAND |
Head off invaders about to capture republic (7)
|
| I (‘Head off invaders’) + RE (‘about’) + LAND (‘to capture’) | ||
| 13 | METROPOLIS |
Run into old milepost when touring City (10)
|
| Anagram (‘when touring’) of R (‘run’ in cricket scoring) + O (‘old’) + MILEPOST | ||
| 15 | CHIC |
Fashionable college here in Ancient Rome (4)
|
| C (‘college’) + HIC (‘here in Ancient Rome’ – in Latin) | ||
| 18 | ICES |
Chills nursed by medic essentially (4)
|
| Hidden in (‘nursed by’) medIC ESsentially | ||
| 19 | DEHYDRATED |
With moisture removed, the dead dry out (10)
|
| An anagram (‘out’) of THE DEAD DRY | ||
| 22 | FONDANT |
Sweet, loving soldier (7)
|
| FOND (‘loving’) + ANT (‘soldier’) | ||
| 24 | ELASTIC |
Resilient financial centre ignoring year when prices fall back (7)
|
| CIT[Y] (‘financal centre’, i.e. City of London ‘ignoring’ dropping the Y) + SALE (‘when prices fall’) all reversed (‘back’) | ||
| 25 | MOMENTARY |
Tram under review with money short (9)
|
| Anagram (‘under review’) of TRAM MONEY | ||
| 26 | NINON |
No new clothing in semi-transparent material (5)
|
| NO (from surface) + N (‘new’) = NON; surrounding (‘clothing’) IN (from surface) giving a type of sheer fabric | ||
| 27 | FIDDLESTICKS |
Cook stands and bows (12)
|
| FIDDLE (‘cook’ as in cooking the books) + STICKS (‘stands’) for bows which are used to play fiddles | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CIGARETTE |
Smoke one fish in this for Alain Ducasse? (9)
|
| I (‘one’) + GAR (‘fish’) inside (‘in’) CETTE – French word meaning ‘this’ ‘for [French-born chef] Alain Ducasse‘ | ||
| 2 | NARRATOR |
Arrant nationalist becoming leader or commentator? (8)
|
| ARRANT (from surface) with the N (‘nationalist’ in various initialisms for such groups) moved to the start + OR (from surface) | ||
| 3 | EASEL |
What provides support when swimmer’s bathing? (5)
|
| EEL (‘swimmer’) surrounding/’bathing’ AS (‘when’) | ||
| 4 | VIABILITY |
Masculinity rating suppressing Romeo’s chance of success (9)
|
| AB (abbreviation for able-bodied seaman = “rating” = a sailor who isn’t an officer’rating’ |
||
| 5 | TIMBER |
Doctor splits deck, alert when cutting (6)
|
| Medicinae Baccalaureus (Latin for Bachelor of Medicine, ‘Doctor’) inside of (‘splitting’) TIER (‘deck’) for the lumberjack’s warning cry | ||
| 6 | VODKA |
Victor’s gutted old Ford, usual for Muscovite? (5)
|
| V (‘Victor’) + OD (‘gutted old’) + KA (a Ford car model – apparently pronounceable any of three ways), for the ‘usual’ (i.e. usual drink) for a Muscovite – someone from Moscow. | ||
| 7 | TALCUM |
Found in pot, oddly mislaid garlic powder (6)
|
| ALC (‘oddly mislaid’ – alternate letters of gArLiC) inside (‘found in’) TUM (‘pot’ as in a pot belly).
Garlic powder, as a natural, if pungent antimicrobial, might be a good substitute for talcum powder, which has recently been suggested to be harmful… |
||
| 8 | ACIDIC |
Sharp coppers to intercept revolutionary agents (6)
|
| CID (‘coppers’) inside (‘to intercept’) AIC (CIA, ‘agents’ reversed ‘revolutionary’) | ||
| 14 | OVERTRADE |
Open excellent drug deal, though underfunded (9)
|
| OVERT (‘open’) + RAD (‘excellent’) + E (‘drug’). Overtrading can mean buying more goods than you can pay for. | ||
| 16 | HATSTANDS |
Locations for deerstalker, Balmoral or Glengarry? (9)
|
| Cryptic definition – deerstalkers, Balmoral and Glengarry are all types of headwear. | ||
| 17 | ARMAGNAC |
Supply anagram, given a taste of cryptic spirit (8)
|
| Anagram (‘supply’ as an adverb) of ANAGRAM + C (‘a taste of cryptic’) for the French brandy | ||
| 18 | INFAMY |
Signify with regular cancellations a setter’s disgrace (6)
|
| INF (‘Signify with regular cancellations’ i.e. removing alternate letters) + A (from surface) + MY (setter’s, the writer’s) | ||
| 20 | DECANT |
Name cadet about to transfer to another vessel (6)
|
| Anagram (‘about’) of N (‘name’) + CADET | ||
| 21 | EARNED |
Took home academic student being expelled (6)
|
| LEARNED (‘academic’) with the L (‘student’) removed (‘expelled’) | ||
| 23 | NIMBI |
Rocketing tech giant amongst the clouds (5)
|
| IBM (‘tech giant’) + IN (‘amongst’), all reversed (‘Rocketing’, up in a down clue) for the plural of nimbus, an outdated term for a nimbostratus (rain) cloud.
In my primary school years, the RM Nimbus computers were state of the art, with the later models being IBM PC Compatible. |
||
| 24 | EGYPT |
Nation, say Paraguay, brought up with tango (5)
|
| EG (‘say’/for example) + YP (PY – two-letter code for Paraguay, reversed ‘brought up’ in a down light) + T (‘tango’) |
Very nice mate!
Simon, welcome to the team. Great blog (and great puzzle).
In 4d I think AB = abbreviation for able-bodied seaman = “rating” = a sailor who isn’t an officer.
Quirister@2 – thank you, I did puzzle over that part and your parsing is much nicer. I’ve amended the blog.
I did also spend a long time with 3d thinking about an anthropomorphic mustelid undressing to go for a dip before seeing the error of my ways…
I’m familiar with PostMark’s output on MyCrossword (where this is his 100th puzzle!) and expected an entertaining challenge with smooth surfaces and some slightly leftfield synonyms 😁 and I was not disappointed! Favourites: CONSERVATIVE (superb spot), CURTAIL, FIDDLESTICKS (great word), CIGARETTE, TALCUM and DECANT. I was held up briefly by the AB/rating part of VIABILITY but it checks out so all good.
Many thanks (and congratulations) to PostMark and thanks for the blog to Simon.
I was hoping (hopping) to be first to comment but the physiotherapists had other ideas.
Welcome to Fifteensquared, Simon. In at the deep end – much appreciated.
A highly enjoyable puzzle, with CONSERVATIVE undoubtedly the pick of the bunch.
Thanks to PostMark, and thanks and welcome to both MyCrossword and Simon!
Super puzzle, super blog. Some lovely anagrams here, but I think my top vote must go to the excellent 1ac. Thanks to both and congratulations on a stellar start!