A light challenge from MUDD today.
FF; 8 DD: 4
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SQUASH COURT |
Put down date and location for game (6,5)
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SQUASH ( put down ) COURT ( date ) |
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| 7 | CUT |
Lower allowance (3)
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double def |
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| 9 | REBEL |
Revolting type with wind stifling belch, originally (5)
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REEL ( wind ) containing B ( Belch, first letter ) |
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| 10 | PSEUDONYM |
Spy one with Mudd? That’s not quite wrong! (9)
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[ SPY ONE MUDd ( not quite i.e. without last letter )]* ; wasn't sure what exactly to mark as the def |
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| 11 | CHARACTER |
Sort letter (9)
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double def |
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| 12 | WHOLE |
Lecturer’s space full (5)
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sounds like HOLE ( space ) |
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| 13 | UTENSIL |
Tool let us in after some wiggling (7)
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[ LET US IN ]* |
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| 15 | HATE |
Having consumed last of sangria, the drunk can’t stand (4)
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[ THE ]* containing A ( sangriA, last letter ) |
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| 18 | SCAM |
Dodge rogue, back away! (4)
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SCAMp ( rogue, without last letter ) |
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| 20 | GERMANE |
Appropriate language ending in applause (7)
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GERMAN ( language ) E ( applausE, last letter ) |
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| 23 | AFOOT |
A pedal for brewing (5)
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A FOOT ( pedal ) |
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| 24 | TO NO AVAIL |
A viola playing after mass, unsuccessfully (2,2,5)
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TON ( mass ) [ A VIOLA ]* |
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| 26 | SPECULATE |
Gamble in rush to pen cryptic clue (9)
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[ CLUE ]* in SPATE ( rush ) |
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| 27 | PHOTO |
Still sweltering in centre of Napoli (5)
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HOT ( sweltering ) in PO ( naPOli, centre of ) |
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| 28 | WIN |
Some draw: I need — a better result? (3)
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hidden in "..draW I Need.." |
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| 29 | SPELLING BEE |
Test of verbal skills that would have wizard buzzing? (8,3)
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cryptic def; wizard ~ spells, buzzing ~ bee |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SPRUCE UP |
Evergreen, happy — and tidy (6,2)
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SPRUCE ( evergreen ) UP ( happy ) |
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| 2 | UNBIASED |
Just rubbish bin used, article thrown in (8)
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[ BIN USED ]* containing A ( article ) |
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| 3 | SALSA |
Dance while repeatedly spinning around leader in lambada (5)
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[ SA SA ( while = AS, repeatedly, reversed ) ] around L ( Lambada, first letter ) |
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| 4 | CAPITAL |
Bread invested in US state — money! (7)
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PITA ( bread ) in CAL ( us state, california ) |
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| 5 | UNEARTH |
Find a little bureau near Thanet (7)
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hidden in ".. bureaU NEAR THanet" |
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| 6 | TIDEWATER |
Write date anew, current (9)
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[ WRITE DATE ]* |
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| 7 | CANYON |
Preserve that valley (6)
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CAN ( preserve ) YON ( that ) |
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| 8 | TEMPER |
11 in fit of pique (6)
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cryptic def; 11a is CHARACTER |
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| 14 | SECATEURS |
Tool set with saucer to smash up (9)
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[ SET SAUCER ]* |
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| 16 | CATACOMB |
Lion, say, on a search for underground chamber (8)
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CAT ( lion, say ) A COMB ( search ) |
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| 17 | WELL DONE |
Good job, anything but rare! (4,4)
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cryptic def; RARE refers to how a steak is cooked, as an example |
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| 19 | METHANE |
Hair parted by the explosive gas! (7)
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[ THE ]* in MANE ( hair ); explosive can be in the def too but i am using it as the anagrind |
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| 20 | GENTEEL |
Mannerly dope with blunted sword (7)
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GEN ( dope ) sTEEL ( sword, blunted i.e. without first letter ) |
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| 21 | WARSAW |
4 had been identified by hostilities? (6)
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WAR ( hostilities ) SAW ( identified ) |
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| 22 | SOLEMN |
Serious mix of lemons or melons (6)
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double clue; [ MELONS ]* or [ LEMONS ]* |
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| 25 | ASPEN |
Poplar appearing, Scots pine evidently not, initially (5)
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starting letters of "..Appearing Scots Pine Evidently Not.." |
Thanks Mudd for the Friday treat. Among my favourites were SQUASH COURT, HATE (COTD), SPECULATE, PHOTO (COTD #2), SALSA, CATACOMB, WELL DONE, and SOLEMN. I missed PSEDONYM and overall found the NE the most difficult corner. Thanks Turbolegs for the blog.
Found this harder than the blogger but got there in the end.
7a caused trouble for me after initially entering sub as the answer
10a definition is presumably &lit: his name is not really Mudd.
4d pitta not pita I thought
Liked photo, methane.
Apart from wondering how a teel is a sword, I completed this without incident and found it enjoyable.
I agree with Turbolegs that the puzzle was relatively straightforward. As for PSEUDONYM, I think the whole clue is the definition. Thanks Mudd for an enjoyable solve and to Turbolegs for a great blog.
I got all bar a few, as with Geoff Down Under I didn’t really get how a Steel becomes a sword – I was thinking sabre, epee, foil, gladius, falchion…. nope couldn’t get that one.
Otherwise lots to enjoy – Spelling Bee, Spruce Up, Unearth, and many more.
Thanks to Mudd and Turbolegs
Enjoyable and on the easy side, but I did not find it as easy as DD4 implies.
Liked TO NO AVAIL, SPECULATE, CATACOMB, UNEARTH, and REBEL
I learned two new things about trees
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs
A one cup of tea very gentle. Thanks, Mudd and Turbolegs.
James P @2: pita is the usual (or more accurately, the only) spelling in the USA; I in fact had never seen it (mis)spelled with two t’s until I started doing British crosswords. And the clue does contain a vague American reference, so the setter is on safe if not solid ground with his American spelling. (To be fair, British English appears to be the only language that spells the word with two t’s, so you could also treat it as a Turkish or Italian or Greek (just one tau) spelling. Where the heck did you guys get that spelling, anyway?)
The answer to my question appears to be ancient Greek, which did spell it with two taus. And incidentally, Turkish sometimes also calls it pide.
I seem to recall people saying “put up your steel” in the course of buckling swashes, so I’ll let that go (though “gen” is a crosswordism that continues to irk me).
I just don’t get 8d though. Fine, “temper” = “(fit of) pique”, but what does “character” have to do with it?
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs
8dn: Chambers 2016 gives us:
p 263 character n the aggregate of peculiar qualities which constitutes personal or national individuality; moral qualities collectively.
p 1605 temper n temperament, disposition; a habitual or transitory frame of mind.
I think there is enough overlap there.
I wondered if Spy wasn’t also somebody’s PSEUDONYM?
Well spotted Petert@12
Spy was the pseudonym of Sir Leslie Ward(1851-1922), a well artist and cartoonist who published caricatures of celebrities in Vanity Fair.
Thanks to Mudd and Turbolegs
Re 24a, “a viola playing unsuccessfully” is surely a tautology.
[ Viola jokes are the musician’s equivalent of geography-based jokes (Newfie jokes in Canada). Jokes based on ethnicity or nationality are to be eschewed, but jokes based on what clef you use are still OK. ]
Cellomaniac @14: lol. I remember when my brother was applying to conservatories (he was an operatic baritone), and when he asked the dean at one of them what the acceptance rate was, the reply was, “It depends what you’re applying for. If you’re a violist, we let you in if you can open a viola case. Just kidding, but sort of not.”
Never heard of secateurs. But otherwise a very enjoyable puzzle to do during a cold snap here in New York. Thank you all