My blogging slot seems to coincide often with Slormgorm’s FT appearances, and once again, I have enjoyed doing the write-up on one of these gems.
Nothing too terribly strenuous, and a number of genuinely funny surfaces.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SIGNPOST |
Some design posters for a director (8)
|
| Hidden in (some) [DE]SIGN POST[ERS] | ||
| 5 | SAVAGE |
Wild herb wrapped around a slice of veal (6)
|
| SAGE (herb) around (wrapped around) {A + first letter of (slice of) V[EAL}} | ||
| 10 | ASTORIA |
A short tale I start to author in a US port (7)
|
| A + STOR[Y] (tale) minus last letter (short) + I + first letter of (start to) A[UTHOR], specifically: Astoria, Oregon | ||
| 11 | ICELAND |
One estate surrounding church in the country (7)
|
| {I (one) + LAND (estate)} around (surrounding) CE (church) | ||
| 12 | PARISIANS |
French folk can be pains with airs, unfortunately (9)
|
| Anagram of (can be . . . unfortunately) {PAINS + AIRS} | ||
| 13 | STAIR |
One must punch famous person in Steps (5)
|
| I (one) inside (must punch) STAR (famous person), with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 15 | DECAL |
Transfer contrary young man City snapped up (5)
|
| EC (City, i.e., the Eastern Central London postcode area) inside (snapped up [by]) LAD (young man) reversed (contrary) | ||
| 16 | FRESHMAN |
Novel Mantel half-completed as a student (8)
|
| FRESH (novel) + first half of (half-completed) MAN[TEL] | ||
| 19 | LISTLESS |
Limp? Do this to maintain erection! (8)
|
| Cryptically, if one were to LIST (i.e., lean over) LESS, one would be more likely to remain perpendicular, or “maintain erection.” | ||
| 20 | SWORE |
Having got in angry, wife turned the air blue (5)
|
| W (wife) inside (having got in) SORE (angry) | ||
| 21 | FIGHT |
Flower initially left out of window box (5)
|
| First letter of (initially) F[LOWER] + [L]IGHT (window) minus (out of) L (left) | ||
| 23 | DEPRESSED |
IBM’s finally admitted to Reds messing with Deep Blue (9)
|
| Last letter of (finally) [IBM’]S inside (admitted to) anagram of (messing with) {REDS + DEEP}, with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 25 | ACTRESS |
The lady of the house? (7)
|
| Cryptic definition, “house” here meaning “theatre” | ||
| 27 | CHINESE |
Language used in machine sequencing (7)
|
| Hidden in (used in) [MA]CHINE SE[QUENCING] | ||
| 28 | HATTER |
One making bowler hot? Cricketer with no top! (6)
|
| H (hot) + [B]ATTER (cricketer) minus first letter (with no top) | ||
| 29 | ONE-SIDED |
Do I need to change around son, being unfair? (3-5)
|
| Anagram of (to change) {DO I NEED} around S (son) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | STAMPEDE |
Panic-stricken stock rush sedate PM orchestrated (8)
|
| Anagram of (orchestrated) SEDATE PM | ||
| 2 | GET CRACKING |
Two things up-against-it code-breakers must do? (3,8)
|
| Double/cryptic definition, in the first sense, they must get to work cracking the code, and in the second sense, they must do this job expeditiously | ||
| 3 | PORT SALUT |
Cheese left by you to be eaten by sailor (4,5)
|
| PORT (left, nautically) + {U (you) inside (to be eaten by) SALT (sailor)} | ||
| 4 | SHAMA |
Indian singer and bad actor appearing in South Africa (5)
|
| HAM (bad actor) inside (appearing in) SA (South Africa), referring to “an Indian songbird of the thrush family,” according to Chambers | ||
| 6 | AREAS |
Sections of songs one released for head of EMI (5)
|
| AR[I]AS (songs) minus (released) I (one) substituted with (for) first letter of (head of) E[MI] | ||
| 7 | A-HA |
I’ve found it’s always horribly awful at the front (1-2)
|
| First letters of (at the front [of]) A[LWAYS] H[ORRIBLY] A[WFUL]. Chambers lists this as unhyphenated. | ||
| 8 | ELDER |
Old person in ecstasy with hands around vacuous date (5)
|
| E (ecstasy) + {L + R} (hands, i.e., left and right) around outside letters of (vacuous) D[AT]E | ||
| 9 | HIPSTERS |
Joint retired soprano rolled with southern jazz fans (8)
|
| HIP (joint) + {RET. (retired) + S (soprano)} both inverted (rolled) + S (southern) | ||
| 14 | AT A LOOSE END |
Having gone to pot, one ate loads with nothing on, perhaps (2,1,5,3)
|
| Anagram of (having gone to pot) ONE ATE LOADS, with “with nothing on” here meaning “with nothing to do” | ||
| 16 | FIENDISH |
Wicked pal with no right to get with one’s husband (8)
|
| F[R]IEND (pal) minus (with no) R (right) + I’S (one’s) + H (husband) | ||
| 17 | HYSTERICS |
Sadly, yes, Christ can cause a state of irrationality (9)
|
| Anagram of (sadly) YES CHRIST | ||
| 18 | WEEDHEAD |
According to Spooner, this man would marry one on the grass (8)
|
| Spoonerism of (according to Spooner) HE’D WED (this man would marry), referring to a user of cannabis. I do not see this word in Chambers, but both “weed” (in this sense) and “pothead” are listed. | ||
| 21 | FLASH |
Mo Farah’s first with the Spanish bunch at the rear (5)
|
| First [letter of] F[ARAH] + LAS (the [in] Spanish) + last letter of (at the rear) [BUNC]H | ||
| 22 | THERE |
Present that woman gets in outskirts of Trieste (5)
|
| HER (that woman) inside (gets in) outside letters of (outskirts of) T[RIEST]E | ||
| 24 | PECAN |
Nut quietly sitting on English throne (5)
|
| P (quietly) + E (English) + CAN (throne) | ||
| 26 | TET |
Offensive French head finally gets the boot (3)
|
| TÊT[E] (head [in] French) minus last letter (finally gets the boot), referring to the 1968 military campaign of the Vietnam War |
A lovely puzzle from Slormgorm with some very readable surfaces, like those for FLASH, DECAL (‘contrary youngster Man City ….’ would have been fun), FRESHMAN and, best of the lot, PARISIANS.
And I’m always glad when a clue mentioning cricket (28) doesn’t require in-depth knowledge of the game to solve.
27 was a better example of a hidden answer than 1a, though.
My LOI was the rather naughty LISTLESS (straight out of PRIVATE EYE, that one).
Thanks to Slormgorm and Cineraria for a blog that was spot on.
Another very enjoyable puzzle. Solvable clues, amusing, some obscurities (Astoria, shama) but very deducible. Liked Parisians, and listless got a smirk. Thanks both.