A grid by Dalibor for this Saturday.
I found this quite a struggle, and I think our setter has a decidedly different way of looking at the world to me.
On the positive, a number of NHO’s in the down clues: 1/2, 22 & 24d. The British born Pope had never crossed my radar before, and the elaborate construction of the clue was a joy to behold.
Thanks to Dalibor for the entertainment today.
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | SIERRA |
Range Rover’s number one – for radio operators this car will be next (6)
|
| Rover’s number one [R = Romeo]. Next letter in phonetic alphabet = Sierra.
The Ford Sierra was a popular family car |
||
| 9 | UNAFRAID |
Head of entertainment, facing a charge, moves forward without fear (8)
|
| Head of entertainment [F in FUN] facing a charge [A RAID] moves forward [move F forwards] | ||
| 10 | PHEASANT |
Quiet male worker is overwhelming when game (8)
|
| Quiet [P] male worker [ANT] is overwhelming [around] when [AS] | ||
| 11 | GATEAU |
A sweet thing to find precious metal on doorway (6)
|
| Precious metal [AU = gold] on doorway [GATE] | ||
| 12 | GLOSSY |
Damage for adult in gay magazine (6)
|
| Damage [LOSS] for [replace] adult [A] in GAY | ||
| 13 | CLAMBAKE |
Picnic’s dessert has meat in it (8)
|
| Dessert [CAKE] has meat [LAMB] in it | ||
| 15 | USHERED |
Second-hand clothes that woman showed (7)
|
| Second hand [USED] clothes [around] that woman [HER] | ||
| 17 |
See 5 Down
|
|
| 20 | LABRADOR |
Animal moving abroad in both directions (8)
|
| Anag (“moving”) ABROAD in both directions [L & R] | ||
| 22 | LEGACY |
What’s left on a cemetery’s borders (6)
|
| On [cricket direction = LEG] on a [A] cemetery’s borders [CY] | ||
| 23 | WAGNER |
Noted German charioteer losing wheel (6)
|
| Charioteer [WAGONER] losing wheel [O] | ||
| 25 | BEHEMOTH |
Giant insects, one of them biting Henry (8)
|
| Insects [BEE and MOTH] one of them biting [around] Henry [H] | ||
| 26 | POSEIDON |
God may be seen as model, I assume (8)
|
| Model [POSE] I assume [DON] | ||
| 27 | DOOSRA |
Busy road blocked by enormous delivery (6)
|
| Anag (“busy”) ROAD blocked by [around] enormous [OS = oversize]
A Doosra is a type of cricket bowling action |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1/2 | NICHOLAS BREAKSPEAR |
Old Pope, born in Britain, not in Germany, rejecting tea we hear, also fresh fruit after short holidays (8,10)
|
| Not in Germany [NICHT] rejecting tea we hear [no “T”] also fresh [anag ALSO] fruit [PEAR] after short holidays [BREAKS] | ||
| 3 | CANARY |
Singer may not always be the same when losing voice at the start (6)
|
| May not always be the same [CAN VARY] losing voice at the start [- V] | ||
| 4 | JUSTICE |
Union Jack raised by Reform MP after last of migrants will get what is fair (7)
|
| Union Jack [U J] raised [upside down] by Reform MP [TICE] after last of migrants [S] | ||
| 5/17 | LANGUAGE TEACHER |
For example Dutch PM, after consuming light meal, dismisses that person in education (8,7)
|
| Dutch [LANGUAGE] PM [THATCHER] dismisses [removes] THAT after consuming [around] light meal [TEA] | ||
| 6 | BRUT |
Dry, only letting in a minimum of rain (4)
|
| Only [BUT] letting in [around] a minimum of rain [R] | ||
| 7 | HIJACK |
Appropriate greeting to sailor (6)
|
| Greeting to sailor = “HI JACK” | ||
| 14 | BACKGAMMON |
Explosive stuff stored in Goodison, evacuated after second game (10)
|
| Explosive stuff [AMMO] stored [inside] Goodison evacuated [G N] after second [BACK] | ||
| 16 | ELDORADO |
Animated explorer and daughter impressed by band from Birmingham, a place of fabulous wealth (8)
|
| Animated explorer [DORA] and daughter [D] impressed by [inside] band from Birmingham [ELO] | ||
| 18 | ET CETERA |
Essential part of sweetcorn, and there’s a lot more (2,6)
|
| Essential (middle) part of SWEETCORN = ETC | ||
| 19 | PRO BONO |
Expert pop star not being paid (3,4)
|
| Expert [PRO] pop star [BONO] | ||
| 21 | AMAZON |
A place where you may get lost endlessly on a river. (6)
|
| A place where you may get lost [A MAZE] endlessly [= A MAZ] on [ON] | ||
| 22 | LAHNDA |
It’s spoken in Pakistan, half of Laos and oddly Hungary on top of that (6)
|
| Half of Laos [LA] oddly Hungary [HNA] on top of that [D] | ||
| 24 | NYES |
Initially not sure they’re collections of 10s (4)
|
| Initially not {N] sure [YES] |
Not easy at all. A few unknowns in the solutions and some rather tricky constructions. I rather ran out of steam attempting to parse the enormous clue for the Pope – who is one of the unknowns. If I have encountered DOOSRA before, it is only in a crossword and I never quite sorted out the ordering of the elements in LAHNDA so not a great morning’s work. Still, it is good to be humbled on occasion so thanks to the setter and to Leedsclimber for making sense of what I could not.
Lahnda – LA(os) H (Hungary) DNA (anagram of and)
Oops. NDA not DNA
I can’t remember the last time I have struggled so much with a puzzle not set by a notoriously difficult compiler. When I finally googled Nicholas Breakspear, the headline of the article was “the Pope few people have heard of”
Tough to solve and parsing was jolly tricky for a number of them. Worthy of a prize puzzle.
The pope has various things named after him near me so was first in without even reading the whole clue. The rest was hard, though. LANGUAGE TEACHER has 5 checking letters for a 15 letter solution. That’s very unfriendly. Enjoyed DOOSRA, revealed LAHNDA.
A dedli-bore.
More AI, artificial insemination, with the setter using IT rather than IQ.
A truly awful puzzle.
Tough but very fair and good to see Dalibor back.
Balls& @7, I think you’ve sunk to a new low.
Although I have ticks for 13a, 20a, 25a, 14d (being a player myself) and especially 18d, I didn’t enjoy this.
22d and 27a look like Corner Painting to me.
I thought tough but mostly fair. I never would have guessed UJ was an ok abbreviation for Union Jack and I have no idea who the presumed xenophobic MP is, so that eluded me.
American crosswording helped with Dora and the clambake so maybe they’re not a waste of my time after all. (Yes, they are.)
Thanks both.
Pete @ 11
I think you have to view them separately: U = union, eg in many labour organisation abbreviations, and J = Jack in cards.
Didn’t quite finish, but 1/2 was more or less my first in. He’s a piee of trivia I picked up a long time ago.