Crosphile is occupying the Tuesday slot this week, on what tends to be theme day.
I enjoyed this puzzle immensely. I found it to be of medium difficulty on the Indy spectrum, so ideal for a mid-week slot for solver and blogger alike. There was also a lot to get one’s teeth into, with cultural references in abundance (8, 12, 20, 22) and some new words for me to learn along the way (11, 22, 27). I am relatively happy with my parsing, but I would appreciate confirmation at 1A, 12 and 21D.
As I completed the puzzle, I was thinking that chess was our theme, since we had 14A, 21A and 8, but then I have decided that “black and white” must be it, as encapsulated by the clue at 22, and of which chess is part and also piano keys at 1D and 26. There may be other examples that I have missed.
As for my favourite clues today, I rather liked 9, for smoothness of surface; 22, for the thematic popular culture reference; and 30, for intricacy of construction.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
|
||
| 1 | IN TRUTH |
Certainly a lowish bid by girl (2,5)
|
| 1NT (=lowish bid, in bridge, i.e. One No Trump) + RUTH (=girl, i.e. female forename) | ||
| 5 | PERFECT |
Undamaged monitor about to be sent back inside (7)
|
| PREFECT (=monitor, in school); “about (=re, i.e. regarding) to be sent back” means letters “re” within the word are sent back | ||
| 9 | OPEN SEA |
The main writers in Donegal oddly unrepresented (4,3)
|
| PENS (=writers, i.e. writing implements) in <d>O<n>E<g>A<l> (“oddly unrepresented” means that all odd letters are dropped) | ||
| 10 | EXTREME |
Master enters Exeter prepared for highest degree (7)
|
| M (=master, as in MA, etc) in *(EXETER); “prepared” is anagram indicator | ||
| 11 | YERBA |
Mashed barley left out as herbal drink (5)
|
| *(BAR<l>EY); “left (=L) out” means letter “l” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “mashed”; yerba is Paraguay tea or maté | ||
| 12 | BREVE |
A long note to inspire read out by Winstone (5)
|
| Homophone of “breathe (=to inspire)” in a Cockney accent, i.e. “read out by (London-born actor Ray) Winstone” | ||
| 13 | TEA |
Drink to consume when cycling (3)
|
| EAT (=to consume); “when cycling” means last letter moves to front of word | ||
| 14 | BLACK |
Maybe thiamine deficiency is dismal (5)
|
| Cryptically, since thiamine is vitamin B1, “B lack” could be “maybe thiamine deficiency”; a black outlook would be dismal, depressing | ||
| 15 | ALGA |
It’s found in coal gas and seaweed (4)
|
| Hidden (“it’s found in”) in “coAL GAs” | ||
| 17 | SWAT |
Bring short strap back and wallop (4)
|
| TAWS<e> (=strap, for inflicting corporal punishment; “short” means last letter is dropped); “back” indicates reversal | ||
| 19 | TASK |
Time to beg for a job (4)
|
| T (=time) + ASK (=to beg) | ||
| 20 | IDOL |
Said Python is a graven image (4)
|
| Homophone (“said”) of “(Eric) Idle (=Python, one of the Monty Python British comedy group)” | ||
| 21 | WHITE |
Pasty initially expelled after a tiny bit (5)
|
| WHIT (=a tiny bit, smallest amount of) + E<xpelled> (“initially” means first letter only); someone who is pasty-faced looks very pale, white | ||
| 23 | EYE |
First person to be caught in part of storm (3)
|
| Homophone (“to be caught”) of “I (=first person, in grammar)” | ||
| 25 | CHESS |
Parts of foot missing in second contest with men (5)
|
| <in>CHES (=part of foot, i.e. imperial measure of length; “missing in” means letters “in” are dropped) + S (=second); chess is a contest with men, i.e. chess pieces | ||
| 27 | BIHAR |
One harbour in trouble without our Indian state (5)
|
| *(I (=one) + HARB<our>); “without our” means letters “our” are dropped from anagram, indicated by “in trouble”; Bihar is a state in Eastern India | ||
| 29 | OTHELLO |
A board game and some books welcome (7)
|
| OT (=some books, i.e. Old Testament) + HELLO (=welcome, as a greeting) | ||
| 30 | INTENSE |
9 heading off to collect 10 sons – that’s 10 (7)
|
| [TEN (=10, the numeral) + S (=sons)] in <n>INE (=9, the numeral; “heading off” means first letter is dropped); intense is extreme (=entry at 10) | ||
| 31 | FALLACY |
Deceptive appearances? Everyone in fancy dress disheartened (7)
|
| ALL (=everyone) in FA<n>CY (“disheartened” means middle letter is dropped) | ||
| 32 | HARMONY |
Good will or ill, new year follows old (7)
|
| HARM (=ill, misfortune) + O (=old, as in OT) + N (=new) + Y (=year) | ||
| DOWN
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||
| 1 | IVORY |
Girl hangs onto old recipe for a key material (5)
|
| [O (=old, as in OT) + R (=recipe, from Latin)] in IVY (=girl, as in female forename); ivory was traditionally used to make white piano keys | ||
| 2 | TIEBREAKS |
Rave tribe ask about Ecstasy sudden deaths (9)
|
| E (=Ecstasy, the drug) in *(TRIBE ASK); “rave” is anagram indicator; tiebreaks are used as sudden deaths to find a winner in closely fought competitions | ||
| 3 | UNSTACK |
Perhaps loosen carpet round top of stairs and take pile down (7)
|
| S<tairs> (“top of” means first letter only) in UNTACK (=perhaps loosen carpet, i.e. remove tacks holding it down); the “pile” of the definition refers to a heap, stack | ||
| 4 | HEADBOARD |
A bed scattered with stash around its top part (9)
|
| *(A BED) in HOARD (=stash, cache); “scattered” is anagram indicator; a headboard is the top part of a bed | ||
| 5 | PIECE |
Serenity’s heard – Moonlight Sonata perhaps (5)
|
| Homophone (“heard”) of “peace (=serenity)”; Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata perhaps is a piece of music | ||
| 6 | ROTTER |
Swine from E Devon waterway? (6)
|
| R (=River) Otter could be described as an “E Devon waterway”; a rotter is a swine, a cur | ||
| 7 | EXERT |
Strain of electronic glam rock band turned up (5)
|
| E (=electronic) + XERT (T.REX=glam rock band, formed in 1967; “turned up” indicates vertical reversal); to strain is to put pressure on, exert | ||
| 8 | THE CASTLE |
Initially cornered 25 5D in Kafka’s work (3,6)
|
| The castle (or rook) is an “initially cornered chess (=entry at 25) piece (=entry at 5D)”, meaning that it starts a game in the corner of the board; The Castle is a 1926 novel by the German-language writer Franz Kafka | ||
| 14 | BETTER OFF |
Richer gambler on his way (6,3)
|
| BETTER (=gambler) + OFF (=on his way, away) | ||
| 16 | GOLDSMITH |
Metal worker to work with large medal hit when cast (9)
|
| GO (=to work, function) + L (=large, in sizes) + DSM (=medal, i.e. Distinguished Service Medal) + *(HIT); “when cast (=thrown)” is anagram indicator | ||
| 18 | WEIGH INTO |
Attack entrance to broadcast (5,4)
|
| Homphone (“broadcast”) of “way-in (=entrance) to” | ||
| 21 | WEBSTER |
Webmaster’s expurgated lexicographer (7)
|
| WEB<ma>STER; “expurgated” here seems to suggest that some middle letters are dropped; the reference is to US lexicographer Noah Webster (1758-1943) | ||
| 22 | SCILLA |
A small bloomer from soprano Miss 14A (originally Miss 21A) (6)
|
| S (=soprano) + CILLA (=Miss Black (=entry at 14A), originally Miss White (=entry at 21A), referring to Liverpudlian singer and TV compere Cilla Black (1943-2015), born Priscilla White); a scilla is any plant of the squill genus of the lily family | ||
| 24 | ETHEL |
Some toe the line for noble girl (5)
|
| Hidden (“some”) in “toE THE Line”; the forename Ethel means “of noble lineage”, hence “noble girl” | ||
| 26 | EBONY |
Term for structure of skeleton – a key material (5)
|
| <structur>E (“term for” means last letter only) + BONY (=of skeleton); ebony was traditionally used to make black piano keys | ||
| 28 | REEDY |
Around yard stags like marshy grasses (5)
|
| Y (=yard, in Chambers) + DEER (=stags); “around” indicates reversal |
I enjoyed this as well – a bit of a tussle and a reasonably unobtrusive theme. However, I am confused by the addition of the word ‘dress’ in 31A: it seems superfluous, or am I missing something?
Regardless, thank you to both setter and blogger.
Certainly enough to chew on for a tuesday morning, for what it’s worth I concur with RR’s parsing at 1,12 and 21. I enjoyed the WEIGH INTO homophone.
Spotted the theme as probably black and white, but since the associated entries were not that prevalent didn’t help much. OTHELLO is a board game using black and white pieces and TEA could be said to come in both versions.
Thank you Crosophile and RR
the song Ebony & Ivory also contains the lyrics “Perfect Harmony”
trying to find other contrasts here, maybe Truth/Fallacy…?
I suppose dress is there to show that all is “dressed” in “fa(n)cy” and for a better surface. WEIGH INTO was good and nice to see a less common river. There are Black and White seas, as well.