The usual jaunty fun from Moo
I was not 100% sure whether my explanations for 13A, 25A, and 28A captured all the nuances, but I think I got the gist.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CANNIBAL |
Might one introduce you unhappily to pot? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition, “pot” here being a cooking pot | ||
| 5 | CALLAS |
Reportedly unfeeling member of Soprano family? (6)
|
| Homophone of (reportedly) CALLOUS (unfeeling), referring to Maria Callas, with a capitalization misdirection and a whimsical definition | ||
| 9 | TURMERIC |
Male recruit possibly becoming cook’s assistant? (8)
|
| Anagram of (possibly) {M (male) + RECRUIT}, with a whimsical definition | ||
| 10 | GORGON |
Formidable woman knocking back no booze (6)
|
| {NO + GROG (booze)} all reversed (knocking back) | ||
| 12 | A DOG’S LIFE |
Biography of a boxer? It’s not much fun (1,4,4)
|
| Cryptic/double definition, with “boxer” referring to a breed of dog | ||
| 13 | OPTIC |
To which landlord may raise glass, a little brandy in it? (5)
|
| I think this is just: Cryptic definition, Optic being “a device attached to an inverted bottle for measuring alcoholic liquid dispensed,” according to Chambers | ||
| 14 | NAME |
Syndicate member held in Latin American (4)
|
| Hidden in (held in) [LATI]N AME[RICA], here specifically referring to “a member of an underwriting syndicate in Lloyds insurance market,” according to Chambers | ||
| 16 | PISSOIR |
Place to go in Paris? (7)
|
| Cryptic definition, “go” here meaning “urinate” | ||
| 19 | EYEBROW |
Feature of Cockney intellectual, one might say (7)
|
| Homophone of (one might say) ‘IGHBROW (Cockney intellectual, i.e., unaspirated “highbrow”) | ||
| 21 | WAYS |
In conversation carefully considers strategies (4)
|
| Homophone of (in conversation) WEIGHS (carefully considers) | ||
| 24 | REEVE |
Turn back European official (5)
|
| VEER (turn) reversed (back) + E (European) | ||
| 25 | OUT AND OUT |
Completely stumped, perhaps more than once (3,3,3)
|
| OUT (stumped, perhaps, as in cricket, I believe), with “more than once” indicating doubling | ||
| 27 | OPENED |
Began wordy book about US prison (6)
|
| OED (“wordy book”) around (about) PEN (US [slang for] prison) | ||
| 28 | PEA GREEN |
Author acquiring suit — of this description? (3,5)
|
| PEN (author) around (acquiring) AGREE (suit). The wordplay is clear enough, but I am not quite sure how the clue leads specifically to this solution. Are authors generally known for wearing green suits? | ||
| 29 | ESTATE |
Accommodated in Budapest, a terrific capital (6)
|
| Hidden in (accommodated in) [BUDAP]EST A TE[RRIFIC] | ||
| 30 | ESTRANGE |
Alienate troublesome sergeant (8)
|
| Anagram of (troublesome) SERGEANT | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CATNAP |
Rest about to blow on way north (6)
|
| CA (about) + PANT (to blow) inverted (on way north) | ||
| 2 | NARROW |
Strict new head of house expelled from school (6)
|
| N (new) + [H]ARROW (school) minus (expelled from) first letter of (head of) H[OUSE] | ||
| 3 | IDEAS |
More than one notion of almost perfect society (5)
|
| IDEA[L] (perfect) minus last letter (almost) + S (society) | ||
| 4 | ASININE |
Silly American cardinal crossing island the wrong way (7)
|
| {A (American) + NINE (cardinal [number])} around (crossing) IS. (island) inverted (the wrong way) | ||
| 6 | AMOROUSLY |
Treat a surly Moo in loving fashion? (9)
|
| Anagram of (treat) A SURLY MOO | ||
| 7 | LEGATION |
Cheers up, being amongst many diplomatic staff (8)
|
| TA (cheers) inverted (up) inside (being amongst) LEGION (many) | ||
| 8 | SINECURE |
Cushy job, at home in safe surroundings (8)
|
| IN (at home) inside (in . . . surroundings) SECURE (safe) | ||
| 11 | PERP |
A priest’s the one who did it (4)
|
| PER (a) + P (priest) | ||
| 15 | AGREEMENT |
Teenager Mike breaking pact (9)
|
| Anagram of (breaking) {TEENAGER + M (Mike)} | ||
| 17 | FEARSOME |
Fellow auditor a little frightening (8)
|
| F (fellow) + EAR (auditor) + SOME (a little) | ||
| 18 | VEHEMENT |
Somehow even the married can be passionate! (8)
|
| Anagram of (somehow) {EVEN THE + M (married)} | ||
| 20 | WOOF |
Pay court to female, as setter does (4)
|
| WOO (pay court to) + F (female), “setter” referring to a breed of dog | ||
| 21 | WITLESS |
Stupid spectator having change of heart (7)
|
| WIT[N]ESS (spectator) altering the central letter to L (having a change of heart) | ||
| 22 | GOVERN |
Run about in garden on vacation (6)
|
| OVER (about) inside (in) outside letters of (on vacation) G[ARDE]N | ||
| 23 | STANCE |
Way political party initially exploits position (6)
|
| ST (way) + ANC (political party, i.e., African National Congress) + first letter of (initially) E[XPLOITS] | ||
| 26 | NIGER |
Keeling over in German river? (5)
|
| IN inverted (keeling over) + GER. (German) |
Some clever misdirection here such as in CANNIBAL, CATNAP, GOVERN and PERP. Liked OPENED too.
Moo so frequently makes reference to the odd shrew or termagant that I was on the lookout for one and lo, we have GORGON!
Still, it was an enjoyable, moderately teasing puzzle so thanks to Moo and
Cineraria for a great blog. I share your parsings of 13a (pub landlord has to raise the glass as the spirit bottles are usually inverted at a higher level behind the bar) and 25a but like you don’t really see what’s going on with the ‘peagreen’ suit – I can only picture peas in a pod. No doubt someone will give us a fitting explanation.
OUT AND OUT
I think Cineraria’s parsing is correct. There doesn’t seem to be any loose ends.
PEA GREEN
I have the same question. Maybe there’s some backstory to PEA GREEN suits!
OPTIC
The only semblance of WP I see is PT (a little brandy) or PT 1 (one pint, if you stretch it a bit).
Unable to see any WP in OC or OIC (or CO/CIO if raised). Or PT or PTI could be just in it (OPTIC).
A CD with a partial WP. I am not fully convinced about the parsing I am offering. 🙂
Thanks Moo and Cineraria.
An interesting mix of easy and difficult, amusing and perplexing.
I liked NAME, WITLESS, VEHEMENT, FEARSOME, WOOF, and OUT AND OUT
I too did not understand OPTIC or the definition of PEA GREEN.
That aside, it went quickly until the NW corner, where I struggled. It took ages for me to see CATNAP, held up by a reversal and neither I nor my dictionary knowing it as a single word. I could not solve PERP and another couple of hours staring would not have helped me with this unknown word. There were also a couple of pretty remote cryptic clues. In particular I do not think TURMERIC can fairly be called a cook’s assistant
Thanks Moo and Cineraria
Me@2 contd…
OPTIC
On second thoughts, this seems to be a cryptic def with no WP. Pint/PT doesn’t seem to fit in.
Solvable but the vague ones noted by others meant it wasn’t totally satisfying. Still, I liked Woof, and many more. Thanks both.
Yep, no idea on 28, no owls, pussycats or boats …
KVa@4: I agree it’s just a cryptic def. The first six words would probably suffice, but the reference to brandy (and the concluding question mark) is presumably to indicate that an optic dispenses spirits. (Re. your musings @2: a pint of brandy would hardly be a little one!)
PEA GREEN: I had the same initial thought as grantinfreo@6, but it didn’t get me anywhere. Unless there’s a reference yet to be revealed, “Author acquires suit in this colour” might have provoked less debate.
Great surfaces for SINECURE and VEHEMENT. I wondered if CANNIBAL was also Cannib(is) Al(as)?
Thanks Moo and Cineraria
1ac: I wondered when solving whether the word “pot” in the clue might be a reference to cannabis, but none of my print dictionaries gives the alternative spelling of that word required for the suggestion by Petert@8.
11dn: I cannot help wondering why Moo chose the word PERP to block the corridor between NW and NE corners, when there are so many other words that would fit the two checked letters. Personally I dislike grids which split into quarters with single links joining them. Give me a well-connected grid like yesterday’s any day.
Probably refers to
The Owl and the Pussycat (1871)
The very first line references it:
“The Owl and the Pussycat went to sea / In a beautiful pea-green boat”
The comments about PERP are interesting. This is a common enough word in the US (short for “perpetrator”), as is the prosecutorial phenomenon of the “perp walk.”
I think that the reference to “pot” was simply a clever misdirection to “cannabis,” as a wrong solution.
Cbseattle@10: I think grantinfreo@6 and I were aware of that but couldn’t see its relevance. A clue about an author acquiring a boat would have been a different matter.
Re 28A, although I’m sure this is unlikely to be MOO’s intention, one could make an argument for ‘Sea Green’ as there are several authors named Sen.
Not the most enjoyable of solves. We didn’t like the unindicated Americanism of PERP (NHO anyway), PISSOIR was hardly cryptic and PEA-GREEN seems too much like a ‘green-car’ clue. And, of course there was the unhelpful grid.
Thanks, Cineraria, for the blog but sorry, Moo, this didn’t float our (pea-green?) boat.
Thanks Cineraria@11 for the extra info on PERP. It is possible I have heard it without noticing. (I seem to have been the last person in the English-speaking world to hear the ugly “merch”). I will listen out PERP in future.
I agree with Cineraria @11 on both counts; the misdirection for ‘pot’ (and why I liked this clue) and ‘perp’. Pretty or not, I should have thought this was so well-known as to not require an indication of an Americanism – or perhaps I’ve watched/read too many police dramas!