We once again get the customary broad range of clues from Slormgorm today.
I don’t think anything was unduly difficult, but there were more than a few quite clever constructions involved.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | TRAVERSE |
Oblique creative work written about poetry (8)
|
| ART (creative work) reversed (written about) + VERSE (poetry) | ||
| 5 | CANCEL |
Axe discovered in Incan cellar (6)
|
| Hidden in (discovered in) [IN]CAN CEL[LAR] | ||
| 10 | UNCLEAR |
Relative with a touch of rheumatism is not easy to see (7)
|
| UNCLE (relative) + A + first letter of (touch of) R[HEUMATISM] | ||
| 11 | EARDRUM |
Vibrator heard rumbling for a while (7)
|
| Hidden in (for a while) [H]EARD RUM[BLING], with a slightly cryptic definition | ||
| 12 | TELEGENIC |
Genteel criminal I see coming across well on TV (9)
|
| Anagram of (criminal) GENTEEL + I + C (see) | ||
| 13 | SHADY |
Extremely stylish topless woman out of The Sun? (5)
|
| Outside letters of (extremely) S[TYLIS]H + [L]ADY (woman) minus first letter (topless), with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 15 | NURSE |
Tend to swear after getting caught out by knight (5)
|
| [C]URSE (swear) exchanging (after getting . . . out by) N (knight) for C (caught) | ||
| 16 | CALAMARI |
Squid Game essentially must stop racial casting (8)
|
| Inside letters of (essentially) [G]AM[E] inside (must stop) anagram of (casting) RACIAL | ||
| 19 | ETON MESS |
Sweet comment about Slormgorm seems sincere… initially (4,4)
|
| NOTE (comment) reversed (about) + ME (Slormgorm) + first letters of (initially) S[EEMS] + S[INCERE] | ||
| 20 | TEETH |
Offensive husband collaring European canines? (5)
|
| {TET (Offensive, in the Vietnam War) + H (husband)} around (collaring) E (European) | ||
| 21 | SHRUG |
Display indifference if horse wears small wig (5)
|
| H (horse) inside (wears) {S (small) + RUG (wig)} | ||
| 23 | IGNORAMUS |
Dope provided by Maori with snug pants (9)
|
| Anagram of (pants) {MAORI + SNUG} | ||
| 25 | GENITAL |
General one left to surround old army of privates (7)
|
| GEN. (general) + {I (one) + L (left)} around (to surround) TA (old army, now known as the Army Reserve) | ||
| 27 | PLANNER |
Architect heading to LA to open unopened bridge? (7)
|
| I think this parses as: First letter of (heading to) L[A] inside (to open) [S]PANNER (bridge?) minus first letter (unopened). As near as I can tell, this usage of SPANNER, in the sense of “something that spans,” is rare, compared to the much more common SPAN. | ||
| 28 | SOWING |
Broadcasting company’s finally in the red (6)
|
| Last letter of (finally) [COMPANY’]S + OWING (in the red) | ||
| 29 | GLEE CLUB |
Oh Boy! bags large hit for US vocal group (4,4)
|
| {GEE (Oh boy!) around (bags) L (large)} + CLUB (hit) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | TAUNTING |
Time the BBC cut back on no-good provocations? (8)
|
| T (time) + AUNTI[E] (the BBC) minus last letter (cut back) + NG (no good) | ||
| 2 | ACCELERATOR |
Cereal Croat reinvented can cause gas (11)
|
| Anagram of (reinvented) CEREAL CROAT, as in “step on the gas [pedal]” | ||
| 3 | EVERGREEN |
Staying fresh and vital or always off-colour? (9)
|
| EVER (always) + GREEN (off-colour, cryptically, as in “nauseated,” when feeling off) | ||
| 4 | SIREN |
Alluring female trying to get a Jack on the rocks? (5)
|
| Cryptic definition, a “Jack” here referring to a sailor | ||
| 6 | ACRES |
A large amount of ale can ruin especially stodgy starters (5)
|
| First letters of (starters [of]) A[LE] C[AN] R[UIN] E[SPECIALLY] S[TODGY] | ||
| 7 | COR |
My middle is devoid of muscle ultimately (3)
|
| COR[E] (middle) minus (is devoid of) last letter of (ultimately) [MUSCL]E | ||
| 8 | LIMEY |
I’m surprised after bishop knocked out sailor (5)
|
| [B]LIMEY (I’m surprised) minus (after . . . knocked out) B (bishop) | ||
| 9 | HERCULES |
This chap manages to choke foremost of cats! (8)
|
| &lit and HE (this chap) + {RULES (manages) around (to choke) first letter of (foremost of) C[ATS]}, referring to the slaying of the Nemean lion | ||
| 14 | AIR TERMINAL |
Where some go to get high in trailer Ma converted (3,8)
|
| Anagram of (converted) IN TRAILER MA, with a slightly cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | CREDIBLE |
The King’s fit to be taken for trustworthy (8)
|
| CR (The King) + EDIBLE (fit to be taken) | ||
| 17 | MOTORCADE |
Film a spinster for Spooner in parade of cars (9)
|
| Spoonerism of COAT (film) A MAID (a spinster) | ||
| 18 | THE SCRUB |
Schubert composed in a remote place, according to an Aussie (3,5)
|
| Anagram of (composed) SCHUBERT | ||
| 21 | SAGES |
Wise men first appearing in stable by donkeys (5)
|
| First letter of (first appearing in) S[TABLE] + AGES (donkeys, Cockney for “donkey’s ears”). Should this properly have an apostrophe? | ||
| 22 | GET ON |
Board or fare (3,2)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | NEPAL |
Regularly need to have Bud as a state (5)
|
| Alternate letters of (regularly) N[E]E[D] + PAL (bud), with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 26 | NEW |
Fresh at the moment (making love close to fridge) (3)
|
| N[O]W (at the moment), exchanging (making) last letter of (close to) [FRIDG]E for O (love) |
I agree this was not overly difficult, but it did require thought in more than one place and so took a bit of time. I liked the broad range of clues you mentioned.
I ticked THE SCRUB, GLEE CLUB and CANCEL. I could not parse SAGES (I did not see donkeys = AGES) otherwise all done.
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria
Martyn@1: According to Wikipedia, it was renamed in October 2012.
Interesting and quite digestible. We Aussies are more likely to refer to remote areas as the bush rather than the scrub. I thought the definition for ACCELERATOR was a bit loose.
Good fun.
GDO@3, I concur…2(d), ACCELERATOR. May be, “cause more”, or “generate more”?
27(ac), I felt “SPANNER” was slightly a bridge too far, but in crypto-land, fair enough.
21(d), no apostrophe needed, for me: “I haven’t seen you for/in donkeys” is how I would write it.
This is an excellent puzzle, too many examples of crafty setting to list. The link of 7(d) and 8(d), that is to say, “COR BLIMEY”, is a winner.
HERCULES, 9(d), too, is some feat; very clever stuff.
Satisfied customer here, no refund requested, great job, slormgorm & cineraria
Like others who have commented here, I don’t understand how 2D works. I cannot find any dictionary justification for “gas”, without more, to be a meaning of ACCELERATOR. Further, I don’t see how “can” could act as a link between wordplay and definition. So it seems that we are have to accept “can cause gas” as the defintion. But how might that provide for an answer which is a noun? I should find something such as “can use more gas” (in the spirit of Ian’s suggestion at #4) to be similarly questionable.
Put your foot on the gas/accelerator? I think either word can refer to the pedal. HERCULES was a brilliant clue.
Peter#6 Collins defines “step on the gas” as “accelerate”, but seems a big stretch from there to equating “gas” with “accelerator” and I’ve not found any dictionary support for it. No doubt Pelham B will say if I’m wrong.
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria
27ac: Noting the question mark on the end of the clue, I think we can take “spanner” for “bridge?” as analogous to the time honoured “flower” for “river”. I cannot find that definition for flower explicitly in the standard dictionaries.
2dn: ODE 2010 p 722 has the noun gas (2) as North American informal short for gasoline and continues that definition with “used in reference to power or the accelerator of a car: I ordered my friend to step on the gas“. Is a well-established metonym sufficient to use as a definition in a crossword?
Comment #9
21D – I am so pleased to see Cockney rhyming slang used correctly for once!
All too often the entire rhyme is quoted, which defeats its original purpose.
People often say “donkey’s years” but the correct usage is just “donkeys”.
Properly “donkey” = “year”, so the lack of an apostrophe is correct.
Well done Slormgorm!
Never, ever heard of a glee club, my LOI
I seem to be alone in finding this type of clue annoying, because I spent ages trying to find an answer I had heard of……
Enjoyed Sowing
Progressed steadily with this one, but then got stuck in the bottom right hand corner for a while, with Motorcade and Planner also proving stubborn. I could see Planner, but couldn’t for a long time see why it was the answer.
Moly@11
In. my youth I was lucky enough to hear the Yale Glee Club which was fun.Glee Clubs seem to be quite common in US universities .
Thanks Slormgorm and Cineraria. Excellent puzzle and blog.
Btw the Yale Glee Club is called the Wiffenpoofs. Funny name.
PB@8 I thought you might be able to suggest a way forward here. Prompted by the North American reference you cited I looked in the online Merriam Webster, and there, under the heading “gas”, is listed “GASOLINE, also the accelerator pedal of an automotive vehicle”. OK for a British crossword then if a NA usage indication is provided.