A quick post today
Sorry for the brief blog, but I’m about to head out the door for an external meeting.
This was generally enjoyable, with some good clues, and only one small quibble with 1ac.
I struggled to parse 15ac, but that may be because I’m doing this in a bit of a rush.
Thanks, Chalmie.
| Across | ||
| 1, 19 | HOUSE OF CARDS | TV series of course had to be edited before screening starts (5,2,5) |
| *(of course had) + S(creening)
It’s a shame that OF is in the anagram fodder and the solution. |
||
| 5 | WINDSOR | Follower of 1 across sometimes turns gold (7) |
| (ouse of) WINDSOR and WINDS (“turns”) + OR (“gold”) | ||
| 9 | NICER | It’s subtler to freeze resistance on the end of 19 (5) |
| ICE + R on (ninetee)N | ||
| 10 | RAINPROOF | Music including popular cover won’t get wet (9) |
| RAP “including IN + ROOF | ||
| 11 | OPEN SPACE | Clear area removes top step (4,5) |
| OPENS (“removes top”) + PACE (“step”) | ||
| 12 | RUMBA | Strange bedfellows begin with a dance (5) |
| RUM + B(edfellows) + A | ||
| 13 | TAROT | 19 pitch books (5) |
| TAR (“pitch”) + O.T. (“books” = Old Testament) | ||
| 15 | ADAPTABLE | Excellent spot to hold meet – the French will be flexible (9) |
| Not sure of the parsing of this…
My best guess is APT in A DAB plus LE, but that looks clumsy. Maybe if I had a bit more time… |
||
| 18 | CHRISTMAS | Companion backing Montana teacher as sort of 19 (9) |
| CH (“companion”) + <=MT SIR (“Montana teacher”) + AS | ||
| 19 | See 1 | |
| 21 | MAGMA | German scholars confine molten rock (5) |
| G confined by MA and MA | ||
| 23 | LINE JUDGE | Jingle due for revision by court official (4,5) |
| *(jingle due) | ||
| 25 | OUTSOURCE | Delegate well after being comatose (9) |
| SOURCE after OUT | ||
| 26 | KINGS | 19 volunteers leave receipts (5) |
| (ta)KINGS | ||
| 27 | SHRINKS | Quiet king signs contracts (7) |
| SH (“quiet”) + R (“king”) + INKS (“signs”) | ||
| 28 | SURGEON | Grouse about northern doctor (7) |
| *(grouse) + N | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | HANDOUT | Charity worker dismissed (7) |
| HAND (“worker”) + OUT (“dismissed”) | ||
| 2 | UNCLEARER | Relative heartless warders stripped more in the dark than before (9) |
| UNCLE + (w)AR(d)ER(s) | ||
| 3 | EARNS | Takes home containers, so they say (5) |
| Homophone (at least to some people, although not to me!) of URNS | ||
| 4 | FIRE ALARM | Signal a physical before splitting company (4,5) |
| REAL A “splitting” FIRM | ||
| 5 | WHINE | Graves possibly heard to complain (5) |
| Homophone of WINE (“Graves, possibly”)
Graves is a Bordeaux wine. |
||
| 6 | NEPHRITIC | Organ’s in smash Prince hit (9) |
| *(prince hit)
“Nephritic ” = of the kidneys, so “organ’s” |
||
| 7 | STORM | Controversy as special soldiers invade Turkmenistan (5) |
| S + OR(“soldiers”) invading TM (“Turkmenistan”) | ||
| 8 | REFLATE | Reason for game being delayed causes blow-up again (7) |
| REF LATE, so game is held up? | ||
| 14 | TOSS A COIN | Randomly determine actions – so explosive! (4,1,4) |
| *(toss a coin) | ||
| 16 | ABSENTEES | Article about mad cow disease supports people away (9) |
| AN (“article”) about BSE (“mad cow disease”) + TEES (“support”) | ||
| 17 | BARN DANCE | Crash car banned in country event (4,5) |
| *(car banned) | ||
| 18 | COMMONS | Green benches are seen here after 1 across parks (7) |
| (House of) COMMONS | ||
| 20 | STETSON | Hat to be kept by child (7) |
| STET (“to be kept”) + SON (“child”)
Stet is a proofreader’s mark, meaning “leave as is” |
||
| 22 | GATOR | Partly reviving a torpid swimmer (5) |
| Hidden in “revivinG A TORpid” | ||
| 23 | LORDS | 1 across sometimes seen next to this ground (5) |
| (House of) LORDS an the cricket ground in London | ||
| 24 | JOKER | John Kerry loses footing twice getting to one of 19 (5) |
| JO(hn) KER(ry) | ||
*anagram
@loonapick
I don’t see any prob in your anno for 15 A D(APT)AB LE. Everything works well.
Thanks Chalmie and loonapick
I parsed 15 in the same way as you and Rishi.
Thanks loonapick. I agree that it’s a bit of a blemish that the OF is in the fodder and the solution, but on the other hand, I try to make gateway clues fairly easy because it’s usually bloody annoying when half the clues are impenetrable until you’ve unlocked the gate.
Thanks loonapick and Chalmie.
I agree with your parsing of 15ac, didn’t seem too clumsy to me.
Thanks also to Chalmie for dropping by and your comment above which is appreciated.
I must admit that I do find gateway puzzles pretty annoying when the gateway clue is impenetrable. Because then what happens is that I’m sure many solvers get put off whilst the more experienced among us find a flurry of solutions after some time of head scratching.
I’m sure that the US series with Kevin Spacey was excellent, but have been put off it because of my memories of the original with Ian Richardson as Francis Urquart.
Thanks Chalmie and loonapick
An interesting puzzle with a lot of intricate piecing together of the word play in many of the clues.
ADAPTABLE was a key example where it had to be made from A (excellent) then APT (defined by the archaic word ‘meet’) inside DAB (spot) followed by LE (the French). UNCLEARER was another with the instructions to remove the heart and sides of [w]AR[d]ER[s] to get the last four letters.
There seemed to be a plethora of single letters and abbreviations used throughout as well.
Lots of analysis for a crossword published nearly two years ago, but that is the beauty of them is that they don’t go stale – still around 30 from this period to do.