4 puzzles for the price of one
The grid design for this puzzle led to there being four mini-puzzles with limited interconnectivity.
Although it was ultimately not that difficult, it took a while to get started, and even then, with the notable exception of 3d, many of the crossing letters were common ones.
Some people won’t like “indeed” in 31 ac, but I’m genuinely ambiguous about it.
I did like the misdirection in 12a.
LOI was 22dn, which took me an inordinate amount of time to parse for some reason.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SCRAPE | Fight egghead’s corner (tight one) (6) |
| SCRAP + E(gg) | ||
| 4 | ASTEROID | Rock in space producing a performance-enhancing drug (8) |
| A + STEROID | ||
| 9 | REVERE | Soldiers always included in honour (6) |
| EVER in R.E. (“soldiers” = Royal Emgineers) | ||
| 10 | FUNEREAL | Dismal end of marriage – authentic amusement comes first (8) |
| FUN + (marriag)E + REAL | ||
| 11 | BESIDE | Next to ancient historian embracing metrical measures (6) |
| (The Venerable) BEDE “embracing” SI (as in SI units) | ||
| 12 | PURULENT | Pussy’s reign aboard boat? (8) |
| RULE “aboard” BOAT
Think “pussy”, as in “discharging pus” rather than the cute kitten here. |
||
| 13, 25 | TIP-TOP | Class A drug, mine, going west (3-3) |
| <=POT PIT | ||
| 14 | ENOUGH | One reflected on expression of disgust – basta! (6) |
| <=ONE + UGH | ||
| 17 | MISSION | Undertaking not entirely lost without love (7) |
| MISSIN(g) “about” 0 | ||
| 21 | PEDANT | Nit-picker to kiss and cuddle, adopting fighter’s standard (6) |
| PET (“kiss and cuddle”) “adopting” DAN (“fighter’s standard”)
From WIkipedia – In Judo, improvement and understanding of the art is denoted by a system of ranks split into kyu and dan grades. |
||
| 25 | See 13 | |
| 26 | LORDSHIP | Authority ground with it (8) |
| LORDS (cricket “ground”) + HIP (“with it”) | ||
| 27 | WRITER | More ironic about Taiwan’s principal author (6) |
| WRIER “about” T(aiwan) | ||
| 28 | TRECENTO | Fresh in to the fourteenth century (8) |
| T(RECENT)O
Trecento – the 14th century, especially when referring to Italian culture and art. |
||
| 29 | STUCCO | Plaster saint’s secret return left out (6) |
| S + <=OCCU(l)T | ||
| 30 | HELIPORT | Her pilot, going astray, finds somewhere to land (8) |
| *(her pilot) | ||
| 31 | ACCEPT | Take possession of mushroom, indeed? (6) |
| CEP (“mushroom”) in ACT (“deed”)
I’m on the fence about the use of “indeed” here. Some hate this device, others don’t mind it. |
||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SCRUBBER | Dirty lady becoming cleaner? (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 2 | REVISION | What students do with greater volume turned up, stifling volume (8) |
| <=NOISIER “stifling” V | ||
| 3 | PARADIGM | Projector’s original diagram generates template (8) |
| P(rojector) + *(diagram) | ||
| 5 | SHUT UP | Shillings and pence keeping member of ethnic group quiet! (4,2) |
| S (HUTU) P
The Hutu is a group of Bantu people in Rwanda and Burundi |
||
| 6 | EREBUS | Certainly be included, raising hell (6) |
| <=SU(BE)RE
I’m no classics scholar, but I’m not sure Erebus is hell. My understanding is that in Greek mythology, souls had to pass through Erebus to get to Hades. |
||
| 7 | OPENER | Leading batsman’s kitchen utensil (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 8 | DILATE | Swell rendezvous in France he interrupts (6) |
| IL (“in France, he”) “interrupts” DATE | ||
| 12 | PIT STOP | 13 25 a’cross’s novel pause for repair (3,4) |
| *(tip top s) | ||
| 15, 16 | HIP-HOP | Musical genre of 13 25a in which temperatures become hot (3-3) |
| H(t)IP-H(t)OP | ||
| 18 | NEUROTIC | Countries not entirely disordered – psychologically so? (8) |
| *(countrie) | ||
| 19 | PARTICLE | Small component of PA, maybe (8) |
| P + ARTICLE (“A”) | ||
| 20 | START OUT | Get going with champion ticket- seller (5,3) |
| STAR + TOUT | ||
| 22 | GLITCH | Surveillance organisation almost intercepting drunk’s hiccup (6) |
| GCH(q) “intercepting” LIT | ||
| 23 | ORDEAL | Test gold over wood (6) |
| OR + DEAL | ||
| 24 | ASLEEP | Inactive reptile securing shelter (6) |
| ASP “securing” LEE | ||
| 25 | TITTER | Social medium with missing giggle (6) |
| T(w)ITTER | ||
*anagram
Thanks, loonapick.
I really enjoyed this – a great puzzle with some interesting devices. I particularly admired the playing around with 13,25.
I have no objection at all to ‘indeed’ – in fact, I wondered why we didn’t have ‘into’ in 28ac: it might make more grammatical sense.
Re EREBUS: it is, strictly, between Earth and Hades but it’s often figuratively identified with Hell.
Even after blogging pus = matter just the other day, I still stared for ages at 12ac before a very loud pdm [and a chortle]. It has to be my favourite but I also liked PARTICLE and the plaster saint.
Many thanks, as ever, to Dogberry for the fun.
I’m with Eileen on this one. 12ac made me laugh,too!
Thank you Dogberry & loonapick.
Thanks loonapick and Dogberry!
Great puzzle! Dogberry (as Shed, too) always delivers good stuff without fanfare!
Tip-top and Hip-Hop!!
Thanks Dogberry and loonapick.
I too enjoyed this game of four halves. The SW was last for me to fall too.
Had no problem with “indeed” at 31 and I also very much liked the 13/25 18/16 play.
GLITCH was my penultimate solution. To me the inclusion indicator reads the wrong way which caused the hold up. Once that fell it allowed me to work out, and then look up to confirm, TRECENTO – which was new to me.
Thanks Dogberry and loonapick
It’s been quite a while since doing a Dogberry puzzle from any of the time periods that I’m working in at the moment. This one emphasised why I miss him – really enjoyable. Good variety, some unique thinking (the play with all of the short words in the centre) and the use of that lift / separate trick at 31 (which is a lot more common these days). Liked the misdirection with ‘pussy’. This one took a few sessions to nut out.
Some new learning with TRECENTO, ‘basta’ and GCHQ.
Finished in the SW corner with the same two as Hamish – except the other way round. Not only did I have to get the definition word, but then had to parse it with that organisation that I hadn’t heard of.