Tees appears about once a month and for the third puzzle in a row he is stuck with me as the blogger.
I think it’s fair to say that Tees’ puzzles refer to topics that don’t feature in my day to day interests and activities but I’m certainly learning more about literature, mythology and history as a result of blogging and researching his puzzles.
I guess we overlap a bit with a reference to Euclid – he of geometry fame. I’m also comfortable with the concept of REFRACTion. The cricketing clue was no problem.
Having finished deducing all the wordplay, I think the cluing is clear and fair. It’s just my knowledge of certain topics that is lacking. My last one in was TITUS ALONE at 8 down. I was aware of Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast but I didn’t know there were five books in the series, or their titles.
UTHER PENDRAGON I have heard of, but I didn’t know he is considered to be King Arthur’s father. I liked the many component parts of the wordplay in his clue.
I also liked to surface of the clue for MOMENTUM
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Match for Dickens? (7)
|
LUCIFER (match of wood tipped with a combustible substance to be ignited by friction)
|
LUCIFER (Satan; DICKENS can also be defined as the devil) double definition
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5
|
Change light’s direction on river in particular (7)
|
RE (with reference to; about; on) + (R [river] contained in FACT [particular piece of information]) RE F (R) ACT |
REFRACT (deflect rays of light)
|
|
9
|
Ocean flows west to Irish gods (5)
|
SEA (ocean) reversed (flows west) + IR (Irish) AES< IR |
AESIR (Norse gods)
|
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10
|
Rowdy Scots hail old commentator (9)
|
Anagram of (rowdy) SCOTS HAIL SCHOLIAST* |
SCHOLIAST (commentator, especially an ancient [old] commentator on a classical author)
|
|
11
|
Big prop on wing though accompanied by lock (6,8)
|
FLYING (on wing) + BUT (though) + TRESS (lock of hair)
|
FLYING BUTTRESS (arch shaped prop; big prop)
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13
|
Rest in peace as everlasting (4)
|
EASE (hidden word in [in] PEACE AS EVERLASTING)
|
EASE (rest)
|
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14
|
Marine mammal, without female, left home for snail (8) |
(SEAL [marine mammal] containing [without {outside}] SHE [female]) + L (left) SEA (SHE) L L |
SEASHELL (shell of a crustacean; home for a snail)
|
|
17
|
One into gin drunkenly finds point of combustion (8)
|
Anagram of (drunkenly) I (one) INTO GIN IGNITION* |
IGNITION (point of combustion)
|
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18
|
Northern mountain viewed from East in drawing (4)
|
(N [northern] + ALP [high mountain]) all reversed (viewed from the East) (PLA N)< |
PLAN (drawing)
|
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21
|
King in uniform there with knight and lizard seizing power (5,9)
|
U (uniform is the International radio communication codeword for the letter U) + ([THERE + N {knight in chess terminology} + DRAGON {big lizard}] containing [seizing] P [power]) U THER (P) E N DRAGON |
UTHER PENDRAGON (legendary king of sub-Roman Britain and the father of King Arthur)
|
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23
|
Pasta shortly to be cooked with eight for some food (9)
|
Anagram of (to be cooked) PASTA excluding the final letter (shortly) A and EIGHT SPAGHETTI* |
SPAGHETTI (food which just happens to be pasta)
|
|
24
|
Body part temperature given approximately (5)
|
T (temperature) + OR SO (approximately)
|
TORSO (trunk of a human body; body part)
|
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25
|
Mark, joining Liberal Party after consideration, gets title (7)
|
EAR (attention; consideration) + L (Liberal) + DO (party) + M (mark [old German currency])
|
EARLDOM (noble title)
|
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26
|
Bird swallowing managed seconds for journey (7)
|
TIT (any of various kinds of small songbirds) containing (swallowing) (RAN [managed] + S [seconds]) T (RAN S) IT |
TRANSIT (conveyance or passage; journey)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Shakespeare’s king coherent, but losing head (4)
|
CLEAR (coherent) excluding the first letter (losing head) C
|
LEAR (reference Shakespeare’s Tragedy, King LEAR)
|
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2
|
Startlingly clear antithesis for dreamy schemes (7,2,3,3)
|
Anagram of (startlingly) CLEAR ANTITHESIS CASTLES IN THE AIR* |
CASTLES IN THE AIR (imaginary or unrealistic plans, projects or hopes; dreamy schemes)
|
|
3
|
Cooper’s little effort family tree put first (6)
|
FIR (tree) + KIN (family)
|
FIRKIN (measure equal to one-quarter of a barrel; a COOPER is a barrel maker and COOPER can also be defined as a mixture of stout and porter)
|
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4
|
Command to include singular advice for the incompetent? (6)
|
REIGN (command) containing (to include) S (singular) RE (S) IGN |
RESIGN (give up one’s position; suitable advice for an incompetent person currently holding such position)
|
|
5
|
Put in new place on exercise aboard carrier (8)
|
RE (with reference to; about; on) + (USE [exercise] contained in [aboard] HOD [carrier for bricks]) RE HO (USE) D |
REHOUSED (put in new place)
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6
|
Total jerk makes delivery (4,4)
|
FULL (total) + TOSS (jerk as in TOSS / jerk your head)
|
FULL TOSS (descriptive of a bowler’s delivery in cricket where the ball does not bounce before reaching the batsman)
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7
|
In which one imperilled mortal flees war? (1,8,2,4)
|
A (one) + an anagram of (imperilled) MORTAL FLEES WAR A (FAREWELL TO ARMS*) |
A FAREWELL TO ARMS (title of a novel by Ernest Hemingway, set in the First World War where the hero [imperilled mortal] does indeed flee war)
|
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8
|
Book time in LA clubs, perhaps going up together (5,5)
|
(T [time] contained in [in] (LA + SUIT [Clubs is a SUIT in cards]) all reversed (going up; down clue) + ONE (united; together) (TI (T) US AL)< ONE |
TITUS ALONE (title of the fourth work in Melvin Peake’s Gormenghast series; book)
|
|
12
|
What’s to dissolve gradually? See Euclid, flustered, taking question! (10)
|
Anagram of (flustered) SEE EUCLID containing (taking) Q (question) DELI (Q) UESCE* |
DELIQUESCE (melt and become liquid by absorbing moisture)
|
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15
|
Stiffened sailor about to enter hut (8)
|
(TAR [sailor] + C [circa; about]) contained in (to enter) SHED (hut) S (TAR C) HED |
STARCHED (stiffened)
|
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16
|
Corbynites, silent about disastrous sign, close to revolt (8)
|
MUM (silent) containing (about) (OMEN [evil sign [can also be a good sign]) + T [last letter of [close to] REVOLT) M (OMEN T) |
MOMENTUM (British left-wing political organisation that evolved out of support for Jeremy Corbyn’s successful campaign to lead the Labour Party)
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19
|
Person abusing horse for example (6)
|
ADDICT (one who is a slave to a habit or vice; e.g. a drug ADDICT))
|
ADDICT (horse is a slang term for heroin, so one who abuses horse is a drug ADDICT) cryptic definition
|
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20
|
Prayer from crew of capsized craft (6)
|
MAN (crew) + (ART [craft] reversed [capsized; down clue]) MAN TRA< |
MANTRA (prayer)
|
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22
|
Suffering sons put to bed? (4)
|
S (sons) contained in (put to) COT (bed) CO (S) T |
COST (suffering)
|
Quite difficult for me and failed to solve 9a (I wonder if they live in Asgard, another ‘crossword-land’ word), 10a and 8d which were all unfamiliar though potentially gettable from the wordplay. Lots of clues which were both fun and satisfying to solve including FULL TOSS, SEASHELL and the ‘King’ in 21a. My favourite though was 7d, which I think qualifies as a ‘proper’ &lit – excellent clue.
Thanks Tees and Duncan.
Loved FLYING BUTTRESS: nothing to do with aeroplanes or rugby, excellent.
Is there a Mervyn Peake theme here? That flying buttress, CASTLES IN THE AIR, EARLDOM and TITUS himself of course all seem pretty Gormenghastly…
Thanks both.
The plural – AESIR – is unusual as it is more than twice the length of the singular – AS.
Pretty smooth, until the very end, when I could not reconcile REHOUSED with 11.
11 was my second one, as FLYING FORTRESS, a large 1930s bomber with turboprop engines, which I think fits the clue as well as the “proper” answer
Turboprop is sometimes used, but prop alone just means propeller rather than ‘an aeroplane’, or something else, like what’s clued here anyway. ‘Though’ as ‘for’ too is not available, I’d say, while ‘but’ is there for sure, so you would struggle to get FLYING FORTRESS out of it really. I thought it was a nice rugby joke!
My favorite is 7down, because Lt. Henry in that book REALLY IS an imperilled person who flees the war. I don’t know what an &lit is, so if someone could help.
8dn was my second to last, and I’ve read Titus Alone! 5ac was my LOI, which I really ought to have got earlier.
Daniella @5
&lit stands for “and literally so” and applies to clues where the whole of the wordplay also acts as the whole of the definition – there’s no distinction between the two.
Very enjoyable puzzle and excellent blog – thanks to both.
Many thanks Duncan. That’s two excellent blogs I’ve had in two days, one from Grant and today’s by you. Cheers guys!
Thanks to commenters too, glad you liked it. I think FLYING BUTTRESS is okay, as I’m not sure in all honesty that it can really lead to the WWII (and beyond) bomber. But hey! At least I see where you’re coming from. With your huge war machine. Re the alleged &lit, if you think so I won’t question it: however I had to extend the definition a bit to get the sense right, and as there’s no SI in that section, I think I might be on dodgy ground. But it was as good as I could get it, wotevs, and it has a pretty good go at describing what the book’s about.
Cheers
Tees