An almost perfect Thursday offering from MUDD
I say almost perfect because, as I was solving, I was thinking that this would be a good puzzle to use as a teaching aid for beginners. It had all the elements required – anagrams, double definitions, charades, initial letters, the occasional chestnut (“flower” = “river”, eg), and generally tight surfaces.
However, I did have a few very minor quibbles – 6d was a bit contrived, although I can see why Mudd wanted to link Frank and Sinatra. 18d was also a bit awkward with the inital letters of “power” and “line” required for the anagram. Finally, and least significant, the “the” before “PM” in 19d was superfluous.
I must stress that these are minor niggles, and that the crossword was excellent and an enjoyable solve.
Thanks Mudd.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SUBTLE | Nice caption, but cross it out! (6) |
| SUBT(it)LE (“caption”, with IT “crossed out”) | ||
| 4 | THUMBS-UP | Green light – wallop! Bus swerving into it (6-2) |
| THUMP (“wallop”) with *(bus) in it, so THUM(BSU)P | ||
| 9 | IGNITE | Light casket in Gibraltar tipping over somewhat (6) |
| Hidden backwards in “caskET IN GIbraltar” | ||
| 10 | PLANGENT | Information required to access industrial business that’s booming (8) |
| GEN (“information”) “to access” PLANT (“industrial business”) | ||
| 12 | PECULIAR | Unconventional characteristic (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 13 | COHERE | Stick present beside card, ostensibly both to open? (6) |
| HERE (“present”) “beside” C(ard) O(stensibly) | ||
| 15 | TWIN | Double agent’s ultimate success (4) |
| (agen)T + WIN (“success”) | ||
| 16 | BANANA SKIN | Taking part in samba, nan asking for a potential slip-up! (6,4) |
| Hidden in “samBA NAN ASKINg” | ||
| 19 | BRAKE LIGHT | Philanderer in decay, evidence of slowing down (5,5) |
| RAKE (“philanderer”) “in” BLIGHT (“rot”) | ||
| 20 | ODER | Talk about scent for a flower! (4) |
| Homophone of ODOUR (“scent”).
The river Oder flows rises in the Czech Republic and flows into the Baltic Sea. The word “flower” as in “that which flows” is often used to indicate “river” in Crosswordland. |
||
| 23 | LIBIDO | Lubricate back, having accepted proposal for passion (6) |
| <=OIL (“lubricate”, back) “having accepted” BID (“proposal”) | ||
| 25 | RECITALS | Performances from memory improvised, it’s clear (8) |
| *(its clear) | ||
| 27 | OLD FLAME | A burning passion no longer? (3,5) |
| (slightly) cryptic definition | ||
| 28 | STUPID | Little boy gripping male with a fleece that’s thick (6) |
| SID (short for Sidney, hence “little boy”) “gripping” TUP (an uncastrated ram, therefore “male with fleece”) | ||
| 29 | RETIRING | Quiet going upstairs? (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 30 | BRIDGE | Card game, a walkover perhaps? (6) |
| You could perhaps “walk over” a bridge. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SNIPPET | Taste something cheap, and dear (7) |
| SNIP (“something cheap”) + PET (“dear”) | ||
| 2 | BONE CHINA | Delicate items on beach in a mess (4,5) |
| *(on beach in) | ||
| 3 | LATELY | Amateur has installed phone a short time ago (6) |
| LAY (“amateur”) “has installed” TEL(ephone) | ||
| 5 | HULL | Part of a ship in port (4) |
| Double definition | ||
| 6 | MAN-TO-MAN | Frank Sinatra’s heart broken, nation supporting Martin initially (3-2-3) |
| *(nat) (the heart of “SiNATra”) + OMAN (“nation”) “supporting” M(artin), so M(ANT)OMAN | ||
| 7 | SUEDE | Material went this way then that, say? (5) |
| Homphone of SWAYED | ||
| 8 | PATTERN | Talk nonsense, primarily, as a model (7) |
| PATTER (“talk”) + N(onsense) | ||
| 11 | SALADIN | Opponent of Richard I leaves home (7) |
| SALAD (“leaves” – think lettuce) + IN (“home”) | ||
| 14 | RAPHAEL | Artist, tragic character standing around a pub (7) |
| <=LEAR “around” A PH (“public house”, on maps)
I often see “standing” used to indicate reversal in down clues, but I’m not sure why? |
||
| 17 | KIDNAPPED | However, adult was awake for the story? (9) |
| The “kid napped” while the adult was awake.
Kidnapped (1886) is a novel, first written in serial format, by Robert Louis Stevenson. |
||
| 18 | PENDULAR | Swinging under a power line initially foolish (8) |
| *(under a pl) where the P and L are the initials of P(ower)and L(ine) | ||
| 19 | BALFOUR | Party put up figure to be the PM (7) |
| <=LAB(our) + FOUR (“figure”)
Refers to Arthur James Balfour, Tory Prime Minister between 1902 and 1905. |
||
| 21 | RESIDUE | Occupy digs around university, the dregs (7) |
| RESIDE (“occupy digs”) “around” U(niversity) | ||
| 22 | BITTER | Arctic ale (6) |
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | BIDET | Stay on top of toilet that’s fitting in the bathroom (5) |
| BIDE (“stay”) + T(oilet) | ||
| 26 | AMEN | I agree with that change, not entirely! (4) |
| AMEN(d) | ||
*anagram
A good crossword IMHO. I liked 6d, with the surface also referring to (Dean) Martin. Given that power and line are often abbreviated to p and l, I think ‘initially’ in 18d wasn’t really needed and ‘is’ would have done the job. The NW quadrant caused me the most trouble, but got there eventually. Thanks to Mudd and loonapick.
I’ll just add, in reference to the comment on 14d, that verbs that indicate an upward motion are sometimes used in down clues for a reversal (going up rather than down). So “standing” (as an action rather than a state) is fine. I’ve also seen “taking off” (as a plane) used in this manner.
Hovis, re 18d… or just “foolishly”, with no need for “is”? Not that I noticed it when I did the puzzle at 1am.
“Standing” can be synonymous with “on end” and “upended”, so legitimate as a down-clue reversal indicator that way.
Thanks for the blog and to Paul. I particularly liked 4a, the first one I looked at, whose surface amused me. Took me a while into the puzzle before I solved it though.
Thanks Mudd and loonapick
Did this one a while ago and only just got to check it off now. Found it up to the normal standard of this setter with his wide range of devices and wit. Thought that the surface of 6d with the reference to both Sinatra and Martin was a good example of this. OLD FLAME was another.
I also ended up in the NW corner with PECULIAR, SUBTLE and LATELY the last few in .