Tees has provided today’s cruciverbal pursuits, occupying what is traditionally Dac’s Wednesday slot.
I found this quite a stiff challenge despite having got off to a flying start. The second half of the puzzle revealed itself to me very gradually, affording me lots of laugh-out-loud moments along the way. The most notable of these was when the penny dropped at 5 as regards its wordplay. Overall, this was definitely a solving experience which reminded me of just why I am such a crossword addict – many thanks, Tees!
Picking a favourite today is no mean feat as there was plenty to admire: 4 and 19, for their well-hidden definitions; 1, 13 and 14 for smoothness of surface; and 25, for maintaining a smoking theme through definition and wordplay alike. Incidentally, 27 was new to me but could be worked out satisfactorily from the wordplay.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 09 | UP THE POLE | Mad as Saint Simeon?
Saint Simeon Stylites spent 37 years living on top of a pillar near Aleppo, hence “up the pole” |
| 10 | NAOMI | Mother-in-law your compiler grumbles about
I MOAN (=your compiler, i.e. Tees, grumbles); “about” indicates reversal; Naomi is the mother-in-law of Ruth in the Old Testament |
| 11 | NEMESIS | Meissen gets smashed in retribution
*(MEISSEN); “gets smashed” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | AMBIENT | Surrounding compass points brought in
[E + N (=points, i.e. east and north)] in AMBIT (=compass, scope) |
| 13 | UGLY | Wrecked guy snorts line? Not a pretty sight
L (=line) in *(GUY); “wrecked” is anagram indicator |
| 14 | CLYDESDALE | Horse saddle disintegrated in cold washing solution
*(SADDLE) in [C (=cold, e.g. on tap) + LYE (=washing solution)] |
| 16 | LOSE OUT | Fail to benefit thug drinking Holsten regularly
<h>O<l>S<t>E<n> (“regularly” means alternate letters only are used) in LOUT (=thug) |
| 17 | PILLAGE | Criminal in store’s looting
LAG (=criminal) in PILE (=store, heap, as noun and verb); pillage as a noun is the act of plundering, looting |
| 19 | COMPREHEND | Get gull to circle one sitting on chicken
[MP (=one sitting, i.e. in Parliament) + RE (=on, regarding) + HEN (=chicken)] in COD (=gull, fool) |
| 22 | STUD | Maybe service centre // one’s pressed to close
Double (cryptic) definition: mares are “serviced” by stallions at stud farms AND “press studs” are fasteners on many garments |
| 24 | THESEUS | Greek hero recognised in Florida and Georgia?
Florida and Georgia are THE S<outh> E<astern> U<nited> S<tates>! |
| 25 | POMPEII | Round mass in pipe irked one? Smoker here blew top!
{[O (=round, pictorially) + M (=mass)] in *(PIPE)} + I (=one); “irked” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the Roman city of Pompeii, which was covered in metres of ash when the volcano (“smoker”) Mount Vesuvius erupted (“blew top”) in AD79 |
| 26 | OSAKA | Asian city – it’s in pretty good area
[SA (=it, i.e. sex appeal) in OK (=pretty good)] + A (=area) |
| 27 | LEND-LEASE | Wartime agreement gives tennis coach freedom
LENDL (=tennis coach, i.e. of Andy Murray) + EASE (=freedom); Lend-Lease was a WWII agreement whereby the US President could supply war materials to countries whose defence he considered vital to the US |
| Down | ||
| 01 | QUINTUPLICATION | This makes one score century!
Cryptic definition: if you quintuplicate 20 (=score), i.e. multiply it by five, you end up with 100 (=century) |
| 02 | STIMULUS | Almost time to charge Enterprise steersman’s drive
TIM<e> (“almost” means last letter dropped) in SULU’S (=Enterprise steersman’s, i.e. Mr Sulu in Star Trek) |
| 03 | VERSE | Anti-Gaelic lines?
V (=anti, i.e. versus) + ERSE (=Gaelic) |
| 04 | CORSELET | Syllabus lacking university permit stays
CO<u>RSE (=syllabus; “lacking university (=U)” means letter “u” is dropped) + LET (=permit); stays is a term for a corset stiffened with bone or metal |
| 05 | REMAND | Debtor? Send back into custody
Cryptically, a debtor might be described as a MAN in (the) RED! |
| 07 | BODEGA | Wine shop old alumnus set up
AGED (=old) + OB (=alumnus, i.e. old boy); “set up” indicates (here full) vertical reversal |
| 08 | HIT THE HEADLINES | Idle heathen punished with this feature in the press
*(IDLE HEATHEN + THIS); “punished” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | COURTESAN | Mistress, Indy’s Teresa, shortly put in prison
[OUR (=Indy’s) + TES<s> (=Teresa, in diminutive form; “shortly” means last letter is dropped)] in CAN (=prison, colloquially) |
| 17 | PING-PONG | Fix medal over lapel centrally in sport
PIN (=fix, fasten) + [<la>P<el> (“centrally” means middle letter only)] in GONG (=medal, colloquially)] |
| 18 | AT THE BAR | Graduate stops Mad Hatter getting drink?
BA (=graduate, i.e. Bachelor of Arts) in *(HATTER); “mad” is anagram indicator; here “at the bar” suggests one is buying a drink in a pub, rather than practising as a barrister! |
| 20 | MAENAD | Girl inducted by frantic bacchante
ENA (=girl, i.e. girl’s name) in MAD (=frantic); a maenad was a female follower of the god Bacchus/Dionysus |
| 21/06 | HUSTLE AND BUSTLE | Hunt Ball set used to create much activity?
*(HUNT BALL SET USED); “to create” is anagram indicator |
| 23 | AMPLE | Small portion without starter is more than enough
<s>AMPLE (=small portion); “without starter” means first letter is dropped |
I liked OSAKA.
Very tough but very enjoyable. Failed to get CLYDESDALE and REMAND. Would never have thought of ‘lye’ for washing solution. Not heard of 27a but guessed LENDL (only coach I could think of) and the rest followed. Got 9a, but didn’t know the reference. Favourite was 1d. Thanks to Tees and RR.
Thanks for a great blog, RR. I agree with all your favourites, for the same reasons.
As Hovis says, tough but enjoyable. I couldn’t parse STIMULUS, not being familiar with Mr Sulu, so thanks especially for that.
[It seems rather churlish to raise a small quibble, especially in view of the clever wordplay, but REMAND means to send back either into custody or on bail.]
Many thanks to Tees for an enjoyable challenge.
It’s a strange quibble that quotes the definition!
My fave 1 down (spelled wrong in the blog) with a nice cricket misdirection.
Thanks guys.
NHS @4 – the definition of REMAND is ‘to send back’ – either into custody or on bail [i.e. not into custody]. That’s how I’ve always understood it and checked with Chambers this morning.
However, I’ve just looked in Collins [usually my favourite] and see that it has ‘to end back into custody’, so it seems tees is exonerated – my apologies to him.
Enjoyable as always from this setter. Gave myself problems by banging in ‘up the wall’ at 9a but it was the SW that finally did for me. Lots to like with the clever 1d and amusing 13a being my picks of the day. Thanks to Mr T for the puzzle and to The R’s for the blog.
A slow solve today with interruptions from grandchildren – probably all to the good as coming back to it two or three times gave us a fresh perspective. The NW corner was the last to fall after we had to google St Simeon; a real facepalm/penny-drop moment.
Didn’t know Sulu in 2dn but the answer was clear from definition and crossing letters, and we couldn’t parse COMPREHEND, mainly because we didn’t know that meaning of ‘cod’, but having guessed that the chicken was a hen that answer too was clear from definition and crossing letters.
Lots to like, but our favourite was AMPLE since the apprentice says it’s &lit-ish as far as she’s concerned.
Thanks, Tees and RatkojaRiku
Hard to choose between this and the FT one today, so good were they both. Good job too, as I’d become enraged, as usual, after doing the Boatman one.
Anyway, thank you indeed, Alberich and Tees for the relief of two wonderful puzzles, and to your bloggers.