Hypnos is occupying this week’s Friday slot, where we are used to finding Phi. As far as I can remember, this is my first outing with Hypnos as a blogger.
In terms of difficulty, I found this to be a fairly straightforward puzzle for the most part. That said, Hypnos had the last laugh in that I didn’t know the Renaissance painter at 8 and, not for the first time, I failed to spot the “for one” for “e.g.” in the wordplay. Other than that, it was an enjoyable solve, just right for ushering in the weekend of jumbo crosswords and Christmas specials.
My favourite clues today were the semi- & lits at 14 and 20; and 18, for what to me was an unexpected definition.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | BODYSUIT | Organisation given diamonds, maybe, for women’s outfit?
BODY (=organisation, i.e. UN) + SUIT (=diamonds, maybe, i.e. in cards) |
| 05 | DODGEM | Avoid male in fairground attraction
DODGE (=avoid) + M (=male) |
| 09 | HANSOM CAB | Husband moans terribly about black old-fashioned transport
H (=husband) + *(MOANS) + CA (=about, i.e. circa) + B (=black, as in HB); “terribly” is anagram indicator |
| 11 | TURIN | Team’s head, virtually number one in Italian city
T<eam> (“head” means first letter only) + URIN<e> (=number one, i.e. a wee; “virtually” means last letter dropped) |
| 12 | SAMURAI | Second street decoration left out in capital for military retainers
S (=second) + [MURA<l> (=street decoration; “left (=L) out” means letter “l” is dropped) in A1 (=capital, top-notch)]; the samurai were military retainers in the service of noblemen in feudal Japan |
| 13 | PREMISE | Assumed idea US group is cutting exercise
[R.E.M. (=US (rock)group) + IS] in PE (=exercise, i.e. physical exercise) |
| 14 | PACIFIC OCEAN | Panic if ace at sea takes in first signs of cyclone occurring here?
C<yclone> O<ccurring> (“first signs of” means first letters only) in *(PANIC IF ACE); “at sea” is anagram indicator; semi- & lit. |
| 18 | UNDERGARMENT | Deficient chap holding rifle, perhaps, making slip?
UNDER (=deficient, falling short) + [ARM (=rifle, perhaps) in GENT (=chap)]; a slip is an underskirt, hence undergarment |
| 21 | GNOCCHI | Good number prepared chic items for a course in Milan?
G (=good) + NO (=number, as an abbreviation) + *(CHIC); “prepared” is anagram indicator |
| 22 | FEDERAL | Supplied information to liberal after long period concerning the US government?
FED (=supplied information to) + ERA (=long period) + L (=liberal) |
| 24 | SLIGO | Report of surreptitious game in part of Ireland
Homophone (“report of”) “sly (=surreptitious)” + GO (=(board)game) |
| 25 | NAIL-BITER | Line a bit misjudged by Republican – cause of tension?
*(LINE A BIT) + R (=republican); “misjudged” is anagram indicator |
| 26 | SCHISM | Split in putsch is magnified
Hidden (“in”) in “putSCH IS Magnified” |
| 27 | SEAT BELT | Restraint required in an estate?
Cryptic definition: the restraint is a physical belt in e.g. an estate car! |
| Down | ||
| 01 | BEHEST | Man in very smart clothing giving order
HE (=man) in BEST (=very smart clothing, as in one’s Sunday best) |
| 02 | DYNAMO | Lots taken up in activity as an energetic person
YNAM (MANY=lots; “taken up” indicates vertical reversal) in DO (=activity, obsolete) |
| 03 | SCOUR | Clear out section of Tesco urgently
Hidden (“section of”) in “teSCO URgently” |
| 04 | INCRIMINATION | Island rogue in minor antic gets involvement in charge
I (=island) + *(IN MINOR ANTIC); “rogue” is anagram indicator, cf. rogue state |
| 06 | ON THE TOWN | Period Mike left women in school, seeking evening entertainment?
<m>ONTH (=period; “Mike (=M, in radio telecommunications) left” means letter “m” is dropped) + [W (women) in ETON (=school)] |
| 07 | GORDIMER | Golf society I’m probing for female novelist
G (=golf, in radio telecommunications) + [I’M in ORDER (=society, fraternity)]; the reference is to South African author Nadine Gordimer (1923-2014) |
| 08 | MANTEGNA | Chap with time for one note on a Renaissance painter
MAN (=chap) + T (=time) + E.G. (=for one, i.e. for example) + N (=note) + A; the reference is to Italian painter Andrea Mantegna (1431-1506) |
| 10 | BAPTISM OF FIRE | Bishop is off primate being awkward? A trying experience
B (=bishop, in chess) + *(IS OFF PRIMATE); “being awkward” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | ATROCIOUS | Awful replacement for suit or short coat
*(SUIT OR + COA<t> (“short” means last letter dropped); “replacement for” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | SUGGESTS | Proposes time in New York being entertained by Madness singer
EST (=time in New York, i.e. Eastern Standard Time) in SUGGS (=Madness singer, i.e. Graham McPherson) |
| 17 | ADMONISH | Warn a university employee that’s pocketed money in a roundabout way
A + [M (=money) in DON (=university employee)] + -ISH (=in a roundabout way) |
| 19 | WRITHE | Twist in legal document supported by ambassador
WRIT (=legal document) + HE (=ambassador, i.e. His Excellency) |
| 20 | CLARET | It could be left in safekeeping with vintner essentially?
[L (=left) in CARE (=safekeeping)] + <vin>T<ner> (“essentially” means middle letter only); semi- & lit. |
| 23 | DEBUT | First outing to remove objections?
Cryptically, to de-but is to remove objections! |
I am afraid i was missing Phi-I hope he is enjoying a well-deserved holiday.
I found this fairly tough as I am not used to Hypnos and only reasonably enjoyable but I got there in the end.
I did like 13. I had no idea who Madness singer was (although I love some of their songs)I just wrote in SUGGESTS without parsing.
I thought GORDIMER was a bit off the beaten track too.
Makes a change though.
Why was Gordimer off the beaten track? She did win a Nobel Prize.
A generally enjoyable solve with Hypnos making a change for Friday – we suspect Phi may have something topical for us over the next two or three days. We were held up in the NE corner; we thought 11ac had to be TURIN but held back for ages because we couldn’t parse it. We thought of GORDIMER and MANTEGNA because they sounded vaguely familiar but had to confirm them by googling. Incidentally Mantegna is known for a painting topical at this time of year, the Adoration of the Shepherds.
Favourites were SAMURAI and SUGGEST.
Thanks
Sailed through this until I was left with 7d and 8d. I managed to work out GORDIMER and after trying a couple of combinations for MANT__NA which didn’t show up in Google, I figured out what the “for one” was doing in the clue and got the correct painter. A nice puzzle. Thans Hypnos and RR. Thank goodness I used <ctrl> c before submitting. 7 + 5 wasn’t 12 on my first attempt!