The Observer crossword / Jan 21, 2018
Another excellent offering from many solvers’ favourite Sunday setter.
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | FEVERISH | Continually disrupting search, getting frantic (8) |
| EVER (continually) inside FISH (search) | ||
| 5 | IMPAIR | Spoil start for idealistic married couple (6) |
| I[dealistic] + M (married) + PAIR (couple) | ||
| 9 | ACCOLADE | Youth led by commanding officer in brilliant tribute (8) |
| LAD (youth) preceded [led] by CO (commanding officer), together inside ACE (brilliant) | ||
| 10 | ARCTIC | Cold in lorry? Extremely cold (6) |
| C (cold) inside ARTIC (lorry, short for ‘articulated lorry’) | ||
| 12 | HOLD ALL THE CARDS | Be in control and bag first of trophies with crowds round about (4,3,3,5) |
| HOLDALL (bag) + T[rophies] + HERDS (crowds) going around CA (about) | ||
| 13 | DRAKE | Bird ending in awkward scrape (5) |
| [awkwar]D + RAKE (scrape) | ||
| 14 | SECRETIVE | Alien in service awfully unforthcoming (9) |
| ET (alien) inside an anagram [awfully] of SERVICE | ||
| 16 | SCENARIOS | Call for help, receiving care in troubled situations (9) |
| SOS (call for help) around an anagram [troubled] of CARE IN | ||
| 18 | BACON | Meat company breaking taboo (5) |
| CO (company) inside BAN (taboo) | ||
| 19 | LOOK BACK IN ANGER | Play a crank, being bothered after appearance (4,4,2,5) |
| An anagram [bothered] of A CRANK BEING, coming after LOOK (appearance) The famous 1956 play by John Osborne. |
||
| 22 | SHINTO | Say nothing enthusiastic about religion (6) |
| SH (say nothing) + INTO (enthusiastic about) SOED: A Japanese religious system incorporating the worship of ancestors, nature spirits and other divinities, and (until 1945) a belief in the divinity of the Japanese emperor, until 1945 the state religion of Japan. |
||
| 23 | ENGAGING | Attractive booking (8) |
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | DREARY | Gloomy doctor, tired, losing weight (6) |
| DR (doctor) + WEARY (tired) minus W (weight) | ||
| 25 | IDEOLOGY | Set of beliefs old yogi developed about energy (8) |
| An anagram [developed] of OLD YOGI, put around E (energy) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | FLASH | Instant force with whip (5) |
| F (force) + LASH (whip) | ||
| 2 | VACILLATE | Dither, out of sorts during leave (9) |
| ILL (out of sorts) inside VACATE (leave) | ||
| 3 | RELEASE | Engineers left facility free (7) |
| RE (engineers, Royal Engineers) + L (left) + EASE (facility) | ||
| 4 | SADDLE STITCH | Learner admitted to most wretched irritation with needlework (6,6) |
| L (learner) inside SADDEST (most wretched), then ITCH (irritation) | ||
| 6 | MIRACLE | Amazing event in distance holding vehicle up (7) |
| MILE (distance) around a reversal [up] of CAR (vehicle) | ||
| 7 | ALTAR | Table covered by special tarpaulin (5) |
| Hidden answer [covered by]: special tarpaulin | ||
| 8 | RICK STEIN | Chef getting stickier, working before noon (4,5) |
| An anagram [working] of STICKIER, coming before N (noon) More about this celebrity chef here . |
||
| 11 | THICK-SKINNED | Insensitive impression raised about hayseed’s family (5-7) |
| A reversal [raised] of DENT (impression), put around HICK’S (hayseed’s) KIN (family) | ||
| 13 | DISCLOSED | Record drop with depth revealed (9) |
| DISC (record) + LOSE (drop) + D (depth) | ||
| 15 | INCOGNITO | Minor worker, fool in number following one with identity concealed (9) |
| COG (minor worker, an unimportant person in a large organisation (Chambers)) + NIT (fool), together inside NO (number) and then the whole lot coming after I (one) | ||
| 17 | ARBITER | Book in a ceremony right for judge (7) |
| B (book) inside A RITE (a ceremony) + R (right) | ||
| 18 | BRAVADO | Moving abroad, guarding against bluster (7) |
| An anagram [moving] of ABROAD, put around V (against) | ||
| 20 | OLIVE | Dwell beneath old tree (5) |
| LIVE (dwell) placed under O (old) | ||
| 21 | RUGBY | Red clothing good for sport (5) |
| RUBY (red) around G (good) | ||
I enjoyed solving this puzzle.
Thank you Everyman and Sil
Yes, another all correct for me. What I like about these puzzles is that they seem quite tough at first, but once you get a few clues in, the crossing letters and the precise word play leads to a steady and satisfying solve. I usually have to put it down and have a coffee, before completing the last couple of clues.
Totally agree with AJK although it usually takes me a few days to finish. I particularly liked RICK STEIN and RUGBY for their smooth surfaces. My last one in was ENGAGING as DD is not my favourite clue type.
Thanks to Sil and Everyman for the consistently entertaining puzzle.
Thank you Everyman for an enjoyable puzzle and Sil for an enlightening blog.
RICK STEIN was new to me but gettable from the clue and crossers. I don’t know much about chefs, some people might be interested to know that Paul Bocuse, the most famous chef in France, died the other day. He claimed that Henri Gault first used the term nouvelle cuisine to describe food prepared by himself and other top chefs for the maiden flight of the Concorde airliner in 1969 (strangely enough, one of my aunts was on that flight)
On the easy side for Everyman, with the bottom half perhaps a little trickier, but only relatively so. I was hoping that the play would be Shakespeare, assuming that otherwise I wouldn’t know it, but as it turns out it wasn’t, and I did. Last in 23ac, a tricky little double definition. As enjoyable and 23ac as ever from Everyman.
Couldn’t get Scenarios. Don’t know why. It seems obvious now. Probably would have got it if I’d left it till tomorrow but a couple of hours was enough to spend on it today.
I struggled with Shinto. Got the SH but was stuck with Shiite on the brain.
Scenarios was good, as was Rusgby and Rick Stein. AJK @2 is right on the money, they are all generally gettable in time.
Thanks SIL (although it’s Saturday here) and EM.
A rather straight forward outing. LOI was SHINTO. No real standout clues though I enjoyed Rugby
Hopefully we beat the English tomorrow to set up an Eden park showdown for Wednesday.
A straight forward puzzle except for shinto. Rick Stein,artic and rugby were a dream for a food loving ex truckie in New zealand
Rats@8 . If the weather forecast’s right there won’t be any cricket on Wednesday at Eden Park. We’ll be blown away by Hurricane Gita.