This was a good Saturday challenge from the slithery one.
We found most of the clues rather easier than we would have expected from Serpent, but there were a few that had us scratching our heads for a while.
It was only when writing up the blog and looking at the completed grid again that we found the theme that we have come to expect from this setter:
9 down (‘Exchange Words’) seems to be the cryptic indicator to the theme, which involves combining words in alternate or top and bottom rows to create the phrases BEHIND THE SCENES, PRESS THE FLESH, SIT ON THE FENCE, SWEEP THE BOARD and ASCEND THE THRONE – very crafty and original!
| Across | ||
| 1 | Supporting that man with no money in Bow (6) | |
| BEHIND | HI |
|
| 5 | Audience’s impression of cast from seat at The Royal Court (6) | |
| THRONE | A homophone (‘audience’s impression’) of THROWN (cast) | |
| 10 | Printer reduced resolution in Postscript (5) | |
| PRESS | RES (‘reduced’ resolution) in PS (postscript) | |
| 11 | To pursue case is perhaps to fight a lonely fight (6-3) | |
| SHADOW-BOX | SHADOW (pursue) BOX (case) | |
| 12 | Withdrawal ruins love-making arrangement (9) | |
| REVULSION | An anagram of RUINS LOVE – anagrind is ‘making arrangement’ | |
| 13 | Kind of wound attributed to rifle shots (5) | |
| FLESH | Hidden in (‘attributed to’) riFLE SHots | |
| 14 | Suppress issue about sex (3,2) | |
| SIT ON | SON (issue) round IT (sex) | |
| 15 | Row of benches apparently adapted to new position (7,2) | |
| SETTLED IN | Benches making a row could fancifully be described as a SETTLE DIN | |
| 18 | Poster’s intended target (9) | |
| ADDRESSEE | Cryptic definition, referring to someone putting a letter in the post, and nothing to do with ‘AD’ meaning a ‘poster’ as we first thought! | |
| 20 | Swordsman ultimately conceded to pen (5) | |
| FENCE | FENCE |
|
| 21 | Relieve oneself in empty soup pan (5) | |
| SWEEP | WEE (relieve oneself) in S |
|
| 23 | Sailor’s drawing up oath given at sea (7,2) | |
| HEAVING TO | An anagram of OATH GIVEN – anagrind is ‘at sea’ | |
| 24 | Came into vacant house, having tried moving home beforehand (9) | |
| INHERITED | H |
|
| 25 | Committee‘s not interested in discussion (5) | |
| BOARD | A homophone (‘in discussion’) of BORED (not interested) | |
| 26 | College dons orchestrated Dean’s rise (6) | |
| ASCEND | C (college) in or ‘donning’ an anagram of DEANS – anagrind is ‘orchestrated’ | |
| 27 | Act comprises these unseemly displays (6) | |
| SCENES | Double definition | |
| Down | ||
| 2 | Tired soldiers leaving invigorated for duty (9) | |
| ENERVATED | ENER |
|
| 3 | Curtailed abuse in part of body’s regulatory system (7) | |
| INSULIN | INSUL |
|
| 4 | Schoolgirl shows contempt for Spooner and runs out? (9) | |
| DISMISSES | A Spoonerism of MISS (schoolgirl) DISSES (shows contempt) | |
| 5 | School society exempt from tax (5) | |
| TRAIN | ||
| 6 | Round figure in short formula represented capacity of cell? (7) | |
| ROOMFUL | O (round figure) in an anagram of FORMUL |
|
| 7 | Peer pressure will ultimately lead to bullying going up (5) | |
| NOBLE | E L (last or ‘ultimate’ letters of ‘pressure will’) B (first letter or ‘lead to’ ‘bullying’ ON (going) all reversed or ‘up’ | |
| 8 | It’s playing the game, in more ways than one (13) | |
| SPORTSMANSHIP | Cryptic definition – ‘playing the game’ can either refer to being fair and abiding by the rules or to physically playing a sport – both of which exhibit SPORTSMANSHIP | |
| 9 | Argue primacy of gender reassignment commitment to the end (8,5) | |
| EXCHANGE WORDS | SEX CHANGE (gender reassignment) WORD (commitment) with the first or ‘prime’ letter moved to the end | |
| 16 | Opposing parties could be named thus (4,3,2) | |
| THEM AND US | An anagram of NAMED THUS – anagrind is ‘could be’ | |
| 17 | Make black hole ultimately after red giant’s collapse (9) | |
| DENIGRATE | E (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of ‘hole’) after an anagram of RED GIANT – anagrind is ‘collapse’ | |
| 19 | Former role exists primarily for the benefit of one side (2,5) | |
| EX PARTE | EX (former) PART (role) E (first or ‘primary’ letter of ‘exists’) | |
| 20 | Crisp ready to be cooked in oil? (7) | |
| FRIABLE | Double definition | |
| 22 | Prevailing attitudes disquiet hospital nurses (5) | |
| ETHOS | Hidden in (‘nursed’ by) ‘disquiET HOSpital’ | |
| 23 | Really didn’t feel like breaking the lady’s heart (5) | |
| HATED | An anagram of THE and AD (middle letters or ‘heart’ of ‘lady’) – anagrind is ‘breaking’. We’re not sure why ‘feel’ is included in the clue. | |
Wow! He’s good isn’t he! Fantastic workout from one of the all time best setters imo. So many great clues. The surface readings of 17d and 26a are masterworks. The anagram in 16d is a gem, as is the hidden answer in 22d.
Once completed, I looked for a theme. Set off on the wrong track thinking 9d could be cryptic for ‘sword’, then seeing ‘fence’ and wondered if ‘sweep’ and ‘press’ may be fencing terms. Didn’t spot the combinations, so thanks for that BJ. The icing on the cake, as they say (although I don’t like icing).
I agree with Hovis@1 – seemed difficult but all fair when you get there. Saw the top/bottom pairings after solving but no more than that. Thanks to S & the Bs.
If one gets used to Serpent’s style – as I have (well, that’s what I think) – he’s not the hardest of setters.
But, I agree (again) with Hovis, he’s also one the very best around nowadays.
The ‘theme’ was lost on me, meaning: I didn’t see it, but it wasn’t needed to make solving this puzzle a joyful experience.
The best today? Perhaps, 16d, 17d and 12ac? On the other hand, I couldn’t see where ON was coming from in NOBLE (7d) and I must admit I still don’t really see it.
Thanks S & B&J.
Quite a struggle with our brains somewhat faded after a busy day, but we made it in the end without help. Some excellent examples of clue-writing; the outstanding one for us being 2dn with ‘vat’ substituted for ‘gis’.
We’d disagree about the parsing of 20dn. ‘Friable’ doesn’t have a second meaning of ‘able to be fried’ – at least, not in Chambers. So not really a double definition, though we’re not quite sure how to describe it – somewhere between a pun and a homophone, maybe?
Thanks, Serpent and B&J.
Many thanks to Bertandjoyce for the excellent blog and for the lovely comments. – very much appreciated!