A tough challenge from WANDERER today.
I found it both the solve and the parse, difficult in many places, due to my lack of biblical knowledge – the theme for the crossword.
FF: 9 DD: 10
Admin: It would appear that something has prevented Turbolegs from returning to publish the draft blog that he prepared in the early hours (UK time) so I am doing so for him. I have not checked the accuracy of the parsing other than 5ac which he had not been able to complete. Apologies for the late appearance of this post.
| Across | ||
| 1 | LOST FACE | Suffered humiliation, as woman has in Oman (4,4) |
| cryptic def; wOMAN (lost face i.e. without first letter) = OMAN | ||
| 5 | ESPRIT | Liveliness of film describing childless state (6) |
| ET (film) around SP (childless {sine prole}) RI (state {Rhode Island}) | ||
| 9, 10 | COMPUTER DATING | One way of meeting others to work out detailed movement of red giant (8,6) |
| COMPUT[e] (work out detailed) [RED GIANT]* | ||
| 12 | INNKEEPER | Hot new goalie, one reportedly denying Jesus room on his first appearance (9) |
| IN (hot) N (new) KEEPER (goalie) | ||
| 13 | UNCUT | In Paris, a piece of meat not mixed with stuff of inferior quality (5) |
| UN (french for A) CUT (piece of meat) | ||
| 14, 16 | JOHN OSBORNE | Sadly Boris Johnson is lacking direction, according to playwright (4,7) |
| [BORis JOHNSON (without IS)]* E (direction, East) | ||
| 19, 21 | DEUTSCHMARK | Once ready, German chum set off in Dutch boat (11) |
| [CHUM SET]* in [D (dutch) ARK (boat) ] | ||
| 24 | UNZIP | Urban outskirts? Nothing is open (5) |
| UN (UrbaN, outskirts) ZIP (nothing) | ||
| 25 | TETE-A-TETE | Four vacuous articles about adult conversation held in private (4-1- 4) |
| ThE ThE ThE ThE (4 articles, without inner letters) around A (adult) | ||
| 27, 28 | GERMAN SHEPHERD | One that might be barking mad is upset with NHS GP here, outside emergency room (6,8) |
| [MAD NHS GP HERE]* oustide ER (emergency room) | ||
| 29 | SISKIN | Bird seen by one in small hide (6) |
| I (one) in [ S (small) SKIN (hide) ] | ||
| 30 | DWELLING | Place of residence of daughter: area of London once in Kent (8) |
| D (daughter) WELLING (area of london once in kent) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | LOCK-IN | After a couple of tip-offs, preventing illegal session in bar (4-2) |
| bLOCKINg (preventing, without end characters) | ||
| 2 | SIMONY | Buying spiritual benefits, perhaps, like Saint Peter originally? (6) |
| cryptic def; read as SIMON-Y (saint peter’s original name, ~like) | ||
| 3 | FLUKE | Cause of liver rot initially foxed physician (5) |
| F (Foxed, initially) LUKE (physician, one of the four traditional evangelists) | ||
| 4 | CHEAPEN | Somewhat gauche? A penny lower in value (7) |
| hidden in “..gauCHE A PENny..” | ||
| 6 | STATUS BAR | Standing Scotsman up? It might show what page you’re on (6,3) |
| STATUS (standing) BAR (scotsman = RAB, reversed) | ||
| 7 | RAILCARD | Reduced fare, using this bar at club? (8) |
| RAIL (bar) CARD (club) | ||
| 8 | TOGETHER | Caught up with three playing in concert (8) |
| [TOG (reverse of GOT – caught)] THREE* | ||
| 11 | DR NO | Film director by river, topless (2,2) |
| D (director) aRNO (river, topless) | ||
| 15 | OESOPHAGI | A Hopi goes swimming in some of our canals (9) |
| A HOPI GOES* | ||
| 17 | ADJUDGES | Reckons using a daybook (8) |
| A D (day) JUDGES (book, 7th book of the old testament) | ||
| 18 | BUZZARDS | Poet’s written about heading missing from police flyers (8) |
| BARD’S (poet’s) written around fUZZ (police, missing heading) | ||
| 20 | HDTV | Set the date? Not oddly the 5th (4) |
| tHe DaTe (not oddly) V (5th) | ||
| 21 | MATTHEW | Male in uniform, at the wheel (7) |
| hidden in “..uniforM AT THE Wheel” | ||
| 22 | YEMENI | Arab is tricky enemy, on paper (6) |
| ENEMY* on I (Independent, paper) | ||
| 23 | SEA DOG | Main setter possibly clues Ancient Mariner? (3,3) |
| SEA (main) DOG (setter) | ||
| 26 | APPAL | A letter-writer reportedly in shock (5) |
| A P-PAL (penpal , letter writer) | ||
*anagram
I think “letter-writer reportedly” in 26d is ‘Paul’ in the New Testament, and thus part of the Biblical theme noted.
I agree with passerby. Wouldn’t have made much headway in the NW if I hadn’t seen MATTHEW, MARK & JOHN and wondered where LUKE was hiding. This gave me FLUKE and I could then get the others. Thanks all.
Thanks Turbolegs – and Gaufrid, to the rescue yet again!
I loved this puzzle but I’m mortified to say that I was completely stumped by 20dn, having tried every [I thought] permutation of the wordplay!
I’m not quite sure how I would define the [certainly biblical] theme: we have the four evangelists, noted above – I loved the way LUKE crept in! + apostles Peter, Andrew, Matthew and Paul – and then the bonus ball JUDGES!
I had ticks for ESPRIT, COMPUTER DATING, INNKEEPER, JOHN OSBORNE, DEUTSCHMARK, GERMAN SHEPHERD, SIMONY and MATTHEW [super surface – ‘chauffeur’ wouldn’t fit!].
23dn reminded me [from my little book of classic clues – and Wanderer has entries in there 😉 ] of Crucible’s ‘He wrote the Ancient Mariner (6)’.
Many thanks to Wanderer – I loved it!
Many thanks to both. This is the first Wanderer I have tried and it will not be the last. It took some time to get started but, once underway, it unfolded bit by bit.
I do agree with the A PAUL reference in 26d and, like Eileen I stared at 20d for too long until I realised what I had, without the V.
A really enjoyable accompaniment to my breakfast coffee.
Mystogre @4 – you have many treats in store with Wanderer – one of my favourite setters. 😉
Late on this, but a splendid puzzle and a technical DNF for me: shamefully, I didn’t know S[ine] P[role] (one for the quiver) or ‘status bar’, which won’t surprise Gaufrid.
In Tuesday’s blog I remarked on a clue for my 1st name and today’s MATTHEW was a clue for Mycroft’s, which I sent him before twigging the theme, so I then sent him the whole thing (he’s a vicar).
Many thanks to Wanderer and Gaufrid, yet again.
Thanks for the blog.
Thanks, Wanderer and Gaufrid. Great puzzle, only stumper was HDTV. I started getting clues and only picked up the Biblical theme as I went on. Clever use of FLUKE to conceal Luke! 28a is probably also part of the theme, referring to David and Jesus.
Thanks Wanderer and Turbolegs / Gaufrid
Took nearly twice as long as normal to get this one out – so found it quite tough. Many wonderful clues and for once I did twig to the theme quite early.
Didn’t see the now obvious wordplay at 1a – thought it had to do with the wearing of a burkha or the like.
Could only get HDTV from a word finder and then went … doh !!
Interestingly with DR NO, the character was actually played by Joseph Wiseman and wonder if that was an intended part of the theme too.
Finished in the NE corner with ESPRIT and RAILCARD the last couple in.