Crosophile has set this week’s Tuesday puzzle. I think that it is quite a while since I last blogged one of his crosswords.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle, just right for the middle of a working week. As it is Tuesday, we know to expect some kind of a theme or twist, and this week we have a lighter theme than many, as explained under 5D below. I don’t think that I have encountered a full puzzle themed around this expression before, although I have seen the device used in individual clues.
My favourite clues today were 6, for smoothness of surface; 8, for the cheeky splitting of “15D”; and the & lit. at 21. The entry at 12 was new to me but it could easily be worked out from the anagram.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | DODOES | Birds that have gone with party animals
DO (=party, function) + DOES (=animals, i.e. female deer); the “gone” of the definition means “extinct” |
| 05 | GOOGLES | After function, looks salaciously at online searches
GO (=function, work, of e.g. machine) + OGLES (=looks salaciously at) |
| 09 | NAVIGATORS | Seafarers splashing very giant oars
*(V (=very) + GIANT OARS); “splashing” is anagram indicator |
| 10 | WING | Marginal footballer in debt with no capital
<o>WING (=in debt); “with no capital” means first letter is dropped |
| 11 | COMEDY | It’s funny to be fetching diamonds for the beginning of Lent
COMELY (=fetching, winsome); “diamonds (=D) for the beginning – i.e. first letter – of Lent (=L)” means letter “l” is replaced by “d” |
| 12 | FOREDOOM | Reveal in advance a lot more food needs cooking
*(MORE FOOD); “needs cooking” is anagram indicator; the “lot” of the definition is a fate, destiny |
| 13 | EYELINER | One of the 28 by ship is cosmetic
EYE (=one of the goggles (=eyes), i.e. entry at 28) + LINER (=ship) |
| 16 | CASINO | Company adopting adult vice in place of gambling
[A (=adult) + SIN (=vice)] in CO (=company) |
| 18 | CASING | About to do karaoke cover?
CA (=about, circa) + SING (=to do karaoke) |
| 20 | OBSOLETE | Old boy’s only travel equipment at first is old hat
OB (=old boy) + SOLE (=only) + T<ravel> E<quipment> (“at first” means first letters only) |
| 22 | DISPATCH | Dispose of bath thrown in gully
SPA (=bath) in DITCH (=gully) |
| 24 | OYSTER | Shellfish might be a different story if ingesting source of affluent
E<ffluent> (“source of” means first letter only) in *(STORY); “a different” is anagram indicator |
| 26 | WINO | One down and out to gain nothing
WIN (=gain) + O (=nothing, i.e. zero) |
| 27 | ANNULMENTS | Not anther’s tip in e.g. poppy without a broken stamen suggests squashings
ANNU<a>L (=e.g. poppy; “no anther’s tip (=first letter)” means letter “a” is dropped) + *(ST<a>MEN); “without “a”” means letter “a” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “broken” |
| 28 | GOGGLES | Eyes goods left inside works?
[G G (=goods, i.e. 2 x G=good) + L (=left)] in GOES (=works, functions) |
| 29 | DODGES | Avoids Western cities?
Dodge City features in westerns |
| Down | ||
| 02 | ORATORY | The Speaker’s skill? Alternatively some MP?
OR (=alternatively) + A (=some, as I saw some man walking into the building) + TORY (=MP) |
| 03 | OLIVE | Nothing charged for Mediterranean fruit
O (=nothing, zero) + LIVE (=charged, with electricity) |
| 04 | SCARY | Mark’s weary in the end and chilling
SCAR (=mark, of injury) + <wear>Y (“in the end” means last letter only) |
| 05 | GOOD FOR NOTHINGS | Wastes of space seen in 18 and elsewhere in puzzle
In four pairs of symmetrically placed clues, e.g. 16 and 18, the letter “g” (=good) of one in the pair replaces letter “o” (=nothing, zero) in the other; the other pairs are 29 and 1; 28 and 5A; and 10 and 26 |
| 06 | OBSTRUCTS | Bars and courts ridiculously packed in summer time in UK
BST (=summer time in UK, i.e. British Summer Time) in *(COURTS); “ridiculously” is anagram indicator |
| 07 | LOWED | Sounded like oxen – or their burden?
Homophone (“sounded like oxen”) of “load (=burden)”’ |
| 08 | SUNDOWN | 15D following English 17
SUN (=English 17, i.e. entry at 17; “sol” means “sun” in e.g. Spanish) + DOWN (=D); the definition is “nightfall (=entry at 15)” |
| 14 | LEI | Regular parts of close-knit garland
<c>L<os>E-<kn>I<t>; here, “regular” means every third letter only is used |
| 15 | NIGHTFALL | Glint half seen flickering in the evening
*(GLINT HALF); “seen flickering” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | SOL | Musical note for one singer mostly
SOL<o> (=for one singer); “mostly” means last letter dropped |
| 19 | ABIDING | Waiting as an enormous row’s interrupted
DIN (=row) in [A + BIG (=enormous)] |
| 21 | THEATRE | That place in which to see a bit of tragedy
[A + T<ragedy> (“bit of”) means first letter only] in THERE (=that place); & lit. |
| 23 | PRONG | Fork almost laid flat on top of grill
PRON<e> (laid flat; “almost” means last letter is dropped) + G<rill> (“top of” means first letter only) |
| 24 | OILED | Anointed one showed the way starting with love
O (=love, i.e. zero score) + I (=one) + LED (=showed the way) |
| 25 | SPEND | Starting price anticipating terminal pay-out
SP (=starting price) + END (=terminal, as noun) |
Being Tuesday we wondered what sort of a theme we should find and were quite surprised when we spotted it. We were also surprised by the plural form DODOES – but on checking Chambers we found it allows both dodos and dodoes.
A minor typo in the blog – 5dn is actually GOOD-FOR-NOTHINGS – a plural noun rather than an adjective.
An enjoyable solve – Thanks Crosophile and RatkojaRiku.
Whilst I enjored this and even spotted the mini theme I feel I have to mention the clue to 27.
When I like a clue / surface I put either a tick or a smiley face next to it.
I wrote ‘UGH’ next to 27 and didn’t change my opinion when re-reading it at the end of the puzzle.
That aside – most enjoyable.
Thanks to Crosophile and RR
Agree re 27, the last clue to fall and I didn’t feel much better when I read your explanation!
As a newbie I didn’t realise Tuesday had a theme – wonderful!
I couldn’t work out 27A at all, apart from the ‘stamen’ element, so I’m with Redddevil on that one. Otherwise very enjoyable so thanks Crosophile and RatkojaRiku.
Thanks very much for an excellent blog and comments so far.
Early in the day for me to comment but I just wish to note that 27A was meant to begin with ‘No’ rather than ‘Not’ (as in – to take a random sentence – ‘No implausible excuse without a government minister to defend it suggests corruption at the top’). I agree that ‘not’ confuses the surface. Sorry.
… or late in the day, since the puzzle was yesterday! Oops!
Thanks to allan_c for spotting the minor typo at 5D, now corrected