An excellent offering from WANDERER today to brighten up my Friday.
FF: 9 DD : 9
There is a nina running along the sides which is very symmetrically placed .. it connects with the top and bottom solves, as well as explains the clue in the vertical middle [ DOUGH – money, NUTS – silly ].
| ACROSS | ||
| 1, 4 | UNTOLD RICHES |
This scoundrel reformed after losing a small fortune (6,6)
|
| [ THIs SCOUNDREL ( without S – small ) ]* | ||
| 8 | SIKHISM |
Kim’s his novel, showing faith in India (7)
|
| [ KIMS HIS ]* – my FOI | ||
| 9 | PILGRIM |
Wanderer’s following Aussie journalist, not his English journeyman (7)
|
| PILGeR ( aussie journalist, without E – English ) IM ( wanderer’s ) | ||
| 11 | INSPECTORS |
Senior cops, possibly with little time for love? (10)
|
| [ SENIoR COPS ]* with T ( time ) replacing O ( love ) – funny surface | ||
| 12 | TACO |
In short, a cornmeal dish (4)
|
| hidden in ” ..shorT A COrnmeal..” | ||
| 13 | SADHU |
Unhappy hour, oddly, for wandering holy man (5)
|
| SAD ( unhappy ) HU ( HoUr, odd letters ) | ||
| 14 | GHANAIAN |
Cruelly hang a Scotsman or West African (8)
|
| [ HANG ]* A IAN ( scotsman ) | ||
| 16 | LUNCHEON |
Sort of meat for a formal meal (8)
|
| double def | ||
| 18 | FIFTY |
Bull finally covering half of cows (just beginning) (5)
|
| i am missing something here – what exactly is the definition in this clue? parsing is L ( bulL, finally ) which is roman numeral for 50 and which is half of 100 ( C in roman numerals, first letter of Cow ). | ||
| 20 | LATS |
Muscles moving retroactively in most Alsatians (4)
|
| hidden , reversed in “.. moST ALsatians” | ||
| 21 | BATTLEDORE |
Fought first of opponents regularly and enjoyed a game once (10)
|
| BATTLED ( fought ) ORE ( first letters of “..Opponents Regularly and Enjoyed..” ) | ||
| 23 | YIELDER |
One who gives in surprisingly readily (English, not American) (7)
|
| [ REaDILY ]* with E ( English ) replacing A ( American ) | ||
| 24 | FAIRWAY |
Sporting approach? Of course, yes (7)
|
| FAIR (sporting ) WAY (approach); &lit | ||
| 25, 26 | HIDDEN WEALTH |
Not seen to have broken the law, getting 1 across 4? (6,6)
|
| HIDDEN ( not seen ) [ THE LAW ]* – ref 1,4 a ( untold riches ) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | UNION |
Problem afoot after bishop cancelled wedding? (5)
|
| bUNION ( problem afoot, without B – Bishop ) | ||
| 2 | T-SHAPED |
Like some junctions with tragic deaths primarily prevented (1-6)
|
| [ DEATHS P ( Prevented, primarily ) ]* | ||
| 3 | LOST CAUSE |
Something not worth pursuing? Missing a reason for that (4,5)
|
| cryptic def | ||
| 5 | IVIES |
Form of 4 that is the ultimate in “Jeepers creepers!” (5)
|
| IV ( 4 in roman numerals ) IE ( that is ) S ( ultimate in jeeperS ) – i wasted some time trying to connect this with 4a having recognised the nina running along the sides by then | ||
| 6 | HIGH TEA |
Perchance ate meal after 16? (4,3)
|
| reverse clue for ATE , with HIGH being the anagrind | ||
| 7 | STIR-CRAZY |
Maybe it’s right, briefly being disturbed by lockdown? (4-5)
|
| reverse clue for [ IT’S R ( right , briefly ) ] | ||
| 10 | DOUGHNUTS |
What’s needed, we hear, after rising: knockout pastries or cakes (9)
|
| DOUGH ( whats kneaded – sounds like needed ) NUTS ( knockout = STUN, reversed ) | ||
| 13 | SQUEAMISH |
Easily sickened by somewhat brusque Amis homilies (9)
|
| hidden in ” .. bruSQUE AMIS Homilies..” | ||
| 15 | AFFILIATE |
Team up with a lively girl, say, before 6 (9)
|
| A FFILI ( sounds like filly, live girl ) ATE [ 6d, anagram (~high ) of TEA ] | ||
| 17 | CASTLED |
Keep daughter on board? Made a move there (7)
|
| CASTLE ( keep ) D ( daughter ) – a move in the game of chess | ||
| 19 | FEDERAL |
Like Uncle Sam, nourished by large bananas? That’s not good (7)
|
| FED ( nourished ) [ LARgE ( without G – good ) ]* | ||
| 21 | BREVE |
Long note initially berating Republican First Lady (5)
|
| BR ( initial letters of “Berating Republican..”) EVE ( first lady ) | ||
| 22 | ROACH |
Without opening app, make overtures to swimmer (5)
|
| appROACH ( make overtures, without APP ) |
Thanks Wanderer and Turbolegs. For 18ac, the central part of a dartboard is called the Bull (short for Bull’s eye) and scores fifty, which I took as the definition.
I thought 18a was a little odd. I understood bull = 50 and the L being half of C but don’t get the role of “covering” yet. Great crossword though.
A fairly swift and entertaining grid from Wanderer, with that aptly themed nina accompanying the money-related clues.
My sole failure was ‘wingman’ for PILGRIM though 7d showed something was amiss. Needed this blog to see why. I gathered that (bul)L was 50 and suspected the darts link.
Among my favourites were 1d, 22d and the amusing 24a. Yes as ‘way’ reminded me of Wayne’s World.
Thanks to Wanderer and Turbolegs for the blog.
A bit late to the party today – and disappointed to see so few comments on this brilliant puzzle – with SILLY MONEY being the icing and DOUGHNUTS the cherry on top.
My favourite clues, from a long list of possibles, were 1,4 UNTOLD RICHES, 11ac INSPECTORS, 23ac YIELDER, 25,26 HIDDEN WEALTH, 19dn FEDERAL and 1dn UNION, for its glorious surface.
I was also amused by 8ac, because, reading the first three words, the solution had to be Kipling, didn’t it? And with India in the clue, too – very neat.
Many thanks to Wanderer for an excellent puzzle and to Turbolegs for the blog (I do think you’re lucky to have the Friday slot every week. 😉 )
Wanderer never disappoints and this crossword was no exception. It took me a couple of sittings to complete this puzzle and I needed the blog to help me understand PILGRIM, FIFTY, and ROACH. Favourites included UNION, DOUGHNUTS, and FEDERAL. Thanks to both.
Thanks all for stopping by.
Eileen@4 – Indeed, been lucky to have had a stab at some really good puzzles.
I did think that the Doughnuts placement and connection to the Nina was an exquisite touch.
Regards,
Mahesh
All done and dusted fairly quickly, helped by the theme/nina, and by not falling into the trap of bunging in ‘Kipling’ for 8ac. But we have to quibble about PILGRIM – a journeyman is not a traveller or pilgrim but someone who has completed an appreticeship and is competent at his/her trade (from journée [= day], such a person being hired by the day).
That apart everything was fine. Favourite was DOUGHNUTS.
Thanks, Wanderer and Turbolegs
allan @7 – absolutely right about journeyman, of course. I knew the word and its derivation from mediaeval history but hoped it might have a further definition buried in the dictionaries. I’ve now looked and it doesn’t. Not to spoil this lovely puzzle, I’m going to think of it as a ‘lift and separate’ clue. 😉
I got there in a couple of sittings. Some tremendous clues and I still missed silly money around the outside! Why don’t I look for these things? It’s because I’m still in the foothills of crossword solving. LOI was Pilgrim. Liked Ivies, Hidden Wealth, Untold Wealth and the cleverly hidden Squeamish, amongst others.
Thanks to all
No X or J otherwise it would have been a pangram, I think. Some nice touches in here.
Thanks Wanderer and Turbolegs
Took a little while to fill the grid and missed seeing the SILLY MONEY nina. Still, it was the same pleasure to work ones way through the clues and eventually winkle out what were the related answers at the top and bottom of the puzzle.
SADHU was the first one in, has always stuck in my mind after preparing for a trekking holiday in northern England years ago. Finished in the NE corner with FIFTY (which I didn’t fully see through), STIR CRAZY and PILGRIM (where I needed a word finder to get the word and then some follow up to find the Australian John PILGER, who I didn’t know).
Great puzzle. BATTLEDORE was new for me and FIFTY a failed parse as I had BULL as the definition so ruled that out of the wordplay. Thanks to Wanderer and Turbolegs for the enjoyment and elucidation.
Oh, and of course I missed SILLY MONEY and the significance of DOUGH NUTS which made it an even better puzzle and revelatory blog.
I really like the inventiveness of this setter’s clueing (in all his guises).
At some point, years ago, a respected fellow solver told me that today’s setter was the real successor of Araucaria.
Araucaria was my way in to crosswords but also a free spirit who could divide opinion.
A clue like 22ac (ROACH) is just incomprehensible to me, doesn’t mean anything.
Cryptically it works but there it stops.
Indeed, a bit Araucarian.
Blasphemy?
Good crossword but, in my opinion, not Wanderer on top form.
Others may disagree.
And they do, reading the comments above.
Many thanks to Turbolegs & Wanderer.