Radian’s latest puzzle has been set for our enjoyment this Tuesday, when we would expect to see some kind of theme.
Indeed, many of the solutions seem to refer to the climate and (rainy) weather today – at 1, 3, 5D, 6, 8, 15, 24, 25 … – perhaps inspired by COP26?
I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle, with the top half of the grid taking me longer to complete than the bottom half. I thought that I might need to ask fellow solvers for help with the parsing at 5D, but then I finally spotted what was quite a well-hidden anagram. I would appreciate other solvers’ confirmation (or otherwise) that my parsing of 16, 17 and 21 is correct.
My favourite clues today were 10, 13 and 23, all for surface; and the semi- & lit. at 11 and 6, both for overall construction.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | NIMBUS | New writer’s boat brought back water container
N (=new, as in New Testament) + I’M (=writer’s, i.e. the setter Radian’s) + BUS (SUB=boat, i.e. submarine; “brought back” indicates reversal); a nimbus is a rain-cloud, hence “water container” |
| 05 | ANTIDOTE | A memo about time I had invested in cure
[T (=time) + I’D (=I had)] in [A + NOTE (=memo)] |
| 09 | NEAR EAST | Area in warmest region of SW Asia
A (=area) in NEAREST (=warmest, closest, of relationship); the Near East was formerly an area including the Balkans and Turkey, and sometimes also the countries to the west of Iran |
| 10 | UPTURN | Appear to swap parts for rally
TURN UP (=to appear, show up); “to swap parts” means that the two words change places; a rally is a recovery, hence “upturn” |
| 11 | MAÎTRE D’HÔTEL | Tried hot meal set out – by him?
*(TRIED HOT MEAL); “set out” is anagram indicator; semi- & lit. |
| 13 | BOLT | Dash off // a lot of material
Double definition: to bolt is to dash off, rush off AND a bolt is a roll of cloth |
| 14 | IRRITATE | Bug Irish judge hosting Italian
IR (=Irish) + [IT (=Italian) in RATE (=judge, assess)] |
| 17 | GREY AREA | Unresolved issue, such as 1?
As a rain-cloud, a nimbus (=entry at 1) could be described as a grey area |
| 18 | MEAN | Intend // miserly // staff to maintain English // average
There are four ways of arriving at the solution: a triple definition AND then wordplay in the form of E (=English) in MAN (=staff, as verb) |
| 20 | TO SOME DEGREE | Where student is presumably heading, in part
Cryptically, a student is presumably heading to(wards) some (academic) degree! |
| 23 | BOREAL | Weary Arsenal wingers from the North
BORE (=tire, weary, fatigue, as verb) + A<rsena>L (“wingers” means first and last letter only) |
| 24 | CLIMATIC | Shorten ascent on a tor in Cornwall primarily due to the weather
CLIM<b> (=ascent; “shorten” means last letter is dropped) + A + T<or> I<n> C<ornwall> (“primarily” means first letters only) |
| 25 | FREEZE-UP | Band at university reported icy spell
Homophone (“reported”) of “frieze (=band, in architecture) + up (=at university)” |
| 26 | OCEANS | A lot of old headphones save energy
O (=old) + [E (=energy) in CANS (=headphones)]; oceans (of) are vast quantities of |
| Down | ||
| 02 | ICED | Distinguished, not forgotten, like some cakes
<not>ICED (=distinguished, made out); “not forgotten” means the letters “not” are dropped |
| 03 | BAROMETRY | Study of pressure, except on old Metropolitan Line
BAR (=except) + O (=old) + MET (=Metropolitan, as in the Met, i.e. police) + RY (=line, i.e. railway) |
| 04 | STATIC | Sparks off jumper perhaps, // not mobile
Double definition: “static (electricity)” could be sparks off (one’s) jumper perhaps AND the adjective “static” means not mobile, stationary |
| 05 | A STORM IN A TEACUP | Complex opens with a traumatic ‘Much Ado About Nothing’
*(OPENS + A TRAUMATIC); “complex” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | THUNDERY | How 1 might look beneath your blankets?
UNDER (=beneath) in THY (=your); as a rain-cloud, a nimbus (=entry at 1) may look thundery |
| 07 | DITTO | Party keeps Independent dry as before
[I (=independent) + TT (=dry, i.e. teetotal)] in DO (=party, function) |
| 08 | TORRENTIAL | Rapidly falling hire charge stops bespoke tailor
RENT (=hire charge) in *(TAILOR); “bespoke” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | DOOR-TO-DOOR | Jolly troops twice quelling trouble like round trip
DO (=jolly, i.e. party, celebration) + [TO-DO (=trouble, fuss) in OR OR (=troops twice, i.e. 2 x OR (=Other Ranks)] |
| 15 | TEMPERATE | Mild or medium note
TEMPERA (=medium, i.e. for powdered pigments) + TE (note, in music) |
| 16 | TRUE-BLUE | Regularly torture depressed Palace fan?
T<o>R<t>U<r>E (“regularly” means alternate letters only) + BLUE (=depressed); true-blue means extremely loyal, e.g. to the royal family, hence “palace fan?” |
| 19 | ORSINO | Bard duke’s orison needs translating
*(ORISON); “needs translating” is anagram indicator; Duke Orsino is the Duke of Illyria in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night |
| 21 | OXEYE | Daisy, or what might be studying her?
Cryptically, if Daisy were a cow, then an ox eye made study, i.e. observe, her! |
| 22 | SIGN | Notice tin containing very little
1G (=very little, in weight) in SN (=tin, e.g. chemical formula); a sign is a notice, board |
Had to check the second meaning of “bolt”. Took me a while to see 1g as the ‘very little’ in 22d.
Wasn’t entirely convinced by the definition in 24a. I would imagine CLIMATIC to be ‘due to the climate’, rather than the weather. Some of the weather the world is suffering is due to the climate rather than vice versa.
Putting that aside, I really enjoyed this. Pleased to get 11a as I often fail when words include an apostrophe.
We were pleased to spot the theme early on rather than afterwards; perhaps because we were watching the weather while solving as we had washing drying outdoors. Actually we saw 5dn at once and wondered briefly if the puzzle was a hastily compiled one referring to recent events in Parliament, but that was obviously just a coincidence.
Lots to enjoy; favourite was MAÎTRE D’HOTEL.
Thanks, Radian and RatkojaRiku.
After a fairly gentle run through most of this I became becalmed in the SE when I couldn’t think of the slang term for headphones, so I googled slang for the said items and got out of the Doldrums in a flash. Bins came straight to mind though! That allowed me to get the Bard’s Duke and then LOI, TO SOME DEGREE. Enjoyable puzzle. Thanks RR and Radian
I took 21 as simply the cow looking at the flower. I assumed Palace played in blue, but I don’t think they do, so I think your version is right. THUNDERY was neat, I thought. Thanks, both.
Thanks. I parsed 25 as Free is up (vaguely remembered there was a band of that name but a bit before my time) but seemed a bit of a stretch.
All right now by Free is a classic. I think Free’s up is a valid parsing, though I never thought of it.
I also took 21d to be the ox eyeing the daisy (just before eating it). First one in 5d, which helped with spotting the theme. I spotted a theme! Favourite was the maitre d’ . Thanks to Radian and RatkojaRiku.