Great stuff from Monk as usual. Thank you Monk.
The grid looks like it will contain a hidden message around the perimeter but then sneakily includes a triple pangram instead. Realizing this helped greatly in filling in the remaining blanks.
The letter distribution is:
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | MESOZOIC |
From yonks ago, Zoom ice lollies at last recollected (8)
|
| anagram (recollected) of ZOOM ICE and lollieS (last letter) – between 250 and 65 million years ago | ||
| 9 | AMULET |
Charm United, entering uncapped settlement (6)
|
| U (united) inside (entering) hAMLET (settlement) missing first letter (uncapped) | ||
| 10 | VERB |
For example, have brief note returned (4)
|
| BREVe (note, in music) unfinished (brief) reversed (returned) – to have is an example of a verb | ||
| 11 | STEPMOTHER |
Pressure held in check by second dam, but not the first? (10)
|
| P (pressure) inside STEM (check) then OTHER (second) | ||
| 12 | JET SKI |
Kites flying on bow of junk that skims the water? (3,3)
|
| anagram (flying) of KITES following (on) first letter (bow) of Junk | ||
| 13 | UNZIPPED |
Opened up end that’s free, finding nothing inside (8)
|
| anagram (that’s free) of UP END containing ZIP (nothing) | ||
| 15 | SEX THERAPISTS |
Breaking this – as experts, they should sort it out (3,10)
|
| anagram (breaking) of THIS AS EXPERTS – “it” is sex. What a great definition! | ||
| 17 | QUARRIED |
Dug into endless dispute involving single daughter (8)
|
| QUARREL (dispute) missing last letter (endless) contains (involving) I (single) then D (daughter) | ||
| 19 | NEATEN |
Tidy little number worn away (6)
|
| N (number, little=abbreviation) then EATEN (worn away) | ||
| 21 | FLY THE FLAG |
Artful hag felt moved to demonstrate support (3,3,4)
|
| FLY (artful) then anagram (moved) of HAG FELT | ||
| 23 | EVIL |
Unlimited bogies, very disagreeable (4)
|
| dEVILs (bogies) missing outer letters (unlimited) | ||
| 24 | JANICE |
A woman in church on new year’s day (6)
|
| CE (Church of England) follows (on) JAN I (January 1st, new year’s day) | ||
| 25 | GUNGA DIN |
Shoot half a what-d’you-call it into Kipling’s better man? (5,3)
|
| GUN (shoot) then GADget (a what-do-you-call-it) then IN (into) – “You’re a better man than I am Gunga Din” from the last line of the poem Gunga Din by Rudyard Kipling | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SEVERE |
Critical part on End of Empire (6)
|
| SERVER (part, separate) on last letter (end) of empirE | ||
| 2 | BOBBYSOXER |
Dog biting British boys freaking out teenage American girl (10)
|
| BOXER (dog) contains (biting, eating up) B (british) and anagram (freaking out) of BOYS | ||
| 3 | GOES WITH |
Courts incredibly wise, stopping barbarian (4,4)
|
| anagram (incredibly) of WISE inside (stopping, like a cork) GOTH (barbarian) | ||
| 4 | TAMMUZ |
This Babylonian god, one making Montezuma mad? (6)
|
| TAMMUZ (this Babylonian god) ONE is an anagram (mad ) of MONTEZUMA | ||
| 5 | QUIT |
Exam’s start time clear (4)
|
| 6 | JEZEBELS |
Blimey! Finally uplifted, picked up beauties – wicked women (8)
|
| JEEZ (blimey!) with the last letter lifted by one place then BELS sounds like (picked up) “belles” (beauties) | ||
| 8 | CHEQUERED FLAG |
Order warning sign that shows race is over (9,4)
|
| CHEQUE (order to a bank) then RED FLAG (warning) | ||
| 14 | PASSAGEWAY |
Die outside, say, reversing in alley (10)
|
| PASS AWAY (die out) contains (outside) EG (say) | ||
| 15 | SKULLCAP |
Type of plant in small ditch endlessly blocking stuff up (8)
|
| S (small) then gULLy (ditch)missing outer letters (endlessly) inside PACK (stuff) reversed (up) | ||
| 16 | PINK GINS |
Knock over Guinness, oddly enough, getting drinks (4,4)
|
| PINK (knock) then (over, on top of) every other letter (oddly enough) of GuInNeS | ||
| 18 | IBEXES |
Upset AC/DC partners, formerly lofty, horny types? (6)
|
| BI (Bi, bisexual, AC/DC) reversed (upset) then EXES (former partners) – mountain goats | ||
| 20 | ELIXIR |
Panacea made by character abroad cutting nettle up (6)
|
| XI (Greek letter, character) inside (cutting) RILE (nettle) reversed (up) | ||
| 22 | TWIG |
Observe branch (4)
|
| double definition – to twig is realize something, to observe |
Second Monk in two days. No Nina this time, but the triple pangram (thanks for the letter table) more than compensated and helped with QUIT and the never heard of TAMMUZ, my last couple in.
Highlight was the the triple pangram, but some good clues along the way including STEPMOTHER, the def for SEX THERAPISTS and the not so obvious VERB. I wondered if ‘junk’ was part of the def for JET SKI, but maybe that’s just my bias! I also learnt a new ‘plant’ in SKULLCAP.
Thanks to Monk and PeeDee
Well, I finished it and parsed everything but, as so often with Monk, had to cheat on some (STEPMOTHER & SKULLCAP) and check some (TAMMUZ & BOBBYSOXER). Even after all that, I needed the triple pangram to get JANICE & QUIT. (In blog, there is an extraneous IN for 24a.) I had heard of “bobbysocks” which helped guess 2d.
Of all today’s splendid crosswords, I think this one stretched the cryptic grey matter the most – starting to think it might be a pangram or three, did help with some of my last ones in
Thanks to Monk and PeeDee
Did my head in counting all the letters-I almost thought there were only two Cs for a moment but Monk is better than that.
A great puzzle even without looping the loop three times
I feel spoilt this week
Thanx all!
Too hard for me although I appreciated many clues.never seen a triple pangram before.
To be pedantic there is an extra R in the blog for 1d. It should be sever and not server. Full of admiration for the blogger. Thanks to both.
Thanks to blogger & setter – one minor parsing point in 5d – I think “Exam’s start” is Qu I = Question 1 rather than the first 3 letters of QUIZ which seems a bit loose for Monk, IMO.
shikasta @6. I think you’re right. I had parsed as in blog but prefer your parsing.
So everyone knows that a pink (16d) is a knock, in an engine? Something to do with pre-ignition I think.
Thanks shikasta, you are right about 5dn. Definitely better.
GreginSyd – I think old-school cars used to pink because of poor ignition timing and weak fuel mixtures, in the days before electronic ignition and fuel injection. I haven’t heard a car pink for years.
Thanks Monk and PeeDee
A day late to this one (i.e. earlier than usual). What a brilliant effort to construct a triple pangram with only a couple of obscure words – I think only TAMMUZ and potentially GUNGA DIN (if one didn’t know of Kipling’s poem) would count. The definition for SKULLCAP certainly was new to me – but the word was far from obscure.
Agree that the definition of SEX THERAPISTS was outstanding and was my clue of the day by far. Even twigging to a double or triple pangram, still didn’t use it to advantage to get my penultimate clue in JANICE (just slogged it out the tough way). That SKULLCAP was the last – unusual definition and a tricky word play – to finish off a very enjoyable puzzle.