Gila fills the Wednesday Independent slot this week.
Terminology in wordplay construction should warrant an academic treatise. Today we had ‘frequently‘ in the clue for 1 across and ‘occasionally‘ in the clue for 23 across meaning exactly the same thing – each referring to successive second letters from a word or phrase. In 22 down we also had ‘regularly‘ meaning the same thing. I guess ‘regularly‘ is used so often that setters look for alternative ways of indicating the wordplay device.
When I skimmed the clue for ALGEBRAIC my initial thoughts went erroneously to irrational numbers (e), imaginary numbers (i) and constants (c) although I realise a constant can’t be considered indefinite. It was only when I counted letters that I settled on taking both the Ns out of REBALANCING to get the correct anagram fodder.
At 13 across, I’m not sure whether ‘freethinking’ and RATIONALIST are the same figure of speech, but grammar was never my strong point.
Overall I enjoyed solving this puzzle with special mention to the clues for YEAST [significant misdirection in the surface], BAPTISE (similarly) and BILLABONG (we don’t see BONG as a pipe very often) in the acrosses. The down clues seemed to be more direct in their wordplay with slightly less need for lateral thinking, giving a good mix of clues in the whole crossword.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Organising tour frequently bores musician (7) SORTING (organising) OR (letters 2 and 4 [frequently] of TOUR) contained in (bores) STING (reference Gordon Sumner [born 1951], English musician, best known as a member of rock band The Police) S (OR) TING |
| 5 |
There’s no getting round it, I’m no longer trendy! (7) IMPASSE (situation from which further progress is impossible; there’s no getting round it) I’M + PASSÉ (out of date; no longer trendy) IM PASSE |
| 9 |
Rebalancing, with no indefinite numbers reinterpreted from maths work (9) ALGEBRAIC (relating to [from] a branch of mathematics) Anagram of (reinterpreted) REBALANCING excluding both [with no] Ns [N represents an unspecified [indefinite] number in some equations and hypotheses) ALGEBRAIC* |
| 10 |
Positive votes won’t ultimately provide the reason for an uprising? (5) YEAST (a fermentation agent which can cause dough to rise) YEAS (votes in favour; positive votes) + T (last letter of [ultimately] WON’T) YEAS T |
| 11 |
Fish sandwiches staff put round plates (7) ENAMELS (you can certainly buy ENAMEL plates, but I can’t find a dictionary that gives plates and ENAMELS as synonyms) EELS (fish) containing (sandwiches) MAN (staff) reversed (put round) E (NAM<) ELS |
| 12 |
Family member has a look around for cereal (7) GRANOLA (type of crunchy breakfast cereal made with mixed grain, oats, dried fruit, nuts, etc, and honey or brown sugar) GRAN (GRANdmother; family member) + (A + LO [look]) all reversed (around) GRAN (OL A)< |
| 13 |
Freethinking artist into cavorting with the Hollywood elite (11) RATIONALIST (descriptive of a person who bases their opinions and actions on reason and knowledge rather than on religious belief or emotional response; freethinking) – are freethinking and RATIONALIST similar figures of speech? RA (Royal Academician; artist) + an anagram of (cavorting) INTO + A-LIST (Hollywood’s elite people) RA TION* A LIST |
| 16 |
Trademark protecting a piece of headgear (3) TAM (TAM o’ Shanter; cap with broad circular flat top; piece of headgear) TM (Trademark) containing (protecting) A T (A) M |
| 18 |
Skirt has to be returned as I don’t think much of it (3) MEH (exclamation expressing a lack of interest or enthusiasm) HEM (border; skirt) reversed (has to be returned) MEH< |
| 20 |
Crime drama seeing a person shot, badly (3,8) THE SOPRANOS (television crime drama) Anagram of (badly) A PERSON SHOT THE SOPRANOS* |
| 22 |
Most simple pastry dishes covered in pepper (7) DOPIEST (most simple) PIES (pastry dishes) contained in (covered in) DOT (to pepper) DO (PIES) T |
| 23 |
Name of bread roll accompanying thin stew occasionally (7) BAPTISE (christen; give a name to) BAP (bread roll) + TISE (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [occasionally] of THIN STEW) BAP TISE |
| 25 |
Sharp knife wound admitted to A&E (5) ACUTE (sharp) CUT (knife wound) contained in (admitted to) (A + E) A (CUT) E |
| 26 |
Notice a pipe providing isolated source of fresh water (9) BILLABONG (cut-off loop of a river, replenished only by floods; isolated source of fresh water) BILL (advertisement; notice) + A + BONG (water pipe used for smoking cannabis, crack, etc) BILL A BONG |
| 27 |
Nurse is knocked back, having to go without a date (4,3) SINE DIE (without an appointed day) (EN [Enrolled Nurse] + IS) all reversed (knocked back) + DIE (go) (SI NE)< DIE |
| 28 |
Peripheral figure revealed by storyteller on podcast (7) OUTLIER (a data point on a graph or in a set of results that is very much bigger or smaller than the next nearest data point; peripheral figure) OUT (revealed) + LIER (storyteller) – although LIER seems a perfectly reasonable derivative of LIE (to tell untruths or stories), I can only find it spelled LIAR in all the dictionaries I access. LIER seems to restricted to someone who assumes a horizontal position) OUT LIER |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Instrument made of tin a butcher held up (5,4) SNARE DRUM (musical instrument) SN (chemical symbol for tin) + A + MURDER (butcher) reversed (held up; down entry) SN A RE DRUM< |
| 2 |
Ruling, and expecting to have no power (7) REGNANT (reigning; ruling) PREGNANT (expecting) excluding (to have no) P (power) REGNANT |
| 3 |
Inspire independent mob rule from time to time (5) IMBUE (inspire) I (independent) + MBUE (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 (from time to time) of MOB RULE I MBUE |
| 4 |
Spurs goal almost leads to defensive substitution (5) GOADS (urges forwards; spurs) GOAL excluding the final letter (mostly) L + DS (first letters of [leads to] each of DEFENSIVE and SUBSTITUTION) GOA DS |
| 5 |
Unrecognisable gin mixed with tonic and a dash of orange (9) INCOGNITO (unrecognisable) Anagram of (mixed) GIN and TONIC + O (first letter of [dash of] ORANGE) INCOGNIT* O |
| 6 |
Wage officer in team prays for a reorg (9) PAYMASTER (official in an organization, government, etc who pays out money) Anagram of (a reorg[anization]) TEAM PRAYS PAYMASTER* |
| 7 |
Constituency housing for Spanish coastal town (7) SEAPORT (a SEAPORT will be a coastal town) SEAT (term to describe an electoral constituency) containing (housing) POR (Spanish for ‘for’) SEA (POR) T |
| 8 |
Somewhat influential things, philosophically speaking (5) ENTIA (an abstract or philosophical term for beings or existences; entities, as opposed to attributes; somewhat influential things, philosophically speaking) ENTIA (hidden word in [somewhat] INFLUENTIAL) ENTIA |
| 14 |
After working, other people stop improving (2,3,4) ON THE MEND (improving) ON (working) + THEM (other people) + END (stop) ON THE M END |
| 15 |
Maintain food can be turned away (9) AVERTABLE (can be prevented or turned away) AVER (maintain) + TABLE (generic term for an arrangement of food) AVER TABLE |
| 17 |
Runner‘s trouble with green pants (9) MESSENGER (runner) MESS (trouble) + an anagram of (pants) GREEN MESS ENGER* |
| 19 |
Brand fronted by fashionable old actress (7) HEPBURN (reference Katherine HEPBURN [1907 – 2003], American actress) HEP (informed or well abreast of fashionable knowledge. I think also that HEP and HIP are similar, where HIP can be defined simply as fashionable) + BURN (brand) HEP BURN |
| 21 |
VIP taking in cool international city (7) NAIROBI (city in Kenya) (NOB [person of wealth or especially high social rank; Very Important Person] containing [taking in] AIR [to cool]) + I (international) N (AIR) OB I |
| 22 |
US narcs regularly lost supplies of drugs (5) DEALS (supplies of drugs) DEA ([United States ] Drug Enforcement Administration [employers of narcotics agents {narcs}] ) + LS (letters 1 and 3 [regularly] of LOST) DEA LS |
| 23 |
A place you go to pursue black bear (5) BALOO (name of the bear in The Jungle Book, but more generally just a bear) B (black, on lead pencils) + A + LOO (lavatory; place to go) B A LOO |
| 24 |
Spy network given external training? (5) PLANT (spy deployed to incriminate someone) LAN (local area network) contained in (given external …) PT (physical training) P (LAN) T |
OUTLIER
‘on podcast’ is a homophone indicator, I guess.
I enjoyed this, YEAST was excellent in particular.
On rationalist I had the same query, but wondered if it could also be an adjective and although it’s not in Chambers as such a quick Google found it as an adjective in Collins.
Thanks both.
I also took “on podcast” as a homophone indicator. I had “plates” and “enamels” as verbs.
I was glad that I had seen ENTIA and BALOO before and TAM is also one of those “crosswordy” words which you don’t come across often away from crosswords. 19d could be Audrey too of course.
Like Hovis @3, I took ENAMELS to be a verb as in to coat, paint or (at a stretch) ‘plate(s)’ with enamel. As explained by KVa @1, I thought LIER was a homophone (‘on podcast’) of LIAR (‘storyteller’).
Thanks to Gila and Duncan
Just about evryone @1, @2, @3 and @4
Oops! – I completely missed the ‘on podcast’ bit of the clue. I just got to LIER and stopped.
Yes, verbs for plates and enamels is obviously correct too – sorry!
I normally enjoy Gila’s puzzles but, despite a lot of good clues, I didn’t warm to this one, and I found parts of the bottom half impenetrable. I obviously need to improve my knowledge of the drugs world as BONG and DEA were mysteries to me.
Duncan, I did agree with you about FREETHINKING being an adjective and RATIONALIST a noun until I checked Chambers and it gives FREETHINKING as a noun as well as an adjective.
Thanks to Gila for trying. I won’t let this put me off looking forward to your next one. Thanks too to Duncan for explaining the bits that foxed me.
Thanks Gila and ds
I think FREETHINKING = RATIONALIST is fine, eg “X takes a freethinking / rationalist approach to things”.
Found this to be quite hard going and my mood wasn’t lightened by that that dreadful word MEH. I’m told that’s because I never watch The Simpsons!
I’m going to mirror our reviewer and opt for YEAST, BAPTISE & BILLABONG as my top three.
Thanks to Gila even though my heart sank a little when I realised I have to battle with you again in today’s DT Toughie and thanks also to Duncan for his review.
This was my 1st attempt at a Gila crossword and I came away very impressed. I missed ENTIA but all else fell into place over the course of my day. Top choices were RATIONALIST, THE SOPRANOS (good anagram), BAPTISE, SNARE DRUM, and HEPBURN. I knew BILLABONG because I had a pair of shorts made by a company with that name. Thanks duncanshiell for the blog.