Wonderful to see Monk this morning.
Two columns in the grid hint at a possible celebration. (Does anyone know more?)
A very pleasant and witty solve. Neatly clued. Not too easy, not too hard – just right for a Wednesday. Many thanks to Monk!
(NO I (number one) + SAC (bag) + CO (firm))< (<to go into recession)
[d]ROLLER[y] (comic show, unconfined)
ACHE (pain) enveloping R (right) + R (radius)
(LATER)* (*lost) in WOO (court)
Consuming C (Charlie), LOO (on which one goes)
SECONDS (supporters) + LIP (cheek)
Cricket reference
CID (police (i.e. Criminal Investigation Department)) checked by DEE (river)
TOAD (squit) + LAX (morally loose) pinching F (female)
([s]ECT (group, leaderless) trapped by ARETE (ridge))< (<retreating)
O (old) + (BLUES)* (*form of)
(BACKSIDE (bum) + R (runs)) across L (line)
A (American) + LSO (group of musicians (i.e. London Symphony Orchestra))
Around E (east), BACTRIA[n] (camel, having no N (new))
ALEE (sheltered) with T[i]T[o] (on and off) under cover (i.e. in shelter)
ECH[o] (response, majority of) in TIE (link)
R[ubbish]Y (extremely) + C[harge] (initially) held by DELL (hollow) + S (small)
COR (my) + RODENTIA (small furry animals)
(EARTH POD I)* (*manoeuvring round)
[se]ES SERVI[ce]< (somewhat, <held up)
NEW (young) + (DASTARDLY CON)* (*dealt with) semi &lit
ROT (decay) + “UNDER” (in course of, “picked up”)
LOR[i]S (primate, disposing of I (one)), having D (died)
The London cricket ground
Double definition
(1. Green and 2. the famous Umberto Eco)
(UNINSTALL)* (*flashing) around H[ous]E (walls of)
MAN (servant) + T[o]L[d] (oddly) to cork FREE (gratis)
(GENERAL)* (*faults)
[h]OURLY (frequently, missing H (husband)) taking AD (notice)
ETC (shortly 17 (i.e. ET CETERA)) in [bloc]KH[ouse] (middle of)
A[merican] [e]X[press] [ex]E[cutive] (progressive characters among, (i.e. first, then second, then third))
As I enter my second year of the delights of British crosswords, I’m happy that my list of “don’t attempt” compilers is shrinking. Despite Monk being in it, I spent half an hour mulling over this and solved just one (ALSO). Looking through the above, about half resulted in “I should have got that” (or “D’oh”) but the other half were “I would never have got that in a fit”. So Monk stays in my “don’t attempt” list, but I’m hoping that one day I’ll have progressed up the learning curve enough to welcome him to my list of favourite setters.
My admiration for those who managed it.
Perhaps this is Monk’s 150th FT crossword? I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. Too many good clues to note all, but I especially liked 11ac. 2d was unknown to me my gettable from wordplay once I had the crossers. Many thanks to Monk and also to Oriel.
GDU if it’s any consolation I found this on the outer edge of my ability to solve without aids and ended up with a DNF. With just T-A-FLAX to go after well over the hour I chucked TWATFLAX in in desperation. I know I know. I’m embarrassed now. Then the software told me it was wrong and after a bit TOADFLAX crawled reluctantly out of some grimy corner of my memory. I have to say TOAD is not my first synonym for “squit” which I think of as something pejoratively small. But still fair enough I guess.
I thought this was a cracker though overall. Didn’t know 19a or 2 and learnt something at 25. Thought 21 was a very fine clue and spent the longest time at 4 trying to get some version of “IBREITY” “IBRIETY” “IRN—E” to work before finally seeing the lurker. I always grant the setter a moral victory when that happens!
In general NE was a massive head scratcher with 7 the last successful clue in after very satisfying pdm.
I’ve gone on long enough (but then I won’t annoy many as so few post here). Hats off to Oriel for finding this a goldilocks and not a bear. Many tx to you and Monk.
I enjoyed this a lot even though I failed on three – 19 and 25, both of which I should have got, and 15 which I don’t think I’d ever have solved – not good on plants and wouldn’t have thought of TOAD for squit.
I don’t mind failing when the clues are good and fair (as here).
Thanks to Monk and to Oriel for the help where it was needed.
Thanks Monk and Oriel. I was lucky with my guess at 15ac to finish things off.
[23ac: Those who recognise my name as a fairly frequent contributor to FT (and Azed) blogs may not be surprised if I tell you that I genuinely learned to distinguish different types of camels with the aid of the following verse. Punctuation is my own guess, having heard it on the radio:
The camel has a single hump, the dromedary two.
Or maybe that’s the wrong way round. I’m not sure – are you?
Then all you have to do is remember that it is the wrong way round.]
I didn’t find this too bad for a Monk but even so I didn’t know that IVRESSE was a word in English, only knowing the French word “ivre” for “drunk”. TOADFLAX came from the outer reaches of somewhere as my last in. I wasn’t confident, but guessed the confines of ROLLER were a D and a Y. Thanks for the ‘camel’ name tip, PB @5, even if it’s probably too taxing for my aged memory!
Interesting to see one of the answers here making an appearance in another puzzle today, something which happens surprisingly often. I look forward to the explanation of the C L Nina.
Thanks (and ? congrats) to Monk and to Oriel
Thanks Monk and Oriel
PB @ 5: there’s an even simpler way to distinguish between Bactrian and Dromedary: rotating the initial letters 90deg left shows the number of humps they have.
Thanks for the blog, I thought this was really good, AXE uses a very neat idea, IVRESSE is totally new to me, very fair to use a hidden device.
IVRESSE i finally worked out, but it was my last in. TOADFLAX I know, can even describe the two versions I see regularly (ivy-leaved and the tall plant).
Thank you for the work out Monk and Oriel for the blog.
It is a good day for cryptic crossword solving (I’ve done them all) and this one was most enjoyable
Many thanks to Monk and Oriel
I wondered whether this was 8 X 150 = 1,200 puzzles for Monk, since I believe he has been setting for a good while? A fine construction.
Monk’s 100th FT puzzle was in September 2017, so slightly less than one puzzle a month would be needed to bring him to 150 today.
Interestingly, Monk has used this device before (but using different columns): https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/10/24/independent-10306-monk/
[Simon S@7: I agree that is much simpler, but I had already learned it the other way.]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Scotland_Yard
‘Then, in 1873 the Metropolitan Police brought (bought?) the stables from the Waterloo and Whitehall Railway company and built the ‘Hackney Carriage & Detective Department’ in 1874. The building was the first dedicated space for the detective department and was where all the high-profile cases were processed and high-profile prisoners were held.’
…that was MDCCCLXXIII and today gave me two jorums – ©Eileen MMXXIII – with TOADFLAX and CORRODENTIA.
Thanks M&O
And thanks Simon S@7 for the TILT about camels.
Hard for me. Missed 5. Thanks for explaining the mysteries and missing.
There’s obviously something magical about 8 centilitres.
As an encouragement to GDU, Monk has only just been removed from our ‘don’t attempt’ list. Managed to complete most of the left side today plus a scattering of others. Slow but steady progress!