Our Tuesday challenge comes from Filbert today.
I thought a few of the definitions were a bit vague, particularly for 27a and 18d; and both 21a and 15d were words that I can’t imagine ever having a need to use, though it’s obvious enough what they mean. But plenty of fun as usual: I smiled at the angry Earl in 5d, the bizarre association of Jane Austen with combat sports in 14a, and the self-referential 23a.
For our Tuesday theme, Filbert is inviting us to a session of card games. There are several obvious references in the clues, some of which make it into the solutions (PACK, HEART, TWIST, PARTNER, GAME, JACK, and perhaps QUEEN), and others hidden (DOUBLE in bridge bidding, FACE cards, THREE, KING, and ACE). And a sneaky reference to a “deck” full of sailors rather than cards. I haven’t played card games for a while so I may have missed others. Thanks Filbert for a good game.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | TAKE OUT |
Date when surveillance operation doesn’t start (4,3)
|
| [s]TAKE-OUT (surveillance operation) without the first letter (doesn’t start).
Date, as a verb = have romantic meetings with = take out. |
||
| 5 | DOUBLE |
Uniform black boards benefit duplicate (6)
|
| U (Uniform in the radio alphabet) + B (abbreviation for black, as in 2B pencils), inserted into (boards, as a verb = gets into) DOLE (unemployment benefit). | ||
| 9 | EASY TERMS |
See smarty pants in comfortable contract (4,5)
|
| Anagram (pants = rubbish) of SEE SMARTY. | ||
| 10 | CONGA |
Trick starts to go awry – one is beaten (5)
|
| CON (short for confidence trick) + starting letters of G[o] A[wry].
Not the dance, but the Cuban drum, which is beaten. |
||
| 11 | TRACED |
Playing card expert on vacation run to ground (6)
|
| Anagram (playing) of CARD + E[xper]T (on vacation = inner letters emptied out). | ||
| 12 | FACE PACK |
Fellow with excellent cards presents mask (4,4)
|
| F (abbreviation for fellow) + ACE (slang for excellent) + PACK (deck of cards).
A cosmetic treatment for the face. |
||
| 14 | EMMA |
Novel English combat sport (4)
|
| E (abbreviation for English) + MMA (mixed martial arts = combat sport).
Novel by Jane Austen. |
||
| 16 | HEARTBEAT |
Card table that’s not large adjusted in a tick (9)
|
| HEART (playing card), then an anagram (adjusted) of TAB[l]E without the L (large). | ||
| 18 | PERSEVERE |
Endure each cut except the last (9)
|
| PER (each, as in “once per day”) + SEVERE[d] (cut, as a verb in the past tense) without the last letter. | ||
| 19 | TARS |
28 24’s; deck full of them? (4)
|
| TA (slang for 28a THANKS) + RS (plural of R, abbreviation of Latin Regina = 24d QUEEN).
Tars = slang for sailors, on the deck of a ship. |
||
| 21 | IRONLIKE |
Strong club opening for Lightner and Eisenhower (8)
|
| IRON (a type of golf club) + first letter (opening) of L[ightner] + IKE (nickname of former US President Dwight D. Eisenhower). | ||
| 23 | CLIQUE |
Gang, how clever you are cracking this! (6)
|
| IQ (abbreviation for intelligence quotient = how clever you are) inserted into (cracking) CLUE (this = what you’re solving right now). | ||
| 26 | TWIST |
Another card please, from spades in dummy (5)
|
| S (abbreviation for spades, in playing cards) in TWIT (dummy = idiot).
In the game of pontoon, “twist” is a request to the dealer for another card. |
||
| 27 | NEWS-SHEET |
Bridge players recycled these articles (4-5)
|
| N E W S (players in bridge: North, East, West, South) + anagram (recycled) of THESE.
A printed sheet containing news articles. |
||
| 28 | THANKS |
Tesla coils that’ll do nicely (6)
|
| T (abbreviation for Tesla = measurement unit for magnetic flux density) + HANKS (coils, for example of rope or thread).
“That’ll do nicely” = an expression of appreciation = thanks. (As in the 1980s American Express adverts; the slogan was introduced by Salman Rushdie in his early days as a copywriter, it seems.) |
||
| 29 | PARTNER |
Taken aback by split, blame the player opposite (7)
|
| RENT (split = tear apart) + RAP (blame, as in “take the rap”), all reversed (taken aback).
In card games such as bridge, partners sit on opposite sides of the table. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | TWENTY |
Score that’s close, We and They showing nothing in it (6)
|
| Last letter (close) of [tha]T, then WE ‘N’ T[he]Y (we and they), with the inner letters of T[he]Y emptied out (nothing in it). | ||
| 2 | KASHA |
Porridge shock, as had bears (5)
|
| Hidden answer (. . . bears, as a verb = carries) in [shoc]K AS HA[d]. The surface suggests the fairytale porridge-thief Goldilocks.
Porridge from eastern Europe, often made from buckwheat. |
||
| 3 | ON THE GAME |
Going after tricks, to do with bridge? (2,3,4)
|
| ON (relating to = to do with) + THE GAME (of which bridge is an example, indicated by the question mark).
Slang for working as a prostitute; a “trick” is a prostitute’s client or the transaction involved. |
||
| 4 | TART |
Sharp finesse leading with fourth in suit (4)
|
| ART (finesse = skill), with the fourth letter of [sui]T at the beginning (leading).
Sharp = tart = sour-tasting. |
||
| 5 | DISPARAGED |
Slighted, 8th Earl Spencer was furious (10)
|
| DI’S PA (8th Earl Spencer = father of Diana, Princess of Wales) + RAGED (was furious). | ||
| 6 | UNCLE |
Article lost by dirty man you’re in a relationship with (5)
|
| UNCLE[an] (dirty) without AN (a form of the indefinite article). | ||
| 7 | LEND AN EAR |
Pay attention, Edna and learn to shuffle (4,2,3)
|
| Anagram (to shuffle) of EDNA + LEARN.
Lend an ear = instruction to listen = pay atttention. |
||
| 8 | JACKET |
Betty regularly keeps card up sleeve (6)
|
| Alternate letters (regularly) of [b]E[t]T[y], after (below, in a down clue = supporting = keeping up) JACK (a playing card).
Sleeve = jacket = a protective covering, such as the cardboard cover on a vinyl record. |
||
| 13 | THREE KINGS |
Biblical characters carrying powerful scent among possessions (5,5)
|
| REEK (unpleasant smell = powerful scent) in (among) THINGS (possessions, as in “pack your things”). | ||
| 15 | MARROWISH |
Like bloody tissue, rank one in bog (9)
|
| ROW (rank = a line in formation) + I (one in Roman numerals), inside MARSH (bog).
I suppose it means “like bone-marrow”? |
||
| 17 | TOTALISER |
Child reformed Israel’s system for the 20 (9)
|
| TOT (a small child) + anagram (reformed) of ISRAEL.
A system for gambling on horse races (for the 20d = BETTER), in which winners receive a proportion of the total amount wagered. |
||
| 18 | POINTS |
Jerry bid second, giving reasons (6)
|
| PO (jerry = slang for chamber-pot) + INT (1NT = notation for a bid of “one no trumps” in bridge) + S (abbreviation for second). | ||
| 20 | BETTER |
Trump player (6)
|
| Double definition: for once we’re not talking about the ex-President. Trump, as a verb = better = outdo; or someone who gambles. | ||
| 22 | LET ON |
Card learner turned over gave the game away (3,2)
|
| NOTE (card = a brief message as opposed to a formal letter) + L (abbreviation for learner), all reversed (turned over = upwards in a down clue). | ||
| 24 | QUEEN |
Name for R in rummy? (5)
|
| QUEE[r] (rummy = strange), with N (name) instead of the R.
Clue-as-definition, but a slightly strained one. R = abbreviation for Latin Regina = Queen; I’m not aware that this notation is used in the card game of rummy, but perhaps there’s something I’ve missed. |
||
| 25 | SWAP |
Deal hands face up (4)
|
| PAWS (hands of an animal, or slang for human hands) reversed (face up = upwards in a down clue).
Deal = swap = an exchange for mutual benefit. |
Thanks, Filbert for the lovely puzzle.
Thanks, Quirister for the elaborate and well-written blog.
Liked TAKE OUT, ON THE GAME, DISPARAGE and QUEEN.
QUEEN
1. A given name
2. R-Queen
3. Queen is there in rummy
Does it work (in addition to the wordplay)?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Lightner
FrankieG @2: thanks, I wondered who he was, but left it because you don’t need to know that to solve the clue. Wikipedia also says that Eisenhower, mentioned in the same clue, was a keen bridge player.
Hard work with Filbert really making us solvers think, even with the theme. I almost lost count of the ones I couldn’t parse here, but EMMA, KASHA, POINTS and QUEEN will do for a start. Last in was the unlikely sounding MARROWISH, which yes, is a word meaning “resembling, or having the nature of, bone marrow” (Collins); ‘Like bloody tissue’ I suppose because the bone marrow is the source of blood. I’ll put my hand up and admit to never having heard of Theodore Lightner either.
Somehow filled the grid correctly but not a satisfying or “proper” solve with so many I had little idea about.
Thanks to Filbert for a real challenge and to Quirister – a great job to work everything out and to explain the parsing so well
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeout_double
Fantastic puzzle. TAKEOUT DOUBLE, THANKS PARTNER and everything in between. MARROWISH very good, and CLIQUE, and the clue for TARS but tops is EMMA. I don’t mind Filbert’s definitions. Thanks both.
“TWENTY POINTS” & “THANKS PARTNER” go with bridge, too.
But I’m sure this is just a coincidence – @https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blouson:
‘…United States Army’s M-1944 field JACKET, BETTER known after its principal advocate as the Eisenhower jacket.’
Thanks Hazelnut & Quirister
FrankieG@ 2,5 and 7
Quite some interesting info. Thanks.
Thanks both. The finer detail of the theme was lost on me, as I have never played bridge, and regard it as a game for the elite, hence POINTS was entered unparsed, also because I knew Jerry can, but not its purpose
I very much enjoyed the interlinking of surface theme and solutions throughout this puzzle. If I have one – tiny – criticism of an otherwise fine blog, I’m not sure ‘There are several obvious references in the clues’ quite does Filbert justice. I make it 21 clear references to card playing out of 32 clues and there may be some I have missed as, like our blogger, I am not a regular player and have never known the intricacies and terminology of some, including bridge.
Tough puzzle, as Filbert tends to be – but this setter continues to go up in my estimation. Even with a couple of, yes, slightly vague definitions.
Thanks both
Never heard of MMA. Came up with Kim as the novel and E and Kime turned out to be something to do with Japanese martial arts. Ho hum. Difficult crossword, I thought, so thanks for the necessary blog. Thanks to both
I found this really difficult especially the South as like others I’ve never played Bridge (and probably never will) so consequently THANKS and POINTS remained unparsed as well as a couple of the finer points relating to the game being lost on me. That said I did both enjoy and appreciate it, the skill of the wordplay being particularly impressive.
TAKE OUT, EMMA, DISPARAGED (where “perhaps” after said earl may have been fairer) and PERSEVERE were my picks.
Thanks to Filbert and Quirister for a top puzzle and blog.
Thanks to Quirister for the blog and all for commenting.
I made up the Eisenhower/Lightner partnership but it’s not impossible that they played together. If anyone can find evidence I’d be delighted. The closest link I found was this NY Times article which describes a match in the 1930’s refereed by Alfred Gruenther (Eisenhower’s deputy as Supreme Allied Commander in the fifties, and bridge partner during WWII), with Lightner playing against Oswald Jacoby (like Lightner, a professional bridge player and author, and Eisenhower’s regular partner in Eisenhower’s Saturday night games in the White House).
It’s a twenty point grid …
…?
One diamond?? Great puzzle!