We’re standing in for flashling today – it’s a while since we blogged a Twin puzzle….
… and we found this to be something of a curate’s egg of a puzzle. There are some very neat clues, a few write-ins, and a couple of very tricky answers (for us). We solved 25ac and 27ac from the definition and crossing letters, then attempted to parse the solutions, but needed considerable assistance in finally sorting them out. Perhaps we are of the wrong generation for Twin. However, we welcome new setters and cannot complain about the use of more contemporary language that may not yet have made it into Chambers – it is wonderful to witness the ongoing adaptations of our fantastic language.
Bert was blogging today, you will see Joyce blogging tomorrow and place your bets on who will be blogging on Saturday.
VAN (vehicle) COVER (insurance) round U (posh)
A reversal (‘about’) of UM (‘I’m not sure’) + an anagram (‘tailored’) of FIT
NINetY (number) with N (name) replacing ‘et’ (alien) – 26ac is ‘wally’
An anagram (‘tossed’) of ELVIS ETC round A
Hidden (‘a bit’) and reversed (‘back’) in communicationS PUT ELection
I (one) in ARCANe (secret) missing the last letter (‘almost’) in MO (second) – a reference to the boxer Rocky Marciano
A clue-as-definition: A B (born) DICtATOR (undemocratic leader) missing ‘t’ (first or ‘principal’ letter of throne)
WHISKy (‘short’) missing the last letter (‘short’)
CHAR (‘daily’ – cleaner) with I (newspaper) inside
GNU (wild beast) round or ‘conserving’ E (energy) + IN ELY (cathedral city)
NME (New Musical Express – ‘magazine’) in or ‘seized by’ CORAL (bookmaker)
A reversal (‘backing’) of LAD (son) O (over) PA (father)
We really couldn’t parse this at first, but with some (extensive) electronic help we realised that it must be: An anagram (‘newly’) of SEES + XG (expected goals – a new abbreviation for us, not in Chambers and apparently ‘a metric designed to measure the probability of a shot resulting in a goal’ – one more reason for our total lack of interest in football!) + IRL (we only know this abbreviation as ‘Ireland’, but apparently it is also text-speak(?) for ‘in real life’ – ie ‘not online’)
‘Mural’ as an adjective describes a wall – fancifully WALLY would be a synonym
We had difficulty parsing this, but with some help from a friend, we concluded that it is a clue-as-definition: aMOS (prophet) missing or ‘dashing’ the first letter + E S (ecstasy tablets) – the ‘set’ is superfluous in the wordplay – not our favourite clue
MOON (‘eg Prometheus’ – a moon of Jupiter) RAKE (thin man) R (right)
An anagram (‘outrageously’) of LEAVER CAN I CLAIM – we’re not sure that it is normal to have ice cream with cake
NT (New Testament – ‘books’) round ONE (single)
An anagram (‘with new structure’) of I COMPLY
A clue-as-definition: VI (‘sex’ is Latin for six – vi in Roman numerals) CE (church)
An anagram (‘cooked’) of RAREST TUNA
M (masculine) ILK (type) COW (subdue)
If you accept that there are five fingers on each hand this would be FIVE A SIDE, but if we’re being pedantic, there are only four fingers and one thumb…..
An anagram (‘to change’) of KEY CHOICE + P (soft) LAYER (coat)
An anagram (‘swirling’) of MIST after SIGMA (Greek character) round or ‘hiding’ T (first letter or ‘onset’ of terrible)
An anagram (‘novel’) of IS A DESIRE
A reversal (‘turning up’) of SEXIER round or ‘without’ M (male)
I (current) N-POWER (energy supplier)
D K (first and least letters or ‘extremes’ of drunk) round or ‘drinking’ ALE (beer)
A LOO (toilet – ‘can’)
XG in ESSEX GIRL was new to me, too, although IRL is part of my online vocabulary, although I’d hoped we’d lost that stereotype, working with the kids dealing with it.
I read MOSES as a complete clue, as he did lose the first set of tablets, didn’t spot that Amos was included, so that clue is my favourite for cleverness.
I found this tough, but pretty much parsed.
Thank you Twin and Bertandjoyce.
I was nowhere near parsing ESSEX GIRL so my thanks to our bloggers for sorting that one out. MOSES almost works and I suspect could be tweaked. Unless something else is going on with ‘set’ that I have completely missed. Amusingly (for me, at least) I struggled with MARCIANO as I couldn’t get ‘Balboa’ out of my head; talk about fiction taking over from reality. And I’m afraid I show my age with my failure to parse CORNMEAL – for me, NME was a newspaper (which always left one with inky fingers after reading if I remember aright). I did raise an eyebrow at FIVE-A-SIDE but it does feel somewhat churlish to complain …
There was plenty to enjoy, though, with many possible ticks. Podium would be ABDICATOR, VICE, DIARESIS (once I’d looked up what it meant) and DALEK.
Thanks Twin and B&J
B&J have got this spot on with the curate’s egg analogy. I enjoyed almost all of it but there was a short run of three across clues which I thought were unsatisfactory: 25, 26 & 27, and also the definition for 1d was decidedly odd.
Like others, I couldn’t parse my answers for 25a & 27a, and, having seen the explanations, I think 27a in particular is a poor clue. Even with the question mark, I don’t think 26a works.
Thanks to Twin and B&J.
I had the same trouble as others apparently, so thanks to our bloggers for the explanations. I couldn’t see 9A at all so bunged in NANCY in desperation – well, it half works! As previously mentioned, I do wish setters would avoid using Wally as a synonym for idiot etc; I have an elderly friend of that name who gets very upset by it. Thanks Twin and B&J.
I really like Twin’s style. In fact, I’d say he’s among my current favourite setters – not least for the novelty of his wordplay. The ESSEX GIRL clue is a standout for me. Needed most of the crossers before the penny dropped but then had no problem parsing it. Anyone who ever looks at the sports pages or watches Match of the Day will be familiar with XG – it has become a major talking point in football in recent years.
Tatrasman – now the Wallies know how the Charlies have felt all these years! (When I was growing up, a wally was a gherkin – at least until the book How To Be A Wally came out in the early 80s)
Thought this would be fun when 1a raised a smile straight off, but then completely stymied by the same as others. I like a bit of sport, but the actual sport itself – couldn’t give a … about sports’ statistics. And virtually any combination of letters seems to be an acronym for some lazy saying these days so I’ve never come across irl.
The one that puzzles me most, and not for crossword reasons, is DIAERESIS. I had to look it up to get the spelling and I see it’s to indicate that vowels be enunciated separately. So is the one in the clue pure affectation by the Brontë family?
Thanks to Twin and to Bert for some solving above and beyond the call of duty.
Thanks Twin and BnJ
Pete @ 6 I think the diaeresis in Brontë is to confirm that the final e is pronounced.
Thanks Simon.
I’m glad those people who’d like English to be restructured with all the silent letters removed and written phonetically never got traction. It would make for a much duller language.
Loved ESSEX GIRL, and was glad I followed the cryptic carefully to avoid an APEDAL.
Didn’t know DIAERESIS – looks like an umlaut to me! – but I eventually teased out the order of the vowels.
Thanks Twin & B&J
Couldn’t parse the XG in 25a ESSEX GIRL – It beat me, but I like it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expected_goals (redirected from “…wikipedia.org/wiki/XG”) says it’s applied to Association football(Soccer, 7d FIVE-A-SIDE) as well as to 8d ICE-HOCKEY PLAYERs.
As RD commented, it was three of the pesky across answers in the lower reaches that had me reaching for the reference books. I have a feeling that Twin is well outside of my comfort zone but thanks to him nevertheless for the challenge and many thanks to B&J for making sense of it all.
I think stigmatism might be American English for astigmatism. But I enjoyed struggling my way through with quite a lot of help from references.
Thank you Twin and B&J
Also liked 10d – CEST LA VIE: Two song titles, one sung by Frank Sinatra, and its French translation by !rish GIRL band B*witched. Elvis never covered either.
More French: In the US (and Canada), in RESTAURANTs ‘à la mode‘ means with ice cream on top:
“…3 – North American English – Served with ice cream: – ‘finish the meal with chocolate cake à la mode’
+ More example sentences: – ‘Brownies a la mode. Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream on each serving.”
Loved the puzzle. Thanks T & B&J
David @12. Personally, I thought it was a mistake. Surely “stigmatism” is related to “stigmata”. Maybe Twin will clarify.
Thanks both. Well, I needed something to wake me up on a Monday, and this did the job, though I suspect I would have failed to complete had I not turned to an anagram generator for DIAERESIS. Not all parsed, and the crossing ESSEX GIRL and REMIXES were last ones in – XG I instantly knew, and singles in the days of vinyl I had many, but barely any were remixes, which tended to appear on EPs as a reworking of the track originally released as a single, though the clue is entirely fair.
STIGMATISM
Found some related info online:
https://www.payneglasses.com/blog/understanding-stigmatism-vs-astigmatism/
Thanks KVa. So not a mistake after all. Apologies.
TFO @ 15 I suspect the remixes reference is to the 80s & 90s when a (12”) single would be released, to be followed a few weeks later by the (extended) remix.