The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.
Hello everyone. Filbert has provided us with another enjoyable crossword. While this entertained me for a normal Sunday-type time, I did have to shift my brain into gear. As usual for this setter, all the pay-offs were worth it. Thanks Filbert!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 5a | Reason golf has 18 holes? (6) |
| GROUND — G (golf) + ROUND (18 holes?) | |
| 6a | Pet is concerned to get a bit of sausage (6) |
| CARESS — CARES (is concerned) + the first letter of (a bit of) Sausage | |
| 9a | Feel the loss of American wife (6) |
| MISSUS — MISS (feel the loss of) + US (American) | |
| 10a | Creamed rice and milk, type Lear liked? (8) |
| LIMERICK — An anagram of (creamed) RICE and MILK. Some examples from Edward Lear are featured in this blog post | |
| 11a | Silver Edward kept in storage for a time (4) |
| AGED — AG (silver) + ED (Edward) | |
| 12a | Hot sandwich made by inventive baker – bravo (5,5) |
| DONER KEBAB — DONE (made) by an anagram of (inventive) BAKER + B (bravo) | |
| 13a | Concrete wind break? (6,5) |
| BREEZE BLOCK — BREEZE (wind) + BLOCK (break) | |
| 18a | E.g. Bob Dylan back in Bognor Regis, town going wild (10) |
| SONGWRITER — An anagram of (… going wild) the last letter of (back in) BognoR with REGIS, TOWN | |
| 21a | Unfortunately a girl loses one shilling (4) |
| ALAS — A + LAS[s] (girl) loses one S (shilling) | |
| 22a | Fairy-tale writer with Irish name (8) |
| ANDERSEN — AND (with) + ERSE (Irish) + N (name) | |
| 23a | Dirty son covered with grease (6) |
| SOILED — S (son) + OILED (covered with grease) | |
| 24a | “Arrest that woman,” said man attacked in Senate (6) |
| CAESAR — Sounds like (… said) SEIZE ’ER (arrest that woman) | |
| 25a | Cure connected with year by the sea (6) |
| REMEDY — RE (connected with) + Y (year) by the MED (sea) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Imagine Labour’s behind, with Conservative party leading (8) |
| CONSIDER — LabouR’s last letter (behind) with CON (Conservative) and SIDE (party) preceding (leading) | |
| 2d | In Rome, one editor surplus to requirements (6) |
| UNUSED — UNUS (in Rome, one) + ED (editor) | |
| 3d | Dog raised knowing right from wrong in royal palace (8) |
| BALMORAL — LAB (dog) reversed (raised) + MORAL (knowing right from wrong) | |
| 4d | Car in cemetery tries heading for exit (6) |
| HEARSE — HEARS (tries) + the first letter of (heading for) Exit | |
| 5d | Englishman in Mexico, perhaps good drummer (6) |
| GRINGO — G (good) + RINGO (drummer) | |
| 7d | Event where people talk, therefore spies left (6) |
| SOCIAL — SO (therefore) + CIA (spies) + L (left) | |
| 8d | Secretive Scottish family all but doomed (11) |
| CLANDESTINE — CLAN (Scottish family) most of (all but) DESTINEd (doomed) | |
| 14d | Train tours are subject to alteration (8) |
| EUROSTAR — TOURS ARE anagrammed (subject to alteration) | |
| 15d | Improvised recital includes new instrument (8) |
| CLARINET — An anagram of (improvised) RECITAL includes N (new) | |
| 16d | Drink can go cold when served up (6) |
| COGNAC — CAN, GO and C (cold) when reversed (served up, in a down entry) | |
| 17d | Graduate bank with nothing to spare (6) |
| BARELY — BA (graduate) + RELY (bank) | |
| 19d | Horse found in the middle of hunting-grounds? (3-3) |
| GEE-GEE — The answer is found in abbreviated form in the middle of huntinG-Grounds | |
| 20d | Slice of meat wrapped by butcher as he recommended (6) |
| RASHER — This is inside (wrapped by) butcheR AS HE Recommended | |
I have to say this has been the most satisfying puzzle I have solved for some time. The surfaces are succinct and immaculate (there isn’t a dud among them), some lovely misdirection, and clever construction. Too many favourites, but special mention to GROUND, BREEZE BLOCK, CAESAR, REMEDY. Thanks Filbert.
Totally agree with G@1. Great start to the day.
Particularly appreciate the absence of obscurities. I don’t mind stretching GK, but only up to a point
Thanks both
Agree with Kitty, very enjoyable. Smooth and meaningful surfaces help to diguise wordplay: it took getting the n to show that the kebab was a doner, and only then did I see made = done. Didn’t parse the Erse bit of the writer, but hey ho. In all, fun, ta both.
To be picky, I don’t think Balmoral Castle qualifies as a palace.
I struggled in the SE corner but eventually “made it through the rain”, as Barry Manilow so wimpishly put it. Thanks Filbert and Kitty.
Agree with others. This was really good, lots of chuckles and no “oh really!?” answers.
Finished with DONER KEBAB (got fixated it was an anagram of baker-bravo) which is always the sign of a good time.
Thanks Kitty and Filbert
Another satisfied customer, echoing all the favourable comments above. BREEZE BLOCK my favourite among many. Thanks to Filbert and Kitty
Agree with others, a very satisfying and enjoyable puzzle.
Andrew – I don’t understand your quibble. A palace is any official royal residence, isn’t it?
Is Filbert someone I should be looking to solve regularly, as someone who’s been doing cryptics regularly for about three months? I really enjoyed this – even when I had to reveal the answers I thought everything was fair and interesting to work out.
Thus far, I’ve been mostly training on Times Quick Cryptics, and then what I consider The Guardian beginner series – Quick Cryptic/Quiptic/Everyman/Monday. But would like to know where to look for some variety (especially as I find Everyman’s style is especially grating for a bad puzzle, though very enjoyable when on form), and this seemed about the right level.
Hi, FinalPunch, and sorry it’s taken so long to reply.
Filbert can be tricky, but when he’s in the Sunday slot I would certainly say yes. For his other puzzles, perhaps just give them a go using whatever aids/reveals you need, and see how you enjoy them.
You’ll usually find more accessible puzzles on Sundays and Mondays in the Indy and Mondays in the FT. So you could start there in your quest to broaden your cryptic diet. Look out for Moo in the FT too (he’s Oink in the Times Quick Cryptic).
Happy solving!