Another compiling tour de force, with something for everyone. It is a challenging puzzle, but one where the solver has been given a fair chance of coming out on top. That said, I almost didn’t come out on top, since I couldn’t parse the wordplay at 2, but I go there in the end. Incidentally, the puzzle uses an unusual grid, perhaps a unique one, and it accommodates a wide variety of entry lengths, from 3 letters all the way up to 15, with a couple of answers spread over two grid entries.
My favourites today, almost too many to mention, were 1A, for the clever use of the grid entry as a clue to an element of the wordplay; 1D, for sheer concision; 10, for smoothness of surface; 27 for making me smirk; and 28, for smoothness of surface and unexpected definition. I could go on, of course.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
|
Across |
||
|
01 |
THE GLOVES ARE OFF |
Clue to get her love as there’s no more Mr Nice Guy! Cryptically, “the gloves are off” could be a clue to “get her love as”, i.e. *(THE GLOVES ARE), with “off” as anagram indicator!! |
|
06 |
KING PENGUIN |
For one Falkland Islander, family doctor means gout isn’t treated regularly KIN (=family) + GP (=family doctor, i.e. General Practitioner) + <m>E<a>N<s> G<o>U<t> I<s>N<t> (“treated regularly” means alternate letters only are used) |
|
10 |
EEL |
One likely to wriggle out of terms of eurozone trade deal <eurozon>E <trad>E <dea>L; “terms of” means last letters only are used |
|
11 |
BODY SNATCHERS |
Grave robbers barely shock bystanders in reconstruction *(<s>HOC<k> + BYSTANDERS); “barely” means first and last letters are dropped from anagram, indicated by “in reconstruction, |
|
14 |
AT EASE |
A guy free from anxiety A + TEASE (=guy, banter) |
|
15 |
SERVES UP |
Presents to eat and drink after work for … SERVE (=work for, i.e. a master) + SUP (=drink, as verb) |
|
17 |
CLASSIFY |
… girl provided in empty company pigeonhole [LASS (=girl) + IF (=provided, as conjunction)] in C<ompan>Y (“empty” means all but first and last letters are dropped) |
|
20 |
USURER |
Heard you are joining American TV show – one that gets a lot of interest US (=American) + U R (=you are; “heard” indicates homophone) + ER (=TV show, i.e. Emergency Room) |
|
22 |
CARBOHYDRATES |
Supply starchy bread containing zero sugars for example O (=zero) in *(STARCHY BREAD); “supply”, i.e. flexibly, is anagram indicator |
|
26 |
ALI |
Cinema lift’s controls say G Hidden (“controls”) in “cinemA LIfts”; the reference is to one of the comic incarnations of UK actor/comedian Sacha Baren Cohen |
|
27 |
TURTLESHELL |
Case of animal lust – tell her to go wild? *(LUST TELL HER); “to go wild” is anagram indicator |
|
29 |
NON COMPOS MENTIS |
News about old soldiers buried in manure is crazy [O (=old, as in OT) in N N (=news, i.e. 2x N=new, as in NT)] + [MEN (=soldiers) in COMPOST (=manure)] + IS |
|
Down |
||
|
01 |
TAKE |
Appropriate // opinion Double definition: as a verb, to appropriate is to take without permission AND as a noun, one’s take on a subject is one’s opinion of it |
|
02 |
ENNOBLE |
Award in principle for Ezra Pound poem discovered in retirement E<zra> (“principle for” means first letter only) + LB (=pound, in weight) + <s>ONNE<t> (=poem; “dis-cover-ed” means outside letters are dropped); “in retirement” indicates reversal |
|
03 |
LIP |
Insolence of one breaking record I (=one) in LP (=record, i.e. long-playing) |
|
04/19 |
VENUS FLYTRAP |
Discontented veggie student organisation following party line about meat-eater? V<eggi>E (“dis-content-ed” means middle letters are dropped + NUS (=student organization, i.e. National Union of Students) + F (=following) + LYTRAP (PARTY + L (=line); “about” indicates reversal); the Venus flytrap is an insectivorous plant, hence “meat-eater” |
|
05/24 |
SAUSAGE ROLLS |
Food provided if son has a practice on drums S (=son) + A + USAGE (=practice, custom) + ROLLS (=drums, i.e. rapidly) |
|
06 |
RUNIC |
In seconds archaeologist just unearthed historic scroll of ancient characters <a>R<chaeologist> <j>U<st> <u>N<earthed> <h>I<storic> <s>C<roll>; “in seconds” means second letters only of each word are used |
|
07 |
OPENERS |
Writer covering five out of six balls ultimately annoys some cricketers O-PEN-ER (“PEN (=writer) covering five (=V, in Roman numerals)” means “pen” replaces “v”) + <annoy>S (“ultimately” means last letter only) |
|
08 |
FALLS APART |
Trump, taking on complete fool, loses control [ALL (=complete, entire) + SAP (=fool, moron)] in FART (=trump, break wind) |
|
12 |
DOSES |
Measures small deer pens S (=small, in sizes) in DOES (=(female) deer) |
|
13 |
WATCH CHAIN |
It could be Albert Einstein’s conclusion after putting guard on strong spiced tea WATCH (=guard, supervise) + CHAI (=strong spiced tea) + <einstei>N (“conclusion” means last letter only) |
|
15 |
SPY |
Spot odds on finishing in Derby SP (=odds, i.e. starting price) + <derb>Y (“finishing in” means last letter only); to spot is to observe, (e)spy, catch sight of |
|
16 |
VISIT |
Pop in lead for Vodafone’s current model V<odafone> (“lead for” means first letter only) + I (=current, in physics) + T (=model, of Ford car) |
|
18 |
ARRAIGN |
Make accusation in article describing artist wearing outfit [RA (=artist, i.e. Royal Academician) in RIG (=outfit, gear)] in AN (=article) |
|
21 |
RESPECT |
Consider relaxation to protect muscle PEC (=muscle, i.e. pectoral) in REST (=relaxation); to respect is to consider, show consideration for |
|
23 |
OUTDO |
Best Oscars hosts quoted every now and then <q>U<o>T<e>D (“every now and then” means alternate letters only) in O O (Oscars=2 x O=Oscar, in NATO alphabet); to best is to win against, outwit, outdo |
|
25 |
PLUS |
Advantage of university supporting student through extra writing [L (=student, i.e. learner) + U (=university, as in OUP)] in PS (=extra writing, i.e. postscript) |
|
28 |
SEE |
Date of main broadcast Homophone (“broadcast”) of “sea (=(the) main)”; to see someone is to go out with, date them |
As Goldfinger might have it…..”Mr. Bluth, once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times, is enema action”.
Sounds familiar? So does 7(d).
Cricketer takes six balls with writer dismissing five
OPENER
Thanks Bluth and RR.
A coupe of minor points:
OPENER
In the explanation, ‘six balls=OVER’ is missing.
VISIT
model=SIT
Some complicated wordplay but it mostly worked out, altho needed blog for 2d. I was mostly happy to work out that it started with E… faves were 4/19d, 5/24d, 8d, but most were excellent… took way too long to see the carbs as an anagram, not sure why..
Thanks Bluth n RatkojaRiku
Absolutely lovely. Not a bad clue to be seen, and I positively galloped through the longer entries once I had a checker or two, which helped almost everything fall into place. Yet the linked WATCH CHAIN and ALI then took as long as the rest of the puzzle combined, me having never heard of an Albert chain and, to my embarrassment, having taken really far too long to separate Albert Einstein. (After coming up with the answer, I then spent a while wondering about Prince Albert piercings ;-).. I’m glad the watch chain turned out not to be somehow euphemistic.)
It’s fun to still be caught out by a good split trick, despite being really attuned to them. I guess the more entrenched the personality in our minds, the more likely we’re going to get duped. Albert Einstein didn’t even register, whereas I saw through M.C. Escher instantly the other day!
RR’s parsing for VISIT works fine, if we take it as read that the IS comes from ‘s. But KVa’s alternative is the one I had, and is probably what the setter intended.
Thanks both
Thanks RatkojaRiku and thanks all.
KVa’s parsing for VISIT is indeed as I intended.
AP@4 I’ve always assumed the Prince Albert piercing was called that because it was reminiscent of the watch chain he wore.
E.N.Boll@ @1 – we’re all standing on the shoulders of giants and wherever one goes, there is always the risk that someone else will have got there first.
Bluth@5, could be! I just meant that I don’t think the clue meant anything like that, even though I considered it momentarily!
Thanks again for the lovely puzzle
Oh, and re what E.N.Boll&@1 mentioned, I much prefer Bluth’s surface! Though I do like wondering about what makes a setter choose one word over another for things such as “ultimately annoys“. Personally I’d have gone with something like “ultimately bemuses”. I think it’s the small things like this that display a little bit of personality of everyone, if we only know them only through words and wordplay. Indeed I enjoy getting to know our setters a little more with each puzzle they produce!