Wiglaf has served up his latest puzzle for our entertainment today.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle on the Indy Wiglaf scale. There was a generous sprinkling of anagrams in this puzzle, which got me off to a good start. Despite making steady progress, however, I needed to cheat in the end to get 12, which I hadn’t parsed correctly in my own mind, thinking the definition would mean “corrupt state”. I had only vaguely heard of the actual answer, which made it harder to get on the right track, I suppose.
I am not sure of my parsing of 23 – am I missing something here? – or of 21 – is this Wiglaf’s own assessment of the Royal concerned or did someone publicly describe him thus? On reflection, Prince Harry did call his autobiography Spare.
As for my favourites today, I particularly liked 14, since the solver is distracted into thinking solely about music; 19A, for the splitting of Colorado // Springs between wordplay and definition in the clue; and 20/15, for making me smirk.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MAGDALENE |
College journal with European article penned by European (9)
|
| MAG (=journal, i.e. magazine) + [LE (=European article, i.e. a French word for the) in DANE (=European)] | ||
| 6 | JUTES |
Settlers initially engaged in projects (5)
|
| E<ngaged> (“initially” means first letter only is used) in JUTS (=projects, protrudes); the Jutes were one of the Germanic tribes that settled in Britain after the departure of the Romans | ||
| 9 | ALARM |
A large weapon causing panic (5)
|
| A + L (=large, in sizes) + ARM (=weapon) | ||
| 10 | AMUSEMENT |
A fabulous female intended to talk about giving pleasure (9)
|
| A + MUSE (=fabulous female, in Greek mythology) + homophone (“to talk about”) of “meant (=intended)” | ||
| 11 | LED |
A little light showed the way (3)
|
| Double definition: a LED (=light-emitting diode) is “a little light” AND led (the way) means “showed the way” | ||
| 12 | SPLATOMETER |
Bugs counter male protest in corrupt state (11)
|
| *(MALE PROTEST); “in corrupt state” is anagram indicator; a splatometer is a kind of sampling grid attached to a car, used to count insect numbers in a particular place | ||
| 14 | SMASHES |
Male bands without hits (7)
|
| M (=male) in SASHES (=bands, on clothing) | ||
| 15 |
See 20 Down
|
|
| 16 | INWARDS |
Cool war dances taking bounds only towards the centre (7)
|
| IN (=cool, trendy) + WAR + D<ance>S (“taking bounds (=limits) only” means first and last letters only are used) | ||
| 19 | SOURCES |
Mobile users associated with Colorado Springs (7)
|
| *(USERS + CO (=Colorado)); “mobile” is anagram indicator; a spring is a source of e.g. water | ||
| 22 | AGRICULTURE |
Article guru edited that’s of interest to farmers (11)
|
| *(ARTICLE GURU); “edited” is anagram indicator | ||
| 23 | EAR |
Audio receiver needed to get The Archers (3)
|
| Hidden (“needed to get”, i.e. part of) in “thE ARchers” | ||
| 24 | PRIMITIVE |
Simple lives endlessly on edge stuck in hole (9)
|
| [RIM (=edge) in PIT (=hole)] + <l>IVE<s> (“endlessly” means first and last letters are dropped) | ||
| 26 | EXTOL |
Speak highly of old Polish airline on return journey (5)
|
| EX- (=old, former) + TOL (LOT=Polish airline; “on return journey” indicates a reversal) | ||
| 27 | TIGON |
No prat doing a twirl should make you cross (5)
|
| NO + GIT (=prat, berk); “doing a twirl” indicates a reversal; a tigon is a cross between a tiger and a lioness | ||
| 28 | DYESTUFFS |
Substances for colouring puddings to consume right on time (9)
|
| [YES (=right, as an affirmation) + T (=times)] in DUFFS (=pudding, as in plum-duff) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MEASLES |
The writer dealt with sales complaint (7)
|
| ME (=the writer, i.e. Wiglaf) + *(SALES); “dealt with” is anagram indicator | ||
| 2 | GRANDMA |
Kinswoman smuggled diamonds and money into Georgia (7)
|
| [RAN (=smuggled) + D (=diamonds, in cards) + M (=money)] in GA (=Georgia, i.e. US state) | ||
| 3 | ATMOSPHERIC |
Macho priest, upset and moody (11)
|
| *(MACHO PRIEST); “upset” is anagram indicator; a mood is an atmosphere, in a room, say | ||
| 4 | ENABLES |
Empowers English city’s bishop – not priest (7)
|
| E (=English) + NABLES (NAPLES=city; “bishop (=B, in chess) – not priest (=P)” means letter “p” is replaced by “b” | ||
| 5 | EXULTED |
After short excursion last month, Edward rejoiced (7)
|
| EX<cursion> (“short” means only first two letters are used here) + ULT (=last month, from ultimo) + ED (=Edward) | ||
| 6 | JOE |
US soldier uses magic spells when there’s no doctors around (3)
|
| <mo>JOE<s> (=magic spells, in US slang; “when there’s no doctors (=MOs, i.e. medical officers) around” means letters “mos” are dropped | ||
| 7 | THEATRE |
Tether suspect around the middle in black op site (7)
|
| <bl>A<k> (“the middle in” means middle letter only) in *(TETHER); “suspect (=dubious, fishy)” is anagram indicator | ||
| 8 | SATIRES |
They make fun of South American flags (7)
|
| S (=south) + A (=American) + TIRES (=flags, runs out of steam) | ||
| 13 | MEASUREMENT |
Size of certain people after tucking into food (11)
|
| [SURE (=certain) + MEN (=people)] in MEAT (=food) | ||
| 16 | IN A SPOT |
Facing difficulties? Move to Spain (2,1,4)
|
| *(TO SPAIN); “move” is anagram indicator | ||
| 17 | WORKING |
Surrey town carries right on (7)
|
| R (=right) in WOKING (=Surrey town); of a machine, person, etc, “on” can mean working, operational | ||
| 18 | SULLIED |
Soiled, ill-used pants (7)
|
| *(ILL-USED); “pants (=rubbish)” is anagram indicator | ||
| 19 | SQUEEZE |
Holland’s old band seen in crowd (7)
|
| Double definition: the English rock band Squeeze launched the career of musician Jools Holland AND to squeeze is to crowd, press, crush | ||
| 20/15 | CHEST OF DRAWERS |
Place to put bra and old French panties? (5,2,7)
|
| CHEST (=place to put bra) + O (=old, as in OT) + F (=French) + DRAWERS (=panties); & lit., since both items could be stored here! | ||
| 21 | SURPLUS |
Nancy’s on benefit like Prince Harry? (7)
|
| SUR (=Nancy’s on, i.e. the French word for preposition on) + PLUS (=benefit, advantage) | ||
| 25 | ION |
No one will turn up for a bit (3)
|
| NO + I (=one); “will turn up” indicates a vertical reversal |
Although I didn’t notice it whilst solving, I have just seen that it’s a pangram.
Defeated by SPLATOMETER – not in Chambers or Collins (my dead tree versions) or even the online OneLook which claims to scan over 800 dictionaries. Nor did I know SQUEEZE as the name of a band. And I missed the pangram.
Nice puzzle. I don’t know if 12 exists, and I can’t think I would want one, but pleased with myself for working it out.
21 made me smile.
Thanks to setter and blogger.
Raised an eyebrow at Jutes being settlers, forgetting that they go with Angles and Saxons, not with Picts and Scots. Squeeze was a mystery biff, the only Holland I know is blind (and the only Jools is Jamie’s missus). All good fun, ta Wiglaf & RR.
PS Wiglaf, I think you mean ‘Definitios are underlined” 🙂 …
CHEST OF DRAWERS made me smile and it’s always a pleasure to think of duffs. My mother used to make Sailors Duff, which was always a favourite. I wish I had the recipe.
Thanks RR and all those who commented. ‘Splatometers’ are used in the citizen science Bugs Matter project to count insect splats to monitor the decline in insect populations. If insects were to become extinct there would be a collapse in the food chain which would be catastrophic. Those bird and amphibian species which feed off insects (thar’s most of them) would be extinct in a few months.
Found this very tough gong but in the end, only SQUEEZE defeated me.
Why is “like Prince Harry” surplus please?