Neo is today's setter.
This was as much a test of general knowledge as a crossword, with knowledge of Lord of the Flies being particularly important as some of the solutions were very difficult to parse. I think I'm happy with all of my parsing, except maybe for 1dn which seems a bit of a stretch. Being as avid a quizzer as a cruciverbalist, I like general knowledge, but it might not appeal to everyone,
Thanks, Neo.
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | INFERNO |
Conclude working when retired is hell (7)
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INFER ("conclude") + <=ON ("working", when retired) |
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| 10 | AIR TAXI |
Aviatrix not very mobile in transport (3,4)
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*(aiatrix) [anag:mobile] where AIATRIX is A(v)IATRIX without V (not very) |
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| 11 | ILL |
Tablet lacking power for sick (3)
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(p)ILL ("tablet") lacking P (power) |
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| 12 | EPHESUS |
Record man’s associated with US city (7)
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EP (extended play "record") + HE'S ("man's") associated with US Ephesus was an ancient settlement on the west coast of Turkey. |
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| 13 | YOKEL |
Couple with pound for peasant (5)
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YOKE ("couple") with L (pound) |
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| 14 | ETHOS |
Character finishes in farce caught with no trousers (5)
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[finishes in] (farc)E (caugh)T (wit)H (n)O (trouser)S |
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| 15 | REFUSAL |
Option in FA rules changing (7)
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*(fa rules) [anag:changing] |
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| 16 | INDRA |
God dressed as was La Rue often? Endlessly! (5)
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[endlessly] IN DRA(g) ("dressed as (Danny) La Rue often") Indra is the Hindu god of weather. |
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| 19 | DISPASSIONATE |
Unemotional lives progress: one about to break engagement (13)
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IS ("lives") + PASS ON ("progress") about I (one) to break DATE ("engagement") |
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| 23 | OASIS |
Nothing unaltered in Britpop band (5)
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O (nothing) + AS IS ("unaltered") |
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| 24 | ALPHEGE |
Old bishop having beer in pub say? On the contrary! (7)
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PH (public house, so "pub") + e.g. ("say") in ALE ("beer") Alphege was an 11th century Archbishop of Canterbury. |
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| 26 | SIMON |
Boy in 29 2: was he simply after a pie? (5)
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Refers to Simple SIMON in the classic English nursery rhyme. Simon was one of the principal characters in Lord of the Rings (answer to 29/2) |
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| 28 | DELAY |
Obstruct Democrat Ivy League uni backed (5)
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D (Democrat) + <=YALE ("Ivy League uni", backed) |
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| 30 | DOG BITE |
Rover’s attack d-damaged big toe? (3,4)
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D + *(big toe) [anag:damaged] |
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| 31 | TAO |
Rolling grass shows way to be followed (3)
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[rolling] <=OAT ("grass") |
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| 32 | NARRATE |
Finally in Coleridge, sailor hurried over to tell story (7)
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<=([finally in] (coleridg)E + TAR ("sailor") + RAN ("hurried"), over) |
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| 33 | LAYETTE |
Still wearing recent baby outfit (7)
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YET ("still") wearing LATE ("recent") |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BIG EARS |
Noddy’s friend twice a drugs mule? (3,4)
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BIS ("twice") carrying GEAR ("drugs") so "twice a drugs mule?" |
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| 3 | NOISELESS |
Lionesses, supple, silent (9)
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*(lionesses) [anag:supple] |
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| 4 | RALPH |
Sacred flower boy in 29 2 (5)
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The R(iver) ALPH is a sacred river in Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Kubla Khan, and Ralph was a character in Lord of the Flies (29/2) |
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| 5 | GRAY’S INN |
Legal society elegist belongs to, note (5,3)
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(Thomas) GRAY's IN ("elegist belongs to") + N (note) |
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| 6 | JACK |
Ball bowlers aim at boy in 29 2 (4)
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Double definition, the first referring to the white ball in crown green bowling, and the second to a character in Lord of the Flies (29/2) |
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| 7/21 | WILLIAM GOLDING |
Writer’s pleasure: Neo’s away to consume lethal dosage (7,7)
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WILL ("pleasure") + I AM GOING ("Neo's away") to consume LD (lethal dosage) |
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| 9 | ROSES |
Flowers from Poldark securing Demelza’s heart? (5)
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ROSS (Poldark) securing (Dem)E(lza) ['s heart] Ross Poldark and his wife appear in the Poldark series of books by WInston Graham, set in Cornwall between 1781 and 1799. |
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| 17 | DO THE DIRTY |
Little Mark Dyer hit criminal cheat (2,3,5)
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DOT ("little mark") + *(dyer hit) [anag:criminal] |
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| 18 | GIRANDOLE |
Magnificent cheer welcomes one rotating firework (9)
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GRAND ("magnificent") + OLE ("cheer") welcomes I (one) |
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| 20 | PUSSYCAT |
Weak fellow raised up as cyst exploded (8)
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[raised] <=UP + *(as cyst) [anag:exploded] |
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| 22 | BEDEWED |
Wet monk got married (7)
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BEDE (a medieval "monk") + WED ("got married") |
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| 25 | PIGGY |
Boy in 29 2 like Chester White? (5)
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Double definition, the first being a character in Lord of the Flies (29/2) and the second referring to a breed of pig. |
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| 27 | MATER |
Mum to public schoolboys: one breeding? (5)
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Double definition |
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| 29/2 | LORD OF THE FLIES |
Feel for this old lunatic in 21 novel? (4,2,3,5)
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*(feel for this old) [anag:lunatic] as written by William Golding (the solution to 21) |
It has been a long, long time since I read LORD OF THE FLIES.
The anagram for NOISELESS was a good spot by Neo and gets a tick from me, and I also liked INFERNO, YOKEL, and TAO
As to GK, I was OK with the names of the characters in the books, as they were on theme. Beyond the themed clues, I had 3 jorums / lucky guesses and a couple of unknown references – adding up to way too much GK in my view.
Thanks Neo and loonapick
BIG EARS
I parsed it as the blogger did. I feel fine with it.
Of course, there could always be better ideas from
someone else.
Tricky in parts but a big improvement on yesterday’s impossipuzzle. Not sure about the theme as most could be written in and rationalised later once you had lotf. Balanced by some obscurities.
Lord of the Flies wasn’t a problem, as I’ve read it and seen the film, but I did need Wikipedia to remind me of some of the boys’ names. But there were quite a few other instances — rather too many — where my knowledge was found wanting. King of them all was GRAY’S INN, which I only found after completing all the intersecting clues.