It’s only a couple of weeks since Qaos’ welcome return …
… and I’m very pleased that it’s fallen to me to blog today’s puzzle.
Having said that, there are two certainties in a Qaos puzzle: a mathematical clue and a theme, not always easy to find. I’m afraid I’ve failed completely on the first of these: the parsing of 1ac is quite beyond me – not a good start – but I did manage to find the following references, in one way or another to 13ac: COMMON, GRASS, SECTOR, GARDEN, ANGEL, CRAFT, SYNDICATE, CELLAR, MONEY, WIDOW, NIGHT, GREEN, SILVER, WEBCAM, WATER and GIANT – an impressive list, too long to provide links for them all – and you may have more.
There are a couple of other places where I am not sure of the parsing and so my thanks in advance for the help I know is at hand.
My favourites today were 9ac LINGERING, 10ac GRASS, 13ac SPIDERS, 2dn MONEY, 3dn OVERSPEND, 6dn BLACK HOLE and 7dn RESENT.
Many thanks to Qaos for an interesting and enjoyable challenge.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 1000100010000 number this ordinary? (6)
COMMON
Over to you
4 Where short lawyers are getting hotel drinks? (7)
MINIBAR
Whimsically, short lawyers might be in a mini bar
9 Underwear 12.5% off – no good hanging around (9)
LINGERING
LINGERI[e] (underwear minus one of the eight (12.5%) letters + NG (no good)
10 Talk about Romeo initially smoking pot (5)
GRASS
GAS (talk) round R (Romeo) + S[moking]
11 Doing a somersault during embassy ball is void (5)
ABYSS
A hidden reversal (doing a somersault) in embaSSY BAll
12 Passed public knowledge involving answer (9)
OVERTAKEN
OVERT (public) + KEN (knowledge) round A (answer)
13 Team wins penalty to begin with, Rovers gutted by rests (7)
SPIDERS
SIDE (team) round P[enalty] + R[over]S – a spider is a type of rest used in snooker
15 Escort criminal to district (6)
SECTOR
An anagram (criminal) of ESCORT
17 Sharp one enters currents circling island (6)
ACIDIC
I (one) in AC DC (currents) with the insertion of I (island)
19 Plots with strange dangers (7)
GARDENS
An anagram (strange) of DANGERS
22 Energy moving wheels on to another place (9)
ELSEWHERE
E (energy) + an anagram (moving) of WHEELS + RE (on) – ‘to’ could be included in the definition
24 Financial backer’s article on returns (5)
ANGEL
AN (article) + a reversal (returns) of LEG (on, in cricket)
26 Dexterity keeping service in court (5)
CRAFT
RAF (service) in CT (court)
27 Model Cindy eats in group (9)
SYNDICATE
An anagram (model) of CINDY EATS
28 Old city in China 500 developed (7)
MATURED
UR (old city) in MATE (china – Cockney rhyming slang) + D (500)
29 I leave pool outside? No, it’s difficult (6)
KNOTTY
K[i]TTY (pool minus i) round NO – I think there may be quibbles about the cryptic grammar here: a common way for setters to get round this is to say ‘I must leave’
Down
1 Holding areas, holding area and royal vaults (7)
CELLARS
CELLS (holding areas) round A (area) and R (royal)
2 M–mark? (5)
MONEY
Double definition
3 Squander 2 or 6 balls to dispatch, including roof of pavilion (9)
OVERSPEND
OVER (six balls) + SEND (to dispatch) round P[avilion]
4 Mother’s picking up £10,000 drawers? (7)
MAGNETS
MAS (mother’s) round G NET (£10,000?); please see comment 8 – thanks to Steve
5 Dark, hard spirit – about time (5)
NIGHT
I can’t see this at all, I’m afraid – please see comment 3
6 British want zero sterling hidden by ambassador where things disappear without trace (5,4)
BLACK HOLE
B (British) + LACK (want) + HE (His/Her Excellency – ambassador) round O (zero) + L (pound sterling)
7 Take exception to unwrapped Christmas gifts (6)
RESENT
[p]RESENT[s]
8 They’ve lost partners to nameless operating system (6)
WIDOWS
WI[n]DOWS (operating system, minus n – nameless)
14 Non-stop tennis, as played around #1 court (9)
INCESSANT
An anagram (played) of TENNIS AS round C (court)
16 In land of automobile fanatics, one’s found in bed (9)
CARNATION
CAR NATION (land of automobile fanatics)
18 Gripping end to poker: stopped and folded (7)
CREASED
C[r]EASED (stopped) round [poke]r
19 New York notes some of your five-a-day (6)
GREENS
Double definition, the first being American slang for money
20 Lithium’s turning so grey (7)
SILVERY
A reversal (turning) of LI’S (strictly Li’s – lithium’s) + VERY (so)
21 What’s taking digital images, wide, became mostly blurred (6)
WEBCAM
W (wide) + an anagram (blurred) of BECAM[e], mostly
23 Drink whiskey next, topless (5)
WATER
W (whiskey) + [l]ATER (next)
25 In Italy, John finally beat heavyweight (5)
GIANT
GIAN (short for Giovanni, Italian John) + [bea]T
Clocked the theme about halfway through, but it didn’t really help that much; having little knowledge on the subject, with the help of google, I counted up to 14 references last night, all covered by Eileen. I didn’t know, for instance, that a daddy long legs is in fact a CELLAR spider.So much to enjoy with favourites being COMMON, ELSEWHERE, SYNDICATE, KNOTTY, MAGNETS and INCESSANT. A very intricately woven puzzle.
COMMON is C=100, 0, then 2 x Ms= 1000, 1000, 0, and finally N for number.
Ta Qaos & Eileen.
I parsed 1ac as
100 0 1000 1000 0 number this ordinary
?
C (100) O M(1000) M(1000) O N= number
Enjoyable puzzle. Not quite as 29 as I expected from this setter.
Favourites: COMMON, MINIBAR, MAGNETS (loi).
New for me: SPIDER = a long-legged rest for a billiard cue that can be placed over a ball without touching it (for 13ac).
I actually saw the theme of spiders today 🙂
5d. H GIN turned then t
20 down – the ‘s’ needs to be accounted for. It comes from reversing lithium’s – ie ‘lie’ to make the opening letters ‘sil’
20d
Eileen – I think you missed the S from reverse of LIS (lithium’s) then add VERY = so
Whoops, I was too slow typing, I did not see Arpee@4 before I posted.
Can someone explain the ‘M’ part of the double definition please. I understand the unit of currency being a Mark
I went down a highly tenuous rabbit hole of M being a M(ale) with ONE Y chromosome.
For the theme, I also had BLACK WIDOW and ACIDIC maybe for its venom. Agree with Joseph @3 for parsing of NIGHT.
#1 c-0-m-m-o-n
#4 teng is ten grand – going up
Unlike last week where I went undefeated until Thursday, this week this is the first puzzle that I was able to finish. I was looking for the theme – thought of spiders, gardening, there’s also something about black hole/abyss – but couldn’t really make sense of it. Lots of favourites: COMMON, OVERTAKEN, MINIBAR, LINGERING, WIDOWS, SILVERY, KNOTTY. Thanks a lot Qaos and Eileen!
Thank you, JKM @3 and Arpee and Michelle @4 and 5 – I’ll amend the blog now.
Steve @6 – M is an abbreviation of MONEY
SteveThePirate @6: I think this refers to monetary aggregates such as M0, M1, M2 and M3, where M stands for money
NIGHT – H (hard) + GIN (spirit) all reversed + T for time (with apologies to Joseph @3)
I loved this but forgot to look for a theme. I parsed COMMON as AlanC.
Thank you to Eileen and Qaos.
(and Goliath in the FT)
Apart from ACIDIC, which I couldn’t parse, I managed and enjoyed all of this. It was clear from the Guardian website that there was a theme, but after trying for a very long time I was unable to find it until I came here. But I don’t feel too bad — arachnidology is not one of my fortés. 🙂
Easiest Qaos ever! I couldn’t see the theme, though. I find the mathematical clues easier than they look because there is a limited number of tricks the setter can employ.
Thanks to Qaos and Eileen.
So good to see Qaos back and to be able to solve 1A almost straightaway. I do enjoy the mathematical clues. Thank you Qaos and thank you Eileen for explaining KNOTTY which I had no idea about.
Smooth puzzle, pretty breezy I thought. I had more or less the same faves as Eileen, and shared the same quibble about KNOTTY.
I parsed MAGNETS as per Steve@8: MA_S around TEN G <
I held myself up momentarily by putting hangars instead of CELLARS, with some hand-waving about suspended church incense holders which hang/vault above us, but fortunately I came to my senses.
As usual, I didn't spot the theme, though vicariously I like the compound BLACK WIDOW SPIDERS.
Thanks both
What’s the point of a crossword with a theme of spiders without a mention of the funnel web??!!! I still have one cast in resin which I nearly stood on in bare feet after getting out of bed many years ago. I got the Material Scientist at work to embalm it in epoxy for me after I’d stunned it and put it in a jar (and put some slippers on).
Thanks Eileen and Layman. I still quite like mine though even though it is unadulterated tosh!
Oh, meant to say thanks to folks for confirming the parsing of MONEY. Not my favourite clue, I must admit (unless the term “M-mark” has some inherent meaning).
I was trying to convert it into a stutter, such as SUSTAIN (S-stain).
I spotted the theme (after noticing the proximity of BLACK, WIDOW and GARDEN) but, as with AlanC @1, it really wasn’t any help as I know so little about spiders. (Though I did keep an eye out for a Shelob or a Charlotte.)
MINIBAR made me grin, I liked the surfaces to WIDOWS and RESENT, and thought ABYSS was well-hidden.
Am also feeling dead chuffed because I actually managed to parse 1A. Admittedly, it was after I’d guessed the solution but, being terminally innumerate, I take my wins wherever I can…
Many thanks to Qaos and to Eileen for a predictably entertaining blog.
Steve@8 – can’t see that anyone has acknowledged your correct parsing for 4d so, for what it’s worth, I’m weighing in to agree with you. I scratched my head, to begin with, about how G could turn in to £10,000 and then saw the “picking up” instruction had a second meaning and did not just apply to Ma’s. This was an easy but nonetheless very clever crossword. Thanks all round. [PS: Sorry AP@17 – just saw you sussed the MAGNETS also. Good thing this chance to edit comments….]
I think the “c” in INCESSANT is #1 court, i.e. the first letter of court.
Thanks Eileen and Qaos, and also Michelle@2 for mentioning spiders! I never spot a theme and was at a complete loss even when Eileen listed so many. At least I enjoyed the mathematical clues today.
Petert @23: that’s the way I parsed it, hence one of my favourites.
Thank you, TerriBlislow @22 – and my apologies to Steve @8, acknowledged in the blog now.
I started to get an inkling of the theme near the end but too late to help. But it was an enjoyable challenge.
Re the cryptic grammar of KNOTTY, could we see “leave” as an imperative — the setter is telling the letter I to leave?
Many thanks Qaos and Eileen.
Lovely stuff. Top marks for COMMON, OVERSPEND for stoking up the Ashes excitement and LOI KNOTTY – I was happy to accept “I leave pool” as a command
Cheers E&Q
Didn’t see the theme at all! It took quite a while to get in tune with the setter’s style, so it was steady work. Quite a few were put in on the basis of crossers and the definition, with parsing slowly dawning after: KNOTTY, for one. 1ac’s appearance got BINARY stuck in my head until I worked it out after most of the crossers were in: very nice once I’d seen it. Minor quibble in that things don’t fall into BLACK HOLES without trace: mass and charge are conserved and I think spin as well… but those caveats would have made for a rather unwieldy clue!
Thanks to Qaos for a chewy start to the day, and Eileen for showing me the various subtleties I’d missed.
A very enjoyable puzzle, without too many speed bumps but some satisfying word play. Favourite clues included COMMON and MAGNETS. Thanks Qaos.
Thank for all the help. I have to go out pretty soon and so I hope there are no more errors or omissions.
Derek @29: I think Qaos might have intended it in the colloquial sense — all the pens in our house seem to disappear into a BLACK HOLE.
Jim@32 – but of course. But if I can’t flaunt a little pedantry here from to time, then where can I?
Pens will do that. Somewhere there is a supermassive black hole originating in missing pens, odd socks, measuring tapes, 10mm spanners, reading glasses and car keys. Don’t get too close!
Completely missed the theme of course. Is ‘W’ a legitimate abbreviation for ‘wide’? Chambers only has ‘width’.
DerekTheSheep@33: you may be amused by Avram Davidson’s oft-anthologised short story Or All The Seas With Oysters, which touches on the reasons why there seem to be too many coat hangars and not enough paperclips, and why bicycles are the only machine that comes in male and female versions.
poc@34 W=wide in cricket notation
Poc#34 – thanks! I’ll check it out. Despite my being an avid reader of that era of SF, back in the day and to some extent still now, that’s not one I’ve come across before.
DTS #33 😂