Carpathian sets today's Guardian puzzle.
A gentle, but elegant puzzle that would make an ideal introduction to cryptic crosswords for a new solver. Nothing obscure, overly difficult or contrived and perfectl clued with a good range of devices used.
Thanks, Carpathian.
| ACROSS | ||
| 8 | INFERIOR |
Deduce gold found across island is substandard (8)
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INFER ("deduce") + OR ("gold", in heraldry) across I (island) |
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| 9 | OUTLET |
Market unpopular permit (6)
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OUT ("unpopular") + LET ("permit") |
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| 10 | TIRELESS |
Let’s rise up with unlimited energy (8)
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*(lets rise) [anag:up] |
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| 11 | PIRATE |
Brigand put rodent in dish (6)
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RAT ("rodent") in PIE ("dish") |
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| 12 | STOCKING FILLERS |
Cellists forking out for small gifts (8,7)
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*(cellists forking) [anag:out] |
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| 15 | SPASM |
Jerk succeeded in plans to return (5)
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S (succeeded) in <=MAPS ("plans", to return) |
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| 16 | SEAMY |
Main setter’s disreputable (5)
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SEA ("main") + MY ("setter's") |
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| 20 | DISCONCERTINGLY |
Ignored cyclist cycling around back of van alarmingly (15)
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*(ignored cyclist) [anag:cycling] around [back of] (va)N |
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| 21 | APOLLO |
God of love following a vote (6)
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O (love, in tennis) following A + POLL ("vote") |
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| 23 | HIDEAWAY |
Hotel with concept and means to provide refuge (8)
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H (hotel) with IDEA ("concept") and WAY ("means") |
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| 25 | INTUIT |
Sense one unit changed with time (6)
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I (one) + *(unit) [anag:changed] with T (time) |
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| 26 | RESOLVED |
Sorted out and replaced bottoms of shoes worn by Victor (8)
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RESOLED ("replaced bottoms of shoes") worn by V (Victor, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ANXIETY |
After eleven alien enters some concern (7)
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XI ("eleven" in Roman numerals) + ET (extra-terrestrial, so "alien") enters ANY ("some") |
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| 2 | TELESCOPIC |
Rearrange Colt pieces to be capable of retraction and protrusion (10)
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*(colt pieces) [anag:rearrange] |
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| 3 | DIRE |
Awful funeral song – not good (4)
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DIR(g)E ("funeral song", not G (good)) |
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| 4 | PRESAGE |
Quiet about wise man making forecast (7)
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P (piano, in music, so "quiet") + RE ("about") + SAGE ("wise man") |
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| 5 | COMPLIMENT |
Remark about pelvis regularly getting flatter (10)
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COMMENT ("remark") about P(e)L(v)I(s) [regularly] |
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| 6 | STIR |
Prison unrest I resolved partly (4)
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Hidden in [partly] "unreST I Resolved" |
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| 7 | PERTURB |
Saucy uniform heads of resources brought to upset (7)
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PERT ("saucy") + U (Uniform, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) + [heads of] R(esources) B(rought) |
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| 13 | INS AND OUTS |
Tons unsaid about details (3,3,4)
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*(tons unsaid) [anag:about] |
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| 14 | LAMENTABLE |
Inadequate Los Angeles blokes on board (10)
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LA (Los Angeles) + MEN ("blokes") on TABLE ("board") |
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| 17 | TIMPANI |
I am trapped in unsuitable inverted drum (7)
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I'M (I am) trapped in <=INAPT ("unsuitable", inverted) |
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| 18 | SENHORA |
Hear son running to Portuguese woman (7)
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*(hear son) [anag:running] |
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| 19 | CLEANER |
Caught less productive maid perhaps (7)
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C (caught) + LEANER ("less productive") |
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| 22 | LOUT |
Oaf left unconscious (4)
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L (left) + OUT ("unconscious") |
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| 24 | DISC |
Short dance record (4)
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[short] DISC(o) ("dance") |
Considerably more Mondayish than yesterday’s surprisingly tricky Vulcan. Lots to like including both the long anagrams. Enjoyed the surface of SPASM and the misleading “flatter” in COMPLIMENT. Favourite of a set of very neat clues was TIMPANI.
Disaster struck about half way through. I was just looking at 20a, reached for my cup of tea and my phone slipped, so my finger hit the reveal button.
Disconcertingly this gave me so many crossers that I feel like I cheated. I go about in guilt and shame.
I liked TIRELESS.
I don’t like 14d – something might be lamentably inadequate, but lamentable does not mean inadequate.
£0.02
Most enjoyable, nothing too taxing. If I had to have one grumble, it’s that I don’t think “up” should serve as an anagrind (10a).
What you expect from Carpathian. Very neatly clued with nothing too difficult in there but also not a write-in. A few answers required a bit of thinking.
Like the misdirection in COMPLIMENT and the neat anagrams.
Thanks Loonapick and Carpathian
There are times when I enjoy feeling stretched/tested by a puzzle, and there are others when it’s nice to feel able/competent when solving. This fell into the latter category, and was no less enjoyable for that.
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick
Very nice – HIDEAWAY special, and I liked RESOLVED as well.
Two quibbles: TIMPANI is plural (of timpano), so it should be “drums”. A disco is so-called because discs are played there, so wordplay and definition for DISC are essentially the same.
Crisp cluing with lots to enjoy. Misled myself for a bit by putting in unparsed LAME instead of DIRE for 3d, which almost fitted the bill. Thanks to C and l.
Pleasantly untaxing puzzle.
Just one query, isn’t TIMPANI plural? Sounds like it, with the singular timpanum.
William @8
See mine @6. Chambers gives the singular as timpano – Italian rather than Latin, I suppose.
So sorry, muffin, re TIMPANI. Started typing and broke off to make tea!
[No problem, William]
Another instalment of the Graun’s campaign to inflict all its unfriendly grids on us; hardly any initial letters given by crossers and eight lights (including the two long ones) with a majority of unchecked letters.
But when the setter is the wonderful Carpathian, it doesn’t really matter.
Fairly gentle, immaculately fair, with some superb surfaces and some extremely neat and unforced anagrams (the two long ones are a delight).
Yes, strictly TIMPANI should be clued as “…drums” but one incidental advantage of it being the Graun is that, having spotted that point, you mentally continue “Oh, presumably the omission of the S is a Grauniad typo”.
Geoff @ 3 – I know what you mean, but the Clue Clinic site offers “up” as an acceptable anagrind.
As others have observed, this really ought to have appeared on a Monday; but I’m very happy to have a Carpathian one day late.
Grateful thanks to Carpathian and loonapick