Jason is this morning's setter.
A reasonably straightforward puzzle with nothing overly difficult in the clues or solutions. The clues for SUMMITS and PERSONA NON GRATA each had a word that wasn't necessary for the parsing, but in the case of the latter, added a subtle nuance to the surface.
Thanks, Jason.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CARELESS |
Unconcerned about English lacking vehicle (8)
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CARLESS ("lacking vehicle") about E (English) |
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| 5 | APPLES |
Fruit drinks with postage & packaging added in (6)
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ALES ("drinks") with P&P (postage and packaging) added in |
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| 10 | ADIEU |
Macron’s valediction fail in a university (5)
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DIE ("fall") in A + U (University) |
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| 11 | MODERATOR |
Who keeps an eye on unsettled dear in estate? (9)
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*(dear) [anag:unsettled] in MOTOR ("estate?") For non-UK solvers, an estate car is what the Americans call a station wagon. |
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| 12 | HYSTERICS |
Fits of laughter as dodgy lawyer in charge succeeded changing sides (9)
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(s)HYSTER ("dodgly lawyer") + IC (in charge) with S (succeeded) changing sides (i.e. moving from the left of the word, to the right, becomes (HYSTER)IC(s) |
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| 13 | OVERT |
Apparent excess beginning from this (5)
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OVER ("excess") + [beginning from] T(his) |
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| 14 | FARCES |
Ticket prices stuck by clubs producing comedies (6)
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FARES ("ticket prices") stuck by C (clubs) |
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| 15 | PLAYPEN |
Jug for the innocent to revel in (7)
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Cryptic definition, pen and jug both being jails and "the innocent" referring to infants. |
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| 18 | ALL TOLD |
Everything mentioned in total (3,4)
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ALL ("everything") + TOLD ("mentioned") |
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| 20 | SLOPPY |
Slapdash hack drawn in by agent (6)
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LOP ("kack") drawn in by SPY ("agent") |
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| 22 | SCI-FI |
Such as Frankenstein — namely one following another one (3-2)
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Sc. ("namely") + I (one) F (following) another I (one) |
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| 24 | EVERGREEN |
Always fresh bit of work on filling flat (9)
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ERG ("bit of work") + RE ("on") filling EVEN ("flat") |
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| 25 | CABRIOLET |
Convertible taxi, great success including French article (9)
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CAB ("taxi") + RIOT ("great success") including LE ("French article") |
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| 26 | AVOID |
Give a wide berth to a gap (5)
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A + VOID ("gap") |
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| 27 | ELDERS |
Those who join without wife could be oldies? (6)
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(w)ELDERS ("those who join") without W (wife) |
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| 28 | SEDATIVE |
Heartlessly advertise new tranquilliser (8)
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*(advetise) [anag:new] where ADVETISE is [heartlessly] ADVE(r)TISE |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CHA-CHA |
Repeated tea dance (3-3)
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[repeated] CHA ("tea") |
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| 2 | REINSTALL |
Set up again controls on giant (9)
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REINS ("controls") on TALL ("giant") |
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| 3 | LAURENCE OLIVIER |
A star of the stage I partnered with Laurel over nice dancing (8,7)
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*(i laurel over nice) [anag:dancing] |
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| 4 | SUMMITS |
Maiden and male in perhaps costumes and crowns (7)
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M (maiden, in cricket) + M (male) in SUITS ("perhaps costumes") The "perhaps" in the clue isn't necessary, in my opinion. |
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| 6 | PERSONA NON GRATA |
Absurdly arrogant ones pan Caesar’s unwelcome sort (7,3,5)
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*(arrogant ones pan) [anag:absurdly] "Caesar's" in the clue is unnecessary, but is included to indicate that the phrase is Latin |
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| 7 | LATTE |
Run out of recent drink (5)
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R (run) out of LATTE(r) ("recent") |
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| 8 | SCRUTINY |
Investigation possibly turns icy (8)
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*(turns icy) [anag:possibly] |
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| 9 | ADDS UP |
Go on to say drink makes sense (4,2)
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ADD ("go on to say") + SUP ("drink") |
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| 16 | PEPPERONI |
Dot over ‘i’ — this is what you see in deli, say (9)
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PEPPER ("dot") + ON ("over") + I |
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| 17 | MASSACRE |
Butcher’s service? Superb, King admitted (8)
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MASS ("service") + ACE ("superb") with R (Rex, so "king") included |
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| 19 | DWELLS |
Germany, “We will start to shorten stays” (6)
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D (International Vehicle Registration code for "Germany") + WE'LL ("we will") + [start to] S(horten) |
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| 20 | SPECTRE |
Releasing secret surrounding power gives a worrying image (7)
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*(secret) [anag:releasing] surrounding P (power) |
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| 21 | ON EDGE |
Nervous about form (2,4)
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ON ("about") + EDGE ("form") At first I couldn't think of a situation where EDGE and FORM are synonymous, but I suppose if you form an edge on something, you EDGE it. |
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| 23 | IN BUD |
Voguish chum is developing (2,3)
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IN ("voguish") + BUD ("chum") |
Straightforward, but a very enjoyable solve. Thanks Jason!
I often struggle to see equivalence of meanings in Jason’s crosswords. For EDGE, I wondered about “their batting ability lacked edge/form”?
Yes an ego salve after recent exertions. Liked scrutiny and sedative. Thx both.
What is the difference between a cha cha and a cha cha cha?
Why is Sc “namely”? AI didn’t know.
I also can’t fathom form/edge. Nice try, Loonapick. Your explanation, Hovis, is a little more plausible, but I’m still nonplussed.
All else pretty straightforward and enjoyable.
Ah, scilicet. AI did know, after I’d roughed it up a bit. Must work on my Latin.
I agree this was a fairly straight-forward puzzle which I enjoyed for the most part.
PEPPERONI and SCRUTINY were my favourites.
I couldn’t find an equivalence between ‘form’ and ‘edge’ but I think Hovis has probably edged it.
The newspaper/online version of 10a has ‘fail’ where the blog has ‘fall’. Either way, ‘die’ didn’t immediately spring to mind though the answer was clear.
I had a false start with 1a, writing in CAREFREE which works just as well, I think, but clearly, it didn’t chime with that old thesp in 3d so that needed a second go.
Thanks Jason and Loonapick.
James @3. CHA.
Yes GDU@5. Not to be confused with the more widely found SIC (sic erat scriptum )used to indicate a misspelling which is quoted uncorrected.
I did need the blog for some of the parsing . Btw A CABRIOLET in French is a light two wheeled horse drawn vehicle with a movable top, often encountered in nineteenth French novels eg Balzac.
Thanks Jason and loonapick.
Thanks Jason and Loonapick. If we are going to mention unnecessary words in clues, we could add that “Macron’s” is unnecessary in 10ac: ADIEU has been an English word for centuries. SOED 2007 p 27 dates it LME which means 1350-1469, and gives it only the English pronunciation.
21dn: I have not managed to find dictionary support for “form” = “edge”, even in the context suggested by Hovis@2. The best I can find is Chambers 2016 p 490 which has “to border, form or be a border for” as a definition for edge as a transitive verb. I do not think the word “form” can be taken on its own out of that definition.
Thanks for clearing that up Hovis @7.
@SM – sic is the Latin word for “so” or “thus”. It isn’t an acronym for Sic Erat Scriptum, Spelling Is Correct, or anything else.
Andrew@11. I know.
Thank goodness for a relatively straightforward test today. Lots to enjoy and I only came up short on a couple which makes me smile.
Thanks to Jason and Loonapick
I enjoy this one a lot, but missed sci-fi
I had EDGE as just a kind of shape. A SUIT seems to be a kind of costume rather than a strict equivalent (except when preceded by bathing), so I was ok with the perhaps. Thanks, both.
Phew, this was a relief after trying Vlad in the Guardian today and failing miserably. I tried to fit in MANOR in 11a before recognising that this was about a car… LOI PLAYPEN and IN BUD; those are also my favourites plus PERSONA NON GRATA, even though it is unlikely that Caesar ever used that phrase. Thanks a lot Jason and loonapick!
Re CABRIOLET, fun fact: the words cabriolet and cab are etymologically related. Cabriolet originally meant (in addition to a specific type of carriage) any carriage for hire. Then after the taximeter was invented, allowing fares to be accurately charged based on distance, the portmanteau word “taxicab” was coined to mean a cabriolet with a taximeter. The shortenings “taxi” and “cab” came about separately; I believe the latter is older.
Layman@16, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who found Vlad’s almost impenetrable.
Hadn’t thought of Frankenstein as SCI FI off the bat but recognize it now as surely being so. Thank you all