Coot has provided this Thursday’s teaser. I haven’t blogged many of his puzzles, so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect today.
As it was, what lay in store for me today was a medium-difficulty puzzle with lots of entertainment to be had along the way. In the end, Coot has had the last laugh, as I needed to search Chambers to find 11, and indeed also to parse it. I found the SW quadrant to be the hardest, with the intersecting 9-letter entries at 14A, 14D and 15D holding me up for a good long while, despite being perfectly fair clues.
As for my favourite clues today, I particularly liked the tennis-theme in the linked clues at 12 and 14A, which led to a well-disguised definition in the latter; the “crack” device in 19; and the “leak” in 2D appealed to the schoolboy in me.
Here’s hoping that we all still find some time for crosswords as we work through the pre-Christmas rush. I wonder what delights our compilers have in store for us over the festive season.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
|
||
| 1 | SAN ANDREAS FAULT |
At Arsenal, United fan starts to dance so wildly it makes ground shake (3,7,5)
|
| *(AT ARSENAL + U (=United, as in Man U) + FAN + D<ance> S<o> (“starts to” means first letters only)); “wildly” is anagram indicator; cryptically, one can say that, as a cause of earthquakes, the San Andreas Fault “makes (the) ground shake”! | ||
| 9 | MIMIC |
Mock host screening film ‘Big’ regularly (5)
|
| <f>I<l>M <b>I<g> (“regularly” means alternate letters only are used) in MC (=host, i.e. Master of Ceremonies) | ||
| 10 | EXECRABLE |
Odious businessman backed ban on the French (9)
|
| EXEC (=businessman, i.e. executive) + RAB (BAR=ban, disallow; “backed” indicates reversal) + LE (=the French, i.e. a French word for the) | ||
| 11 | PEEPSHOW |
Erotic film produces high-pitched sound – what caused it? (8)
|
| PEEPS (=produces high-pitched sound, like a chicken) + HOW (=what caused it?, as question) | ||
| 12 | SWERVE |
Tennis shot entertains with change of direction … (6)
|
| W (=with) in SERVE (=tennis shot) | ||
| 14 | GO OUT WITH |
… and following shot not in court (2,3,4)
|
| GO (=shot, stab, attempt) + OUT (=not in) + WITH (=and); to court is to go out with, date | ||
| 16 | RECAP |
Supporter on track about to get run over (5)
|
| PACER (=supporter (to athletes) on track, pacemaker); “about” indicates reversal | ||
| 18 | OBESE |
Very large wardrobe separates clothes (5)
|
| Hidden (“clothes”) in “wardrOBE SEparate” | ||
| 19 | ACCESSION |
Crack cocaine around ship – coming onboard (9)
|
| SS (=ship, i.e. steamship) in *(COCAINE); “crack” is anagram indicator; to accede to an organisation or treaty is to join it, come onboard | ||
| 20 | INDEED |
Quite popular thing to do (6)
|
| IN (=popular, trendy) + DEED (=thing to do, action); Quite! is an interjection signalling agreement, hence Indeed! | ||
| 22 | ASIAN FLU |
A Welsh woman reportedly avoided illness in pandemic (5,3)
|
| A + SIAN (=Welsh woman, i.e. a typical Welsh female forename) + homophone (“reportedly”) of “flew (=avoided, fled from)”; the deadly Asian flu pandemic swept across the world in 1957-8 | ||
| 26 | EXTRADITE |
Hand over old business, it’s stuffed (9)
|
| EX- (=old, former) + [IT in TRADE (=business)] | ||
| 27 | GRUEL |
Mean ratbag finally knocking out cold, unappetising meal (5)
|
| CRUEL (=mean, nasty); “ratbag finally (=last letter, i.e. G) knocking out cold (=C)” means letter “g” replaces letter “c” | ||
| 28 | STOCKBROKER BELT |
Posh area‘s reputation ruined with start of rock band (11,4)
|
| STOCK (=reputation, estimation, according to Chambers) + BROKE (=ruined, destroyed) + R<ock> (“start of” means first letter only) + BELT (=band, stripe) | ||
| DOWN
|
||
| 1 | SUM UP |
Review first three parts of music? (3,2)
|
| Cryptically, the “first three parts (=letters) of music” are MUS, which corresponds to “SUM” up (=vertically reversed)! | ||
| 2 | NUMBER ONE |
Initially nervous individual seals off brownish leak (6,3)
|
| UMBER (=brownish) in [N<ervous> (“initially” means first letter only) + ONE (=individual)]; to go for a number one is to go for a wee, take a leak! | ||
| 3 | NICKS |
Help oneself to son’s chips (5)
|
| NICK (=help oneself to, steal) + S (=son); a chip is a dent, hence nick | ||
| 4 | RHETORICAL |
Ignoring wife, write choral works over-elaborate in style (10)
|
| *(<w>RITE CHORAL); “ignoring wife (=W)” means letter “w” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “works” | ||
| 5 | AHEM |
National Trust eschews God Save the King? I doubt that! (4)
|
| A<nt>HEM (=God Save the King, i.e. the national anthem; “National Trust (=NT) eschews” means letters “nt” are dropped) | ||
| 6 | FIREWORKS |
Wire melts in separate small explosions (9)
|
| *(WIRE) in [FORK (=separate, split, of e.g. road) + S (=small, of sizes)] | ||
| 7 | UNBAR |
Permit entry into godless Scottish town? (5)
|
| (d)UNBAR (=Scottish town; “god -less” means that letter “d (=God, i.e. Deus)” is dropped | ||
| 8 | THEREUPON |
Pure note played capturing hearts immediately (9)
|
| H (=hearts, in cards) in *(PURE NOTE); “played” is anagram indicator | ||
| 13 | CHUCK STEAK |
Cut and hurl piece of spruce wood (5,5)
|
| CHUCK (=hurl, toss) + S<pruce> (“piece of” means first letter only) + TEAK (=wood); chuck is a cut of beef extending from the neck to the shoulder blade | ||
| 14 | GOOFINESS |
Inane nature of noises fashioned by beginner in guitar (9)
|
| G<uitar> (“beginner in” means first letter only) + *(OF NOISES); “fashioned” is anagram indicator | ||
| 15 | THEME PARK |
In Disneyland, maybe politician takes refuge in wooden shelter (5,4)
|
| MEP (=politician, i.e. Member of European Parliament) in THE ARK (=wooden shelter, i.e. Noah’s ark in OT) | ||
| 17 | COIFFEUSE |
Foreign Office to employ locks expert (9)
|
| *(OFFICE) + USE (to employ); “foreign” is anagram indicator; the “locks” of the definition refer to hair! | ||
| 21 | DITTO |
Papers lying about excessive returns as before (5)
|
| DI (ID=(identity) papers; “lying about” indicates reversal) + TTO (OTT=excessive, i.e. over-the-top; “returns” indicates reversal) | ||
| 23 | ANGER |
Put out stove, sinking last of lobster (5)
|
| RANGE (=stove, e.g. Aga; “sinking last (=last letter) of lobster” means letter “r” moves to end of word; to put out is to offend, upset, hence anger | ||
| 24 | UNLIT |
Perhaps squadron guards left in the dark (5)
|
| L (=left) in UNIT (=perhaps squadron, in army) | ||
| 25 | LIAR |
Suffering 50% cut, like army’s pork pie supplier (4)
|
| LI<ke> AR<my>; “suffering 50% cut” means 2 of 4 letters are dropped from each word; a pork pie is a lie in Cockney rhyming slang |
A pleasingly diverse range of devices and definitions, and some craftily evasive.
PEEPSHOW, (11ac), held me up, because I thought it would be (4,4), and I don’t associate it with “film”, but Coot has both right.
7(d) UNBAR: I’ve never seen “godless”, as “delete the D”, and not too impressed with it.
The only bummer, in an otherwise entertaining and smartly-compiled puzzle.
Big thanks, Coot & RR
Nice puzzle and, as EN Boll& says, a good range of ideas in both constructions and defs. Good anagram/surface for SAN ANDREAS FAULT. Other faves inc SWERVE, OBESE, ASIAN FLU, NICKS, FIREWORKS, CHUCK STEAK and COIFFEUSE.
Thanks both.
Good puzzle and I enjoyed solving it. Thanks Coot.
Nice blog. Thanks RR.
My top picks were: S A FAULT, MIMIC, RECAP, SUM UP, FIREWORKS, COIFFEUSE and LIAR.
I liked all the clues highlighted by PostMark and Kva. [Was it the presence of the Sam Andreas Fault that made my autocorrect try to turn KVa into lava?]
A fairly tough challenge, as I expected from Coot, making for a most satisfying solve.
The clues unravelled at a steady pace and there were many pdms and ahas along the way, at the ingenuity of a number of the definitions and the deftness and smoothness of the surfaces.
I had similar hold-ups to RR’s in the bottom left corner, which made the solve even more rewarding when it was completed.
I thoroughly enjoyed the solve earlier but had to go out before the blog was up. I’ve just endured a very wet and windy bus ride home, with too much to carry, battling with an umbrella and so I arrived home feeling rather disgruntled and I’m going to reluctantly forgo a detailing of my favourites and settle for agreeing, like Petert, with those highlighted by PostMark and KVa. (Sorry, Coot.)
Many thanks to Coot and to RR – I’m sure I shall be regruntled very soon.
Thanks Coot and RatkojaRiku.
A neat, beautiful, entertaining puzzle.
Liked almost all the clues…..
Many thanks to RR for an impeccable blog and to all those who have solved and/or commented on the puzzle.
E.N.Boll& @1 – thank you for your kind comments. I’m sorry 7d didn’t quite hit the mark. The question mark was of course my way of owning up to the slightly tricksy wordplay.
Eileen @5 – it was good of you to comment at all after that journey! I trust that you are now fully gruntled.
May I take this opportunity to send very best wishes for the festive season to all bloggers, solvers and fellow setters.
Thanks for dropping in, Coot @7 – a visit from the setter is always more than welcome.
Yes, fully gruntled now, thanks – and looking forward to your next puzzle!
Thanks Coot for a great set of clues. My top picks were SAN ANDREAS FAULT, EXECRABLE, SWERVE, INDEED, SUM UP, AHEM, and LIAR. I thought the wordplay in my last three picks was particularly inventive. I stumbled only with PEEPSHOW. Thanks RR for the blog.
Really enjoyed the puzzle. Not quite an unaided finish as I made a correction via the check puzzle facility. Not familiar with this setter so struggled a bit to get on wavelength. Some cracking clues so tough to pick a fav but THEME PARK just edges it ahead of EXECRABLE & STOCKBROKER BELT with plenty of ticks elsewhere.
Thanks to Coot & RR.
Didn’t really come to terms with this and completed less than half.