Filbert’s crosswords are meticulously clued, and the surfaces are carefully crafted too. This means that often there are multi-part constructions, so while solving is always a challenge, parsing is even more so. Some of these Sunday offerings are beginning to go above my pay grade – and that, by the way, is no criticism of this fine setter.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Shout out for Hearts in matches, yelling “Goal”
PROCLAIM
A charade of PRO, C and L for the central letters of ‘matChes’ and ‘yelLing’ and AIM. Hearts is a club in the Scottish Premier League. Indeed, they currently lead it.
6 Army doctor shifted hips down a bit
MOPISH
A charade of MO and (HIPS)* with ‘shifted’ as the anagrind.
9 American backing Trump’s third term in newspaper article – strange world
URANUS
US preceded by U for the third letter of TrUmp, R for the last letter of ‘newspaper’ and AN for the indefinite ‘article’. URANUS is a strange world: it is an ice giant, with axial tilt, meaning it effectively orbits on its side. Second to last planet in our solar system now that Pluto has been relegated to being a dwarf planet.
10 Half undressed man checked out
STRIKING
A charade of STRI[PPED] and KING for the ‘man’ in chess. ‘Checked out’ for STRIKING (like the resident doctors currently) is a stretch, I would aver.
Edit: I should have averred otherwise: the definition is ‘out’ and ‘man checked’ is the king.
11 Mop tea from cups
AFRO
Hidden in teA FROm.
12 Irish writer on a bender beginning to imagine novel
EDNA O’BRIEN
(ON A BENDER I)* with ‘novel’ as the anagrind. One of the finest female writers of her generation, in my opinion. Her first novel, The Country Girls, was banned in 1960 in her native Ireland because of its frank portrayal of female sexuality and desire.
13 English really get mushy about love at times
EVERY SO OFTEN
A charade of E, VERY and an insertion of O in SOFTEN. The insertion indicator is ‘about’.
17 Greek character returned call in full pub
WATERING HOLE
An insertion of ETA reversed and RING in WHOLE. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.
20 Prisoners’ tea mum arranged, complete with relations
CONSUMMATE
A charade of CONS and (TEA MUM)* with ‘arranged’ as the anagrind.
23 Duck after spies see you in Rome
CIAO
A charade of CIA and O. CIAO can mean ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’ in Italian.
24 Legless board work on drug dose
TABLE TOP
A charade of TABLET and OP.
25 Fitter batters you’d expect to make fewer runs otherwise
TAILOR
A charade of TAIL and OR. The first reference is to the lower order batters in cricket, who are generally not expected to contribute massively to the innings total. Let’s not dwell on the cricket this morning.
26 Parking behind college a considerable distance
PARSEC
A charade of P, ARSE and C. Approximately 31 trillion kilometres, which is certainly considerable.
27 Forcibly make a sailor dangle aloft, caught on spar’s tip
SHANGHAI
A charade of S for the first letter of ‘spar’, HANG and HAI, aural wordplay (‘caught’) of HIGH for ‘aloft’.
Down
2 Become thinner? Order a fryer
RAREFY
(A FRYER)* with ‘order’ as the anagrind.
3 Chinese toilet you’re in starts to test everything
CANTONESE
A charade of CAN and ONE’S inserted in TE for the initial letters of ‘test’ and ‘everything’. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.
4 Route through grandstand is covered with beer
AISLE
An insertion of IS in ALE. The insertion indicator is ‘covered with’.
5 Madonna covers numbers Rolling Stones worked on
MASONRY
An insertion of NOS reversed in MARY. The insertion indicator is ‘covers’.
6 Travel writer back from Cairo cut old stuff up
MARCO POLO
A charade of O for the last letter of ‘Cairo’, LOP, O and CRAM, all reversed.
7 E.g. stud to sleep with queen
POKER
A charade of POKE and R for Regina.
8 Cooking nerd used clove
SUNDERED
(NERD USED)* with ‘cooking’ as the anagrind. Some obscure strong and weak verbs here. Cleave is a contronym: it has two separate meanings, to split asunder (like chopping wood) or to stick to a principle or person. In its second, sticking definition, it conjugates as a weak verb: cleave/cleaved/cleaved. But in its first, splitting definition, it conjugates as a strong verb: cleave/clove or cleft/cloven or cleft, following partly the pattern of leave/left. Whence a cloven-hoofed animal, or a cleft stick. So ‘clove’ is synonymous with SUNDERED. Great surface, btw.
14 Doctor came in GTi without an obvious explanation
ENIGMATIC
(CAME IN GTI)* with ‘doctor’ as the anagrind.
15 Putting feathers on lady’s head, going to get clips
FLETCHING
An insertion of L for the initial letter of ‘lady’ in FETCHING. The insertion indicator is ‘clips’.
16 Landscape painter introduced to father, or rather mother
PANORAMA
There is a painter, RA, in PA and MA, but I can’t parse this fully, I’m afraid.
18 Dolphin swims up Margate’s harbours on the ebb
GRAMPUS
Hidden reversed in swimS UP MARGate.
19 Trouble that you have to step across climbing ornate tower
PAGODA
A reversal of ADO and GAP.
21 Retailer’s exchanges left in envelopes to be returned
SALES
An insertion of L in SAES for stamped addressed envelopes, which have kind of gone out of fashion. Like stamps.
22 Half of fans in restaurant? More
EXTRA
EXTRA[CTORS]
Many thanks to Filbert for this Sunday’s offering and happy Winter Solstice to all (1503 GMT today, since you ask).
Wondered if I’d even start this one. Got a hold in the bottom left then proceeded in a counterclockwise manner and surprised myself by finishing. Marvellous.
PANORAMA
I think ‘or rather’ is to be taken as ‘NO’.
Lovely puzzle and great blog. Thanks both.
@2 KVa
Like you say. “Pa? No, ma.” With an RA inserted.
I just had ‘out’ as the def for STRIKING. ‘Checked’ part of the wordplay. Thanks for the ‘envelopes’. Failed to parse that one. Almost obsolete. Favourites are TAILOR, POKER, and TABLETOP. Also GRAMPUS. It was a whale in Phi last Tuesday but I think technically it’s more dolphin. I liked the picturesque surface. Fantastic stuff as always. Thanks Pierre and Filbert.
Like sofamore, I took STRIKING to be defined by ‘out’ with the KING being ‘man checked’
I had the same experience as Hovis. I liked the hidden definition in MASONRY.
Seems I am Scrooge again, because “bah, humbug” was my response to some of the clues and solutions.
It’s Christmas, and I’m guessing Charades is Filbert’s favourite post-feast game. Too many, too contrived. ( or is Charades the theme?)
Is 22(d), EXTRA, clever? “in restaurant” ?
Same weak trick, in 10(ac), where “half undressed” , STRI (PPED), is weak.
Is a TABLE TOP ( 24ac) “legless”? Without legs, there’s no table.
I’m annoying myself now.
The ayes have it, it’s a good puzzle. Great blog, Pierre.
A really enjoyable solve. Especially like forcibly make a sailor, the drug dose, the batters you expect to make fewer runs, down a bit, the mop, and the list goes on. Took a moment to twig to half of fans in restaurant, even though it feels like deja vu, and LOI the Irish writer, NHO but the anagram couldn’t be anything else. Thanks Filbert, great stuff.
Ah, but 12ac could have been something else, brandom@8 – I twigged it was an anagram, thought it might be someone O’Brien … and then Googled Dean O’Brien, who turns out to be a South African tennis player. I then thought again and, in one of those facepalm moments, realised it was the great Edna, whom I’d actually met at a party many years ago…
A most enjoyable Filbert (though I do somewhat share some of E.N.B@7’s reservations) and, as ever, impeccable blogwork from Pierre, ta to both.
I am sorry that not everyone appears to have unreservedly loved this (yet another) fine example of Filbert’s masterpieces.
I understand your comment about parsing Pierre but the satisfaction of solving and fully parsing clues like 1 and 13 across and 5 down to name but a few is exactly what I absolutely love about this setter.
Thanks all.
Thanks Filbert. While admiring the skill involved in crafting these clues too many were beyond my ability to solve and/or parse. I found the SE the most difficult. I did enjoy clues like EDNA OBRIEN, EVERY SO OFTEN, MASONRY, and PARSEC. Thanks Pierre for the blog.