The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29939.
We are cleaing up from a record 29 inch snowstorm, but fortunately did not lose power, so the blog proceeds as normal.
The second Cryptic from Anto this month, and I also blogged the other. Anto is growing on me, and this is a fun puzzle, interresting without using overelaborate constructions.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | OFF-PISTE |
Stone found in bad pastry – not part of standard run (3-5)
|
| An envelope (‘found in’) of ST (‘stone’, abbreviation for the weight) in OFF (‘bad’) plus PIE (‘pastry’). | ||
| 6 | MISHAP |
I request silence during plot slip-up (6)
|
| An envelope (‘during’) of ‘I’ plus SH (‘request silence’) in MAP (‘plot’). | ||
| 9 | ONE TWO |
Combination hits in boxing results in very short count (3,3)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 10 | HEN PARTY |
Women’s group eager to host northern prince (3,5)
|
| An envelope (‘to host’) of N (‘northern’) plus P (‘prince’) in HEARTY (‘eager’). | ||
| 11 | HUBRISTIC |
Arrogant British cut short broadcast (9)
|
| An anagram (‘broadcast’) of ‘British’ plus ‘cu[t]’ minus its last letter (‘short’). | ||
| 13 | PITCH |
Put forward idea for sports ground (5)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 15 | HOBBIT |
Occasionally forgot duo’s name for this little character (6)
|
| Alternate letters (‘occasionally’) of ‘FoRgOt DuO‘. An unusual clue, to put it mildly. | ||
| 17 | BELTER |
In drink, lieutenant is very loud singer (6)
|
| An envelope (‘in’) of LT (‘lieutenant’) in BEER (‘drink’). Sometimes a can belto singer. | ||
| 18 | LOOPER |
Assistant abandoned waste outlet cleaner in Dublin, he’s a fool (6)
|
| A subtraction: LOO [pa]PER (‘waste outlet cleaner’) minus (‘abandoned’) PA (personal ‘assistant’). I do not find the definition in any of the usual sources, but it is in Wictionary. | ||
| 19 | APACHE |
First nation warrior is a bit erratic sounding (6)
|
| A charade of ‘a’ plis PACHE, ‘sounding’ like PATCHY (‘bit erratic’) | ||
| 21 | ETUDE |
Musical composition incorporates core elements of Goethe and Auden (5)
|
| Interior letters (‘core elements’) of ‘GoEThe’ plus ‘AUDEn’. | ||
| 22 | FASCINATE |
Doctor sat in cafe entrance (9)
|
| An anagram (‘doctor’) of ‘cat in cafe’. | ||
| 25 | BROCHURE |
Male friend in US picked up firm promotional material (8)
|
| A charade of BRO (‘male friend in US’) plus CHURE, sounding like (‘picked up’) SURE (‘firm’). | ||
| 26 | BONEY M |
Pop group, by covering single, gets millions (5,1)
|
| A charade of BONEY, an envelope (‘covering’) of ONE (‘single’) in ‘by’; plus M (‘millions’). | ||
| 28 | ADDS UP |
It makes sense to link supplement to drink … (4,2)
|
| A charade of ADD (‘supplement’) plus SUP (‘drink’). | ||
| 29 | OVERTIME |
… eventually it will provide extra income? (8)
|
| OVER TIME (‘eventually’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | FAN |
Cool down number two distributor in trouble (3)
|
| A cryptic reference to the expression “when the s**t hits the fan”. | ||
| 3 | PATER |
Father starts preaching about Tibet’s esoteric religions (5)
|
| First letter (‘starts’) of ‘Preaching About Tibet’s Esoteric Religions’. | ||
| 4 | SHOP-SOILED |
Makes purchases when inebriated? They’ll be so dirty (4-6)
|
| A charade of SHOPS (‘makes purchases’) plus OILED (yet another word for ‘inebriated’) – perhaps best treated as the phrase SHOPS OILED | ||
| 5 | ETHNIC |
Native elements in Nazareth nicely hidden (6)
|
| A hidden answer (‘elements … hidden’) in ‘NazarETH NICely’. | ||
| 6 | MENU |
Section of Bremen University that deals with consumer choice (4)
|
| A hidden answer (‘section of’) in ‘BreMEN University’. | ||
| 7 | STATISTIC |
Figure first possessed by a kind of spark (9)
|
| An envelope (‘possessed by’) of IST (‘first’) in STATIC (electrical ‘kind of spark’). | ||
| 8 | AUTOCORRECT |
It changes text to cure actor rambling (11)
|
| An anagram (‘rambling’) of ‘to cure actor’. | ||
| 12 | UPHOLSTERED |
Leading composer slipped up, losing right to be covered (11)
|
| A charade of UP (‘leading’) plus HOLST (Gustav, ‘composer’) plus ER[r]ED (‘slipped up’) minus an R (‘losing right’). | ||
| 14 | DESPICABLE |
Spied broken wire – that’s disgraceful (10)
|
| A charade of DESPI, an anagram (‘broken’) of ‘spied’; plus CABLE (‘wire’). | ||
| 16 | BOONDOCKS |
Benefit cuts for remote regions in the US (9)
|
| A charade of BOON (‘benefit’) plus DOCKS (‘cuts’). | ||
| 20 | TAKE TO |
Become keen on second opinion although it lacks weight (4,2)
|
| A subtraction: TAKE T[w]O (‘second opinion’) minus the W (‘lacks weight’). | ||
| 23 | NONET |
Musicians include individual piece in sacred text (5)
|
| An envelope (‘include’) of ONE (‘individual piece’) in NT (New Testament, ‘sacred text’). | ||
| 24 | LUMP |
Mass chubby priest cut (4)
|
| A subtraction: [p]LUMP (‘chubby’) minus the P (‘priest cut’). | ||
| 27 | YUM |
Finally try tofu cream – it’s delicious (3)
|
| Last letters (‘finally’) of ‘trY tofU creaM‘. Add ‘It’s’ to the definition if you wish. |
Comment #1
A few doozies — I’d never have got LOOPER, and the parsing for FAN & HOBBIT were beyond me. Just a week or two ago a couple of us mentioned the vast number of euphemisms for “intoxicated” — and here’s another I couldn’t bring to mind. And hearty/eager was a head scratcher.
Despite all this, I enjoyed.
Surely 15ac would have better been expressed as
“Occasionally forgot duo’s name for one of these little characters”
Thanks PeterO and Anto
Comment #4
Thank you PeterO. I fell a few short. I like Anto, but not quite on his wavelength today.
Started off with OFF-PISTE and thought it might be a Winter Olympics thing.
I knew Anto was Irish, shouldda looked up LOOPER.
I suppose HOBBIT is a reverse clue, but haven’t seen one like it.
I sorttakinda get FAN, but it’s even more ‘out there’.
BRO is familiar in the Antipodes, mostly from Kiwis, only it’s pronounced more like ”brew”.
I liked ”sacred text” instead of the tired cluing of NT as ”books” in NONET, and the multicultural mix with Tibet’s esoteric religions in the clue for PATER. We had a few musical clues today with lovely misdirections,
HEN PARTY’s surface is timely, or unfortunate, depending on your point of view.
My favourite was AUTOCORRECT for the surface ” to cure actor’s rambling”. Made me laugh.
Comment #6
Comment #7
I failed on LOOPER, needing to try and check a number of letters in the P position, before ending up with the NHO word. AUTOCORRUPT – sorry – AUTOCORRECT was neat, as was HOBBIT (great penny drop moment there). A few I couldn’t fully parse, so thanks PeterO for the help, and thanks, Anto.
@5 paddy thanks for the link to the Anto interview. I’m jealous. Anyway, couldn’t parse HOBBIT (very clever in retrospect) and LOOPER threw me for a loop.