A gentle introduction to the solving week.
A failry straightforward puzzle, maybe slightly tougher than the average Monday Guardian. Smooth surfaces and clever double definitions, nothing overly obscure (although I didn’t know a noddy was a bird).
Thanks, Carpathian.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BENEFACTRESS |
Angel acts serene moving around following behind bachelor (12)
|
| *(acts serene) [anag:moving] around F (following), behind B (bachelor) | ||
| 8 | OLIVIER |
Old organ trapping one actor (7)
|
| O (old) + LIVER (“organ”) trapping I (one) | ||
| 9 | ALCOVES |
Adult adores snorting cocaine in corners (7)
|
| A (adult) + LOVES (“adores”) snorting C (cocaine) | ||
| 11 | PLATEAU |
Regularly speak up about delayed plane (7)
|
| [regularly] (s)P(e)A(k) U(p) about LATE (“delayed”) | ||
| 12 | SPINNER |
Top priest embraced by transgressor? (7)
|
| P (priest) embraced by SINNER (“transgressor”) | ||
| 13 | NODDY |
In New York find rum bird (5)
|
| ODD (“rum”) in NY (New York)
A noddy is a seabird related to the tern. |
||
| 14 | AGGREGATE |
Assemble silver work unit around entrance (9)
|
| Ag (chemical symbol for “silver) + <=ERG (“work unit”, around) + GATE (“entrance”) | ||
| 16 | ABATEMENT |
European people starting to tire following a club in decline (9)
|
| E (European) + MEN (“people”) + [starting to] T(ire) following A BAT (“a club”) | ||
| 19 | CAROL |
Oracle dropping ecstasy gyrating to song (5)
|
| *(oracl) [anag:gyrating] where ORACL is ORACL(e) dropping E (ecstasy) | ||
| 21 | IMPACTS |
Effects of decrees by one politician (7)
|
| ACTS (“decrees”) by I (one) +MP (Member of Parliament, so “politician”) | ||
| 23 | EURASIA |
Froideur as I attempt to cover very large land mass (7)
|
| Hidden in [to cover] “froidEUR AS I Attempt” | ||
| 24 | NURTURE |
Bring up work about time by river (7)
|
| <=RUN (“work”, about) + T (time) by (River) URE | ||
| 25 | IDYLLIC |
Perfect Lily crushed and caught by papers (7)
|
| *(lily) [anag:crushed] and C (caught, in cricket) by ID (identity “papers”) | ||
| 26 | INTELLIGENCE |
Telling niece about tip-off (12)
|
| *(telling niece) [anag:about] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BRIGAND |
Group keeping kit for highwayman (7)
|
| BAND (“group”) keeping RIG (“kit”) | ||
| 2 | NAIVETY |
Disgustingly vain yet showing artlessness (7)
|
| *(vain yet) [anag:disgustingly] | ||
| 3 | FORMULATE |
Create document university passed (9)
|
| FORM (“document”) + U (university) + LATE (“passed”) | ||
| 4 | CHAPS |
Men from church spring up (5)
|
| Ch. (church) + <=SPA (“spring”, up) | ||
| 5 | RECLINE |
Right to turn down taking head rest (7)
|
| R (right) + (d)ECLINE (“to turn down”, taking head, I.e. first letter) | ||
| 6 | SAVANNA |
South American vehicle in front of North American ecosystem (7)
|
| S (south) + A (American) + VAN (“vehicle”) in front of N (north) + A (American) | ||
| 7 | COMPENSATION |
Novel poem contains correction (12)
|
| *(poem contains) [anag:novel] | ||
| 10 | SURVEILLANCE |
Watch Parisian on screen with weapon (12)
|
| SUR (“on” in French, so “Parisina on”) + VEIL (“screen”) with LANCE (“weapon”) | ||
| 15 | GATHERING |
Understanding assembly (9)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 17 | ASPIRIN |
Drug treated sprain around middle of thigh (7)
|
| *(sprain) [anag:treated] around [middle of] (th)I(gh) | ||
| 18 | EXCLUDE |
Old sign across front of door to bar (7)
|
| EX (“old”) + CLUE (“sign”) across [front of] D(oor) | ||
| 19 | CARRY ON |
Fuss over dead and rotting flesh we hear (5,2)
|
| Homophone/pun.aural wordplay [we hear] of CARRION (“dead and rotting flesh”) | ||
| 20 | RESOLVE |
Determination to relax (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 22 | SPELL |
Quietly entering market in interval (5)
|
| P (piano in music notation, so “quietly”) entering SELL (“market”) |
Took me almost the exact same time as yesterday’s Quiptic. This is an observation and nothing more. BENEFACTRESS was last one in. I only really understood it once the F appeared. No problem with SAVANNA but I’d have expected an H on the end.
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick
Very straightforward and very enjoyable. I always scribble notes around the edges, but first time ever, I haven’t.
I’m not sure why resolve means relax but otherwise found this neat and satisfying. Many thanks to Carpathian and for the clear blog.
The second column from the right spells “See to II”. I wonder if they’re starting to lay the breadcrumbs for No. 40,000…
I felt this was much easier than the Sunday cryptic yesterday, and no less enjoyable for that. The only jorum for me was NODDY. Thanks Carpathian and loonapick!
Thanks both. I did wonder if there is a bit of a theme, intelligence, gathering, surveillance, but not quite enough.
I am with SueB @3 in not seeing how resolve = relax
Me too re relax = resolve. Otherwise straightforward solve, thanks both.
Relax is a definition of resolve in Chambers. The two seem most interchangeable in the context of relaxing/resolving muscular tension.
Resolve: Chambers gives: ETYMOLOGY: 14c: from Latin solvere to loosen, dissolve.
Not sure this helps!
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick
Um – isn’t a PLATEAU a “plain” rather than “plane”?
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick
muffin @ 11: from Chambers Thesaurus
“plateau
noun
1 a grassy plateau
plane, highland, tableland, table, upland, mesa”
I think I found this tougher than others taking longer than yesterdays Quiptic. Although it was a handful of clues accounting for a disproportionate amount of time. The anagram of BENEFACTRESS being the main culprit. Thinking of the wrong angel.
SURVEILLANCE favourite today.
Thanks Carpathian and Loonapick
Simon S @12
First sentence of the Wiki entry:
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (/pləˈtoʊ, plæˈtoʊ, ˈplætoʊ/; French: [plato]; pl.: plateaus or plateaux),[1][2] also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side.
(My emphasis)
Gentle enough, my image last night was of OLIVIER in a CARRY ON.
Ta Carpathian & loonapick.
muffin @ 14 I guess it depends whether to give greater weight to the professionals who compile a dictionary / thesaurus or to the amateurs who contribute to wiki.
Fairly rapid and entertaining solve, good for a Monday. Re muffin @11 and Simon S @12, I’m not sure that I agree with the Chambers Thesaurus about plane, viz from the Web: Understanding the difference between plain and plane is essential for clear communication. Plain refers to a large area of flat land with few trees or an adjective describing something as simple or unadorned. In contrast, plane can refer to a flat surface, in geometry, or an aircraft used for transportation.
I liked the well-hidden EURASIA, the good anagram for INTELLIGENCE, and the old sign for EXCLUDE.
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick.
Thanks, Robi @17: that’s pretty clear, to me, at least.
This went in very easily until I stalled in the SW corner. After a bit of thought, the rest went in. Agree that plain is better than plane. I also couldn’t see how resolve meant relax. Thanks to Martin@9 for explanation.
Thanks to Carpathian and loonapick.
Re. plain/plane: a plateau is a plain if we are talking geographically, and a plane if we are talking geometrically.
I hope that makes everybody happy 🙂
You can resolve a difficulty, a tension, hence … sort of works.
My first ever blog on fifteensquared, so apologies if my comments are a little naive! With a little help (BENEFACTRESS – had no idea that ‘f’ is an abbreviation for ‘following’, but have now checked in Chambers; and NURTURE – forgot about the river Ure) I unusually completed today’s Xword, and enjoyed it, so thanks Carpathian and loonapick. Like several others, I queried relax/resolve, but from comments above am now happy. However, I am not convinced by (R)ECLINE from ‘turn down taking head’ – surely there should be an ‘off’ (wouldn’t affect the surface either)?
Very pleasant and entertaining. INTELLIGENCE was very neat with a nice anagram.
For 7d it seemed that either “novel” or “correction” could be the anagram indicator with the other as the definition. And in fact it turns out there is a novel called COMPENSATION, by Augustine Cerf, so it could work either way!
Isn’t BENEFACTRESS with the -ESS ending contrary to the Guardian’s style guide? (Though it seems in practice that the guide doesn’t apply to the crossword.)
Many thanks Carpathian and loonapick.
Pleasant Monday puzzle. I got stuck in 1ac with the number count. I had BA for “bachelor,” rather than just B + F for “following.”
Thanks, Carpathian and loonapick.
I’m with SueB, Shirl and William regarding “resolve”. A while back, a commenter whose name I can’t now recall said that if the only support is a Chambers reference, then it shouldn’t be sufficient as an explanation by itself. I can’t help but agree.
On the plus-side, I enjoyed AlanC’s image of Larry in a Carry On film (and he’d no doubt have had a whale of a time with all those double-entendres), and the long answers on the peripheries.
Thank you Carpathian and loonapick
@Muffin 11, 14
I can see no reference to plane or plain in the clue.
Does it matter which you think it may be
Nice start to the week. I needed all the checkers for SURVEILLANCE, which I thought a tricky and very good clue. Spent as long on loi ABATEMENT as the rest of the puzzle I think! Was looking for a race of people for too long.
Ed@26, “plane” is the def in the clue. Simon S and muffin, I’ve never seen the geographical plain spelled “plane” so I too question that thesaurus entry. Which doesn’t include “plain”, which you’d think it would, right? So perhaps the amateurs on wiki haven’t done so badly. If the clue is referring to a mathematical plane then I’ve never heard that called a plateau either. I suppose it could be if it were a horizontal plane – but why would such a thing need a special name? I smell a rat.
Thanks both, and congrats to Jrsee@22
A very likeable puzzle. I appreciate Carpathian’s setting style. Thank you to her and loonapick.
AP@27: I’m puzzled by this as well. The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain…I remained bone dry during my easyJet flight to Barcelona last month.
Nice puzzle.
FWIW, while Wiki is generally an amateur effort (I even made some contributions myself back in the day), I know for a fact that professional lexicographers contribute too.
F for following, O for old, B for bachelor, A for adult, C for Cocaine. After the first three clues I wondered if I was reading a children’s spelling book rather than crossword clues! But I have to say that I enjoyed the rest of the puzzle. Many thanks Carpathian and loonapick.
Thanks for the blog , very neat set of clues and seems just right for a Monday , including a friendly grid .
Well done Jrsee , first of many , for rECLINE think of taking as stealing , crossword speak often omits words .
I will always accept the setter using any definition from one of the main dictionaries but a thesaurus is far too loose . Chambers93 gives no support for plane=PLATEAU , as usual I do not give a fig for what Wikipedia says .
Having finally completed the bonus Genius last night, the ol’ noggin is firing on all cylinders this morning, so this one went in on the first pass. Always happy to see Carpathian’s name on the puzzle. I love good surfaces, and they always deliver. Favourites 9a ALCOVES (funny), 12a SPINNER (definition nicely hidden), 4d CHAPS (ecclesiastical surprise party?), 7d COMPENSATION (“poem contains” anagram)
Re 20d, in music, a resolution follows a dissonance. In that sense the tension (dissonance) is RESOLVEd (relaxed)
Thank you Carpathian, and loonapick for a fine blog
Jrsee @22: a short list of rivers to learn for British crypric crosswords: Dee, Ouse, Ure, Cam, Exe, Don, Po. Also of course the letter R, and remember that “flower” (a thing that flows) and “banker” (a thing with banks, although I dislike that one) often mean river. American rivers never appear, unless you count the ones that are also states (e.g. Colorado) or waterfalls (Niagara).
Also the OB has become fashionable in recent crosswords . Noisier than the Don , more refined than the Volga and more interesting than the Qiantang .
Oh dear, much too hard for me.
Thanks both.
A funny experience because it all went in quickly without ever “feeling” particularly easy. Thought it was a good set of Monday clues, though the plain/plane thing isn’t ideal. I liked the nicely hidden EURASIA best.
I found this fairly straightforward for the most part, with some nice clues. Top half went in with no hitches, although I did need most of the crossers to get 10d. Very clever, once I did click.
I did get held up in the SW. I totally missed the hidden EURASIA, even after having written it in. And I sat looking at LOI RESOLVE thinking it had to be, but relax??? I’m still not convinced.
I stalled quite badly on this one initially, but a second look had me filling it in steadily roughly clockwise from about 10-o’clock (which, co-incidentally, was about the time!). BENEFACTRESS was LOI, as like some others, I tried starting with BA / bachelor, and didn’t spot the F / following. That left me scratching my head for names of biblical (and Good Omens, etc.) angels. There did seem to be a lot of vowels to deal with once all the crossers were in. But I got there in the end.
Lots to like, but I’ll give CotD to SURVEILLANCE: I do like a nicely built-up charade.
mrpenney@34: maybe the absence of American rivers in crossword clueing is due to the length of their names; I can’t think of any with 2, 3 or 4 letter names. Which probably indicates my ignorance rather than anything else…
Thanks to Carpathian & loonapick.
For plateau = plane, I find it almost works in dim light with screwed up eyes if you look at them both as verbs – i.e. reach a level and carry on at that elevation. OK, so maybe ‘plateau’ is more the getting to the settled level, but it’s not uncommon to hear that someone’s performance has ‘plateau'[e]d meaning it’s been at the same level for a while without any change.
Let me upset the apple cart by stating that I have more respect for Wikipedia than for Chambers, the latter describing an eclair as a cake, long in shape but short in duration and a mullet as a hairstyle that is short at the front, long at the back, and ridiculous all round, to name but two.
Very nice. I was struggling with a couple in the north area until I had a flash of inspiration and realised that “men from church…” must have something to do with “hymns”, which got me grinning.
i was completely wrong if course, but thanks for the smile anyway, C.
DavidT @40
Nice try, but I think a more probable explanation is that the quote that Simon S gave includes a misprint!
[DTS@39: the first one that comes to mind is the New River, which flows north from North Carolina to West Virginia. Weirdly named since it’s one if the oldest rivers on the planet.]
[Coloradan@44: But is it just known as “the New”? The Exe, Cam, Don, Ure, etc. are standalone river names; though they can be preceded by “river”, they don’t have to be. For example, “I’m punting on the Cam this afternoon”. An aside – how does one know how old a river is? That’s a question that hadn’t occurred to me before. Interesting! ]
[DTS above: it is often referred to simply as “the New”, especially among outdoor enthusiasts. Regarding its age, geologists claim they can determine such things.]