This puzzle is dominated by four long down entries. Once you have solved them, the rest of the answers become much easier to fathom out. It was generally fair, and there are some very good surfaces among the clues. Possibly due to the restricted options available to the setter once he had the four long down answers in place, some of the words used are not common (eg DOWERS, TITI, TRECENTO, LYCOPODIUM), but that’s part of the fun of cruciverbalism – the opportuntiy to extend one’s vocabulary.
One gripe – some of the definitions are a bit loose, and some are not terribly cryptic.
ACROSS
8 TRECENTO – (centre)* + TO – the fourteenth century, especially pertinent to Italian art and literature (eg Giotto, Dante, Boccaccio)
11 SCAVENGE – (gven case)* – I wonder if SCAVENGE and “conduct search” are close enough in meaning?
12 TIT-I – a TITI being a South American monkey
13 INFELICITY – IN-(city life)*
15 (f)ETCHING
18 FRIENDSHIP – (perish find)*
20 BAR-RACKS
22 DOWERS – (E words)* – as far as I can tell, a dower is like a dowry or a jointure – I can’t see how that equates to “talents”
DOWN
1 PROPRIETORIALLY – a not very cryptic definition
2 SCOTTISH TERRIER
3 UNA + S-SIGNED
4 FOBS OFF – not much to say about the past three clues, fair but pretty easy.
6 MAKE A CLEAN SWEEP – (we see a PE man lack)*
7 PLIGHT ONE’S TROTH – another not very cryptic defintiion
14 LYCOPODIUM – (co duo imply)* – personally, I’m not a great fan of anagrams which include abbreviations in this way.
17 CHASERS – (scares)* about H
21 CREW – homophone of CREWE
I’m with you on the insufficiently cryptic definitions – neither Plight One’s Troth nor Proprietorially involved enough of a stretch from the surface reading to give any satisfaction as a clue. I didn’t actually mind company for co in an anagram, the one that bothered me was IN CITY LIFEfor INFELICITY, which involved very little rearrangement of the letters.
I’m worried that there might not have been quite enough anagrams.
Paul
I mentioned the proliferation of anagram in my notes while solving, but chose not to bring it up when it came to writing the blog.
DOWERS also means “gifts”, as in the sense of one being gifted, i.e. talented.
I am duly chastised, loonapick.
Someone once advised me not to write more than seven points’ worth of ‘nags per puzz, whereof a full anagram gets 1pt, a partial 1/2. “Also”, he continued in his kindly way before slumping to the sawdust-strewn floor, “don’t anagram obscure or difficult words and phrases in daily puzzles – or I’ll kill you”.
Paul
I hope you don’t think I was chastising…
Mike M
Thanks – think that’s pushing the envelope a bit…