A good solid puzzle from Phi today with a number of clues that brought a smile as I solved them or understood more them about as I wrote the blog.
I have written this blog on the Moray coast of Scotland whilst competing with nearly 4000 other people, from many different countries, in the biennial Scottish 6 Day orienteering competition [4 days down, 2 to go]. Both crossword solving and orienteering are activities that can be undertaken by all ages; both involve the mind and one also helps keeps me fit. There are orienteers aged from 5 and under to 85 and over competing on courses suited to their abilities. I still hope to be orienteering and solving crosswords in my late late 80s.
I didn’t detect any theme in today’s crossword, nor have I seen any message in the grid.
There were standard clues as well some lateral thinking clues – e.g. those for MIDGE (10 across) and INVERTED COMMAS (14 across) 14 across was also a clue that revealed addiitonal depths to me when I started to write the blog and realised that there is a COMMA butterfly.
There was a good mix of clue types in today’s puzzle, some more complex than others. I liked the clues for MENAGERIE [good surface], EXIST [well disguised 2 letter definition], FIGURE OF SPEECH [good anagram and surface], ANTIPASTO [many component parts forming a very readable clue], RIDE SHOTGUN [good anagram] and OVERDOSED [clever construction of component parts] and
This puzzle probably wouldn’t win any ‘puzzle of the year’ awards but it gave me a pleasant time solving it.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1
|
One heading off confusion, invoking one’s destiny (7)
|
ONE excluding the first letter [heading off] O + (MESS [confusion] containing [invoking] I [one])
NE MES (I) S |
NEMESIS (destiny [Chambers Thesaurus])
|
| 5
|
Poor Cockney bloke, initially ready with account, collaring one (7)
|
BO (in US slang, familiar term of address for a man; bloke) + R (first letter of [initially] READY) + (ACC [account] containing [collaring] I [one])
BO R AC (I) C |
BORACIC (skint; without money; poor, from the Cockney rhyming slang BORACIC lint /skint)
|
| 9
|
Blokes get on with journey after offloading dead animals (9)
|
MEN (blokes) + AGE (get on) + (RIDE [journey] excluding [offloading] D [dead])
|
MENAGERIE (collection of wild animals in cages for exhibition)
|
| 10
|
Where you’ll find rat in grate, and insect (5)
|
In the word GRATE the letters RAT are found filling the middle [MID] of the word between the G and the E
|
MIDGE (small gnat like fly, especially pernicious in western Scotland at this time of year. Fortunately near the Moray sea coast where I am just now MIDGEs are not a serious problem)
|
| 11
|
Be coming in at six extremely held back (5)
|
EXIST (hidden word [held] reversed [back] in AT SIX EXTREMELY)
|
EXIST (be)
|
| 12
|
Spoil G&T introducing bubbly air to get a cocktail (9)
|
MAR (spoil) + (GT containing [introducing] an anagram of [bubbly] AIR) + A
MAR G (ARI*) T A |
MARGARITA (a cocktail of tequila, lime or lemon juice, and orange-flavoured liqueur)
|
| 14
|
“Butterflies upside-down” – what’s holding them? (8,6)
|
There is a COMMA butterfly, so if these COMMAS are upside down, they can be described as INVERTED COMMAS.
|
INVERTED COMMAS (The phrase BUTTERFLIES UPSIDE-DOWN is held in the text within INVERTED COMMAS)
|
| 17
|
Coffee urges Phi to spin off striking phrase (6,2,6)
|
Anagram of (to spin off) COFFEE URGES PHI
|
FIGURE OF SPEECH (striking phrase)
|
| 21
|
One suggestion regarding first course (9)
|
AN (one) + TIP (suggestion) + AS TO (regarding)
|
ANTIPASTO (an hors d’ouvre, an appetizer; first course)
|
| 23
|
Sea captain died, getting profligate (5)
|
D (died) + RAKE (debauched or dissolute person; rake)
|
DRAKE (reference Sir Francis DRAKE [1540-1596], noted sea captain)
|
| 24
|
Die in sea or river, surrounded by blue (5)
|
R (river) contained in (surrounded by) DOWN (sad; blue)
D (R) OWN |
DROWN (die in sea [or river])
|
| 25
|
Worker left after a long time in progressive movement (4,5)
|
(AGES [a long time] + L [left]) contained in (in) WAVE (progressive movment)
W (AGES L) AVE |
WAGE SLAVE (worker; a phrase famously used in the chorus of Ewen MacColl’s folk song ‘The Manchester Rambler’ which publicises and commemorates the mass trespass of Kinder Scout in the 1932)
|
| 26
|
Keep up with contacts? Fool corners a couple (7)
|
NERK (fool) contains (corners) TWO (a couple)
NE (TWO) RK |
NETWORK (form business or professional contacts with people met on a social basis; keep up with contacts)
|
| 27
|
With lumps drifting around Lake (7)
|
Anagram of (drifting) (AROUND and L [lake])
|
NODULAR (with lumps)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1
|
Song and book penned by this writer in revolutionary series (6)
|
(B [book] contained in [penned by] ME [this writer]) all contained in (in) (RUN [series] reversed [revolutionary])
NU (M (B) E) R< |
NUMBER (a self-contained portion of an opera or other composition; song)
|
| 2
|
No couple getting upset about new remark (7)
|
(NO + ITEM [couple in a relationship]) reversed (getting upset) containing (about) N (new)
(<ME (N) TI ON) |
MENTION (remark)
|
| 3
|
Tourist to sound regretful over vandalised trees (9)
|
SIGH (sound dejected; sound regretful) + an anagram of (vandalised) TREES
SIGH TSEER* |
SIGHTSEER (tourist)
|
| 4
|
Delightful time amongst crowd of holy people (11)
|
T (time) contained in (amongst) (SCRUM [crowd] + PIOUS with ‘the’, [holy people])
SCRUM P (T) IOUS |
SCRUMPTIOUS (delightful)
|
| 5
|
Reason not to play alongside tail-ender in side (3)
|
BY (alongside) + E (last letter of [tail-ender] SIDE)
|
BYE (in games, the state of a player or team that has not drawn an opponent, and passes without contest to the next round; reason not to play [in the current round])
|
| 6
|
UK city, first to last linked to American dance (5)
|
BRUM (colloquial name for Birmingham, major UK city) with the first letter B moved to the end to form RUMB + A (American)
|
RUMBA (dance)
|
| 7
|
Scoundrel keeping quiet about one reactor component (7)
|
CAD (scoundrel) + (MUM [keeping quiet] containing [about] I [one])
CAD M (I) UM |
CADMIUM (a bluish-white metallic element (symbol Cd; atomic no 48) occurring in zinc ores, used in alloys, magnets, metal-plating and as a control in nuclear reactors)
|
| 8
|
Singular Redeemer turning up in Church, producing split (8)
|
(S [singular] + SAVER [redeemer]) reversed (turning up) contained in (in) CE (Church [of England])
C (REVAS S)< E |
CREVASSE (split)
|
| 13
|
The ground is shaking? Provide security (4,7)
|
Anagram of (shaking) THE GROUND IS
|
RIDE SHOTGUN (to protect a vehicle and its occupants from attack by riding on it [or following close behind it] carrying a firearm or firearms)
|
| 15
|
Had too much Ring composer? Not I, getting Ring (second edition)
|
O (ring [shape]) + VERDI (composer) excluding (not) I + O (ring [shape]) + S (second) + ED (edition)
|
OVERDOSED (had too much of a drug)
|
| 16
|
Intermittently coming from supporter adopting new party (3,3,2)
|
OF (coming from) + (FAN [supporter] containing [adopting] [N {new} + DO {[party}])
OF FA (N DO) N |
OFF AND ON (intermittently)
|
| 18
|
Go and test bombs with learner – just go! (3,4)
|
Anagram of (bombs) (GO and TEST and L [learner])
|
GET LOST (just go away!)
|
| 19
|
Artist‘s vocation, to capture ugly woman (7)
|
CALL (vocation) containing (to capture) HAG (ugly woman)
C (HAG) ALL |
CHAGALL (reference Marc CHAGALL, Belarusian artist 1887-1985)
|
| 20
|
Component of shower – what weathermen study, in short (6)
|
METEOROLOGY (the science studied by weathermen) omitting the last 5 letters (in short) OLOGY
|
METEOR (reference METEOR shower [the profusion of METEORs visible as the earth passes through a a number of METEORoids travelling on parallel courses)
|
| 22
|
Nothing following long show (5)
|
PANT (long) + O (nothing)
|
PANTO (pantomime; show)
|
| 25
|
Creation disregarding recipe in pan (3)
|
WORK (creation) excluding (disregarding) R (recipe)
|
WOK (a hemispherical pan used in Chinese cookery)
|
I liked 15d, 17a, 4d, 5d, 1a & 1d and my favourites were 14a INVERTED COMMAS & 2d MENTION.
New words for me today were NERK, BORACIC, BRUM = Birmingham.
I could not parse 20d (very clever), 5a (I could only parse the R + [I in ACC]) & 10a – also very clever!
Thanks for the blog, Duncan and good luck with your orienteering competition.
Enjoyable workout, had a smile at 4D SCRUMPTIOUS and didn’t realise I hadn’t really bothered to pass 15D OVERDOSED. Though the double use of “ring” mad me pretty sure it didn’t have anything to do with Wagner, nevertheless missed Verd[i], so thanks for that.
On line, the clue for 27A is “With lumps drifting around and around Lake”; I think the extra words “and around” make it more interesting/amusing.
Thanks to Phi and duncanshiell.
For some reason it took me a while to get started into this one – I was well into the down clues before my first confident entry – but it developed nicely into the sort of puzzle that wasn’t too easy, but not impossibly obscure, and with some lovely touches; so thanks to Phi and thanks to Duncan for taking the time out from your orienteering.
Favourites were MIDGE and INVERTED COMMAS.
I have a theory about numbers…but can’t find five. Need to lie down. Put me out of my misery please, Phi. Perhaps there is nothing going on.
Duncan, re your last sentence: if there is a “best allrounder” category in a “puzzle of the year” competition anywhere, this is my nomination. Very enjoyable, with some cracking clues; no particulat CoD but I liked BORACIC, MIDGE, INVERTED COMMAS, BYE and BRUM. The occurrence of “couple” with different interpretations in two clues (26ac and 2dn) was a neat touch, too.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan
Another enjoyable and well-constructed Phi puzzle. I started off slowly but sped up towards the end. I needed all the checkers before I saw RIDE SHOTGUN, and DRAKE was my LOI. My favourite clue was INVERTED COMMAS. As an aside, when I was younger and first heard BORACIC I was certain it must have been spelled “brassic”.
Usual fine stuff from Phi can’t see them stuff. As for 13d Phi recently experienced a powerful earthquake in NZ.
@AndyB same here for Boracic. Thanks Duncan for the blog.
Another one here who made a slow start but got there in the end. Most enjoyable. I said a bad word when I finally twigged INVERTED COMMAS.
Thanks to Phi and Duncan.
Hmm not sure what happened in my previous reply and can’t remember what I meant. Posting random stuff sorry stuff. 🙂 stuff. Gibberish now removed as an installed language.
This puzzle was written well before the 6.5 a couple of weeks ago, so the RIDE SHOTGUN clue is a coincidence, though I suppose it’s the sort of anagram I’d be drawn to. Aftershocks up to 4.9 have been unsettling though perception of earthquakes drops off fairly smartly below that.
No theme today. There isn’t one every time, honest.
This was my first Indy puzzle (previously limited myself to FT and Guardian), and I found it a pleasant solve — a good mix of challenging and accessible. Learned the same new words as michelle @1.
This is also (I believe) my first time encountering a blog by Duncan. Wow. Sometimes bloggers leave me asking, “Why does X equal Y?” But, Duncan, yours must be the most comprehensive I have seen on this site. And there are some very good bloggers here. Kudos to you. (And good luck on your orienteering competition. I certainly hope you don’t 18d!)
Good as always. I enjoyed the inverted commas clue, but I’m not sure I understand it properly: the inverted commas are holding both ‘butterflies’ and ‘upside-down’, so if ‘them’ refers to these two items it seems a bit odd. Or is something else going on?
Re Keeper I too think it great to have the clues and breakdown put in with the blog. And Duncan is a real force in that department!
Cheers
PB
As usual we started this late and left it with only the bottom half complete before turning the lights out.
There were some groans this morning when we solved some of the clues – especially 14ac. We don’t have a problem with the clue as the commas (butterflies), if they were upside-down would be inverted so the “” “” needs to go round the two words.
A good challenge to end the week and in our case, start the weekend!
Thanks Duncan and hope the competition goes well and there aren’t too many 10acs!
Thanks Phi.