Enjoyable stuff as we’ve come to expect from Kairos. Nothing too difficult, but absolutely no complaints either, with every clue very well constructed.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | CO-STARRED – (Ringo) STARR in CO-ED |
| 6 | SUMAC – CAMUS rev. |
| 9 | COARSEN – ARSE in CON |
| 10 | SPANNER – S(outh) + P[-l]ANNER |
| 11 | EMIGRE – E (Oriental) + G(government) in MIRE |
| 12 | DECORATE – D(epartment) + ECO RATE |
| 14 | HULL – Double def. |
| 15 | DISRESPECT – (PRESIDE)* + CT. |
| 18 | TETRAMETER – MET in (RETREAT)* |
| 20 | WAIT – Double def. |
| 23 | SURVIVAL U.S rev. + V(ictor) in RIVAL |
| 24 | PETITE – TIT in PEE |
| 26 | AVARICE – (CAVIARE)* |
| 27 | OCARINA – Hidden in radiOCAR IN Aberdeen |
| 28 | ELOPE – [-ant]ELOPE |
| 29 | SPARE TYRE – (SET PRAYER)* |
| Down | |
| 1 | COCKED HAT – COCK (man) + HATED with ED promoted |
| 2 | SPATIAL – SPAT + I(taly) + AL(bania) |
| 3 | ASSERT – Hidden reversal in foTRESS America |
| 4 | RENT – Double def. |
| 5 | DISHEARTEN – (RAISED THEN)* |
| 6 | SEA COAST – “Seek” + OAST |
| 7 | MAN MADE – DAM rev. in MANE |
| 8 | CURSE – CURS + E (Spain) |
| 13 | FIRE EATERS – EATER in FIRES |
| 16 | TITLE PAGE – (I GET PLATE)*) |
| 17 | MARITIME – MARI (French for husband) + TIME |
| 19 | TORNADO – RNA in TO-DO |
| 21 | ACIDITY – [-pl]ACIDITY |
| 22 | LEGATE – LEG (supporter) + ATE (worried) |
| 23 | STAGE – Double def. |
| 25 | NOVA – NO V.A.[-t] |
I needed aids to get the PETITE/ACIDITY crossers. I should have thought of “tit” for idiot after Kairos had used “arse” in 9ac, and I would associate “placidity” with coolness, rather than cool.
The DD at 20ac doesn’t quite work for me because it is my understanding that “waits”, as in “waits singers”, is only ever used in the plural.
After all that I still got one wrong because I had SHARE at 23dn. I thought I was looking at a barely cryptic definition rather than a DD. That what happens when you do too many Rufus puzzles …….
Thanks for the blog, Ali.
I particularly liked 24a, 17d (finally I remembered what to do with “Nice”), 25d, 7d & 1d and my favourites were 29a SPARE TYRE, 8d CURSE & 28a ELOPE (last in).
I could not parse:
15a – an extra “S” is needed (I thought it was *PRESIDE + CT but it is missing an ‘S’ )
20a – is the singer Tom WAITs (so why the extra “s”?) or another singer or what?
Michelle@2 – I don’t think 20ac is anything to do with Tom Waits. Like I said, I think it refers to “waits singers”, which in the UK are traditional Christmas Carol singers, but the expression always refers to the group and I don’t believe a single waits singer is known as a wait.
AndyB @3
thanks, now I understand your point about “waits singers”, and that it is unlikely or rare for there to be a WAIT = “singer”. (Obviously, as an antipodean I have never even heard of “waits singers”).
It means that Tom WAITS is just as likely a “parsing” for this clue.
So – any comments on the parsing of 15a?
Thanks, Ali, for the blog. I totally agree with your assessment of the puzzle – thanks to Kairos.
Andy B @1 and 3
I think I also have only come across ‘wait’ in the plural and carol singers do usually go round in groups – so I usually reckon to give more generously to the one little person who dares to come and sing alone at my doorstep. But Chambers gives: ‘[in pl] people who welcome in Christmas by playing or singing out of doors at night; a member of a Christmas band of waits’.
SPARE TYRE reminds me of of one of my all-time favourites: one of Rufus’s classic cryptic clues: Gluttons may have one; Alexander the Great didn’t
Michelle.
15a . The clue is “presides poorly …” not “preside poorly..”
Corporation meaning potbelly or paunch is a new one on me.
Setter here.
Apologies over the confusion with 15a. The paper correctly had “Presides…” but the on-line version omits the final S. It looks like some final amendments to the grid made it into the paper version but not the on-line version. The fault probably lies at my end for not updating the file I sent to Mike correctly.
In relation to wait, Chambers give “wait” in the singular as a member of a Christmas band or town band of waits, implicitly referring back to the previous two plural definition which include a town band and group of singers at Christmas.
Thanks to all for the comments and to Ali for the review.
In the cool of the evening, Andy B?
hashertu@6 and Kairos @7
thanks for explaining 15a to me. I do the online version of the puzzle as you may have guessed. That is why I could not parse 15a.
Thanks for the puzzle, Kairos.
Why is 21D acidity—I get the bite reference, but can’t parse the cool place?? I put it in and finished the Crossword OK but don’t like it when there is a clue I don’t understand!