I struggled with this one, a tricky puzzle.
Today is the opening day of the Commonwealth Games in GLASGOW. Forthcoming events are represented in the puzzle. Many of the definitions, especially the themed ones, are oblique references to the solution rather than literal defintions, I think it is this that makes the puzzle tricky.
I cannot explain 20dn at all. Any help appreciated.
Thanks Gaff.
| Across | ||
| 8 | AQUATICS | As fit as outside pool features (8) |
| QUA (as, in the capacity of) TIC (fit, involuntary movement) with AS outside – more sports | ||
| 9 | HOCKEY | Wine old solvers knocked back with bully (6) |
| HOCK (wine) YE (solvers, old) reversed (knocked back) – hockey has a bully (aka bully-off) | ||
| 10, 19 | LAWN BOWLS | Note bird is protected by legislation, not Crown (4,5) |
| NB (note) OWL (bird) in (protected by) LAWS (legislation) – alternative to Crown Green bowling | ||
| 11 | GYMNASTICS | Act sings my medley with a beam (10) |
| (ACT SINGS MY)* anagram=medley – the beam is a gymnastic discipline | ||
| 12 | CHICANERY | Turns to really extreme deception (9) |
| CHICANE (turns) to ReallY (extremes of) | ||
| 13, 22 | TABLE TENNIS | Batty one from 21 is after medicine (5,6) |
| Jessica ENNIS (one from athletics) following (is after) TABLET – if ‘one’ is used to clue ENNIS then wouldn’t this leave the definition as just ‘batty’? | ||
| 15 | ASPERSE | Malign when by itself (7) |
| AS (when) PER SE (by itself) | ||
| 17 | CYCLING | Repeating pursuit for example (7) |
| double definition – the persuit is a track cycling event | ||
| 19 | See 10 | |
| 21 | ATHLETICS | Partly track shameful cheat list (9) |
| (CHEAT LIST)* anagram=shameful – atheletics is composed of track and field events | ||
| 25 | STUN CANNON | Amaze with dangerous ball shot in billiards (4,6) |
| STUN (amaze) CANNON (dangerous ball). I can’t quite equate ‘cannon’ with ‘dangerous ball’. | ||
| 26 | IDLE | Not used to work I get led away (4) |
| anagram (away) of I with LED | ||
| 27 | ANOINT | Bless new nation (6) |
| NATION* anagram=new | ||
| 28 | IM NO GOOD | Admission of bad character by one of today’s pessimists? (2,2,4) |
| definition and cryptic definition? double definition? Any ideas? Could also be IS NO GOOD? Is ‘today’ a reference to the games somehow? | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SQUASH | Fruit behind glass (6) |
| double definition – a sport played behind a glass wall (in spectator venues) | ||
| 2 | BARNACLE | Hanger-on may be stalked (8) |
| the Stalked Barncale is another name for the Goose Barnacle | ||
| 3 | DINGINESS | Untidy den is sign of murky character (9) |
| (DEN IS SIGN)* anagram=untidy | ||
| 4 | ISOMER | Compound interest originally an amount at either end (6) |
| I (first letter of interest) SOME (an amount) with (at) eitheR (end of) | ||
| 5 | CHEAP | Second-rate bird impression? (5) |
| sounds like “cheep” (a bird impression). The homophone is implied rather than explicitly stated. | ||
| 6 | SCOTIA | Decoration of column from old country (6) |
| Roman anme for Ireland and a decoration at the base of an Ionic column | ||
| 7 | MESCALIN | No connection to timescale in trip this induces (8) |
| tiMESCALe IN with TIE (connection) removed | ||
| 14 | EYE LINING | Nothing held back watching face painting (3,6) |
| NIL (nothing) reversed (back) in (held by) EYEING (watching) | ||
| 16 | SHOOTING | Producing growth on target (8) |
| definition/cryptic definition – a buch of arrows stuck in a target would make the target grow bigger? | ||
| 18 | LETS IT GO | Forgets it’s what child does to toy when wound up (4,2,2) |
| double definition | ||
| 20 | LENTIL | Inert, he’ll take her erratic pulse (6) |
| I’ve no idea about this one. |
||
| 22 | See 13 | |
| 23 | CALLOW | Inexperienced reaction to pain (6) |
| CALL OW (a reaction to pain) | ||
| 24 | MANTA | Ray Charles maybe volunteers (5) |
| MAN (Charles, maybe) TA (Territorial Army, volunteers) | ||
*anagram<br />definitions underlined
Possibility for 20 down: LENTIC* (inert) with L replacing C. Why is that?
20d Lentil (pulse) = anagram (‘erratic’) of ‘inert hell’ minus ‘h e r’
20 down. Lentil is an anagram of inert he’ll with her removed.
This grid was nothing short of fiendish. I found it extremely difficult to crack and barely managed to get through half.
Well done Pee Dee and thanks to Gaff for an absolute screamer.
Regards,
Turbolegs
“isomer” = compound? How chemical. Actually, this was one of the few I managed to solve, but it suggested that the puzzle might be a stretch.
Thank you, PeeDee for this – and for answering my questions on prior grids.
I think that the rest of the puzzle suffered because of the theme.
Regarding 6d Scotia was the Roman name for Scotland (not Ireland which was Hibernia).
Hi ernie,
I’m no historian myself, but Wikipedia suggests that Scotia was a Roman term for Ireland (along with Hibernia) and was not used to refer to Scotland until the middle ages.