[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
Tees is occupying the Thursday slot, one which is visited by a wide range of compilers over the course of a year.
I enjoyed this one immensely, solving the longer entries at the heart of the grid and did expect to be able to finish it unaided. In the end, I got stuck on 1A, where I needed Google’s help and on 22 and 27, both of which were unfamiliar to me; indeed, I cheated to get these last two in order to be able to write the blog. I think it is fair to say that both entries are fairly unusual for a daily cryptic and that the homophone at 22 is not the most obvious one.
Overall, my favourite clues today were 16, for its misdirection in suggesting a link to the compiler rather than to golf equipment, and 17, for its well-disguised definition. 1D took a lot of parsing, but I think I got there in the end.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | COLONSAY | Pass on perhaps in Hebridean location
COL (=pass, in mountains) + ON + SAY (=perhaps); Colonsay is an island in the Inner Hebrides |
| 05 | BELLOC | Call over Conservative historian and poet
BELL (=bell, telephone) + O (=over, in cricket) + C (=Conservative); the reference is to Anglo-French historian and poet Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) |
| 09 | TEST MATCH | Pair perhaps unwelcome in this trial marriage
TEST (=trial) + MATCH (=marriage); a pair is a(n unwelcome) score of no runs in both innings of a cricket match |
| 11 | EXTRA | Erstwhile partner works in return for bonus
EX (=erstwhile partner) + TRA (ART=works; “in return” indicates reversal) |
| 12 | TRACER BULLET | One lighting fire butler put out with claret
*(BUTLER + CLARET); “put out” is anagram indicator; a tracer bullet has a small pyrotechnic charge in its base, hence “one lighting fire”, cryptically |
| 15 | AURA | Girl denied introduction creates atmosphere
<l>AURA (=girl); “denied introduction” means first letter dropped |
| 16 | GOLF COURSE | Tees here required leave for clues to be rewritten
GO (=leave) + *(FOR CLUES); “to be rewritten” is anagram indicator: the reference here is to golf supports and not to the compiler of this puzzle! |
| 18 | NEW YORKERS | City folk demanding fresh deliveries
NEW (=fresh) + YORKERS (=deliveries, balls, in cricket) |
| 19 | ACTS | Does // spiritual work
Double definition: Acts is the fifth book of the New Testament, hence “spiritual work” |
| 21 | RECOMMISSION | Put back into service on assignment to keep constant order
[C (=constant) + OM (=order, i.e. Order of Merit)] in [Re (=on, regarding) + MISSION (=assignment)]; for example, a recommissioned power station is one that is put back into service |
| 24 | ROUST | Nonsense about Indy causes stir
US (=Indy, i.e. this newspaper) in ROT (=nonsense) |
| 25 | EMILE ZOLA | Drink to consume Australian Third Man retired as writer
[OZ (=Australian) in ALE (=drink)] + LIME (=Third Man, i.e. Harry Lime in the Graham Greene novel); “retired” indicates (here full) reversal; the reference is to French naturalist writer (1840-1902) |
| 26 | WATERY | Weak goddess twisted round
ATE (=goddess, of mischief and rash actions) in WRY (=twisted, turned to one side) |
| 27 | WEDEKIND | Playwright to marry sweetheart and breed
WED (=marry) + <sw>E<et> (“heart” means middle letter only) + KIND (=breed, variety); the reference is to German playwright Frank Wedekind (1864-1918) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | CATS | Cameron, Andrew and Thomas Stearns initiators here?
C<ameron> A<ndrew> + T<homas> S<tearns>; “initiators” means first letters only; the reference is to “T<homas> S<tearns>” Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the basis of the musical Cats by “Andrew” Lloyd Webber, produced by “Cameron” Mackintosh |
| 02 | LIST | Hear Liberal is on the square
L (=liberal) + IS + T (=square, i.e. a T-square for drawing); “list” is an archaic form of “listen to” |
| 03 | NO MORE | As Henry’s Chancellor after refusal?
The reference is to Thomas “More” (1478-1535), beheaded (“no more, i.e. dead!) by Henry the Eighth for refusing to sanction the latter’s marriage to Anne Boleyn by breaking away from the Catholic Church |
| 04 | ANTICLOCKWISE | Ramshackle castle in Wick’s old resident going back in time?
O (=old) in *(CASTLE IN WICK); “ramshackle” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | EXECUTOR | Devonian river and dock for missing female appointee
EXE (=Devonian river) + CUT (=dock, e.g. tail, wages) + <f>OR (“missing female (=F)” means letter “f” is dropped) |
| 07 | LITTLE ROCK | State capital no great shakes
Cryptically, a little rock(ing) would be no great shakes, i.e. involve little shaking; Little Rock is the state capital of Arkansas |
| 08 | CHARTREUSE | Monastery sheet needs handling again
CHART (=sheet) + RE-USE (=handling again); Chartreuse in France is the head monastery of the Carthusian order |
| 10 | HEREFORDSHIRE | Location to West send herd or heifers mad
*(HERD OR HEIFERS); “mad” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | CANNERY ROW | Weep about girl having argument in Steinbeck story
[ANNE (=girl) in CRY (=weep)] + ROW (=argument); Cannery Row is a 1945 John Steinbeck novel, set in the Great Depression |
| 14 | CROWN COURT | Make perfect date for legal situation
CROWN (=make perfect, e.g. a performance) + COURT (=date, go out with) |
| 17 | COMMUTER | One trained takes minute replacing power in electronic device
A commuter has trained, i.e. taken the train; “minute (=M) replacing power (=P)” in “computer” (=electronic device) means letter “m” replaces “p” |
| 20 | POPEYE | Dad, look at cartoon hero!
POP (=dad) + EYE (=look at) |
| 22 | LOKI | Destructive god reportedly restrained
Homophone (“reportedly”) of “low-key” (=restrained); Loki is an evil god in Norse mythology |
| 23 | HAND | Script from ethnic Chinese daughter
HAN (=ethnic Chinese) + D (=daughter); a script is a person’s hand(writing) |
Splendid puzzle, knew COLONSAY and my last two in were the crossers WEDEKIND and LOKI. Had thought of LOKI but, never having heard it pronounced, had assumed perhaps illogically that the “i” was long. When I spotted WEDEKIND, I shrugged and filled in LOKI and hey presto! Then of course the pronunciation became obvious.
Liked EMILE ZOLA, also NEW YORKERS, which took me far too long.
Thanks indeed to Tees and RatkojaRiku.
Very carefully presented, and with good ideas. The best clue is GOLF COURSE, which is very misleading. I thought it would be one of those self-congratulatory ‘we’re all compilers together’ clues, but it was only pretending.
Ideas aside, there are no errors that I can see in this puzzle. The ‘crossword who’s who’ says that Tees is not a Guardian compiler, which is unfortunate. It would ramp up the quality in that journal. They should kick out the dead wood.
Tees will surely like the last part of your comment, hedgehoggy!
Another very good crossword, and just like his last (which was a prize puzzle) not too difficult.
I singled out exactly the same two clues as RR did (the brilliant 16ac, and 17d’s COMMUTER).
In a recent Boatman puzzle I didn’t see why OO equalled “pair”, and it was exactly today’s setter who then explained it to this cricket dummy here.
So, today I had no difficulty understanding the meaning of 9ac!
I was a bit surprised to see Tees use ‘sweetheart’ for E.
For me no problem at all but I always thought he wasn’t very keen on these things.
The only clue I found a bit unfortunate (not wrong, though) was 21ac as ‘assignment’ could also be a definition for COMMISSION (instead of MISSION).
Many thanks to RR and as ever to Tees.
Very slow day at work, so I was able to plug away at this one and eventually solved it unaided. Getting Loki was really the breakthrough that allowed me to finish (not sure I’d have got it if I hadn’t seen the Thor films with Tom Hiddleston in the part). It might have been a bit too general knowledge heavy for some people, but if you view it in the context of the Indie providing a variety of different puzzles to suit all tastes, I think it works well.
Thanks Tees & RR, shame about the 10d anagram herd of heifers would be anagram gold.
Well I don’t like sweethearts etc. generally, but ‘sweet’s heart’ just made me wanna die. And it’s dear old Frank innit anyway. Or maybe I’m going soft. Madam.
Def @ 16ac is intended to be ‘Tees here required’ btw, but great blog, and ta for the comments too.
I must say how very glad I am to be onside with the erinaceous one, terrifying critic that he is! He’s a fierce Otterden-hound today I see.
Cheers
Golfpeg
Yes Flash, they can be very frustrating. We made do today with a cheaper cut.
Paul, I realise you were cornered but wedekind? Really? Ok it’s searchable but no please I thought you had a better idea of the average solver, mixed with Loki which my rather badly educated mind hears low k’igh.
Grumble over.
I had a half hour to spare earlier this evening so I gave this a go, but wouldn’t have been able to finish it in that time without quite a lot of guess-and-check. Liked HEREFORDSHIRE, no problems with LOKI (though I did have to rule out KALI first) and I got WEDEKIND from some vague memory though I couldn’t name any of his works. Generally more satisfying than the Otterden (though for me the comparison was less clear-cut than hedgehoggy would like).
Thanks to RR and Tees
Came to this late today, so tired and brain not fully engaged. But since setters and editors like feedback, just to say that this was too hard for me. You get to the stage where you think ‘I’m never going to get this’ and – for me at least – that’s time to press the Fifteensquared button and see what others made of it.
And some have enjoyed it, so fair play. I’ll have a go at the next Tees offering with my morning head on if I can. Thanks to S&B.
Sorry not for me, another for the regulars
German playwrights, you are having a laugh surely!