Anagrams aplenty
I struggled with a couple of the clues here, not so much becasue I couldn’t find the answer, but more because of parsing issues.
There were a lot of long anagrams in this puzzle, which may put off some solvers.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ALL-ENGLAND CLUB |
New gun called ball out at this sporting venue (3-7,4)
*(N gun called ball). The All-England Club is of course the venue of the Wimbledon tennis championships. |
| 10 | NITRO |
Explosive can reverse radioactive outflow initially (5)
<=TIN initials of Radioactive Outflow |
| 11 | APPRAISAL |
Examination of sari torn during outrage (9)
APP (*(sari)) AL |
| 12 | UNAWARE |
Oblivious to a series of battles in a French . . . . (7)
UN (A WAR) E |
| 13 | CHEVRON |
. . . . symbol for an official oil company (7)
Double definition. Chevron is the third largest company int he world, according to Forbes magazine. |
| 14 | LEGIT |
Scram warranted (5)
Leg it! |
| 16 | INFURIATE |
Unfair tie arouses anger (9)
*(unfair tie) |
| 19 | RECONVENE |
Never once upset by what Vera Lynn said we’ll do (9)
*(never once). “We’ll Meet Aagin…” |
| 20 | CAMUS |
Flat-nosed French writer (5)
Albert Camus, the first writer I had to study when I went to University back in the depths of time. Didn’t know “camus” meant “flat-nosed” until I looked up Chambers. |
| 22 | PASSAGE |
Go across a Georgian corridor (7)
Not sure of the parsing of this. PASS A GE (does GE = Georgian?) |
| 25 | SWADDLE |
Bandage within rider’s seat (7)
S(W)ADDLE – with in rather than “within” – some people don’t like this sort of device. I’m neutral on it. |
| 27 | ROUTINELY |
Money retained by rake’s only 50% on a regular basis (9)
ROU(TIN)E (on)LY (50% of only) |
| 28 |
Allocate place in roost (5)
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| 29 | STAGE DIRECTION |
Instruction to cast candies to tiger (wild) (5,9)
*(candies to tiger) |
| Down | ||
| 2 | LETHARGIC |
Allow hot cigar to be crushed lifeless (9)
Let H = *(cigar) |
| 3 | EBOLA |
Contagion in a part of the ear’s back (5)
<=A LOBE. Topical! |
| 4 | GRAPEVINE |
A Green VIP fabricated the rumour (9)
*(a green VIP) |
| 5 | ASPIC |
A clear jelly of a snake (5)
ASPIC ~ “like an asp” (sort of) |
| 6 | DIAMETRIC |
No say in Armistice Day programme? Just the opposite (9)
*(Armistice Day – SAY). Don’t think I’ve seen “programme” as an anagrind before. |
| 7 | LASER |
Acronym that sheds light for drunken earls (5)
*(earls) – LASER stands for “light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation”. Can an acronym shed light? |
| 8, 21 | BALANCE SHEETS |
Parts of 9,19 enable the chartered accountant’s second analysis (7,6)
*(enable the CA’s) S |
| 9, 19 | ANNUAL REPORTS |
Agitated rant on perusal of corporate results (6,7)
*(rant on perusal) |
| 15 | TANTALISE |
To titillate and tease is a talent (9)
*(is a talent), with “tease” as the anagrind |
| 17 | FREESTYLE |
Unrestricted approach of swimming yelts, let out earlier (9)
FREE *(yelts). I’m not sure on the parsing of this clue. Is “swimming” doing double duty, as part of the definition (unrestricted approach to swimming) and as the anagrind? If so, I don’t like the clue. Yelts, by the way, are young sows – don’t think I’ve ever seen a pig swim?) |
| 18 | ARMADILLO |
Equip a party to capture sick anteater (9)
ARM A D(ILL)O – some species of armadillo feed entirely on ants. |
| 19 |
See 9
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| 21 |
See 8
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| 23 | SAUNA |
Bath for a peacekeeper in Saudi Arabia (5)
S(A UN)A where SA = Saudi Arabia and UN = United Nations (“peacekeeper”) |
| 24 | ELEMI |
Resin found in fuel emission (5)
fu(el emi)ssion. Elemi is an oil resin from a Philippine tree of the same name. |
| 26 | ASSET |
Headless dog is a benefit (5)
(B)asset |
For some reason, I can’t edit this post.
The missing answer at 28ac is SPLIT – S(PL)IT.
Nothing wrong with swimming in 17d. Unrestricted approach is the def, swimming the anagrind for yelts. Freestyle can apply to lots of things other than swimming – ice skating and canoeing for example.
You can see swimming pigs in the Bahamas where a feral population lives on an uninhabited island off Exuma.
Fairly dull and predictable stuff overall from one of the weaker setters.
Funny enough I enjoyed this Sayang crossword a bit more than his previous ones.
I wasn’t very keen on the indirect definition at 19ac but I guess it’s all right.
And GE for Georgian, not sure whether that’s right (GE = Georgia).
Thanks loonapick for the nice blog.
You may be neutral about 25ac’s ‘with/in’, I rather liked it.
It’s more Guardian-style and as long as we don’t get an overdose I’m fine with this relatively new ‘device’.
I know there are a lot out there who do not like it at all, solvers and setters alike.
I took 5d’s ASPIC just as you did: ‘asp-like’.
However, the clue then needs a question mark, in my opinion.
I looked in Chambers and saw uner ASP: “a venomous snake of various kinds, including [……] and the cobra de capello (also (archaic and poetic) aspic or aspick).
So, perhaps, Sayang’s aspic is just ‘a snake’.
GE = IVR (International Vehicle Registration) for Georgia
Yes, Sayang, that’s exactly it.
GE = Georgia, not ‘Georgian’ (as the clue tells us).
Yes, they could have had ‘Meet again, never once having been upset’ or something. It seems so easy to get around these things 😀
Thanks Sayang and loonapick
Did this on the day, but only checked it today. No real holdups and done in well under an hour. Originally ga OLD-ENGLAND CLUB written in at first – able to find the error prior.
Also didn’t know the nasal definition of CAMUS. Also didn’t know of CHEVRON Corporation either.
This setter takes one right to the edge of ‘too quirky’ but I enjoy his work