Tyrus has given us a good challenge today with only one entry that I don’t remember coming across before.
The one word that was new to me was ALAMEDA at 20 down.
VULGAR FRACTIONS [22 down] took me back in time a bit to my youth. I really don’t know whether such beasts are in the curriculum these days.
I liked the anagram at 12 across. You don’t often get three consecutive Ss in anagram fodder.
I think the BRASSIERE / BRASSERIE shift at 19 down is a fairly common construction.
The change of FEE for DER in the wordplay for 2 down was quite subtle.
At 19 down when I had a leading B I got a bit fixated on Tony BLAIR being BAMBI, but eventually I saw the light.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
However poorly unit’s run, say nothing (6,4,3)
|
BUT (however) + an anagram of (run) POORLY UNIT BUT (TON YOUR LIP*) |
BUTTON YOUR LIP (be quiet; say nothing)
|
|
10
|
Give away to head of state (5)
|
OFF (away) + ER (Elizabeth Regina; United Kingdom Head of State)
|
OFFER (give)
|
|
11
|
Where to get drink in Forest Gate – awkward earlier (3,6)
|
Anagram of (awkward) GATE + ARDEN (reference Forest of ARDEN in Central England, mainly in Warwickshire) TEA G* ARDEN |
TEA GARDEN (open-air restaurant for tea and other refreshments; where to get a drink)
|
|
12
|
Trainee actress’s cast as ‘wrinkly’? Unlikely (6-9)
|
Anagram of (cast) TRAINEE ACTRESS’S CREASE–RESISTANT* |
CREASE-RESISTANT (not becoming wrinkled in normal wear)
|
|
13
|
Empty down in West Country (South Somerset border) – it’s odd (9)
|
(DN [the letters remaining when all the central letters OW are removed {empty} from DOWN]) contained in (in) (W [west] + EIRE [a country]) + SS (the first letters of [border] each of SOUTH and SOMERSET) W EIR (DN) E SS |
WEIRDNESS (something odd)
|
|
16
|
Clothes store to close – gutted (was open a lot) (5)
|
GAP (reference the clothing store of the same name) + ED (the letters remaining when the central letter N is removed [gutted] from END [close]))
|
GAPED (was open a lot) |
|
18
|
Element of fear gone completely? No (5)
|
Hidden word in (completely? no) FEAR GONE
|
ARGON (a chemical element)
|
|
19
|
Restaurant which provides uplifting experience (one’s moved) (9)
|
BRASSIERE (a garment that provides uplift) with I (one) moving towards the end of the word (moved) BRASSERIE |
BRASSERIE (restaurant)
|
| 22 | They can’t be entirely naff? (6,9) | VULGAR (naff) + FRACTIONS (elements that are less than the whole; not entirely) |
VULGAR FRACTIONS (a FRACTION [fragment or small piece] written one number above another, separated by a line, as opposed to a decimal fraction [a fraction expressed by continuing ordinary decimal notation into negative powers of ten, a point being placed after the unit) I suppose a vulgar fraction written as M/N is still not entire even if M is greater than N cryptic definition |
|
25
|
Save up to get big house by common (9)
|
STOCK (common) + PILE (tall building; big house)
|
STOCKPILE (save up)
|
|
26
|
Leg -over? Uncertain time while awaiting decision (5)
|
LIMB (leg is an example of a LIMB) + O (over)
|
LIMBO (uncertain or intermediate state)
|
|
27
|
Greenland’s answer to certain statesmen (3,10)
|
A simple clue such as NEW (indicating an anagram) ENGLANDERS could generate the answer GREENLAND’S
|
NEW ENGLANDERS (people from the US State of NEW ENGLAND)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
2
|
Callous subordinate gets money for the German (9)
|
UNDERLING (subordinate) with FEE (money) replacing (for) DER (one of the forms of the German for ‘the’) UNFEELING |
UNFEELING (callous)
|
|
3
|
Master plan – are not in agreement (5)
|
Anagram of (plan) MASTER excluding (not) A (are [unit of metric land measurement]) TERMS* |
TERMS (elements of an agreement)
|
|
4
|
Hazel possibly born outside non-European state? (3-4)
|
NÉE ([of a woman] born, used in stating maiden name) containing (outside) (UTTER [state] excluding [non] E [European]) N (UT TR) EE |
NUT TREE (HAZEL is an example of a NUT TREE)
|
|
5
|
Kennedy’s successor about to get a lot of support (7)
|
ON (about) + (ASSIST [support] all but the final letter [a lot of] T)
|
ONASSIS (Following John F Kennedy’s assassination Jacqueline Kennedy married Aristotle ONASSIS)
|
|
6
|
Are mostly dossing around – they may tell you to stop (4,5)
|
Anagram of (ARE excluding the final letter [mostly] E and DOSSING) ROAD SIGNS* |
ROAD SIGNS (one example of a ROAD SIGN may tell you to stop)
|
|
7
|
I said Nigel’s covering up (5)
|
Hidden word (covering) reversed (up) in SAID NIGEL’S INDIA< |
INDIA (INDIA is the international radio communication codeword for the letter I)
|
|
8
|
‘Not much time before ending of bonus’ – frighten City (6)
|
MO (moment; not much time) + S (last letter of [ending of] BONUS) + COW (frighten)
|
MOSCOW (Russian capital city)
|
|
9
|
One of the solvers made a 15, as stated (6)
|
U (sounds like [as stated] YOU [one of the solvers]) + NITED (sounds like [as stated] KNIGHTED [entitled to be called SIR [15 down])
|
UNITED ([as] one)
|
|
14
|
Director working as requested with writer? No idea (4,3,2)
|
D (director) + (ON TASK [working as requested]) + ME (the writer of the clue)
|
DON’T ASK ME (no idea!)
|
|
15
|
Current occupation of senior teacher (3)
|
I (electric current) contained in (occupation of) SR (senior) S (I) R |
SIR (polite form of address for pupil speaking to teacher)
|
|
17
|
A non-current entertainer (9)
|
PER (a) + FORMER (non-current)
|
PERFORMER (entertainer)
|
|
18
|
Warn reported rivals to journalist Kate (6)
|
AD (if said as two separate letters, sounds like [reported] ADIE [reference BBC news correspondent Kate ADIE; journalist Kate) + VISE sounds like [reported] VIES [rivals]
|
ADVISE (warn)
|
|
19
|
What’s Thumper doing? Bambi’s outside swearing head off (7)
|
BI (first and last letters [outside of] BAMBI) + EFFING [swearing] excluding the first letter [head off] E)
|
BIFFING (thumping; what thumper’s doing)
|
|
20
|
Walk like dame after operation (7)
|
À LA (in the manner of; like) + an anagram of (operation) MADE A LA MEDA* |
ALAMEDA (a public walk, esp between rows of poplars)
|
|
21
|
Useless school’s admitted it’s the end of the line (6)
|
U/S (useless) contained in (admitted) ETON (example of a school) E (US) TON |
EUSTON (mainline rail terminus in London; it’s the end of the line)
|
|
23
|
Can pick up tablets for free (5)
|
LOO (toilet; can) + (ES [ecstasy tablets] reversed [pick up; down clue]) LOO SE< |
LOOSE (free)
|
|
24
|
Like roof fixed? Leaking slightly in the middle (5)
|
TIED (fixed) containing (in the middle) L (first letter of [slightly] LEAKING) TI (L) ED |
TILED (like a roof)
|
Thanks, Duncan, for the early blog as always, and to Tyrus for an entertaining puzzle. I am indebted to you for the parsing of ADVISE — I was stuck trying to justify V and S mixed in with ADIE.
I didn’t think of naff and vulgar as synonyms.
Only minor quibble with the blog is that New England is not a state but the collective name for the 6 states of Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachussetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.
I thought this was quite hard, with a lot of pencilling-in until my grid was nearly complete. I’d not heard of alameda either (thanks for the explanation, duncanshiell), but it wasn’t hard to decipher. I’m not too sure about the clue for 22A vulgar fractions, but worked it out from the crossing letters. Using “are” to imply “a” is new to me – I must remember that! I loved the anagram for 12A crease resistant. 13A weirdness was my favourite, though, a beautiful construction. Thanks, Tyrus!
9D united and then 21D Euston were my last answers, holding me up for about 15 minutes. But I persevered and reached the end. Hooray!
I didn’t biff BIFFING, but I really enjoyed seeing it in a puzzle. Thanks for the entertainment Tyrus, as well as for your Vlad in the Guardian.
Hah! Tyrus almost always roughs me up and leaves me in the foetal position in the corner of the living room sucking my thumb and wanting mummy, but today, I have bested him. Just. Did I need online help? Did I use the check button? Well, that’s for me to know and him to find out.
Well done, Duncan, for explaining all this, because a good many of my answers went in on a wing and a prayer. Of the ones I did understand, EUSTON and UNFEELING were my favourites. I think VULGAR FRACTIONS are still current in the maths curriculum, as are IMPROPER FRACTIONS.
I don’t think I’ll be attempting the Vlad puzzle in Another Place today, somehow. It’s taken me all day to do this one.
Thanks to Duncan and Tyrus.
Another miserable day here in Leicester, cold, wet, and nothing like May should be. But once again, who cares when we have Jim the Great? I am now (at least for now) immune to the vagaries of the climate. Thanks for making my day Tyrus.
This took some teasing out but I got there with some help from the check button. I too couldn’t parse ADVISE, but I knew ALAMEDA from examples in Spain.
Thanks, Tyrus and Duncan
Another great puzzle. My favourites were CREASE RESISTANT and STOCKPILE.
Thanks to Duncan for another excellent blog and to others for their comments.