A real mixed bag from Sayang.
Some of the clues in this were excellent, but in my opinion, the setter let himself down on a couple of clues where he had a really good idea, but couldn’t quite follow through (21 ac, 1dn, 5dn and 7d in particular stand out). On the other hand, I really liked 8dn, 14dn and 26dn.
An enjoyable enough solve if you can suppress your inner pedant.
| Across | ||
| 1, 4 | MADAME TUSSAUDS |
A tad sad museum’s rearranged to display waxy effigies (6,8)
*(a tad sad museum’s) A slightly clumsy &lit? |
| 10 | ENGENDERS |
Involves sex in space stations ultimately (9)
EN-GENDER-(station)S EN is a small block used by printers to create a space (half an EM) |
| 11 | CUBIC |
Solid equation (5)
Double definition |
| 12 | SASH |
Cut left out of window frame (4)
S(L)ASH |
| 13 | DESALINATE |
To remove salt entailed a small adjustment (10)
*(entailed a s) |
| 15 | EPISODE |
Section of good turf in deserted Emirate (7)
E(PI-SOD)E I don’t recall seeing “deserted” used this way, but I have seen “empty” and something that’s deserted could be empty? |
| 16 | EXCESS |
Former tax is just too much (6)
EX-CESS, with CESS being an old word for a tax or rates I don’t think the “just” was necessary in the clue. |
| 19 | FENCER |
Swordsman in the Grand National? (6)
Play on words – as horses in the Grand National have to negotiate 30 fences |
| 21 | CALORIE |
Energy unit – do not feature in air-cooled device (7)
*(air cooled – do) This doesn’t work for me grammatically – the voice of “do not feature” is wrong. The setter has seen a clever device, but hasn’t been able to make it work properly, in my opinion. |
| 23 | ATTRACTION |
Fascination of king in a dry process (10)
A (TT R) ACTION TT = teetotal = dry |
| 25 | BOOB |
A mistake, whichever way you look at it (4)
Palindrome |
| 27 | SALAD |
Cold dish for South American boy (5)
S.A.-LAD |
| 28 | INELEGANT |
Creole barred from general election conducted without grace (9)
*(general election – creole) |
| 29, 30 | WAXWORKS MUSEUM |
A UK mum with sex rows unfolding like 1, 4 in London (8,6)
*(A UK mum sex rows) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | MUENSTER |
Cheese churning unrest with me (8)
*(unrest me) Muenster cheese is a semi-soft American cheese – I’d never heard of it. |
| 2 | DIGESTIVE |
Biscuit I have shortly after break down (9)
DIGEST – I’VE |
| 3 | MANE |
Setter accepting article on hair (4)
M(AN)E The “on” is superfluous |
| 5 | UPSTAGE |
Outshine at college drama (7)
UP-STAGE UP is a (slightly archaic?) way of saying “at college or university or even boarding school”, but unless it’s in a dictionary I don’t have access to here, I’m not comfortable with STAGE = “drama” |
| 6 | SUCCINCTLY |
Tear down cult cynics in a concise manner (10)
*(cult cynics) |
| 7 | UMBRA |
Hesitate to support uninvited guest (5)
UM-BRA It may just be me, but I’m not keen on this – UM indicates hesitation, rather than “hesitate” and BRA is a noun, not a verb. Am I being picky here? |
| 8 | SUCKER |
Victim’s audible relief (6)
homophone of SUCCOUR |
| 9 | DELETE |
Remove obstruction in river (6)
DE-LET-E |
| 14 | TOUCH AND GO |
Critical not to linger after meet (5-3-2)
Nice clue |
| 17 | SURROGATE |
Art rogues knocked off substitute (9)
*(art rogues) |
| 18 | VERBATIM |
Silver bat I’m holding literally (8)
Hidden (but only just?) in “silVER BAT I’M” |
| 20 | RETHINK |
Have second thoughts about the endless writing material (7)
RE-TH(e)-INK |
| 21 | COOLER |
Military jail’s not so warm (6)
Double definition |
| 22 | WARSAW |
Hostility sighted in capital (6)
WAR-SAW |
| 24 | TELEX |
Message from Hotel Excelsior (5)
hidden in “hoTEL EXcelsior” I didn’t realise that Telex still existed. |
| 26 | BEAU |
Beano number substituted with socially acceptable Dandy (4)
BEA-U U (“socially” acceptable” substituting for NO) My favourite clue – very clever. |
Thanks, loonapick.
I share some of your reservations here.
On UMBRA, Chambers has to ‘um and ah’ as ‘to hesitate’. Perhaps that’s what Sayang meant. I’m sure I’ve heard this as to ‘um and er’ but no trace of that in the dictionaries as far as I can see.
Sayang is probably using ‘to’ here to indicate juxtapostion.
‘Uninvited guest’ is quite an obscure definition too, I think. (Well, I’d never heard of it.)
Pretty straightforward but with a few uncomfortable clues – and some obscure definitions for me CESS and UMBRA (at least in that meaning).
I must say I also didn’t like 29,30ac being such a non-cryptic description of 1,4ac and indeed the latter’s clue including almost all of the answer.
Thanks to Sayang and loonapick.
I think the setter’s intended reading for 21 does not feature “do not feature” as a verb phrase. Instead, consider the expanded version:
Energy unit – “do” [is] not [a] feature in air-cooled device (7)
Haha…deke, that is a very generous allowance you are making! 🙂 But yes, it does just work.
I loved the new-word-for-me UMBRA – it is a word we definitely need in the language; I will certainly try to use it.
I agreed with many of your reservations loonapick (although I think Sayang did intend BRA as a noun in the clue – the ‘to’ is a charade-linkword, rather than part of an infinitive : ‘hesitate’ = UM [leading on] to ‘support’ = BRA ), but I did really enjoy solving this – so thank you Sayang, and loonapick for the blog.
15 across
The stadium is called Emirates, so the clue’s surface readng goes west.
Found it fairly straightforward with some of the reservations quoted above.
Pleasant enough without causing too much stress.
Thanks to setter and blogger.
Thanks Sayang and loonapick
This setter reminds me a lot of a former one at the Guardian – Gordius (David Moseley) where for most part there are good clues and some very good ones, but often with a number of clues that bring a wince or ‘that just doesn’t feel right!’ aftertaste.
At the end of the day I was able to get all of the right answers, so the clues at least did their job for this solver !!! Needed your help to fully parse ENGENDERS though.
DIGESTIVE and FENCER were the last couple in.