Anyone for tennis?
Given that the Wimbledon fortnight has started, COURTIER has attempted to create a tennis-themed crossword.
Once you have twigged the theme, many of the clues are easy. You need to know the theme for some of them, as deficnitions are sometimes missing. It may have been due to the constraints of the theme, but I feel that some of the clues weren’t cryptic enough, and ORFORD is too vague a pplace to appear in a crossword.
A good effort, but not one that would win the silver shield at the end of the fortnight.
| Across | ||
| 1 | ASPENS |
Like writers, they branch out (6)
AS-PENS |
| 5 | BASELINE |
The starting point in court proceedings (8)
Nice one! The baseline is of course where a tennis player serves from, therefore starting proceedings on court. |
| 9 | WILLIAMS |
Former champion makes a couple of points about a claim to be sick (8)
W(ILL I AM)S Could be Serena or Venus Williams, both ex-champions at Wimbledon. |
| 10 | RAVING |
A number in the band showing real enthusiasm (6)
R(A-V)ING |
| 11 | CENTRIFUGE |
A spinner has a cute fringe arrangement (10)
*(cute fringe)
|
| 12 | MEET |
Swarm back to join up (4)
<=TEEM (“swarm”) |
| 13 | DROPSHOT |
Releases popular short hit (8)
DROPS-HOT The tennis theme continues. |
| 16 | LATEST |
The French experiment is a la mode (6)
LA (“The” in French)-TEST |
| 17 | MURRAY |
In one month, we hear, you are twice a champion (6)
M(U R R)AY I’m uncomfortable with the homophone here (see my comment for 6dn) |
| 19 | FOREHAND |
Drive on the left or right (8)
A tennis shot which could be played with the left or right hand, or indeed both. The clue isn’t specific enough for my liking, (a forehand doesn’t need to be a drive (could be a lob, a drop shot etc)) and requires checking letters (could just as easily be backhand). Again, you need to realise that the crossword has a theme for this one to work.
|
| 21 | IDES |
Rome’s mid-month show about to cause a minor diversion (4)
s(IDES)how |
| 22 | END PRODUCT |
What finally emerges to stop a small professional channel (3,7)
END PRO-DUCT |
| 25 | ORFORD |
Alternative place to cross a river in Suffolk (6)
OR-FORD Orford is a town in Suffolk. A bit vague, but the wordplay will get you there. |
| 26 | REBOUNDS |
Comes back about outer limits (8)
RE-BOUNDS |
| 27 | SPREADER |
The yachtsman’s bar that reps read about (8)
*(reps read) A spreader is a spar on a slaiboat (new one on me!) |
| 28 | THEMED |
Designed to look like the ocean (6)
THEMED The Med is a sea, though, is it not? |
| Down | ||
| 2 | SLICE |
Direction followed by parasites to cut through (5)
S-LICE |
| 3 | ECLAT |
Lace first treated to produce a brilliant effect (5)
*(lace)-T |
| 4 | SLAVISH |
Submissive like a mid-European (7)
Like a Slav. As Slavish isn’t a word, I think a question amrk at the end of the clue may have been in order. |
| 5 | BISCUIT |
Light brown unglazed pot (7)
Double definition |
| 6 | SURREAL |
After first shouting you are sounding serious – that’s bizarre! (7)
S-UR (“you are” sounding)-REAL In my opinion, the “you are” is clumsy, as the clue doesn’t include the homophone. If I’m being generous, it may be OK, becaause it is indicating the two individual letters U and R, but the “you are” sound doesn’t form part of the answer. |
| 7 | LOVE MATCH |
A successful doubles partnership (4,5)
This clue isn’t cryptic. It may be thematic, if the general theme is “tennis”, but “love match” in itself is not a tennis term. |
| 8 | NON-PERSON |
The invisible man? (3-6)
Not cryptic. One who is unseen or ignored is a non-person. Don’t see what’s cryptic about that. |
| 14 | ROUND TRIP |
About to fall on a circular tour (5,4)
ROUND-TRIP |
| 15 | PERISCOPE |
One for takng a view from below (9)
Cryptic definition |
| 18 | YIELDED |
Produced and given away (7)
Double definition |
| 19 | FEDERER |
A leading racketeer who dined with the Queen a couple of times (7)
FED-E.R.-E.R. Roger, of course. |
| 20 | RAREBIT |
Unusual tool to create a Celtic delicacy (7)
RARE-BIT As in Welsh (“Celtic”) rarebit |
| 23 | DEUCE |
The point at which an advantage always follows. (5)
Another tennis-themed clue. |
| 24 | CADRE |
With business static a dreaded group of activists appear within (5)
Group of activists appearing in “statiC A DREaded”. The indicator of the hidden clue is too far from the fodder, though. |
The retired tennis commentator John Barrett’s annual (well he did one in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2004) Wimbledon themed puzzle.
I agree with Loonapick’s comments on some of the clues. Thanks to setter and blogger.
I didn’t get seats in the draw – again – so have to be grateful for extra strawberries and as much Wimbledon on TV as I can manage. And the annual Courtier puzzle is to me part of the fun of the fortnight. Just a few comments:
4d – “slavish” is in my Chambers and submissive is as good a definition as it requires
6d – seems ok to me
24d – I don’t think “appear within” in the context of the complete clue could be taken as anything other than a pointer to what precedes it. I wouldn’t have an issue with that either
To enlarge on crypticsue’s point, I’ve seen Courtier puzzles every year since 2007 apart from 2012 and 2013. I doubt 2007 was the first – I’d be interested to know when he started.
Thanks Courtier and loonapick
COURTIER, just the right name for the setter of a Wimbledon puzzle, thanks, it was most enjoyable.
Thanks also to Loonapick for explaining SPREADER and clarifying some of the parsing – SLAVISH is in the Oxford dictionaries.
A SLICE is a tennis stroke that puts spin on the ball, and REBOUNDS can be devices to to practise shots against.
BASELINE was a super clue to start the theme, and FEDERER caused a groan. I also liked RAVING, IDES, SURREAL and CADRE!
To clarify my point on 4dn:
“slavish” is in the dictionary, meaning “submissive” but “Slavish” (with a capital, and meaning “Slavic”)doesn’t appear in the one I have to hand. If it appears in another dictionary, I withdraw my remark.
Is no-one else bothered by the false homophones in 6dn and 17ac, or is it just me?
And thanks to crypticsue for pointing out the background of the setter.
Thanks Courtier and loonapick
This is my second crack at the annual Courtier. Wimbledon theme-based puzzle I’m afraid that as a crossword setter, John is a very good tennis player !! It’s a nice idea, but there is a very big difference in the standard from the professional setters that we are very fortunate to have delivering the normal fare at the FT.
Did have an enjoyable groan at FEDERER and initially erred with BASELINE (originally had services) and MURRAY(originally had dually – sounding like July, with a very high tolerance of sound)
17a, MURRAY does not work for me, I pronounce it Murree. 6d is just ‘bizarre’, the clue needs rewriting.
I see now what you mean by ‘Slavish’, only ‘Slavic’ is correct; as you point out, a question mark is needed.
I think you’re being a wee bit tough here in the context of a special annual Wimbledon FT puzzle hinted at by the pseudonym COURTIER with a slew of thematic answers and clues. I’d be more worried if the answers were not gettable but I think they were. Re comment #6 I think the homophone part is just the URR with MAY just indicated as the month so maybe it’s all right.
I agree with your critique, loonapick.
New balls, please!
Don’t get me wrong @6, I was just answering loonapick, my comment @3 still holds. With a special crossword like this, quite a lot of leeway should be allowed, and I really enjoyed it.
Seeing Courtier above a crossword can only mean one thing: it’s time for Wimbledon!
Of course, many clues are themed and, yes, some of them weren’t very cryptic but hey!
All in all I found this crossword all right.
As some may know I am not very keen on ‘first treated’ defining T but soit as the French say.
16ac is something that I would call a mistake, unless I don’t get it.
The Med is surely not an ocean but why does Courtier use ‘to look like’?
The ‘you are’ issue I find more interesting.
Courtier used it twice (in 17ac and 6d).
I think you can’t (or at least, shouldn’t) do that.
Apart from that I think, just like Gurney, that you are too critical.
‘You are’ is a (well-known) homophone for the letter combination UR.
Since in both clues the indicators are there, I cannot see any problem.
In my opinion, it doesn’t have to sound the same in the solution.
UR (and in 17ac URR) is just part of that solution.
MURRAY is as Gurney explained, SURREAL dittoish.
That said, loonapick, I see what you are saying but I don’t agree.
This was easy today and fine as a tradition once a year.
Many thanks to B & S.
I wasn’t quite convinced with the second meaning given for to ‘yield’ in the clue to 18D.
To me ‘to yield’ is ‘to give way to’ rather than ‘to give away’.
Thanks to Courtier in his annual re-appearance and to loonapick for the blog
@ernie
If I yield ground in an argument, I am just giving away ground.