Our first thoughts when we saw the puzzle was the rather odd looking grid – the same thoughts we had yesterday. This time however, there was no apparent reason for the fact that there were only two connections between each of the four corners. Thankfully the two long clues fell out fairly quickly so we had some links between the top and the bottom half.
In the end, it turned out to be a quick solve, with some clues that hardly needed any thinking time at all – 8d being one of them.
When it comes to typing up the clues you can always tell whether there are some smooth surfaces as you only need one look at the clue and you can type it in without looking again. There were many in this category today.
| Across | ||
| 1 | Thoroughfare that, in short, takes up half of Oxford | |
| RING ROAD | RING (O) ROAD (RD) which is half of OxfoRD | |
| 10 | Personal grant | |
| OWN | Double definition | |
| 11 | Fern that would be ruined by another guest | |
| HARTS TONGUE | An anagram of ANOTHER GUEST (anagrind is ‘ruined’) | |
| 12 | Screw up, bottom in class, fifth grade | |
| CRUMPLE | RUMP (bottom) in CL (class) E (fifth grade) | |
| 13 | Resin rendering car number only half visible | |
| LADANUM | LADA (car) NUM (only half of number ‘visible’) | |
| 14 | Powerful person in party threatening endlessly | |
| DOMINATOR | DO (party) MINATOR |
|
| 15 | Support learner – – no trouble to start with | |
| EASEL | L (learner) with EASE (no trouble) at the beginning or ‘to start with’ | |
| 17 | Restrict exploit | |
| STUNT | Double definition | |
| 19 | Pig cooled off – – a beast sniffing around looking for something? | |
| POLICE DOG | An anagram of PIG COOLED (anagrind is ‘off’) | |
| 22 | Most pretentiously showy Italian somersaulting during a break | |
| ARTIEST | IT (Italian) reversed or ‘somersaulting’ in A REST (break) | |
| 23 | Animal from Noah’s vessel about to be covered in mould | |
| MUSKRAT | ARK (Noah’s vessel) reversed or ‘about’ inside or ‘covered in’ MUST (mould) | |
| 24 | Crossbreed produced in scientist’s room – – something roughly sketched by artist | |
| LABRADOODLE | LAB (Scientist’s room) DOODLE (something roughly sketched) after or ‘by’ RA (artist) | |
| 25 | Sound of animal in desolate place with river dried up | |
| MOO | MOO |
|
| 26 | Cyclist’s manoeuvres bringing shout of delight and stories later | |
| WHEELIES | WHEE (shout of delight) LIES (stories) | |
| Down | ||
| 2 | Home on Urals after storm becoming cut off | |
| INSULAR | IN (home) + an anagram of URALS (anagrind is ‘after storm’) | |
| 3 | Northerner participating in binge or dieting? | |
| GEORDIE | Hidden, or ‘participating’ in the clue – binGE OR DIEting | |
| 4 | Career misdoing – – systematically arranged in this? | |
| ORGANISED CRIME | A play on the fact that the answer is an anagram of CAREER MISDOING (anagrind is ‘systematically arranged’) | |
| 5 | Energy in a small drink? That’s fantasy | |
| DREAM | E (energy) in DRAM (small drink) | |
| 6 | Acknowledges vanity – – not the thing with some in Paris | |
| CONCEDES | CONCE |
|
| 7 | Louts – a number in riot such as cannot be overcome | |
| INSURMOUNTABLE | An anagram of LOUTS A NUMBER IN (anagrind is ‘riot’) | |
| 8 | Church work – – I name composer | |
| CHOPIN | CH (church) OP (work) I N (name) | |
| 9 | Silver revolver initially carried by spy | |
| ARGENT | R (first or ‘initial’ letter in Revolver) inside or ‘carried by’ AGENT (spy) | |
| 16 | Member forced into a diplomatic mission | |
| LEGATION | LEG (member) + an anagram of INTO A (anagrind is ‘forced’) | |
| 18 | Heartless robber taking everything – – first descent into wickedness | |
| THE FALL | TH |
|
| 19 | After river endure (as a Scot might) problem on the road | |
| POTHOLE | PO (river) THOLE (endure – Scottish dialect) | |
| 20 | Greek character is innocent type brought before US prosecutor | |
| LAMBDA | LAMB (innocent type) DA (US prosecutor) | |
| 21 | Nut needing money given conflicting directions | |
| CASHEW | CASH (money) EW (East and West – which are in opposite or ‘conflicting’ directions) | |
| 22 | Gangster getting mean makes one suffer | |
| ALLOW | AL (gangster as in Al Capone) LOW (mean) | |
Seemed OK – nothing dramatically good or bad (although, I did like the ‘binge or dieting’ Geordie).
THOLE was new to me – what a lovely Norse-sounding word! (Presumably from the same root as Tolerate?)
Thanks all three.
I thought this was trickier than a typical Quixote, and none the worse for that, thanks, Q. I loved 12D Crumple! Thole and 13A Ladanum were new to me today. There are so many cars beginning with L – Lambo, Lotus, Lexus, Limo, Landy, Lancia, Lincoln, Lola… eventually only Lada fitted. Thanks, Bertandjoyce!
Another enjoyable Don puzzle IMHO. After my earlier muppetry with the Guardian puzzle I made certain that I’d accounted for all the anagram fodder for HART’S TONGUE just in case it was the less-likely sounding “hare’s tongue”, and LADANUM was my LOI when I decided to trust the wordplay.
Thanks Don and b&j not overly difficult but 14a hum Don loves his obscure stuff doesn’t he.
flashling@4 – I guess we have differing vocabularies to hand. I didn’t think “minatory” particularly obscure, whereas “ladanum” was new to me; I presume you know the latter as you only singled out the former!
I agree with the bloggers – a five minute write-in; the easiest Don I can recall. But as it’s a Wednesday, that’s what one expects (though not as coruscating as a Dac!)
Thanks all three.