Quite challenging for a Tuesday
It took me a while to complete this, although that was down to my struggling to parse a couple of the clues once I had an answer in place (CARRIAGE for example took me longer than it should have).
Generally, this was a good challenge with good misdirections, but I did have a couple of issues with clues (see my comments for AFRICA and PURCHASED)
| Across | ||
| 1 | PARALLEL |
Corresponding with latitude (8)
Double definition |
| 5 | SPLASH |
Prominently display score covering piano (6)
S(P)LASH |
| 9 | REPUBLIC |
Old crock keeps bar in a state (8)
RE(PUB)LIC |
| 10 | GRAPES |
Grey parrots getting fruit (6)
Gr. + APES |
| 12 | STILLNESS |
Serenity shown by George, eg, with complaint (9)
ST-ILLNESS ST is short for Saint, as in St George |
| 13 | HEART |
Bottle of spirit? (5)
Double definition |
| 14 | OMIT |
Doughnut with German miss (4)
O(“doughnut”)+MIT(German for “with”) |
| 16 | DESSERT |
Leave bottles stocked primarily for end of meal (7)
DES(S)ERT S = “stocked primarily” |
| 19 | ACCOUNT |
French wine’s guarantee coming with noble report (7)
A.C. + COUNT A.C. is “appellation contrôlée”, the system which within France designates and controls the names especially of wine, but also of cognac, armagnac, calvados and some foods, guaranteeing the authenticity of the producing region and the methods of production, and which outside France protects the generic names from misappropriation (from the Chambers website) |
| 21 | CODE |
Make fun of English set defining conventional behaviour (4)
COD-E |
| 24 | ROBOT |
Pirate returned to Android machine (5)
ROB + <=OT |
| 25 | AMUSEMENT |
Delight in cooked meats used with menu (9)
*(meats menu) |
| 27 | AFRICA |
In chakalaka and fricadel there’s a taste of —— (6)
Hidden in chakalakA FRICAdel. Hate this clue; the “and” between “chakalaka” and “fricadel” is just wrong. Could easily have been resolved by adding a third ingredient, so for example: In chakalaka, fricadel and biltong, there’s a taste of …….(6) |
| 28 | PAVEMENT |
Walk on this street with soldiers going through exercises (8)
P(AVE-MEN)T PT = physical training = “exercises” AVE~”street” |
| 29 | EASIER |
One invested in exotic saree which is lighter (6)
I(“one”) in *(saree) |
| 30 | RESTLESS |
Bored? Take fewer breaks (8)
Double definition |
| Down | ||
| 1 | PHRASE |
Model perhaps going topless would make this expression (6)
*(erhaps) (“perhaps going topless”) |
| 2 | REPAIR |
Restore resort (6)
Double definition |
| 3 | LABEL |
Tag left on early murder victim (5)
L-ABEL |
| 4 | EVIDENT |
I have put up with depression, that’s clear (7)
<=I’VE + DENT |
| 6 | PURCHASED |
Bought seat, so we’re told, like editor (9)
(homophone of PERCH??) + AS ED I’ve said it before, but I hate homophones, especially ones like this. I’m Scottish, so as far as I am concerned this doesn’t work (I suppose there may be some places where this works) |
| 7 | ALPHABET |
Letters in order for this type of soup (8)
Double definition |
| 8 | HESITATE |
Delay from His Excellency – nation is invaded by India (8)
H.E. + S(I)TATE H.E. = “His Excellency” I = “India” |
| 11 | USED |
Took a break without Dad – that’s not new (4)
(PA)USED |
| 15 | MOUSTACHE |
Chaos with mute playing up – Groucho’s identifying feature (9)
*(chaos mute) |
| 17 | CARRIAGE |
Vehicle, say, bearing rising transport costs (8)
CAR + <=E.G. AIR |
| 18 | ICEBERGS |
Top British units identifying shipping hazards (8)
ICE-B-ERGS ICE = “top” as in “ice a cake”, I presume ERG = unit of work |
| 20 | TEAR |
Grab meal with mother finally (4)
TEA + (mothe)R |
| 21 | COURAGE |
Pluck power from uprising madness (7)
COU(p) + RAGE |
| 22 | SEVERE |
Forbidding churchman set up in bishop’s office (6)
SE(<=REV)E |
| 23 | STATUS |
Short fact on American position (6)
STAT(istic) + U.S. |
| 26 | EVENT |
Do just tons (5)
EVEN-T |
Thanks Loonapick (and Jason). ICEBERGS was one of two I failed on but that won’t stop me making a comment on the parsing. Could it be “ice” and “top” as in “assassinate”? I think I have seen ice used like that before in other puzzles.
I was thinking along the same lines as Urieka@1 re “ice”, but can see that your parsing would work just as well, loonapick. Thank you for the blog – I agree with all your comments, especially re “Africa” & “purchased”.
That apart, thanks to Jason.
Thanks Jason and loonapick
Usually find this setter on the easier side and so it was here (it is obviously a wavelength thing). Having said that, I did not parse STILLNESS – so thanks for that.
In contrast to the blog and comments above, I thought that AFRICA was quite a clever clue – in what is becoming popular with some setters to actually have to construct the words prior to finding the hidden answer. Often it is done with a numeric (Wanderer in 15013 had 19 down -> nineteEN DOWn to generate ENDOW). I like them … and learnt two new food dishes that I previously did not know.
Homophones seem to be a very personal like / dislike thing – personally I’m quite tolerant to them – and it is very rare that I cannot ‘make it work’. It doesn’t matter if it the way an Australian, an American or Londoner would pronounce it – just that someone does.
AC and COD were new terms. Finished with the cleverly disguised EVENT.
Thanks loonapick and Jason.
Mmmmmm.
Obviously a bunch of marmite clues from a marmite setter.
Like Bruce, I was OK with AFRICA and actually thought the homophone at 6dn was also OK.
My problem is more with the DDs. The two definitions for HEART were hardly dissimilar. And I thought Repair at 2dn was a bit lame too.
So good in parts, poor in others, but an all right puzzle overall. So thanks.