Mary Duff taken in by smooth setter (8)
Some inspired clues, some write-ins, a couple of tired usages, and the obligatory obscurity (for me at least).
By the time the New Zealand solvers read this, we will know whether they have retained the Webb Ellis Cup. After England were so soundly trounced last week my money’s on Australia, but I hope Ireland or France can get to the final.
| Across | ||
| 1 | TYCOON |
Not coy, working for magnate (6)
A nice easy anagram to start with. I like it when the first clue is straightforward. |
| 4 | BEHEST |
Man in supreme command (6)
HE in BEST |
| 8 | NOTWITHSTANDING |
Despite reputation, getting behind idiot in drama (15)
STANDING (reputation), coming after TWIT in NOH |
| 10 | UNDERTAKE |
Less than appropriate promise (9)
Charade |
| 11 | SAFER |
Arbiter, since retiring, in less danger (5)
REF AS backwards (retiring) |
| 12 | IDLE |
Find clue with odd parts missing? That’s useless (4)
fInDcLuE. (odd parts missing) |
| 13 | PEACH MELBA |
Pal became excited about hot dessert (5,5)
Anag (excited) of PALBECAME around H |
| 16 | COLE PORTER |
Songwriter taking firm line with journalist, right away (4,6)
CO (firm) L (line) rEPORTER |
| 18 | STUN |
Stagger, being wounded – not good (4)
STUNg (wounded, without g) |
| 21 | EXTOL |
Praise former partner with revolutionary group (5)
EX, then LOT reversed |
| 22 | UNKNOWING |
Some junk now in garage in the dark (9)
Superb hidden answer. I love it when they go across several words. |
| 23 | KEEP A LOW PROFILE |
Avoid attracting attention of warlike people running riot (4,1,3,7)
anagram (running riot) of OFWARLIKEPEOPLE |
| 24 | ASCENT |
Head for alpine trail to make this? (6)
Very nice. A SCENT |
| 25 | CELLAR |
Recall varied stock of wine (6)
Anag |
| Down | ||
| 1 | TONGUE IN CHEEK |
Facetious language followed by creep with cry of mock horror (6-2-5)
TONGUE (language) INCH (creep) EEK (cry of mock horror) |
| 2 | CITADEL |
Controlled a nervous movement up in fortress (7)
LED A TIC backwards |
| 3 | OSIERS |
Willows and wild roses covering island (6)
This week’s new word for me – simply clued, and with checking letters that allowed an educated guess to drop in nicely. |
| 4 | BATHE |
Wash tub’s last two articles (5)
B A THE |
| 5 | HANDSOME |
Corruption of demon has to be substantial (8)
Nice use of one of HANDSOME’s less obvious definitions. Anagram of DEMONHAS |
| 6 | SKILFUL |
Learner in boat endlessly going over tips from unconventional expert (7)
L in SKIFf, over the tips from UnconventionaL. |
| 7 | WHEATEAR |
Bird in display filled with passion (8)
HEAT in WEAR |
| 9 | GERMAINE GREER |
Feminist from different era emerging with hesitation (8,5)
Anag of ERAEMERGING, with ER (hestitation) |
| 14 | CHECK-UPS |
Examinations inhibit us, keeping quiet (5-3)
CHECK (inhibit) US around P |
| 15 | SPILLAGE |
Wise to restrict pressure before bad overflow (8)
SAGE around P ILL |
| 17 | LETTERS |
Characters in correspondence (7)
Double definition |
| 19 | TRIVIAL |
Test involving iodine, very little (7)
TRIAL around I V |
| 20 | MOROSE |
Sombre doctor stood up (6)
MO ROSE |
| 22 | U BOAT |
Engineer about to reveal submarine (1-4)
Anagram of ABOUT |
Thanks for the blog, Matt.
A New Zealander here but playing online so I’m anxiously waiting to find if we will play France, in Cardiff, in the quarterfinal. Dark memories of 2007 looming!
Osiers was new for me also, however I got it from the wordplay, unlike wheatear which had me stumped.
Thanks, Matt.
I can’t see how “stun” (active verb) and “stagger” (passive verb) can be synonyms.
According to Chambers ‘stagger’ can be either, so one could say ‘The loss to Wales stunned the England fans’ or ‘The loss to Wales staggered the England fans.’ (Although for this particular England fan, neither is true.)
Of course! Thank you, RichWA
Probably not the right place to ask, but what’s happened to last week’s Guardian Prize blog?
oops, sorry, just found it. Never post until you’re awake…
Gladys @5, I had trouble getting that blog up yesterday.
Thanks Everyman and Matt.
Enjoyed the puzzle, especially NOTWITHSTANDING, UNKNOWING, TONGUE IN CHEEK, HANDSOME, SKILFUL and SPILLAGE.
Osier was new to me too, but as so often happens, after I had got the clue, I then heard the word on one of the ‘on demand’ catch-ups of God’s revolution, where someone crossed the Thames and emerged in an osier bed.(I think it was http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v3vw7)
Spent a lot of time on 9 and 15. All correct in the end.
Thanks, Matt. EVE(MARY)*N on good form, I thought: this fell out nicely.
OSIERS no problem for me, because we’ve got a row of them growing by the stream in our village. They are coppiced every few years, and the material is traditionally used in basketry.
Might be worth pointing out for newer solvers that NOH in 8ac is a play in the Japanese tradition. Comes up quite often, because it’s a useful set of letters for setters.
Noh is in some dictionaries under ‘no’, just to confuse things.
Thanks Kathryn’s Dad I was going to ask about Noh. I’ve been solving for over 40 years and never come across it.
Nice crossword, never heard of Wheatear and messed up Skilful but everything else fine.
And yes, we did win the cup. Thank goodness, the press leading up to the final has been insufferable.
Another good crossword I thought although there were a number of “fill in the gaps and figure out the rationale afterwards” eg had never heard of a bird called wheatear but have now. It’s certainly no Moa!
Another weekend free, and managed to solve although had to check that a wheatear was a real thing… Did I detect a slight Australian tone with 9 & 13.
Would like to pass my best wishes to any veterans for the coming 11th. Always remembered.
No problems with this. I got wheatear using a crossword program to fill in the blanks. I was expecting a pheasant or a peacock. My methods of solving it are very different from Matt’s, but I got there anyway. Thankyou.
I had heard of osier as an outdoor wood burner for those long summer evenings we are just starting to enjoy. Never heard of wheatear, now added to the memory bank. Liked handsome in that context, so easy would it have been to couch the clue around the more obvious meaning. Matt, you would have lost your money quite soundly last weekend, never under estimate the NZ All Blacks, mate, you do so at your peril!