Fifteensquared

Never knowingly undersolved.

Archive for May 12th, 2007

Guardian 24,069 (Sat 5 May)/Araucaria - China, see

Posted by rightback on 12th May 2007

rightback.

Solving time: About 20 mins for all but 19dn and 23ac. One other mistake (16dn).

A porcellanous theme this week, featuring Crown Derby, Royal Worcester, Wedgwood, Spode and Minton. Not exactly my specialist subject, though I knew all but the last. I can’t explain 10ac.

* = anagram, “X” = sounds like ‘X’.

Across
1 WE + BERN - the English spelling is ‘Berne’ which confused me a little.
10 CO(RN + FIE)LD - but why does ’say so?’ give FIE?
11 W(HE + ELBA’S)E
12/9 CROWN + DERBY (= ‘race’)
13 OVERWINTERED; (DOWN RIVER TEE[s])* - nice definition (’Got to spring’), less keen on the bracket arrangement in the clue.
17 [a]GREE + NB + OTT + LES
20 SP + ODE
21 CH(IN + ASH)OP
23 CIC (”SICK”) + A TRICE - I didn’t know this word for a scar and had to use a dictionary to get it.
25 [t]ENTH + R + ONE
26 MINT + ON - the thematic answer I was least sure of, but it was correct (Thomas Minton founded Minton & Sons, now Mintons Ltd).
Down
1 WEDGWOOD; “WEDGE WOOD” - ‘dropped by Tony’ refers to the former Labour MP Tony Benn, whose surname was originally ‘Wedgwood-Benn’.
2 BAR + GE(ME)N
3/14 ROYAL WORCESTER; rev. of (E + CROW + LAY) in ROSTER - I wrote in ‘Porcelain’ for ‘Worcester’ (it fit with 2 checking letters), which held me up somewhat.
5 BARTERED BRIDE; (RED DEER RABBIT)*
6 EFFICIENT; (NICE IF)* in EFT - ‘eft’ is a useful newt; ‘ask’ is another.
7 TRE(M for V)OR - obvious wordplay but it still took a while.
8 RI(DIN)G - this reads like a semi-&lit which may refer to Rotten Row, but I don’t really understand the definition reading (“Clothes etc around the Row when doing this?”).
10 C(HAIN)REA(C)TION
15 A + LP + HABET (= ‘[he] HAS’ in Latin)
16 I(SO)POD + AN - I put ‘asipodan’ (as iPod + an) which also fits the wordplay. This is an adjective which makes the definition ‘Woodlouse’s’.
19 BO(BC)AT - couldn’t get this until I’d found ‘cicatrice’ at 23ac. It looked as though ‘of former years’ had to be ‘once’, but no.

Posted in Guardian | No Comments »

Independent 6412 / Punk - tough but very good

Posted by petebiddlecombe on 12th May 2007

petebiddlecombe.

Solving time 14:05

Punk is also Paul in the Guardian, where I sometimes think he takes the odd liberty too many. Not in this puzzle - I can find nothing to quibble about, and there are some really good clues here - several quoted for those who don’t have their copy.

Across
1 RACK ONE’S BRAINS - 2 defs - a fairly gentle start.
9 T,RAGED,I(A)N - first of some very clever constructions - especially like “resembled The Tempest” for RAGED.
11 HONEST - nicely done hidden word. Clue: Straight through one’s trouser pockets.
12 BRAKE=”break”,PAD
15 MUM,B.O.,JUMBO
16 DELI - take the very=really from delivery
18 (f)LUKE - the evangelist St Luke was a companion of St Paul, which makes a change from “physician”. Though arguably, something like “Biblical physician beheads parasite” might have been better (sorry, said I wouldn’t quibble…)
19 HOMECOMING from “comb, humming”
21 PORT,ALOO = curried potato. (Clue: Convenient means of disposal for such as Mumbai curried potato.)
22 RE(MA)IN - keep as in “keep quiet”. Anyone who rushed into RETAIN should give themselves some suitable punishment involving careful parsing of wordplay.
27 INCUMBENT - IN,BUM* in CENT
28 SOU,THEN,DUN,ITED=diet*
 
Down
2 CHAINS,MOKE,R - a second great clue to this in a week (Times had one about abusing smack and heroin). Paul’s one: One constantly dragging donkey round, initially under shackles
3 OVERSHOE - Ho. in (ever so)* - another really good clue: Protective footwear appears ever so clumsy around the house.
5 BANK ROBBER - nice CD: A very nasty stocking-filler?
6 ALAS,KA = “force of Egypt” - an occasionally useful two letter word to look up if you don’t know it yet.
8 SLEDGING - another gem: Summer sport’s intimidating winter sport? (Sledging = verbal abuse of opponents in cricket.)
13 PREDIC(AMEN)T
14 AU,TO,MO,BILE - another good charade: Vehicle something precious to one who treats spleen.
15 MILEPOST - L in (Epsom, it)*
17 DOBERMAN - R in (NAME BOD)<=
20 DARN IT
24 S,CUD - enjoyed “thing brought up by lower” for CUD

Posted in Independent | 3 Comments »