Posted by John on 25th October 2007
Solving time : well over an hour. Lots of difficult clues, as one would expect with Scorpion, but some lovely ones and most of them could eventually be explained. I think.
| Across |
| 1 |
RE(S/D)OLE. Loafer (the shoe) might need this. |
| 4 |
(SQUARE)* round FF. I am never very happy with “above” to mean “round”. |
| 9 |
Def. “Scientist is one”, B OF F(I/U)N. |
| 10 |
J(HERWAS)*P. Can’t quite justify “lying through the teeth”: something about the weird way in which the jew’s harp is played, I suppose. |
| 12 |
A (SHOP)* in SET rev. Nice &lit. |
| 13 |
First letters of the first six words. You need to have watched a bit of television to know this one (Fred Dibnah). |
| 15 |
CARBON(D)ATING. Making fizzy = carbonating, drinks the containment indicator. Ageing in the sense of discovering the age. Brilliant. |
| 18 |
I suppose this is saying that Norway (who were once the recipients of nul points in the Eurovision Song Contest), although cold, is at least a bit warmer than absolute zero. If this is it, not absolutely convincing. |
| 21 |
S TAN Z(AMBI)A. Def. “[Robert] Burns produced such”. Either “vacation in Zambia” is a clever way of omitting the central letters or it’s not quite good enough. I’m not sure. |
| 22 |
LIVED rev. I [me] SH. |
| 25 |
IN [= batting], first letters. |
| 26 |
O V ER DREW [Barrymore]. |
| |
| Down |
| 1 |
(BIROSTO)* nursing (i.e. containing) C. I spent ages trying to justify INFOTECH here, thinking that the last four letters were the college. Very good clue. |
| 2 |
(FT OP rev. R(EAD)) in SON. |
| 3 |
(THELINGO)* BUZZARD [high-flier). Rather an odd definition, but I suppose it's pretty hard not to say boring things like "Beds town". |
| 6 |
(FINISHEDASONG)* ER. Refers to Stella. |
| 7 |
Hidden rev. |
| 8 |
SAPPHO I think. She was a poetess and her sexual proclivities are apparently referred to, but "Only half"?? |
| 11 |
Probably FEEDLOT, since it looks as if it begins FE ED [Iron man], and feedlot is the only word that I can find to fit. Perhaps there is a meaning of the word that is not given in Chambers. And I can’t understand “short on TV”. |
| 14 |
ST RUDE L I think, but I can’t see why “revealing underwear” = “rude”. Why is it that the incomprehensible ones are the only Ximeneanly-unsatisfactory ones in the grid (fewer than 50% of letters checked)? |
| 17 |
LOT (HAIR)* O. Lot in the sense of plot of ground. |
| 19 |
“Si Coe”. |
| 20 |
S ARNIE (ref. the Terminator, which yesterday’s crossword helped me with). |
| 23 |
JOKE I think. A card is someone who makes a joke, and in one meaning, well-hidden in the dictionary, it refers to the joke itself. |
Posted in Independent | 6 Comments »
Posted by jetdoc on 25th October 2007
I was already in Brummie mode when I completed this, having just finished this week’s Cyclops. An entertaining puzzle, with the usual witty touch we’d expect from this setter.
| Across |
| 1, 25 |
CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION — Mimi, the herione of La Boheme, by Puccini, died of tuberculosis, then known as consumption. A helpful Diva’s Dying Guide, on the website Opera Talent, tells us that: ‘This is the key to a diva dying convincingly: realising that the disease takes time to run its course… The key for the diva is to hint at the illness first, to be almost unaware of it’. |
| 9 |
OMNIBUS — The Number 10 is a bus (or, as Chambers defines ‘omnibus’: ‘a large road vehicle for carrying a considerable number of passengers of the general public’).‘Omnibus’ can also mean ‘widely comprehensive; of miscellaneous contents’ — so, presumably, ‘including everything’. |
| 10 |
ALLENDE — Hidden word. |
| 11 |
THEME PARK — ‘the ark’ including ‘MEP’. |
| 13 |
WITH — ‘wit‘ = comedian; H = henry, the SI unit of inductance. |
| 14 |
REFRACTION — *(for certain). ‘Ray’ here means light. |
| 16 |
TRAWLERMEN — *(relent warm). Trawlermen need to practise with their nets. |
| 19 |
ATOM — With only A to M, N to Z is missing from the dictionary. |
| 21 |
NORTHWEST — ‘rest’ = resort; without (= around) *(worth). Normally written with a hyphen. |
| 23 |
NUTCASE — ‘case’= action (especially for Private Eye regulars); on ‘tun’ reversed. |
| 24 |
REIGATE — ‘rate’ can mean scold or chide, hence ‘lecture’; ‘e.g.’ going round I (the setter). |
|
| Down |
| 1 |
CONCEPTUALISTIC — *(i count sceptical). Strictly speaking, this doesn’t refer to conception in the sense of embryogenesis; but never mind. |
| 3 |
PASSAGE — ‘Entry’ is the definition. S = ‘Gladiators ultimately’; in ‘pa’s age’. |
| 6 |
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN — Does the wordplay refer to the plot? |
| 7 |
MOUTHWATERING — ‘mouth’ = Estuary; ‘water’ = drink; ‘in’; ‘glass’ without ‘lass’. |
| 15 |
PLANTAIN — a coarse green-skinned banana. ‘Plant’ = factory; A = grade; ‘in’ = popular (a very popular usage in crossword clues). |
| 17 |
RONDEAU — *(or Duane). |
| 18 |
EARDROP — An earring, which is introduced to a listener, or the lobe thereof. ‘Peardrop’ without P (soft). |
Posted in Guardian | 13 Comments »
Posted by nmsindy on 25th October 2007
A pleasing offering from Quixote - will comment on a small number of what I found the trickier or best clues, but happy to explain others if asked.
Solving time: 21 mins
* = anagram
ACROSS
11 George HARRIS ON - the Beatle and Harris from Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome.
12 PI KING Holy = pi(ous). One of those two-letter staples you’ll see.
18 DISCO U NT U = top people (upper class).
DOWN
2 PATISSERIE “Are its pies fantastique?” An excellent & lit, favourite clue. (are its pies)*
4 BEARSKIN Nice cryptic definition
14 T (thE GUM) ENT
Posted in Independent | No Comments »
Posted by Pete Maclean on 25th October 2007
A solid and satisfying puzzle from Mudd this week.
Across
7. ELEVATOR - anagram of TO REVEAL
8. INFORM - double definition
11. ON TAP - NT (books) in OAP (pensioner)
12. EDUCATION - anagram of CAUTIONED
13. EMERITI - IRE (anger) backwards in anagram of ITEM
14. THROUGH - double definition
15. WEAR THE TROUSERS - is this a double/cryptic definition in the sense that taking strides wears, as in wears out, trousers?
18. IMPLANT - IM (Mudd’s) + PLAN (strategy) + T (twentieth [letter of the alphabet])
20. INTENSE - IN (in) + TENSE (of which the past is an example)
22. THEME SONG - THE (The) + MESON (elementary particle) + G (good)
23. DORIC - hidden word
24. ELICIT - E (the ultimate in allegiance) + LICIT (within the law)
25. PROTRACT - PRO (expert) + TRACT (some land)
Down
1. WET ONES WHISTLE - double definition
2. METTLE - homophone (METAL)
3. WARPAINT - PAIN (agony) in WART (skin blemish),
4. SOME LIKE IT HOT - KEITH is hidden in the answer but that hardly makes for a complete clue. Am I missing something?
5. UNFAIR - double/cryptic definition
6. SOLITUDE - SO (thus) + LIT (illuminated) + anagram of DUE
9. MANCHESTER CITY - anagram of TRY NICE MATCHES
10. BUTTERFINGERS - anagram of SURFING BETTER
16. APPLE PIE - cryptic definition
17. UP-TO-DATE - UP (ebullient) + DO (party) reversed in TATE. Good one!
19. ALEXIS - ALE (drink) + SIX backwards
21. NORMAL - NORMA (girl) + L (leader of ladettes)
Posted in FT | 1 Comment »