Fifteensquared

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Archive for November 12th, 2007

Independent 6575 by Morph

Posted by nmsindy on 12th November 2007

nmsindy.

This puzzle typified the new direction the Indy puzzle is taking since Eimi became crossword editor. Themed, with a Nina (in case anyone wants to look again at the grid, I’ll give this at the end of the blog after the clue explanations). I suspected as much when I saw the unusual grid and when one of the first clues I solved was the obscure 15 across UNSENSE from a friendly anagram.

Though I discovered the theme in less than 20 mins on solving 31 across, it took a long time to solve the puzzle. It also drove a coach-and-four through the ‘drawing-room’ conventions of DFM’s book.

Solving time: 64 mins.

* = anagram < = reversed

ACROSS

6 UP TOWN Very good, this. ‘trail’ means ‘follow’ up = at university non-academic types = town as in ‘town and gown’ if I’ve understood it.

10 (Ann)OUNCE

11 A(X) E X (times as in multiplication tables - remember them?) in A & E. Liked this a lot, with a superb surface reading.

12 IFFY Every other letter in Six Fifty

14 H(er)O T MEAL God = hero less (save) ER = Queen Very good, based on the theme group’s song in the surface reading. (metal)*

16 SET My biggest doubt. “Jam should do live show” See that jam would set, but not sure about the live show - the other possibility is SIT.

17 NU DI(t)TY “New” Another good music surface.

19 PISTIL i for o in pistol

21 VD U

23 (t)EMERIT(y) I I = Institute

25 PIST OL S 13 is SEXLESSLY so SEX PISTOLS less SEX ol’ = old, I think.

27 CAR B Short for carbohydrate - great clue

28 I DO Nothing to do with the Alf Garnett late 60s sitcom, later filmed, but words of a wedding service.

29 NADAL Hidden court = tennis court

30 B UR EAU Beau Bridges (actor) Centre of chURch

31 Johnny R (OTT) EN(t) Torn = Rent

DOWN

1 NONE LEFT (fennel to)* for the anagram spare in the sense go spare = rage

2 END-ALLS (and sell)* Cunningly hidden anagram I did not see for quite a while

3 VOTE OUT A perhaps not so cryptic definition that had me chasing false trails for quite a while till light dawned.

5 REEF KNOT (free)* a ‘knot’ is a bird

7 PIN (O) T Slight niggle here with the comma after old. Was looking for a glass in the form wine + O for quite a while

9 MO (B-HANDE)D (band he)* This was a key word for the puzzle as the only word in the first column of the grid - it’s what finally revealed the full puzzle to me. Again a misleading musical surface. The word (new to me and verified after) means a great number (adj).

13 S (EXLESS) LY Ex-less = not enjoying former partner

18 DA E DAL US lad<

21 Sid V ICI OUS ici = here in French vous = you in French (except for intimates when it’s tu) hence ‘politely’

22 UP Y OURS (Sour)* after first letters if I’ve read it right - the wording seems a little loose.

24 INBRED “In bread” Setter well entitled to the “!”

Nina: Read the across rows 1, 3 and 5. Topical, as I believe the group is reforming 30 years after they started.

Posted in Independent | 6 Comments »

Guardian 24232/Rufus - trickier than average today

Posted by linxit on 12th November 2007

linxit.

Solving time 13:10

9 across and most of the top right-hand corner held me up today, also putting GREEN BEAN in for 28 across at first didn’t help.

Across
7 POLICEMAN (Cop in male)* - what a great anagram, which I don’t think I’ve come across before.
9 ALGECIRAS (Cigars ale)* - the Spanish mainland port closest to Gibraltar. I couldn’t work out the anagram until I had all the letters though, as it was only vaguely familiar to me.
10 A,F,IRE - took me a while to see this for some reason.
12 CRU(1)SE - a cruse is an earthenware pot.
13 CRAB,WISE - I’m not too keen on WISE = initiated.
19 TAB(LEA=ale*)U
28 BROAD,BEAN - simple enough, but when I had ?R???B??? I just stuck in GREEN BEAN without thinking.
30 AND,RO(C)LES - a runaway Roman slave who removed a thorn from a lion’s paw and became its friend. Later, when he was due to be killed by being eaten by wild animals in the Circus Maximus, the same lion came out and recognized him so he was saved. Lucky sod!

Down
5 CUR,FEW
6 SCORES - what was so hard about these last two? These and 10ac held me up for ages at the end.
11 GAZA - in the news for the wrong reasons again today.
14 ICE - nice cryptic definition which had me puzzled for a while.
20 L,AID,BACK
23 UP,PITY
25 ME(AG)RE
26 ERASER - a weaker cryptic def. that’s just a bit too obvious.

Posted in Guardian | 4 Comments »

Independent 6568/Bannsider (03-11-07)

Posted by neildubya on 12th November 2007

neildubya.

Cracking puzzle, with lots to get your teeth into.

Across
1 ED in BECK - ED is Ed Balls, currently Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. “Flower” is not really a flower but something that flows.
8 initial letters of “Juice Around Punters” - was amazed to see that JAP is actually a word, apart from the other obvious, more offensive meaning.
10 GELID - “glide” with the E moved forward. “Parky” is a Brit colloquialism for cold or chilly but in the surface reading it makes us think of Michael Parkinson, the chat show host, and his notorious encounter with Rod Hull and Emu.
11 DUNCES CAP - spent a while trying to work out the wordplay for this but I now think it’s a very clever cryptic def. Here’s the full clue: “Point one unlikely to be accepted by university dons”. Read “dons” as a verb (ie, to put on) rather than a noun and you should get it.
12/28 KEY,STROKE - “butterfly perhaps” is STROKE (think swimming). “Character-forming act” is the cryptic def.
13 CASEIN,(IN POT)* - CASE IN POINT. Casein is a milk protein and the main constituent of cheese.
16 alternate letters of “tV tAbLe UsE bRuSh”
21 A,(DRIVER ALAS)* - “on the wrong side?” works better in the surface reading than in the cryptic reading as the definition but the question mark is there to indicate the fact it’s a bit dodgy (I think).
23 L,AH - “one after so” is the cleverly concealed definition. Think doh, re, me, fah, so…
26 AL[g for B]UM - an ALGUM was a Biblical tree.
27/4/17/24 HEM in TASTER,AND,MARGARITA - this novel. Well worth a read, if you get the chance.
29 OD,DISH - OD is “overdose” (”take too much”)
 
Down
1 BULG[-e],VO[-d]KA< - I’d heard of Mikhail BULGAKOV and have even read 27/4/17/24A so quite why this took so long for me to get I’ll never know, especially as I worked out the VODKA part of the clue straightaway.
3 RIDE,COE in CUR
5 L in AXE - one of the more surreal surface readings you’ll ever encounter.
7 A,JP in RUT
8 C in (JUST A RADIO)* - JUDAS ISCARIOT. Fantastic clue, especially the use of 2 (2D - DISLOYAL) in “Radio 2 disciple”.
9 NO,SUIT< in PP,I,LATE - PONTIUS PILATE. Tough clue to parse but hopefully I’ve nailed everything correctly.
14 hidden reversed in “masqueraDE TALL EX I Presume”
19 (GOT ALIBI)* - I stupidly filled in OBLIGATO rather than OBLIGATI but spotted the mistake once the answer to 29A became apparent
20 HE,MO in BETH
21 M in ARIES - “up” had me going for a while as I thought it was indicating a reversal.

Posted in Independent | 5 Comments »