Fifteensquared

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Archive for May 14th, 2008

FT 12,767/Gozo - Food, Various Food

Posted by smiffy on 14th May 2008

smiffy.

No real major sticking points on this one, although perhaps a couple of bones of contention on one or two clue structures.  Was a little disconcerted by how readily familiar I seem to be with various types of food - will have to make a bee-line for the bathroom scales this evening…

Across
1 PARK,IN - as a dyed-in-the-wool Southerner, it’s not a concoction I’m overly familiar with.
4 CI(A,BA)TTA - “round loft” = attic(rev)
10 RATAFIA - (at a fair)* I didn’t do myself any favours by initially pencilling in FRITATA here!
12 OATS - hidden, and an &lit too, I suppose.
17 BOURBON  - double def’n.  Never did figure out why those (eminently dunkable) biscuits were named after an ancient French dynasty.
20 BLOOMER - double def’n, plus a reference to undies if you add an “s”(ingular).
21 CELERY - (recycle)*-c. One of the most egregious attempts at “double duty” I’ve seen in a while.  “Recycle” needs to be used reflexively as its own anagrind.
24 CLEMENT,IN,E
27 RIS,OTTO - Sir(rev) + (Emperor) Bismarck.
30 BIG,A,RADE - (dear)*. A slightly obscure citrus fruit, which I recall from another puzzle in the distant past.

Down
2 RATATOUILLE - (out all irate)*
3 INFO - hidden; but seems gratuitous and inexcusable to use a randomly generated name as the fodder (apologies, Martin, if I should have heard of you!).
5 IN(-de)CISION
6 BEEF,BURG,ER - grub(rev)
8 ABRADE - anagram of 30A (minus I+G)
9 D,AIRY - D=deserted is hardly bog-standard, but still simple enough.
14 EX,ONE,RATION
15 C.S. FORESTER - (force’s rest)*
18 WEST,WOOD - Vivienne of that ilk.
19 PYRE,NEES - seen(rev)
22 SCA(RA)B - coincidentally, the same answer in precisely the same location as yesterday’s puzzle!
28 SAG(-e)

 

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Independent 6732/Dac

Posted by Ali on 14th May 2008

Ali.

I solved most of this online early this morning without knowing who the setter was. I thought it seemed a little easier than recent offerings from Dac - with quite a few double definitions - but none the worse for it. Sound clueing as always, and a couple of new words and people to add to the mental database, so all good.

Across
1 IKAT - I,TAK[-e] rev. - First clue, last entry. New Word No.1 for me
4 PLAYWRIGHT - “Play right” - Had never heard of Caryl Churchill before
9 SCARFE - “Scarf” - Nice misleading use of ‘drawer’ as the definition here. We’re looking for cartoonist Gerald, not bedroom furniture
11 TENEMENT - E,MEN in TENT
12 DARREN - (ERRAND)*
13 COVENTRY STREET - I can see COVEN (a group of hags or witches) and TRYST, but not sure how we get the REET
16 FAIRY GODMOTHER - (GOT READY FOR HIM)*
21 PROPOSER - PRO,POSER
22 AUTOHARP - (A-HA TOUR)*,P - A nice reference to the Norwegian pop legends, who’ve sold 83 million albums according to Wikipedia!
23 IBIZAN - I,B in NAZI rev. - New Word No.2 - which I note isn’t in Chambers - but I’m surpised I’ve never seen it before as it’s perfect for wordplay
26 TYKE - Initial letters of T(adcaster), Y(ork), K(eighley), (E)tc. - An easy one for somebody born in Leeds!
 
Down
2 KICKED OFF - Straightforward double definition, but a nice surface reading
3 THREE MEN IN A BOAT - A slightly less straightforward double definition, but again a nice clue. Reduce the complement of a standard 8-man rowing crew and you’ll be left with Jerome K Jerome’s classic book
4 PRESENTLY - RESENT in PLY - I needed all the checking letters before I got this. Great clue, with ’soon’ as the definition
5 ADEPTLY - (PET LADY)*
7 INSURRECTIONIST - (STIR IN COUNTRIES)* - Lovely anagram, which works as an &lit too
8 HERGE - Tintin creator, Hidden in anotHER GEneration
14 TEMPORISE - TEMPO,RISE
15 THEME PARK - (HAREM KEPT)*
19 CRUSH - Another double definition, but I like the ‘one fancied’ definition
20 SWASH - S,WASH

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Guardian 24,388 (Logodaedalus)

Posted by diagacht on 14th May 2008

diagacht.
Across
1 HOARSE: A in HORSE
4 PASTIME: PA’S TIME
9 DEDICATED: DE (half dead) + CAT in DIED
10 IMPEL: MP in IE (that is) + L
11 OLDIE: (s)OLDIE(r)
12 ISINGLASS: I SING (tell all) + LASS. Something to do with sturgeon’s bladders, I understand.
13 KNOW-ALL: K + NO WALL
15 GAUCHO: GO around (AU + CH)
17 TIDY UP: anagram of DIY PUT
19 LADY DAY: March 25, the feast of the annunciation of the Virgin
22 POISONOUS: anagram of SOUP I SOON
24 RANGE: N (mathematicians shorthand for any number) in RAGE
27 PERMITTED: PERM IT TED!
28 DREISER: anagram of DESIRE + R. Refers to Theodore Dreiser the author of ‘An American Tradegy’
29 MESHED: ME + SHED
Down
1 HADDOCK: HAD + DOCK
2 ADDED: ADDE(r) replacing the ‘r’ with a ‘D’
3 SECRETARY: SECRET + A RY
4 PUDDING: double definition
5 STING: ITS (reversed) + NG
6 IMPEACHED: DEMI (reversed) around PEACH
7 ENLIST: hidden in womEN LISTeners
8 IT GIRL: Italian’s daughter = IT GIRL
14 ORIGINATE: ORATE around (I GIN)
16 UNDERMINE: UNDER (controlled) + MINE
18 PROSPER: from Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, PROSPER(o) loses nothing
19 LUSTRE: ST in LURE
20 YIELDED: anagram of EYELID + D
21 SPREAD: double definition

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