| Across | |
|---|---|
| 6 | MA,(HID)* – MAHDI (“Guided one”) was the prophesied redeemer of Islam. MA is the Internation Vehicle Registration (IVR) for Morocco. |
| 9 | (MESSY ST)* – SYSTEMS. |
| 10 | ANDOVER – DNA is “AND over”. |
| 11 | (MAN HURT BY)* – URBAN MYTH |
| 12 | AUNTS – “relations” looks like the definition but I don’t get the wordplay: “Targets for abuse, without friends”. |
| 13 | (DEVIL AT PARTY TO)* – TOTAL DEPRAVITY. |
| 21 | RETAKE in CAR |
| 26 | G,[-?]AY,RIGHT,S – not sure which word is indicated by “guillotined vote” – ?AY. |
| Down | |
| 1 | MOSQUITO – not sure if this is right but it fits the potential definition “high-pitched sound emanates from this”. Don’t understand the rest of the clue though. |
| 2 | LAST,BUT NOT,LE[-wis]A,ST – somewhat convoluted clue but it all fits together smoothly enough. “Ton up rival” is (Jenson) BUTTON (with the last three letters reversed), a F1 racing driver touted as a potential British world champion until Lewis Hamilton came along. |
| 3 | STERN – which is not where a figurehead on a boat would go |
| 4 | STY in (LINE)* – IN STYLE. |
| 5 | (HANGS)*,ER – does the Queen actually breed corgis? I thought she just kept them? |
| 7 | HAVEN,(COURT)*, IT in KWH – HAVE NO TRUCK WITH. |
| 8 | I[-a]NRUSH |
| 14 | (LOVE TYING)* – LONGEVITY. |
| 17 | ETCHING – is this a reference to the euphemistic phrase “come up to see my etchings”? |
| 18 | CURSOR-Y – that’s the mouse on your computer, which can control your cursor. |
| 22 | TUTS,I |
21 comments on “Independent 6735/Morph”
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Poor Neil … never been brought to the fair to target Aunt Sally (n a fairground or pub game, in which sticks or balls are thrown to smash a pipe in the mouth of a wooden figure; any of several variations of the game; a target for abuse, criticism or blame ().
MOSQUITO – thought without being sure that this referred to a little place of worship – sounds maybe like a small MOSQUE.
The ‘guillotined’ vote is, I think, AY(e), as in “the ayes have it”
I wish the puzzle was up so I could solve it!
(Sorry – subjunctive malfunction.)
To be fair to Neil, Aunt Sally is a very localised pub game. It is pretty much restricted to Oxfordshire and a few over the border pubs in adjacent counties. It’s also annoyingly difficult to hit the target with something the size and shape of a rolling pin.
Aunt Sally as a pub game may be restricted to Oxfordshire and surrounding areas, but I think the fairground target was more widespread. Neil is probably old enough to remember the Worzel Gummidge TV series in which Una Stubbs played a fairground doll called Aunt Sally. I’m off now for a cup o’ tea an’ a slice o’ cake.
I do remember Worzel Gummidge (unfortunately), and the Aunt Sally character, but I doubt I would ever have got round to connecting that with “targets for abuse”.
Maybe it’s an age thing. I knew all about Aunt Sallies and what they meant having coming across them time and again in newspaper articles etc. But I never knew it was a game or fairground target.
The ‘guillotined vote’, I suppose, could equally well be AY(e) or (n)AY, but since ‘guillotined’ suggests the removal of the head, I’d be inclined to plump for the latter. Perhaps Morph himself could verify which one he had in mind?
I must admit I was thinking of AYE, which is ‘vote for’, and therefore works without using ‘for’ as a link-word. In parliament, guillotining means curtailing of discussion, which would justify my usage. But if you want to argue that it should mean removal of the head, I’ll take refuge in Richard’s alternative explanation and go for NAY. (Or we could have a vote?)
Mosquito was indeed intended to be a small mosque.
I don’t think you need to know the etymology to understand the meaning of Aunt Sally, but I realise clues in which more than half the wordplay refers to something omitted can be frustrating when you don’t see the missing bit.
By the way, re Paul B’s point, should we be blogging Saturday Indy puzzles this early, when the online version goes up a week late?
Morph
I should also admit to laziness with regard to obtaining a copy of Morph’s apparently entertaining puzzle. I could have gone to Morrisons, but played drums all day long instead.
Welcome to my world. As Sisyphus with his stone, I must once more laboriously drag my mouse up, up, up to the favourites list …
… nope. Still Phi.
… I don’t think I’m understanding this. Morph’s is the Prize from last week, perhaps?
Last week’s, yes. I should have included the publication date in my header. Sorry about that.
Re Michod’s point: the prize puzzle goes on to the website a week late but by then it’s no longer a prize puzzle (I assume) as the closing date for entries is always the following Thursday, so I don’t see a problem with posting at this time of the week.
Due to work pressures I’m one week behind. Just completed this one: re 12A, what I saw was (T)AUNTS. Take off the T (Targets) for relatives or family friends…?
Not sure that T could be targets.
Be fair, Uncle Yap.
Not impressed with your opening two words!
Re 1d.
Did extensive search on internet.
No joy at all.
Several sites indicated erroneous definitions.
Would suggest that you go to the ‘horses mouth’, ie Morph, and get, with luck, a definitive answer from him/her.
Re 5d.
The Queen may own corgis, but unless the males & females are segregated then she may well be breeding them.
26a “Stonewall agenda when Government and Conservatives hold guillotined vote before introduction of surveillance”
The simplest explanation is the one which includes a beheaded ‘nAY’.
Mind you, I strongly object to the hijacked word ‘gay’, as used here.
I deemed myself to be a gay person until the said hijacking.
17d Agree wholeheartedly with neildubya on this one!