My run of three Anax puzzles in a row comes to an end. Nimrod it is this week – oh joy!
However, this proved to be less daunting than my usual battles with Nimrod. There was the normal – I see the answer but can’t work out why moments, but those can’t work out why moments were not very long.
As to the clues:
I did like 13 ac – a truly cryptic clue and 14ac use of multiple roman numerals is a favourite device of mine. 21ac was very elegant and 8dn’s brvity amused me. 7dn took a moment to spot the anagram required but quite a little longer and a dictionary to find the answer.
All in all – good autumnal fun. Thanks Nimrod
Key:
* anagram; DD Double definition; Rev. Reverse; underline – definition
ACROSS
1. “They don’t give you much choice”, grandma says (5,6)
Nanny (Grandma) states (says) = NANNY STATES
9 21 finished coping (8, 7)
Muddling (Anagrammatising) + through (finished) = MUDDLING THROUGH
10 Like Owl and his lover, Pussycat’s eating a slice (2, 3)
Hidden PussycAT’S EAting = AT SEA
11 Turbulent priest hit one of his threesome (3, 6)
(priest hit)* = THE SPIRIT (as in the holy spirit)
13 Ritual covering embassy? (9)
HE (ambassador) address i.e. embassy? = HEADDRESS
14 Woodland resident collecting over 41p (5)
o (over) XLI (41) + p = OXLIP
15 Rough speed at which sound travels, and neon light (5)
Mach one (speed at which sound travels) – Ne (neon) = MACHO
16 Little house in which criminal society opens industrial machine (6, 3)
cot (little house) + in around tong (criminal society) COTTON GIN
19 100% record elegant Pretorian’s ready to break (5, 4)
Glam (elegant) around rands (South African money) = GRAND SLAM
20 Not a 15A actor visiting Douglas? (5)
in + Man (as in Isle of Man capital Douglas) = INMAN (As in the late John Inman – Are you being served? Not exactly macho)
21 Is it an AGM firing a G-man right? (15)
(is it an AGM a G-man r)* = ANAGRAMMATISING
23 No separating us if my rival’s come clean! (5, 4, 2)
DD LEVEL WITH ME (No separating us if my rival/ Come clean)
DOWN
1 Quite close to canal’s tail end when getting into difficulties (2, 8, 2, 3)
(to canals tail end)* = NO DISTANCE AT ALL
2 University lecturer enters unfortunately non-valid dissertation? At first it’s not valid (4, 3, 4)
ul (university lecturer) in (non valid)* + d (dissertation at first) = NULL AND VOID
3 No turning zone: somehow get round river (7)
Rev nay (no) + z (zone) in (get)* = YANGTZE
4 Teacher‘s earnings on vacation put into a sort of trust (7)
es (earnings on vacation) in (trust)* = TUTRESS
5 It’s rocky in Devon and up as far as tip of ridge (3)
to (up as far as) + r (tip of ridge) = TOR
6 Official‘s row right out for one across reservoir subdues anger (6-3, 6)
quarrel(row) – r (right) in sump (reservoir) + ire (anger) = SQUARE-LEG UMPIRE
7 – badly shamed (2, 4)
(shamed)8 = EM DASH
8 Keep mum in confinement (4, 2)
DD SHUT UP
12 23, this requires a snap decision (5, 6)
Cryptic definition = PHOTO FINISH
15 Hungarian school lifted some bright light up (6)
Rev. gam (school) + Rev. ray (some bright light)MAGYAR
16 Look into WW1 aircraft to find chemical cleanser (7)
Camel (WW1 aircraft) around lo (look) = CALOMEL
17 Down a mine covering money up, they’re beaten (7)
Rev. (In a pit (down a mine) around m(money) = TIMPANI
18 A minority of lawyers on court circuit love to accept silver (6)
none (love as in tennis) around ag (silver) = NONAGE
22 On gaining velocity, increase speed of turn (3)
re (on) + v (velocity) = REV
Thanks, twenceslas, for your blog of a relatively friendly Nimrod.
I had everything right, including 15ac which I couldn’t parse – is “neon light” = minus Ne?
You say 21ac is very elegant.
Well, I hope you’re happy but I couldn’t see the meaning of “firing” in the middle of this clue.
In fact, I still can’t see it.
It’s clearly an anagram but can you explain a bit more?
Many thanks to Nimrod.
I took the firing to be the anagram indicator – slightly unconventional but adequate in my opinion
In the middle of the “fodder”?
21a
“Is anagrammatising AN AGM firing [i.e. getting rid of] A, G-MAN – right?” – & lit.
(Hope this is right – it makes sense, but you have to concentrate to explain it properly…)
PS – But the big anagram reading works too, supplying the really cryptic reading of the & lit, but like Sil I was perplexed by the position of the indicator. I suppose if you blow something up (“fire” it) with something else they both disintegrate and get mixed up? I actually got to the answer via the a combination of the big anagram and 9a.
I enjoyed this very much – the position of the anagram indicator in 21a didn’t occur to me at the time so I obviously didn’t have a problem with it. Thanks very much to Nimrod and twenceslas.
As others have noted this was a relatively more straightforward puzzle from Nimrod, and all the more pleasant for it IMHO. I saw 21ac as an extended definition with “an AGM” and “a G-man” as anagrams of one another and “firing” as the anagrind.