Jason is this morning’s inquisitor.
They say every day’s a school day and I learned a couple of things from today’s crossword (never heard of a French soldier being called a poilu, and I didn’t know about filibusters being pirates). Actually, I may well have heard these facts in the past, but they didn’t immediately come to mind when I was solving the puzzle. This was a steady solve with the bottom half slightly more straightforward than the top half. No issues with parsing, but it took a while to see LISTEN for some reason.
Thanks, Jason.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | FASTER |
One goes without rasher (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | BALMORAL |
Castle is mostly plain and honest (8)
|
| [mostly] BAL(d) (“plain”) and MORAL (“honest”) | ||
| 10 | BOARD GAME |
Enter being up for backgammon, say (5,4)
|
| BOARD (“enter” a ship or train) + GAME (“being up” (for)) | ||
| 11 | GLOSS |
Grand defeat leads to misleading explanation (5)
|
| G (grand) + LOSS (“defeat”) | ||
| 12 | ARGO |
First boat in the past to carry king (4)
|
| AGO (“in the past”) to carry R (Rex, so “king”)
In Greek mythology, the Argo is considered the first ship to go to sea, when our compiler’s namesake set off in search of the Golden Fleece. |
||
| 13 | CLEAN SLATE |
Decent pan gives a chance to start again (5,5)
|
| CLEAN (“decent”) + SLATE (“pan”, as in to criticise) | ||
| 15 | CUTLASS |
What filibusters wield is suspended by girl (7)
|
| CUT (“suspended”) by LASS (“girl”)
in the 17th century, filibusters were pirates. |
||
| 16 | EUROPE |
Echo upper-class guy, say, being continent (6)
|
| E (Echo, in the NATIO phonetic alphabet) + U (uppe-class) + ROPE (“guy, say”) | ||
| 19 | DRILLS |
Doctor harms procedures (6)
|
| Dr. (doctor) + ILLS (“procedures”) | ||
| 21 | PATTERN |
Glib talk by northern model (7)
|
| PATTER (“glib talk”) by N (northern) | ||
| 23 | INEBRIATED |
Free bar — I need it to get sloshed (10)
|
| *(bar i need it) [anag:free] | ||
| 25 | DELI |
Outlet displaying just half of delights (4)
|
| [just half of] DELI(ghts) | ||
| 27 | POILU |
Returning cheerful about some kind of crude French soldier (5)
|
| [returning] <=UP (“cheerful”) about OIL (“some kind of crude”)
Poilu (meaning hairy) is a nickname for a private in the French army. |
||
| 28 | PINSTRIPE |
Cut back rubbish for dress fabric (9)
|
| <=SNIP (“cut”, back) + TRIPE (“rubbish”) | ||
| 29 | ELECTION |
Beginning from envy nice lot spoiled vote (8)
|
| [beginning from] E(nvy) + *(nice lot) [anag:spoiled] | ||
| 30 | BRIGHT |
Cheerful bride’s first fitting (6)
|
| B(ride) [‘s first] + RIGHT (“fitting”) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FOB WATCH |
Beware supporting cheat — one goes in pockets (3,5)
|
| WATCH (“beware”) supporting FOB (“cheat”) | ||
| 2 | SLAUGHTER |
Ultimately this medicine said to be best is worst (9)
|
| [ultimately] (thi)S + LAUGHTER (“said to be the best medicine”) | ||
| 3 | EDDY |
Whirl lingerie with top off (4)
|
| (t)EDDY (“lingerie”, with top off) | ||
| 5 | AVERAGE |
Declare weather to be ordinary (7)
|
| AVER (“declare”) + AGE (“weather”) | ||
| 6 | MAGISTRATE |
JP from Margate is otherwise tense inside (10)
|
| *(margate is) [anag:otherwise] with T (tense) inside | ||
| 7 | RIOJA |
Drink causing endless debauchery, yes for German (5)
|
| [endless] RIO(t) (“debauchery”) + JA (“yes for German”) | ||
| 8 | LISTEN |
Get a load of lean English sirloin from the back (6)
|
| LIST (“lean”) + E (English) + (sirloi)N [from the back] | ||
| 9 | TABLES |
Counters reports about bishop (6)
|
| TALES (“reports”) about B (bisjop, in chess notation) | ||
| 14 | SAILOR SUIT |
Jack to match child’s habit (6,4)
|
| SAILOR (“Jack”) + SUIT (“to match”) | ||
| 17 | PRECEDING |
Former power is in decline (9)
|
| P (power) + RECEDING (“in decline”) | ||
| 18 | INCIDENT |
Episode incorporated channel logo? (8)
|
| Inc. (Incoporated) + IDENT (“channel logo”) | ||
| 20 | SHAMPOO |
Pretend pub game left out bubbly often (7)
|
| SHAM (“pretend”) + POO(l) (“pub game” with L (left) out)
Shampoo is slang for champagne. |
||
| 21 | PREENS |
Drunken spree involving new grooms (6)
|
| *(spree) [anag:drunken] involving N (new) | ||
| 22 | PIMPLE |
Spot politician in impressive building (6)
|
| MP (Member of Parliament, so “politician”) in PILE (“impressive building”) | ||
| 24 | ELITE |
The best group of Pre-Raphaelites (5)
|
| Hidden in [group of] “pre-RaphaELITEs” | ||
| 26 | STIR |
Prison activity (4)
|
| Double definition |
I agree with your commentary. My LOI PRECEDING got a tick.
I could not parse INCIDENT, and I still do not understand why IDENT is channel logo. I also took time to see the parsing for LISTEN, and also learned POILU, not to mention learning why ARGO is the “first” and that rash means fast in N England and Scotland.
Thanks Jason and loonapick
Martyn@1
In TV, an ident is a short film clip (such as the animated 2s between BBC2 programmes), so a kind of moving logo, as opposed to one that remains on screen like a watermark during a programme (also known as a DOG (digital online graphic)
Re: LISTEN, 8(d), the idiom feels better as “get a load of this”, which still works for the clue, which isn’t the best.
IDENT, 18(d), is a new one on me, but it’s exactly what the setter says, used by TV channels to let us know which broadcaster we’re watching ( jingles/ logos etc. )
I think “first ship” for ARGO 12(ac), is the whole point, i.e. it wasn’t a BOAT. By the by, there is a stunning replica in its home port, Volos, which is a lovely place to visit here in Greece. ( the Tourist Board are not paying me to say so! )
I had a few other quibbles with certain words as employed in the clues, but nothing too glaring, so it gets the thumbs up, despite POILU (ugh).
Thanks to Jason & loonapick
I didn’t know identification could be abbreviated to ident, so couldn’t parse INCIDENT. A few clues I had to check because I wondered about some of the synonyms — such as fast/rash (1a). Solving CUTLASS took some research, and I’d never heard of POILU.
Enjoyable.
Like GDU @ 4, never heard of POILU and had to look up filibusters to find the link to pirate to parse CUTLASS. Also didn’t parse INCIDENT.
Liked: PATTERN, FOBWATCH
Thanks Jason and loonapick
The political filibuster is so called because it hijacks the debate. Political piracy…who knew?
Delighted to learn the word POILU and the meaning behind it. I’ll be sure to say it to my French colleague the next time he PREENS his moustache
Nothing we couldn’t get, although several entries had to be pencilled in till confirmed by crossing letters. Fortunately we knew POILU and were aware of the piratical origins of ‘filibuster’. We did, though, think that the clue for 20dn should have had a question mark.
Thanks, Jason and loonapick.
Thanks for explaining IDENT, loonapick. With respect, I did not need to think of champagne to solve 20dn – SHAMPOO itself often produces bubbles (so is bubbly).
I may be wrong, but I don’t think POILU is a particularly complimentary term, so I suggest newcomers to it use it with caution. Any Francophiles who can confirm or deny this?
I was defeated by SLAUGHTER, despite having all the cross-letters. Because of the GHT construction in the middle, it’s really difficult to surmise what the word might be from those. I didn’t know laughter was the best medicine. It sounds a bit like the sort of slogan that used to appear on daily calendars.
I think POILU is inoffensive . My petit Robert gives it “soldat combatant de la guerre de 1914-1918 dans la langage des civils.”
Much enjoyed so merci a tous
Can’t do French accents. Any tips please?
SM. If you’re using a touchscreen keypad, just press and hold the letter then slide to the appropriate accented version from the list that should appear.
Thanks so much Hovis. I will.à ô
It works! Thank you again.
No probs. Now, if somebody can help with superscripts (and subscripts)…
Babbler @ 10
“Laughter is the best medicine” was the caption that used to appear on brief examples of ‘wit’ at the end of articles in Readers’ Digest that weren’t long enough to fill their allotted pages.
Something ˡᶦᵏᵉ ᵗʰᶦˢ Hovis?
You have to use a website like NameCheap then copy and paste.
Like most, but not all, I knew only the hirsute meaning of POILU (I’d say mildly impolite and perfectly acceptable with a friend) and the political version of filibuster.
I liked AVERAGE, SHAMPOO and INCIDENT.
Thanks Jason and loonapick
I’m with others that the top was harder, although I had heard of a POILU. And IDENTS.
I know how to code superscripts in bbcode and html, but it doesn’t work in the comments.
Thank you to loonapick and Jason
Thanks both, reasonably straightforward with nhos gettable from crossers and wordplay.