My second blog of a Vlad Prize puzzle in a row – no complaints here!
The ‘Impaler’ seems in rather gentler mood here, towards both solvers and his traditional targets – and I see that I said something similar last time. There’s all the expected inventive cluing, wit and misdirection, making for an absorbing and enjoyable solve. The answers are mostly straightforward but there are one or two tricky bits of parsing. I’ve been unable to sort out the parsing of 10ac to my satisfaction and so I’m looking for help there.
When I came to review my ticks, awarded (for various reasons), as I went along, I found I had sixteen – an impossible task – and so I decided to comment on individual clues within the blog. As it happens, my first – and possibly top – three, since I boringly tackle the clues in order, were for 11ac ON PAPER, 12ac XENOPUS, and 16ac GIVE IT SOME WELLY.
Many thanks to Vlad for a highly enjoyable puzzle, well worthy, as always, of the Prize slot.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
9 Not on the level? Dunno, Paw tricked over 500 (2-3-4)
UP-AND-DOWN
An anagram (tricked) of DUNNO PAW round D (500)
10 Neighbour of 7 right at home wearing nothing (5)
RHINO
I’ve pondered over this one all week, on and off – I just can’t see how to accommodate the H:
Is it R (right) + H (at home – as in football tables? – but then I’m not happy with ‘at’) + IN (wearing) O (nothing)?
Or, on the other hand, ‘at home’ more often than not = IN, which makes me want HO to mean ‘nothing’ round IN – but I can find no authority for this
Looking forward to your suggestions and ready for a huge pdm – as always, thanks in advance
11 How many like to solve crosswords in theory? (2,5)
ON PAPER
Double / cryptic definition – I loved this one: count me among the many 🙂
12 When reviewing, I used to love her work about new frog genus (7)
XENOPUS
A reversal (when reviewing) of EX (I used to love her) + OPUS (work) round N (new) – beautifully constructed, with a lovely surface: I loved ‘I used to love her’
13 They’re not free to work (5)
SERFS
Cryptic definition, serfs being bond slaves
14 Breeding grebes in a N Pacific location (6,3)
BERING SEA
An anagram (breeding) of GREBES IN A
16 Yes, I will get move to Reform … and put the boot in? (4.2,4.5)
GIVE IT SOME WELLY
An anagram (to reform) of YES I WILL GET MOVE
I was expecting a rather different solution on first sight of the clue but I’m very fond of this expression
19 Moves casually round hotel, speed initially being ineffective (9)
TOOTHLESS
TOOTLES (moves casually – a lovely word) round H (hotel) + S[peed]
21 Books sweetheart into empty Montreal accommodation (5)
MOTEL
OT (Old Testament – books) + swEet in M[ontrea]L
22 Type of sex from Thailand grotesque – runs to join in (7)
TANTRIC
T (Thailand – International Vehicle Registration) + ANTIC (grotesque – as in Hamlet’s ‘antic disposition’) round R (runs) – a tick for the surface
23 Skirt covering nether regions the French rejected for beachwear (7)
MANKINI
MINI (skirt) round ANK[les] (nether regions) minus les (the French) – a neat construction and witty surface
24 Wrong about hidden warning (5)
SIREN
SIN (wrong) with RE (about) hidden
25 Do something about sealing gap over light (3,4,2)
SET FIRE TO
SEE TO (do something about) round a reversal (over) of RIFT (gap) – I enjoyed the misdirection of the positioning of RIFT
Down
1 Revealed by this fog breaking up? Hardly (3,2,5)
OUT OF SIGHT
OUT (revealed) + an anagram (breaking up) of THIS FOG – clever use of a partial anagram
2 Master on board climbing wooden mast stops playing (8)
KASPAROV
SPAR (mast) in (stops) a reversal (climbing) of V (versus – playing) + OAK (wooden) – enjoyable construction and misdirection
3 Assumes trouble with POTUS regularly
ADOPTS
ADO (trouble) + PoTuS
4 I don’t like that Republican lout
BOOR
BOO (I don’t like that) + R (Republican)
5 One following gets careless, almost dying (2,8)
IN EXTREMIS
I (one) + NEXT (following) + REMIS[s] (careless, almost) – great construction
6 Mint tea with a touch of nutmeg added (5-3)
BRAND-NEW
BREW (tea) round AND (with) + N[utmeg] – of course, I loved the ‘lift and separate’ ‘mint tea’; I think our much-missed Nutmeg would have liked this one – her kind of clue
7 ‘Animals’ in Post Office beginning to sweat (6)
HIPPOS
HIP (in) + PO (Post Office) + S[weat] – an amusing picture (but it could be a darkish reference to the scandal which Vlad won’t let go – and I wish more power to his elbow)
8 Sense it could be largely pointless (4)
NOUS
NO US[e] (largely pointless)
A deft use of ‘sense’ as a noun in the definition and a verb in the surface – we need to read the clue as ‘Sense: it could be largely pointless’
14 Like Kelvin and the others in bed, not a reliable type (6,4)
BASKET CASE
AS (like) + K (Kelvin – the SI unit of thermodynamic temperature) + ETC (and the others) in BASE (bed)
15 Scrap music hall staple (3,3,4)
ANY OLD IRON
Double definition – the second a reference to the music hall song
17 Where you may find me contracted not natural (8)
INHERENT
IN HERE (where you may find me) + N’T (contracted ‘not’) – I enjoyed the construction
18 Where do soldiers go? Are they required at the front during occupations? (8)
LATRINES
Initial letters of Are They Required IN LINES (occupations – as in ‘What’s my line?’) – loved it for the definition, of course and it’s a great surface
20 They have a point, debtors admitting (6)
OWNERS
OWERS (debtors) round (admitting) N (North – point)
21 Insect (a different one) is trapped under Tom’s foot (6)
MANTIS
ANT (a different insect) + IS, from the clue, under [to]M – a tick for the smile
22 Both gutted he’s out? Flipping rubbish! (4)
TOSH
H[e]S and O[u]T both ‘gutted’, then reversed (flipping) – an amusing pdm here
23 My best friend’s letter to Times? (4)
MUTT
MU (Greek letter) + TT (times) – a slang (originally American) term for a mixed-breed dog
Tough as always and didn’t parse them all but got there.
Favourites: MOTEL, SIREN, HIPPOS, ANY OLD IRON, MANTIS, TOSH
Thanks Vlad and Eileen
10A: I thought it might be: RH (right, i.e., right-hand) + IN (at home) + O (nothing), but I am not entirely satisfied with that, either.
Most enjoyable crossword with lots of chuckles, helped by quite a number of phrases. Started with UP AND DOWN and finished with MUTT. We loved GIVE IT SOME WELLY reminding me of a fellow full back who was dry fond of the expression! MANKINI was fun (or not!) and the later down clues formed a clever group.
Thanks to Vlad and Eileen. By the way, I thought that right could be short for right honourable, hence RH with IN for at home and O for nothing. No doubt, someone else may have posted this suggestion already while I have been typing.
I’m not at all sure about this, but for 10across (right at home wearing nothing), I took the “at” to mean “next to”, which then gave R (right) next to H (home) IN (wearing) O (nothing).
Thank you Vlad for a very entertaining challenge, and thank you Eileen for a terrific blog. Your pleasure in writing it was obvious!
I needed your help with the parsing of TOOTHLESS (“Tootles”! Aargh! Of course!), and MANKINI.
I agree with all your favourites, and I would add MUTT, which made me laugh.
My only slight quibble in the crossword was the use of SPAR for “mast”, in KASPAROV. I thought a spar went across the way.