Peto often lands on my blogging rotation, so I would imagine that by now I would not find these puzzles quite so tough to parse out as I did this one . . .
. . . with, for me, the main challenge this time being isolating the definition in many of the clues.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | WHEN |
Just as with women only (4)
|
| W (with) + HEN (women only, e.g., a hen party) | ||
| 8 | BLUE-ON-BLUE |
Tory noble upset over you speaking of friendly fire (4-2-4)
|
| BLUE (Tory) + {anagram of (upset) NOBLE around (over) U (you “speaking,” i.e., spoken)} | ||
| 10 | SPLICE |
Share without pressure to join (6)
|
| SLICE (share) around (without) P (pressure) | ||
| 11 | AMUSED |
Diverted by answer then reflected in silence (6)
|
| A (answer) + MUSED (reflected in silence) | ||
| 12 | REGISTER |
Have an effect on German boxing first (8)
|
| RE (on) + {GER. (German) around (boxing) IST (first, i.e., stylized “1st”) | ||
| 13 | SEDUCE |
Witness describing French nobleman as corrupt (6)
|
| SEE (witness) around (describing) DUC (French nobleman) | ||
| 15 | PANIC-STRICKEN |
Very frightened nitpickers can buckle (5-8)
|
| Anagram of (buckle) NITPICKERS CAN | ||
| 18 | PRISON |
Photographic image mostly capturing large counter with jug (6)
|
| PRIN[T] (photographic image) minus last letter (mostly) around (capturing) OS (large) reversed (counter) | ||
| 20 | NOT SO BAD |
Fairly good left-leaning lawyer visiting US city (3,2,3)
|
| {DA (lawyer) + BOSTON (US city)} all reversed (left-leaning). Here, I think “visiting” indicates something like “coming to.” | ||
| 22 | IN TOTO |
Totally keen on Tom not Miles (2,4)
|
| INTO (keen on) + TO[M] minus (not) M (miles), with a capitalization misdirection | ||
| 24 | RATHER |
In preference draw together foremost of Republicans for government (6)
|
| [G]ATHER (draw together) [substituting] first letter of (foremost of) R[EPUBLICANS] for G (government) | ||
| 25 | GREENLIGHT |
Without difficulties after environmentalist gets permit to proceed (10)
|
| GREEN (environmentalist) + LIGHT (without difficulties) | ||
| 26 | EACH |
Every one considered individually to come to right away (4)
|
| [R]EACH (to come to) minus (away) R (right) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SHOPKEEPER |
Affectedly posh person worth holding on to? Thatcher’s dad, perhaps (10)
|
| Anagram of (affectedly) POSH + KEEPER (person worth holding on to), referring to Margaret Thatcher’s father, Alfred Roberts, who made his living as a greengrocer | ||
| 2 | INCISION |
Nick icons in Iran’s capital? Crazy (8)
|
| Anagram of (crazy) {ICONS + IN + first letter of (capital [of]) I[RAN]} | ||
| 3 | OBJECT |
End of protest (6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 4 | POLANSKI |
US president accepting answer by India’s top film director (8)
|
| [James K.] POLK (US President) around (accepting) ANS. (answer) + first letter of (top [of]) I[NDIA], referring to Roman Polanski | ||
| 5 | ABSURD |
Senseless American beat up son inside (6)
|
| A (American) + {S (son) inside DRUB (beat) inverted (up)} | ||
| 6 | RUDE |
Vulgar when cross by the sound of it (4)
|
| Homophone of (by the sound of it) ROOD (cross) | ||
| 9 | UNDERSTANDING |
Informal agreement with patient (13)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 14 | CONVALESCE |
Regain health care initially and solve acne problem (10)
|
| First letter of (initially) C[ARE] + anagram of (problem) {SOLVE ACNE} | ||
| 16 | CANOODLE |
Pet terribly old found in boat (8)
|
| Anagram of (terribly) OLD inside (found in) CANOE (boat) | ||
| 17 | KNOTTIER |
More difficult for Keir somehow to admit Mandy essentially exaggerated (8)
|
| Anagram of (somehow) KEIR around (to admit) {middle letter of (essentially) [MA]N[DY] + OTT (exaggerated)} | ||
| 19 | SPOKEN |
Said to be paid out largely to cover fine (6)
|
| SPEN[T] (to be paid out) minus last letter (largely) around (to cover) OK (fine) | ||
| 21 | TURN TO |
Become involved with somewhat taciturn Tobias (4,2)
|
| Hidden in (somewhat) [TACI]TURN TO[BIAS] | ||
| 23 | NARK |
Annoy Carroll’s evasive creature? Not at first (4)
|
| [S]NARK ([Lewis] Carroll’s evasive creature) minus first letter (not at first), referring to the poem The Hunting of the Snark |
I saw this as a typical Peto puzzle, with a mix of very easy and very convoluted clues, along with his lack of brevity. I also noticed how often Cineraria blogs his puzzles – no mean feat.
I ticked OBJECT (clever), NOT SO BAD (amazing that setters can see backward words in this way), and IN TOTO (took me a while to see)
Some previous Peto puzzles featured a long list of NHOs. I thought NARK and snark were the only new words for me today, but on reading the blog I discovered that BLUE-ON-BLUE means friendly fire. I finished without parsing RATHER and, of course, BLUE-ON-BLUE. I thought the latter meant Tory, and it is therefore exhibit A in demonstrating Cineraria’s contention that the definitions were difficult to isolate.
Thanks Peto and Cineraria
Yes, like Cineraria, I spent some time reflecting over this but got there in the end with just REGISTER and BLUE-ON-BLUE unparsed.
My favourites were 1, 2 and like Martyn, 3.
Thanks for the workout, Peto, and Cineraria for an impeccable blog.
I think I found only 3 or 4 of these, “easy-ish”, so a real battle to complete.
Having said that, NOT SO BAD was one of the easy ones, from the obvious definition, but I took an eternity to parse it: not too chuffed with the use of “visiting”, I presume it is in some “juxtaposition” list somewhere.
Not sure ” become involved with” is TURN TO, 21(d), more like “seek advice from”, for me.
A bit heavy on the anagrams, but otherwise nicely-balanced devices, and fair wordplays.
I spotted “PIG IN A POKE” in the SW quarter, but I may be grasping at straws.
A very challenging puzzle, but ultimately satisfying.
Thanks, Peto and Cineraria
ENBoll&@3: For 21D, I took it in the sense that someone might “turn to drugs” or “turn to alcohol,” for example, as a coping mechanism.
I wonder why we say panic stricken but awe struck.
Cineraria@4. Fair play, I’ll get me coat.
GDO@5 a darn good question, my take is that being “struck” by, is to be overwhelmed, but not negatively. e.g. “struck by her beauty”
“Stricken” is also overwhelmed, but by something distressing or painful, say, grief-stricken.
Interesting theory, ENBoll&@6. 🙂
Comment #8
Funsize, can we keep this sort of comment out of crossword blogs please. We frequently see references to Al Capone in crosswords when the compiler needs the letters AL. Is this too to be something we should “forgive” because he was undoubtedly responsible for many gruesome murders? I recall once seeing a reference to one of the Nazi leaders (I forget which) in a clue. Poor taste perhaps but did it have to be removed? In this clue Polanski wasn’t even being referenced as the perpetrator of a crime, but as a film director, which he is, or was. Would you object to the clue “Small drink for artist” referring to Eric GILL? If so, where do you draw the line?
It occurs to me that the Polanski clue could have been rewritten to reference the leader of the Green party instead, which might actually have made it a better clue all round, but I don’t see why a setter should be forced into a manner of setting a puzzle because people are too squeamish to see references to bad people in the clues.
I got most of this one fairly easily, just a couple unsolved.
Thanks to Peto and Cineraria
Babbler@9, fair point, well made and understood.
I thought this was quite tough with some very fiddly bits towards the end. A good workout though and nothing obscure.
I liked BLUE ON BLUE, REGISTER, IN TOTO and SPOKEN.
Thanks PETO and Cineraria.