Brendan has been showing up a lot lately, which I for one have no complaints about. All his usual ingenuity is on display here, though perhaps with rather more double definitions than some would like. Thanks to Brendan for the puzzle.
Today’s theme is playing cards, with the four suits SPADE[s], HEARTS, DIAMOND[s] and CLUBS, and the top honours appearing in ACEd, gherKIN Goddess (in the bottom row), QUEENing and JACK. There are also lower cards in FOUR-in-hand (which also has a HAND) and the reversed NINE in queENINg. Perhaps we could also include an INDEX card. Any more?
| Across | ||||||||
| 1 | SIMILES | Modified missile they compare (not literally) (7) MISSILE* |
||||||
| 5 | DIAMOND | For Americans, field that’s extremely hard (7) Double definition – the diamond is the field of play in baseball, and diamond is the hardest mineral on the Mohs scale |
||||||
| 9 | INDEX | Last part of book, perhaps, some find exciting (5) Hidden in fIND EXciting |
||||||
| 10 | ANSWERERS | Respondents, as can be seen, covering all points about right (9) NSWE (compass points) + RE (about) + R in AS |
||||||
| 11 | ALLERGENIC | Recalling upset about drug producing bad reaction (10) E (drug) in RECALLING* |
||||||
| 12 | CLUB | Arsenal’s example of this weapon (4) Double definition – Arsenal is a football club |
||||||
| 14 | ACCESSORIES | They help thieves steal handbags etc. (11) Double definition |
||||||
| 18 | UNICELLULAR | Like life as simple as possible? I’ll run a clue that’s convoluted (11) (I’LL RUN A CLUE)* |
||||||
| 21 | ERGO | Soccer goalkeeper goofed thus (once in each half) (4) Hidden twice in soccER GOalkeepER GOofed |
||||||
| 22 | QUARANTINE | Volume in English about an isolated regime (10) AN in QUART IN E[nglish] |
||||||
| 25 | IMITATING | Following one action of union, embracing it (9) I (one) + IT in MATING |
||||||
| 26 | AFTER | Succeeding with a more stern position? (5) If you’re nearer the stern of a boat you are AFT-ER |
||||||
| 27 | GHERKIN | Last of aging female’s family that may be prepared to help in a pickle (7) [agin]G + HER KIN |
||||||
| 28 | GODDESS | Beautiful woman performs without love in theatre part (7) DOES (performs) less O (zero, love) in GODS (part of a theatre) |
||||||
| Down | ||||||||
| 1 | SPINAL | Bias added to a line in personal kind of column (6) SPIN (bias) + A L[ine] |
||||||
| 2 | MIDDLE | Waist hit when batting – precisely (6) Double definition – to middle is to “hit the [cricket] ball with the middle of the bat” |
||||||
| 3 | LUXURIATED | Heard you and I ruled tax out of order, had it very easy (10) Anagram of U (you) I RULED TAX |
||||||
| 4 | SPADE | Tool that’s sharp but may be said to be blunt (5) Not sure: could it be a homophone of “spayed”, which makes an animal inferile or “blunt”? |
||||||
| 5 | DISMISSAL | Firing careless shot might result in this (9) Double definition – the “careless shot” is in cricket, where it could get you dismissed or out |
||||||
| 6 | ACED | Perfectly performed in most social classes (4) All but one of the social classes A B C D E (though C is usually subdivided into C1 and C2) |
||||||
| 7 | OVERLAID | Covered as a learner, I drove erratically (8) Anagram of A L I DROVE |
||||||
| 8 | DISABUSE | A coach secured by side in disarray? Correct (8) A BUS in SIDE* |
||||||
| 13 | FOUR‑IN‑HAND | It takes several horses to move it inches? (4-2-4) Double definition: there are four inches in a hand, as used in measuring horses; a four-in-hand is a horse-drawn carriage |
||||||
| 15 | COLLUSION | Complicity in conflict, having change of heart (9) COLLISON (conflict) with the central I replaced by U |
||||||
| 16 | QUEENING | Being promoted on board – for French, that upset good number (8) QUE (French “that”) + reverse of G NINE |
||||||
| 17 | RINGSIDE | Faction supporting gang in area close to fighting (8) RING (faction) + SIDE (gang) |
||||||
| 19 | LITTLE | Short rhyme for it will, when spoken quickly (6) LITTLE rhymes with “it’ll” |
||||||
| 20 | HEARTS | Emoji used by wooer in suit (6) Double definition – wooers might send the hearts emoji 💕 to the object of their affection |
||||||
| 23 | REGAG | Once more restrict speech, for example in newspaper (5) E.G. in RAG |
||||||
| 24 | JACK | Device for lifting injured hill-climber (4) Double definition – the hill-climber is Jack from the nursery rhyme Jack and Jill, who “fell down and broke his crown” |
||||||
I thought we might be on for a pangram, but by the time I checked I realised there was no “z” or “y” and there seemed nowhere for the former to go so I was not too badly misled. I remembered after finishing that there is always something more going on with Brendan so went back and found the cards theme.
For “spade” I wondered if it was a reference to “call a spade a spade” which is to be blunt. I guess if you “say spade” you are calling it a spade? A bit obscure but, with the theme, it couldn’t be anything else.
Many thanks Brendan and Andrew.
SPADE – To call a spade a spade is to be blunt
I took FOUR-IN-HAND to be the pointer to the theme, referring to the two groups of ACE, KING, QUEEN, JACK and SPADES, HEARTS, DIAMONDS, CLUBS.
Many thanks to Brendan and Andrew
I didn’t think a spade was sharp. My knowledge of things equestrian was insufficient to understand FOUR-IN-HAND. And likewise cricket, to understand MIDDLE. Didn’t know gods were part of a theatre. The social grades were a mystery; now I see they’re a British thing. REGAG? Couldn’t find it in a dictionary, even with a hyphen. Actually I did … a type of flatbread.
So, quite a few head scratches, but otherwise enjoyable.
GDU @4 – Spades need a sharp edge to make it easier to penetrate the ground
Thanks Brendan and Andrew
I thought “call a spade…” for 4d too. Nice puzzle. Favourite the clever anagram for ALLERGENIC.
“to help” in 27a seems there only for the surface – it doesn’t fit in the definition.
Crispy@5, fair enough.
My picks: DIAMOND, UNICELLULAR, AFTER, MIDDLE, SPADE
and LITTLE.
GDU@4
I could locate REGAG in the Wiktionary (approved in
Crosswordostan?)
Thanks Brendan and Andrew.
When I got 1a I assumed that the theme was going to be SIMILES, but as I progressed I failed to find any. It was only towards the end that I started noticing the cards.
Good stuff as usual from Brendan. I liked AFT-ER, but my favourite was ERGO, with the clever construction. The surface with the American-sounding “Soccer goalkeeper” was perhaps a nod to the ongoing World Cup. And the clue was a nice reminder that the definition doesn’t have to be at the beginning or end.
Many thanks Brendan and Andrew.
Double theme. In addition to the playing cards etc we have the four fingers in a hand, index, middle, ring and little. Bravo
Lovely puzzle, though ANSWERERS is a bit of a mouthful, and perhaps not often used on a daily basis. My last two in were ERGO and RINGSIDE. Well done Dadslad at@10 for spotting the additional mini theme…
21 triggered one of my semantic bugbears, so take cover from incoming pedantry.
ERGO does not mean ‘thus’; it means ‘therefore’. ‘Therefore’ = for this reason; ‘thus’ – in this way (Latin SIC’). These are logically distinct ways of reasoning towards a conclusion.
DadsLad@10 Well spotted!
Crispy@5, (GDU@4) A spade’s got a sharp edge or blade. The spade itself (in this case, the tool) isn’t sharp. I got the solution nevertheless!
Couldn’t for the life of me see the second ergo ;(
Thanks to Brendan and Andrew.
Anne @13 – Are you saying that a knife isn’t sharp, it’s merely got a sharp edge?
Tommy Cooper
“I always call a spade a spade. Until the other night, when I stepped on one in the dark.”
Many thanks to setter and blogger.
For 17d RINGSIDE I had things the other way round with SIDE (faction) supporting RING (gang)
Always a joy to see Brendan’s name on the puzzle.
Slightly disappointed for a short while – having started at the beginning, as usual, I was, like Lord Jim, half expecting SIMILES – but soon cheered up when I saw the real theme.
In a Brendan puzzle, there’s always icing on the cake and then the delicious cherry (or two) on top, which I so often miss. Kudos to DuncT @3 and DadsLad @10 for spotting the extra bits.
From a long list of ticks, I’ll pick out ALLERGENIC, UNICELLULAR, QUARANTINE, GHERKIN, LUXURIATED, COLLUSION (I always enjoy substitutions and I like the word) – and JACK, for the extra smile at the end.
Many thanks, as ever, to Brendan and Andrew.