Another immaculate Sunday puzzle from Filbert.
My likes: the leather-clad hitman, the plumber’s van, the tax-dodging Tory and the very cleverly hidden CLIENTELE. But my top tick is reserved for SERIOUS, which not only has a typically Filbertian concise surface but is also one of those clues that flatters the solver by making them deduce (assuming they don’t know it beforehand, as I didn’t) that “serous” must be a word meaning “watery”, thus rendering them very smug and satisfied with their own cleverness. Many thanks to Filbert.
Moh’s random cruciverbal hardness scale rating generator says: Fluorite
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | DIABETES |
Awful telephone company’s reported two types of complaint (8)
|
| Soundalike (reported) of “dire BT’s” – I know there will be grumbles about rhotic accents. My grumble is that there are other types of diabetes apart from types 1 and 2, such as gestational diabetes. But it’s very far from a major quibble | ||
| 6 | SHRIMP |
Little’un runs into quiet kid causing trouble (6)
|
| R inside (runs into) SH (quiet) IMP (kid causing trouble) | ||
| 9 | STURDY |
Robust seat at the front, like a stool? (6)
|
| S (seat at the front) + TURDY (like a stool?). A touch of Paulesque wit there | ||
| 10 | READJUST |
Interpret right tune another time (8)
|
| READ (interpret) + JUST (right) | ||
| 11 | AS THE CROW FLIES |
Straight bananas for sale with EC regulators’ backing (2,3,4,5)
|
| Anagram (bananas) of FOR SALE WITH EC + [regulator]S | ||
| 13 | HITMAN |
Greeting leather-clad male who might take you out? (6)
|
| HI + M (male) inside TAN (leather-clad) | ||
| 14 | SOLVENCY |
Having bucks to spare, doctor loves NYC (8)
|
| Anagram (doctor) of LOVES NYC | ||
| 16 | DECADENT |
Depression ten times, perhaps self-indulgent? (8)
|
| DECA–DENT could signify a dent ten times, perhaps. I’m thinking Filbert must have seen the state of the roads round here | ||
| 19 | IN VAIN |
Where plumber has spare part, hopefully installing one for nothing (2,4)
|
| You might hope that your plumber has a spare part IN their VAN, around (installing) I | ||
| 21 | STAMPING GROUND |
Bit of glue inside sealing circular patch (8,6)
|
| G (bit of glue) inside STAMPING (sealing) + ROUND | ||
| 22 | DOWNFALL |
Ruin unearthed entirely by Spooner (8)
|
| Spoonerism of “found all”. Does this meet the rules for Spoonerisms, given that you aren’t swapping the first letters of the words concerned? I think so, as it’s the spoken sounds that count, rather than the written words. Either way, it really didn’t bother me, I’m just putting it out there… | ||
| 23 | CHALET |
Wooden hut guy occupied for period without power (6)
|
| CHA[p] (guy… without power) + LET (occupied for period) | ||
| 24 | BLITHE |
Happy using high explosive for bombing campaign’s finale (6)
|
| BLIT[z] with the last letter replaced by HE | ||
| 25 | DISHEVEL |
Mess left after meal the day before (8)
|
| L after DISH (meal) + EVE (the day before) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | INTESTINE |
See two tins blended in food processor (9)
|
| Anagram (blended) of SEE TIN TIN (two tins) | ||
| 3 | BURNHAM |
First in by-election ballot box, someone over-performing? (7)
|
| B (first in by-election) + URN (ballot boxes are still sometimes called voting urns, deriving from the Latin urna) + HAM (someone over-performing). A nicely topical clue with the whole thing as definition | ||
| 4 | TRY |
Conservative forking out nothing in tax (3)
|
| T[o]RY without the O (forking out nothing) | ||
| 5 | SERIOUS |
One consigned to watery grave (7)
|
| Insertion (consigned to) of I inside SEROUS (of or relating to serum, so “watery”) | ||
| 6 | SCAFFOLDING |
Cheap restaurant sold sandwiches in grand structure outside (11)
|
| SOLD around (sandwiches) CAFF + IN + G | ||
| 7 | REJOICE |
Nearly all go back to church to celebrate (7)
|
| REJOI[n] (nearly all go back) + CE (Church of England) | ||
| 8 | MOSES |
Leader during flight sees half-hearted order overturned (5)
|
| Reversal (overturned) of SE[e]S (sees half-hearted) + OM (order of merit). Moses of course led the Israelites on the flight out of Egypt | ||
| 12 | CONTEMPLATE |
Study cape worn by model (11)
|
| C (cape) + ON (worn by) + TEMPLATE | ||
| 15 | CLIENTELE |
Following date, let Neil chat nurses up? (9)
|
| Hidden (nurses, ie is nursed by) reversal (up) in datE LET NEILChat | ||
| 17 | AGAINST |
Con advances towards guards (7)
|
| AT (towards) around (guards) GAINS (advances) | ||
| 18 | TANGLED |
Annoying fly around light’s in a muddle (7)
|
| Reversal (around) of GNAT (annoying fly) + LED | ||
| 20 | VIOLATE |
Victor and I love last minute break (7)
|
| V + I + O + LATE | ||
| 21 | SPOOL |
Reel turning goes round (5)
|
| Reversal (turning) of LOOPS (goes round). This one gave me more trouble than any of the others. First thought before I had any crossers was that it might be an anagram of GOES and O and that perhaps there’s such a thing as a goose-reel. There isn’t. Once I had the S it had to be SPINS. Reversal of SNIPS, perchance? Nope. Hey ho, such is the crosswording game | ||
| 23 | COS |
Clubs then set up for speaking informally (3)
|
| C (clubs) + reversal (set up, in a down clue) of SO (then). In the definition ‘for’ is meant to imply ‘because’, the informally spoken version of which is… |
Yep. Another splendid Sunday Filbert. I found this one trickier – it certainly took longer than usual. I completely agree with our blogger’s nominations – HITMAN, TRY, IN VAIN and that excellent hidden. And, yes, it was nice to look up ‘serous’ and find it in the dictionary. I wonder whether Filbert knew of the word or discovered it by chance. Other big ticks from me for AS THE CROW FLIES, BLITHE, DISHEVEL, INTESTINE and SCAFFOLDING.
Thanks both
PM@1 “me too”… I set a max time for a puzzle, and this took up nearly all of it. That said, the little culprits were COS, 23(d), and CHALET, 23(ac).
Another masterclass in setting, from Filbert.
I’m not so keen on the BURNHAM clue, too contrived for me.
Minor gripe, both thumbs up, Fil & moh
Excellent puzzle. Thanks Filbert.
Super blog. Thanks moh.
Agree with your rating.
DIABETES (moh’s observation notwithstanding), A T C FLIES, DECADENT,
DOWNFALL, BURNHAM (The CAD works today & I like it),
SCAFFOLDING and COS.
Worth it for the laugh out loud 9 across moment alone!
My only disappointment (with myself, not our excellent setter) was confidently entering LOOPS instead of SPOOL and then having to untangle the mess when the crossers didn’t work.
I thought this was one of Filbert’s best which is saying something. First three in DIABETES, BURNHAM and STURDY and already three noted for the favourites list. I think every clue would make the list for any other setter. MOSES and TANGLED also come to mind as great.
Tricky in places but only COS I needed the blog to understand.
Thanks MOH and Filbert.
Never would have seen COS. But I was a Slade fan, so it’d be COZ for me.
Oh, cum on, PeteHA3!
Gsol@4 like you, I entered LOOPS instead of SPOOL. Unlike you, I view it as a shortcoming of the clue rather than the solver.
My poor brain was well teased by this. Thanks!
Wonderful puzzle, which beat me in the SW in the end. I’m grateful for the help in parsing CHALET and HITMAN too. Funny how these things seem obvious once you know how and they were far from the complicated or beautiful clues with which this abounded.
Filbert in the Sunday slot is a real treat. I benefited from Quixote when he was the Sunday regular as it was a gentler test than the weekday Indie puzzles and I was just getting started with cryptic puzzles, but Filbert is a proper workout any day of the week. Bravo.
Loops was suggested by clue rather than spool.