Lark has provided our cruciverbal entertainment this Wednesday. Unless I am mistaken, as a blogger I have so far had only one previous encounter with this compiler.
I found this to be a moderately challenging puzzle that I needed to solve in two sittings. I would definitely place it towards the upper end of the Indy spectrum in terms of difficulty.
Some of the wordplay was quite intricate today, e.g. at 1D and 23, but I think that I got there in the end with the parsing. I wondered about V for “fifth” as opposed to “five” at 1D, and I’d be keen to read what other solvers think about this.
My favourite clues today were 4, for the “decentralisation” device and overall surface reading; 17, for its Roman numeral-based substitution device; 19, for another substitution device; and 23, for overall construction. The entry at 15 was new to me.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are underlined; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
|
||
| 1 | VAIN |
Conceited American in Bordeaux? (4)
|
| A (=American) in VIN (=Bordeaux, i.e. a French wine!) | ||
| 3 | ISLE OF MAN |
Douglas here maintains svelte physique eating zero fat meals primarily (4,2,3)
|
| [O (=zero, pictorially) + F<at> M<eals> (“primarily” means first letters only)] in IS LEAN (=maintains svelte physique); Douglas is the capital of the Isle of Man | ||
| 8 | ADD-ON |
Bonus promotion almost over (3-2)
|
| AD (=promotion, i.e. advert) + DON<e> (=over, finished; “almost” means last letter is dropped) | ||
| 10 | DRILLING |
Practising dental work? (8)
|
| Double definition: drilling is practising, exercising AND an example of “dental work” | ||
| 11 | INSIGNIA |
Endless, asinine rubbish about Instagram symbol (8)
|
| IG (=Instagram) in *(ASININ<e>); “endless” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “rubbish” | ||
| 12 | SOLENT |
Very fast body of water (6)
|
| SO (=very) + LENT (=fast, i.e. period of fasting) | ||
| 15 | OBLATES |
Old bishop behind society for religious people (7)
|
| O (=old, as in OT) + B (=bishop, in chess) + LATE (=behind) + S (=society); oblates are people dedicated to a monastic or religious life | ||
| 17 | OUTLAST |
Have more staying power than half-hearted social reject (7)
|
| OUTCAST (=social reject, pariah); “half-hearted” means middle letter C (=100, in Roman numerals) is halved to L (=50)! | ||
| 18 | TEENAGE |
In secondary education? Rest and eat before start of exam (7)
|
| TEE (=rest, stand, for a golf ball) + NAG (=eat, worry) + E<xam> (“start of” means first letter only) | ||
| 20 | VANILLA |
Pedestrian unlucky to meet a vehicle coming first (7)
|
| VAN (=vehicle) + ILL (=unlucky, as in ill wind) + A; vanilla is plain, ordinary, mundane, of tastes, say, hence “pedestrian” | ||
| 22 | KOALAS |
End of combat that’s unfortunate for indigenous Australians (6)
|
| KO (=end of combat, i.e. knockout) + ALAS (=that’s unfortunate) | ||
| 23 | ELONGATE |
Make extended remix of metal song principally lacking energy (8)
|
| *(<m>ETAL <s>ONG) + E (=energy); “principally lacking” means first letters are dropped from anagram, indicated by “remix of” | ||
| 26 | AVIATORS |
Pilots‘ map readers ignoring leader – not good (8)
|
| <n>AVI<g>ATORS (=map readers); “ignoring leader” means first letter is dropped; “not good (=G)” means letter “g” is dropped | ||
| 27 | TUTOR |
Express disapproval over royal governess? (5)
|
| TUT (=express disapproval) + O (=over, on cricket scorecard) + R (=royal, as in RSPB) | ||
| 28 | KNACKERED |
I’m not sure journalist’s stalking ability is exhausted (9)
|
| KNACK (=ability, skill) + ER (=I’m not sure) + ED (=journalist, i.e. editor) | ||
| 29 | UPON |
Familiar with riding? (4)
|
| to be well up on a subject is to be very familiar with it; if you are upon a horse you could well be riding it! | ||
| DOWN
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||
| 1 | VLADIVOSTOK |
Fifth and final poet returning to visit fine eastern city (11)
|
| DIVO (OVID=poet; “returning” indicates reversal) in [V (=fifth, in Roman numerals) + LAST (=final) + OK (=fine)]; Vladivostok is a city in Siberia in the far east of Russia, hence “eastern city” | ||
| 2 | INDUS |
Asian runner visiting Germany and America (5)
|
| IN (=visiting, at) + D (=Germany, in IVR) + US (=America); the “runner” of the definition is a river! | ||
| 4 | SIDE ISSUES |
Discuss idle site to be repurposed after decentralisation, and related matters (4,6)
|
| *(DIS<c>USS I<dl>E S<it>E); “after decentralisation” means central letters are dropped from anagram, indicated by “to be repurposed” | ||
| 5 | ERIN |
Ireland‘s old monarch trending (4)
|
| ER (=old (=former) monarch, i.e. Elizabeth Regina) + IN (=trending, fashionable) | ||
| 6 | FALLOUT |
Consequences of following a large thug (7)
|
| F (=following) + A + L (=large) + LOUT (=thug) | ||
| 7 | ANNIE HALL |
Film in musical venue (5,4)
|
| ANNIE (=musical, from 1977, about an orphan called Annie) + HALL (=venue); the reference is to the 1977 US romantic comedy-drama starring Woody Allen and Diane Keaton | ||
| 9 | NIGHT |
King abandons Lancelot for one dark period (5)
|
| <k>NIGHT (=Lancelot for one, in Arthurian legend); “King (=K, in cards and chess) abandons” means letter “k” is dropped” | ||
| 13 | TETRAHEDRON |
Pyramid model done rather crudely (11)
|
| T (=model, of Ford car) + *(DONE RATHER); “crudely” is anagram indicator | ||
| 14 | CONVALESCE |
Rally and unite to secure new victory (10)
|
| [N (=new, as in NT) + V (=victory, as in VE Day)] in COALESCE (=unite, come together); to convalesce is to recover from illness, hence to “rally” | ||
| 16 | LEE MARVIN |
Western actor playing evil men, including a Republican (3,6)
|
| [A + R (=Republican)] in *(EVIL MEN); “playing” is anagram indicator; the reference is to US actor Lee Marvin (1924-87), star of numerous westerns | ||
| 19 | ARAMAIC |
Language master’s superseding bachelor’s in another language (7)
|
| ARABIC (=(another) language); “master (=MA, i.e. Master of Arts) superseding bachelor (=B)” means letter “b” is replaced by “ma” | ||
| 21 | NONET |
Nine gross only? (5)
|
| Cryptically, “no net” could mean “gross only”!; a nonet is a (group of) nine | ||
| 24 | ACT UP |
Revolving set about to cause problems (3,2)
|
| PUT (=set, place) + CA (=about, circa); “revolving” indicates reversal | ||
| 25 | DOSE |
Anonymous person taking small quantity of medication (4)
|
| S (=small, of sizes) in DOE (=anonymous person, i.e. John Doe) |
Lovely crossword, some took a bit of teasing out and making sense of the parsing but all fair in the end.
My favorites were OUTLAST, VANILLA and ARAMAIC.
Thanks to Lark and RatkojaRiku. Any reason why the blog for ELONGATE is striked through? I parsed it the same as you.
Just seen it’s been updated, I must have caught you in the middle of an edit 🙂
1d was the least appealing in an otherwise great set of clues. My opinion. Elsewhere really enjoyed the whimsy (‘make extended’, ‘up on’ for riding etc) and the ‘larkiness’ (?) of the clues hence OUTLAST, ARAMAIC, AVIATOR and TEENAGE are among my favourites. Thanks RR and Lark.
I believe the justification for V = fifth would be, say, Henry V which one would read as Henry (the) Fifth?