A typically fun puzzle from Slormgorm today.
Enjoyable and mostly not too taxing, I found. A little head-scratching required over some of the more oblique definitions but all made sense in the end. Thanks, Slormgorm!
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | OFF-WHITE |
Sour, very pure cream? (3-5)
|
| OFF (sour) + WHITE (very pure) | ||
| 5 | OBTAIN |
Get old black and brown trousers close to Delhi (6)
|
| O (old) + B (black) + TAN (brown) containing (trousers) last letter of (close to) delhI | ||
| 10 | LOBSTER |
One can pinch bishop skewering misplaced queen (7)
|
| B (bishop) inserted in (skewering) LOST (misplaced) + ER (queen) | ||
| 11 | PARTING |
Barnet intersection? (7)
|
| Cryptic definition – based on Barnet [fair] being Cockney rhyming slang for hair | ||
| 12 | GRIMACERS |
Producers of The Faces run into stern maestros (9)
|
| R (run) goes into GRIM (stern) + ACES (maestros) | ||
| 13 | HOP IT |
Work put into successful release Get Out (3,2)
|
| OP (work) put into HIT (successful release) | ||
| 15 | SHAKA |
Sierra, Hotel, Alpha, Kilo, Alpha and Zulu? (5)
|
| Combination of letters of the Nato alphabet
Shaka kaSenzangakhona was a Zulu king of the 19th century. There’s a statue of him in Camden in London |
||
| 16 | ADAPTORS |
Fancy star pad filled with old screenwriters, perhaps (8)
|
| Anagram (fancy) of STAR PAD containing (filled with) O (old) | ||
| 19 | CINEASTE |
During class, popular European flicks admirer (8)
|
| Inserted into (during) CASTE (class) are IN (popular) + E (European) | ||
| 20 | MONAL |
Patch of cream on a large pheasant (5)
|
| Selection of letters from (patch of) creaM ON A Large | ||
| 21 | LANCE |
Way in which commando leader produces weapon (5)
|
| LANE (way) in which the first letter (leader) of Commando is inserted | ||
| 23 | SCARECROW |
Fieldworker perhaps in Orca’s crew at sea (9)
|
| Anagram (at sea) of ORCA’S CREW | ||
| 25 | ADIPOSE |
Fat daughter, one kept under wraps by a model (7)
|
| D (daughter) + I (one) inserted into (kept under wraps by) A + POSE (model) | ||
| 27 | PLACEBO |
Put down contrary old boy, one acting as a dummy (7)
|
| PLACE (put down) + OB (old boy) reversed (contrary) | ||
| 28 | ELEVEN |
Piece from Liszt with energy in regular time? (6)
|
| First letter of (piece from) Liszt + E (energy) in EVEN (regular) | ||
| 29 | IN PERSON |
Live at home with a child (2,6)
|
| IN (at home) + PER (a) + SON (child) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | OOLOGIST |
Loves record by soprano in X-Factor: ‘I am the Eggman!’ (8)
|
| O O (loves) + LOG (record) + S (soprano) in IT (X-factor) | ||
| 2 | FABRICATION |
Surprisingly, a bionic fart is a man-made thing (11)
|
| Anagram (surprisingly) of A BIONIC FART | ||
| 3 | HIT PARADE |
Awfully rapid heat in which hot air will rise? (3,6)
|
| Anagram (awfully) of RAPID HEAT
The definition is perhaps Slormgorm’s comment on the merits of modern popular music – EDIT: see comment #2 below from Hovis – ‘hot air’ is a cryptic way of saying ‘popular song’ |
||
| 4 | TERSE |
Concise poetry first released by tenor (5)
|
| T (tenor) + [v]ERSE (poetry) with the first letter ‘released’ | ||
| 6 | BIRTH |
Labour’s source of bottomless hilarity on leader’s exit (5)
|
| First letter (source) of Bottomless + [m]IRTH (hilarity) less the first letter (on leader’s exit) | ||
| 7 | AMI |
Is your setter to produce china in France? (3)
|
| “AM I” (is your setter) | ||
| 8 | NIGHT |
I’m going to crash in the darkness (5)
|
| Double definition – “I’m going to crash” being an informal way of saying “I’m off to bed” or “[Good]night” | ||
| 9 | APOSTATE |
A military installation worried deserter (8)
|
| A + POST (military installation) + ATE (worried) | ||
| 14 | PARTNERLESS |
Plasterers plastered plastering top of nursery alone? (11)
|
| Anagram (plastered) of PLASTERERS covering (plastering) first letter (top) of Nursery | ||
| 16 | ASSISTER |
One who’ll help a female unionist in hearing (8)
|
| Sounds like (in hearing) “A SISTER” (a female unionist – as in a member of a sisterhood) | ||
| 17 | TEMPERATE |
Gentle record by The Police turned up by judge (9)
|
| EP (record) + MET (the Police) reversed (turned up) + RATE (judge) | ||
| 18 | SLOW DOWN |
Take it easy if son gets doubly depressed (4,4)
|
| S (son) + LOW DOWN (two words meaning depressed) | ||
| 21 | LEAVE |
Go and throw up after husband turns 50 (5)
|
| [h]EAVE (throw up) after H (husband) is replaced by L (50) | ||
| 22 | ERODE |
After getting into drugs, staff deteriorate (5)
|
| Getting into E + E (drugs) is ROD (staff) | ||
| 24 | ASPEN |
One with many branches in American resort (5)
|
| Double definition – a type of tree and a ski resort in Colorado, USA | ||
| 26 | ICE |
Rocks I carefully evade at the front (3)
|
| I + first letters (at the front) of Carefully Evade |
More speed bumps than usual for one of Slormgorm’s. I wondered about the definition for HIT PARADE. I managed to remember (but checked anyway) that barnet is hair, but still struggled with the definition for PARTING. And time is the definition for ELEVEN? NIGHT & TEMPERATE also eluded me — I should have remembered the MET.
Personally, I just took ‘hot air’ to be ‘in fashion song’.
Hovis – yes, I think you’re right, good spot!
Dad joke: why is the scarecrow a leader? Because he’s outstanding in his field. But yes, mercifully cruisy after Nimrod and Io, with fun constructions in which the Beatles provide a scientist but the Top 40 is hot air. Thanks to Slorm and Widders.
Yes, that makes sense, Hovis.
I agree entirely with your preamble, Widdersbel – a lot of fun!
My ticks were for OBTAIN, LOBSTER, CINEASTE, SCARECROW, PLACEBO, IN PERSON, OOLOGIST, APOSTATE, PARTNERLESS and TEMPERATE.
Thanks to Slormgorm and Widdersbel.
RHS went reasonably quickly, then the left took some time.
I thought PARTNERLESS was fun, and I also ticked SHAKA (nice surface), FABRICATION (great surface and nice observation), and OFF WHITE (had me thinking). Interesting that it is a totally different list to Eileen – usually a sign of a good puzzle.
I did not parse LEAVE or ELEVEN, although they are obvious in hindsight. And, adding to GDU’s list, I thought Producers of the faces = GRIMACERS was the most whimsical of his definitions (I am trying to be polite about it, not being a fan of cryptic definitions).
Thanks Slormgorm and Widdersbel
We really enjoyed this one. Fine surfaces, fun definitions and a laugh-out-loud for 2D
We were made to think, but not too hard, with nothing left unparsed.
Thanks to Slormgorm and Widdersbel
Challenging in places but we got almost everything apart from 28ac. Totally stumped there looking for a piece by Liszt – we would never have thought of ‘time’ for the definition. And we’d never heard of a monal pheasant but at least that was easily got from the clue. Quite a lot to like, though, including SCARECROW and PLACEBO.
Thanks, Slormgorm and Widdersbel.
@SLORMGORM does it again!!! What a fun puzzle. All very fair clueing with just the right level of challenge. Many thanks.