I rather enjoyed this one. No particularly obscure words and a couple of nice cryptic definitions as part of more precise clues which raised smiles. Also generally the surfaces seemed to read better than they have done in a few previous weeks.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | TYPE – dd |
| 3 | PINCUSHION – CHOPINUSIN*. Nice misdirection with ‘small pad’ seeming to reference a bedsit |
| 10 | EARHOLE – E + A + ROLE around H. Nice cd too |
| 11 | THEATRE – THE + A + T(osh) + RE |
| 12 | PANATELLA – PA around {AN + TELL around A} |
| 13 | KRILL – KILL around (lobste)R |
| 14 | ALPHABET SOUP – “ALF” + ABETS + OUP [= Oxford University Press] |
| 18 | ADDER’S TONGUE – GROUNDSEATED* |
| 21 | ALICE – cd |
| 22 | PINOT NOIR – INNPOORIT* |
| 24 | CONCERN – dd |
| 25 | BARMAID – BARM(y) + AID. Again another nice cd |
| 26 | TALK TURKEY – TURKEY after TALK |
| 27 | STYE – STY + (lan)E. And another good cd |
| Down | |
| 1 | THESPIAN – HES in PAINT* |
| 2 | PARSNIPS – PAR + SNIPS |
| 4 | IDEAL – I + DEAL |
| 5 | CUTLASSES – LUCASSETS* |
| 6 | SPEAK OUT OF TURN – OFT in U-TURN after PEAK in SO |
| 7 | IN TRIM – IN + TRIM |
| 8 | NEEDLE – dd |
| 9 | PORTLAND CEMENT – MODERNPLANTETC* &lit |
| 15 | EYE-OPENER – EYE + OPENER. To correctly parse this clue, ‘wonder’ has to be read as a noun as in ‘seven wonders of the world’ |
| 16 | IGNORANT – RANTING* around O |
| 17 | BEGRUDGE – BEG + RUDGE ref Barnaby Rudge |
| 19 | SHANDY – M + ASCOT |
| 20 | SIGNAL – dd |
| 23 | NOBLE – NOB + LE |
Common crossword abbreviations this week:
East = E
one = I
Somalia = SO
love = O
maiden = M
Thanks for the blog, Arthur.
I think, 25ac and 27ac aren’t cd’s, just nice charades.
Very friendly crossword, nothing too demanding.
The only one I still don’t understand is 21ac (ALICE).
Hi Sil van den Hoek.
Perhaps I didn’t explain myself very well. When I referred to cryptic definitions on 25ac and 27ac, I didn’t mean the whole clue, rather that the part of the clue that defines the answer (not the charade bit) is itself a cryptic definition of the word rather than a straight one. The cds I am talking about are – 25ac Local girl is a cd for a barmaid as she is a girl who works in a ‘local’, not a girl from the local area; 27ac a stye is not an eyesore in the sense that it is something that looks ugly, but an actual sore on your eye.
21ac is a reference to an Alice band which is a type of hairband that is made of a horseshoe of plastic that grips to your head. Apparently this name derives from Through the Looking Glass, as the pictures depict Alice wearing this sort of hairband.
I enjoyed this crossword as well – nothing too challenging, but some nicely crafted clues.
@ Sil – an alice band is a type of hairband, like a hard plastic inverted U shaped thing to hold hair back off the forehead, if you get what I mean. As far as I know it’s a specifically British term, and I’m guessing from your name you’re not British, so the confusion is understandable.
Ha – beaten to it by Arthur! Should have refreshed the page before commenting…
Thanks Arthur & Sam.
I was probably too fixated on the answer possibly being linked to, um, Alice Cooper (of all persons).
Just this morning, I remembered Alice to have seen before as a ‘hair band’, and one quick look in Chambers was enough.
Should have known – even so, thanks for the explanations
And Arthur, you’re absolutely right about your cd’s!