One for the linguists (and maybe the mathematicians?)
The title of the puzzle translates as Over Zero (the first word in German, the second in Spanish), which is the first clue that this puzzle involves languages and numbers. As I solved, I began to see a pattern and realised that the unclued answers were numbers in German and Spanish, as highlighted in the grid. Generally, this was on the easier side of the Spectator spectrum, both in terms of clues and theme. I was disappointed to see OED appearing twice as “dictionary” and I think there may have been a misprint in the clue for OSSETERS.
Thanks, Doc.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | UNO DOS |
Theme entry
|
| One, two in Spanish | ||
| 7 | BEN OSS |
Baroness without a right wandering Munro south of Tyndrum (3,3)
|
| *(boness) [anag:wandering] where BONESS is B(ar)ONESS without A + R (right)
Ben Oss is a mountain in Scotland, just north of the town of Tyndrum. |
||
| 12 | NUEVE DIEZ |
Theme entry
|
| Nine, ten in Spanish | ||
| 13 | ISSEI |
Some Tories sick of sending back immigrant (5)
|
| Hidden backwards in [some…sending back] “torIES SIck”
An issei was a Japanese immigrant to North America, especially in the first half of the 20th century. |
||
| 15 | REMINISCE |
Call up memories about nicer semi (9)
|
| *(nicer semi) [anag:about] | ||
| 16 | ENLIST |
Join up tinsel, possibly (6)
|
| *(tinsel) [anag:possibly] | ||
| 20 | CONTROL |
Govern with restraint (7)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 21 | LHOTSE |
Hotels rebuilt on Himalayan peak (6)
|
| *(hotels) [anag:rebuilt]
Lhotse, in the Himalayas, is the fourth tallest mountain in the world. |
||
| 22 | RECCES |
Backed prophet holding chapters of preliminary military surveys (6)
|
| [backed] <=SEER (“prophet”) holding CC (chapters) | ||
| 24 | NEUN ZEHN |
Theme entry
|
| Nine, ten in German | ||
| 26 | ZIZZ |
Variables restricting one sleeping (4)
|
| ZZZ (“variables”, in mathematics) restricting I (one) | ||
| 27 | RIA |
Fresh air and water (3)
|
| *(air) [anag:fresh] | ||
| 28 | SKI |
Writer of short stories ignores a runner (3)
|
| S(a)KI (“writer of short stories”) ignores A | ||
| 29 | SERE |
Dried up burn, you say (4)
|
| Homophone [you say] of SEAR (“burn”) | ||
| 32 | CREEPAGE |
Critical safety parameter shown by Native American and attendant (8)
|
| CREE (“Native American”) and PAGE (“attendant”) | ||
| 34 | HALVAH |
Cut 50% almost of a hot Turkish sweetmeat (6)
|
| [almost] HALV(e) (“cut 50% of) + A + H (hot) | ||
| 35 | UGRIAN |
Air-gun shot Magyar (6)
|
| *(airgun) [anag:shot] | ||
| 37 | AIRMAIL |
Post from central Cairo and around Lima (7)
|
| [central] (c)AIR(o) and *(lima) [anag:around] | ||
| 39 | MONTAG |
Got man round after the weekend in Wiesbaden (6)
|
| *(got man) [anag:round]
Montag is Monday in German, so “after the weekend in Wiesbaden”. |
||
| 42 | TRUE STORY |
I kid you not! (4,5)
|
| (not at all) cryptic definition | ||
| 43 | RANGE |
Managed, say, to get back in bounds (5)
|
| RAN (“managed”) + <=e.g. (“say”, to get back) | ||
| 44 | SIETE OCHO |
Theme entry
|
| Sevem, eight in Spanish | ||
| 45 | ON FIRE |
Individual around cypress, say, ablaze (2,4)
|
| ONE (“individual”) around FIR (“cypress, say”) | ||
| 46 | ADJOIN |
Excited Jordanian ran away to border (6)
|
| *(jodain) [anag:excited) where JODAIN is JO(r)DANI(an) with RAN away | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | UNDÉ |
Rolling in part of Sunderland (4)
|
| Hidden in [in part of] “sUNDErland” | ||
| 2 | NUANCES |
Pests losing one’s shades in Paris (7)
|
| NU(is)ANCES (“pests”) losing I’s (one’s) | ||
| 3 | OEIL |
Initially, one employs it looking in France (4)
|
| [initially] O(ne) E(mploys) I(t) L(ooking) and semi &lit. | ||
| 4 | OERSTED |
CGS unit once appearing in dictionary (7)
|
| ERST (“once”) in OED (Oxford English “Dictionary”)
The oersted is the CGS unit of magnetic strength, named after a Danish physicist. |
||
| 5 | PIEMONTE |
One-time prince wandering around Italian region (8)
|
| *(one time p) [anag:wandering] where P is prince | ||
| 6 | KEMPLE |
Forty bundles of hay outside of Kingussie is almost sufficient (6)
|
| [outsides of] K(ingussi)E + (a)MPLE (almost “sufficient”) | ||
| 8 | EINE |
Theme entry
|
| One in German | ||
| 9 | OSSETERS |
Overlarge compilers have time for species of sturgeon (8)
|
| OS (outsized, so “overage”) + SET(t)ERS (“compilers”, having (NO?) time)
I think this may be a misprint, as the clue is asking for more T rather than less. |
||
| 10 | SECHS |
Theme entry
|
| Six in German | ||
| 11 | SIEBEN ACHT |
Theme entry
|
| Seven and eight in German | ||
| 14 | CINCO SEIS |
Theme entry
|
| Five and six in Spanish | ||
| 17 | BLUISH |
I turn red outside – not like this! (6)
|
| I with BLUSH (“turn red”) outside | ||
| 18 | POZZOLANA |
Volcanic dust ruined no palazzo (9)
|
| *(no palazzo) [anag:ruined] | ||
| 19 | TRES CUATRO |
Theme entry
|
| Three and four in Spanish | ||
| 23 | STRAND |
Leave old cigarette on property (6)
|
| Triple definition, the second being an old brand of cigarette, and the third being a property on a UK Monopoly board. | ||
| 25 | VIER FUNF |
Theme entry
|
| Four and five in German | ||
| 26 | ZWEI DREI |
Theme entry
|
| Two and three in German | ||
| 30 | SAMOYED |
Siberian retired graduate’s entry finally included in dictionary (7)
|
| [retired] <=MA’s (Masters of Arts, so “graduates”) + (entr)Y [finally] included in OED (the OED makes its second appearance (see 4dn)) | ||
| 31 | MALACHI |
Minor prophet having endless pain in African country (7)
|
| [endless] ACH(e) in MALI (“African country”) | ||
| 33 | GAS OIL |
Georgia with earth yielding red diesel (3,3)
|
| Ga (Georgia) with SOIL (“earth”) | ||
| 36 | GORAN |
Follows Sven managerially in Chicago, randomly (5)
|
| Hidden [in] “chicaGO RANdomly”
Sven GÖRAN Eriksson managed several football teams, including England (2001-06) |
||
| 38 | USER |
Addict’s trick cycling (4)
|
| (R)USE [“trick”, cycling] | ||
| 40 | TACO |
Army cook snubs fine foreign food (4)
|
| TA (Territorial “Army”) + CO(ok) [snubbing OK (“fine”)] | ||
| 41 | GOON |
Don’t stop, you fool! (4)
|
| GO ON (“don’t stop”) |