A slightly tougher than normal Monday puzzle from Vulcan?
It may have been becasue I was watching a football match while I was doing this, so wasn’t concentrating fully, but this Vulcan felt a little tougher than the Monday puzzles he has set before. It was fun, though, and the image that WITHERED ON THE VINE gave me at 12:30am was enough to raise a smile.
Thanks, Vulacn.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SPRITE |
Special ceremony for fairy (6)
|
| sp. (special) + RITE (“ceremony”) | ||
| 5 | CORNROWS |
Hairy arrangement faced by harvester? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 9 | ACT THREE |
Halfway through play perhaps catheter fails (3,5)
|
| *(catheter) [anag:fails] | ||
| 10 | VANITY |
Such a case of conceitedness? (6)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 11 | PURR |
Express pleasure, turning up with classy car (4)
|
| [turning] <=UP with RR (Rolls Royce, so “classy car”) | ||
| 12 | HUMILIATED |
Mortified, having to sing wordlessly to one particular backing (10)
|
| HUM (“to sing wordlessly”) to I (one) + <=DETAIL (“particular”, backing) | ||
| 13 | STAMEN |
In tin, weak fertiliser (6)
|
| In Sn (chemical symbol for “tin”), TAME (“weak”) | ||
| 14 | DON’T KNOW |
Pass reply to pollster (4,4)
|
| Double definition, I think? | ||
| 16 | REHOUSED |
Wounded hero accustomed to being moved elsewhere (8)
|
| *(hero) [anag:wounded] + USED (“accustomed”) | ||
| 19 | UPPITY |
Arrogant but promoted – shame (6)
|
| UP (“promoted”) + PITY (“shame”) | ||
| 21 | NINETEENTH |
Drinking hole where one may buy round after round (10)
|
| Cryptic definition referring to the NINETEENTH hole, the bar at a golf course. | ||
| 23 | EWES |
Farm animals’ exploit recounted (4)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [recounted] of USE (“exploit”) | ||
| 24 | SCREED |
Tedious speech, a statement of belief by saint (6)
|
| CREED (“statement of belief”) by S (saint) | ||
| 25 | BRINGS IN |
Yields items of jewellery to be thrown away? (6,2)
|
| RINGS (“items of jewellery”) in BIN (“to be thrown away”) | ||
| 26 | ASK FOR IT |
To seek computer assistance is to invite trouble (3,3,2)
|
| If you ASK FOR I.T. you may want “computer assistance”. | ||
| 27 | SODDEN |
Two types of earth, very wet (6)
|
| SOD (“earth”) + DEN (“earth”, as in an animal’s home) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | PICK UP THE PIECES |
Recover from shock of upsetting the board? (4,2,3,6)
|
| If you upset a chess board, you may have to PICK UP THE PIECES | ||
| 3 | INTERIM |
During school time, accepting one is temporary (7)
|
| IN (“during”) TERM (“school time”) accepting I (one) | ||
| 4 | EARPHONES |
US lawman perfects hearing aid (9)
|
| (Wyatt) EARP (“US lawman”) + HONES (“perfects”) | ||
| 5 | CREAMED |
Like some potatoes? Made huge fuss, denied starter (7)
|
| (s)CREAMED (“made huge fuss”, denied starter) | ||
| 6 | REVEL |
Delight as joystick is pulled up (5)
|
| <=LEVER (“joystick”) [is pulled up] | ||
| 7 | RANSACK |
Hurried with big bag for plunder (7)
|
| RAN (“hurried”) with SACK (“big bag”) | ||
| 8 | WITHER ON THE VINE |
Excitedly invite whore, then fail through inanition (6,2,3,4)
|
| *(invite whore then) [anag:excitedly] | ||
| 15 | NOUGHTIES |
Ten years at the start of century? It’s enough mess (9)
|
| *(its enough) [anag:mess] | ||
| 17 | ONESELF |
Me and my little helper? (7)
|
| ONE’S (“my”) + ELF (“little helper”) | ||
| 18 | DINGBAT |
Special symbol indicating ingredients of pudding batter (7)
|
| Hidden in [ingredients of] “pudDING BATter” | ||
| 20 | PLEDGED |
Paid across the counter as promised (7)
|
| Pd. (paid) across LEDGE (“counter”) | ||
| 22 | EIDER |
Monarch formerly eating fish and duck (5)
|
| ER (Elizabeth Regina or Edward Rex, so “monarch formerly”) eating IDE (“fish”) |
Nitpick: Surely 5a is a ddef not a cdef? On the other hand, 14a could be equally well described as either, and if it’s a ddef it’s not very double, so I’m inclined to call that one a cdef rather than a ddef.
…whereas I had 14 ac (DON’T KNOW) as a Rufus-style cryptic, not a dd; it’s how you say ‘pass’ to a pollster rather than to Magnusson/Snow/Anderson/Humphrys/Myrie. Thanks loonapick, and Vulcan for his consistently effortless class.
Sorry g#1, I only had 1 comment to read and I didn’t even finish it..yes, agree with you re 14ac 🙂
This was a PURR delight! This is what I like about cryptics – witty wordplay and a surprise. I liked all of it, but particularly – BRINGS IN, ASK FOR IT, NINETEENTH, HUMILIATED, UPPITY, ONESELF and ACT THREE. Thanks Vulcan and loonapick!
I would say 5a is not exactly a dd as the harvester would face CORN ROWS (2 words not one). 10a, however, I think, is – the first part referring to a vanity case
No football match to distract me, so I thought that this was typically fine Monday fare from the ever-excellent Vulcan. BRINGS IN was perhaps a bit tricky for this slot? But a great clue. Thanks Vulcan and loonapick.
Having found the answer for 23ac, it got me thinking about English pronunication and why “use” (noun) and “use”(verb) should be pronounced slightly differently. BRINGS IN might be a bit tricky, but I smile every time I see this “trick”.
Enjoyed this. Wondered briefly at 17d whether Vulcan had a helper at the bellows before thinking of ‘elf’.
I think 14a is a dd. If it’s a weakish one that might be because it’s a Monday. If you can get the answer from half the clue it’s not a cdef imo. The whole picture rearranges itself at once when it’s a cdef. Like looking at blobs and seeing something. My tuppence.
I found this tough to get going, and now it’s done, i can’t really see why.
SODDEN was nice, as was NINETEENTH.
Many thanks both.
I enjoyed WITHER ON THE VINE greatly, and also thought ONESELF was neat. ACT THREE was amusingly grim.
Agree with the parsing comments by Layman@4 (CORNROWS, VANITY) and Fuddleduddy@7 (DON’T KNOW).
Thanks both
Last time Vulcan was on Monday it was ‘slightly easier’ but I struggled with it. This one which is ‘trickier’ I seemed to sail through with a bit of resistance in the south east.
Liked NOUGHTIES, BRINGS IN and DONT KNOW.
Thanks Loonapick and Vulcan.
Who else had to look up the meaning of inanition?
simonc @11: me too
simonc@11 – me too. A lovely crossword that was chewy enough to get the brain cells working on a Monday morning.
Thanks to L & V.
Enjoyable challenge.
William@8, I liked NINETEENTH as it reminded me of my golfing father.
simonc@11 – me too, I had to look up the word ‘inanition’.
Add me to the list, simonc @11!
Mind you, after having done so, I decided that clue had a pleasing surface.
EARPHONES and PURR were also neat.
Thanks Vulcan and loonapick
Comment #16