Jeemz has provided today’s cruciverbal entertainment. It is the second puzzle by this compiler that I have blogged.
I found this to be just as enjoyable as my first outing with this setter in May. For me, this puzzle was a tad tougher than the average Wednesday offering in the Indy, and I needed to chip away at it section by section, ending up in the NW quadrant.
As for my parsing, I am happy with everything apart from the definition at 6 – perhaps other solvers have better ideas?
In May, I spotted that this setter used more than the average number of colloquialisms in his puzzle, and I wondered if this would become a trend in his work. Today, once again, there were a good few slang expressions in evidence, in the solution at 16, and in the clues at 11, 19 and 21, so I may be onto something 😉
My favourite clues today were the cryptic definition at 2; 5, for making me smile; and 14 and 27, both for smoothness of surface.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are underlined; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
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||
| 1 | SCAREDYCAT |
Love to escape staggering day care cost for big baby (7-3)
|
| *(DAY CARE C<o>ST); “love (=zero, i.e. 0) to escape” means that letter “o” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “staggering” | ||
| 6 | FANG |
Root of foreign affairs’ west facing perspective (4)
|
| Reversed (“west facing perspective”) and hidden (“of”) in “foreiGN AFfairs”; a fang if the root of a tooth | ||
| 10 | NOSED |
Pried and snooped around when out of work (5)
|
| *(SNO<op>ED); “when out of work (=op, for opus)” means letters “op” are dropped from anagram, indicated by “around” | ||
| 11 | ADMIRABLE |
Belting delivered by officer guarding British base (9)
|
| [B (=British) in ADMIRAL (=officer, in navy)] + E (=base, in mathematics); the “belting” of the definition is an adjective meaning outstanding, knockout | ||
| 12 | ANTENNAE |
Things to detect before Queen’s brought back through (8)
|
| ENNA (ANNE=queen; “brought back” indicates reversal) in ANTE (=before); cryptically, antennae are “things to detect”, i.e. feelers | ||
| 13 | GOT AT |
Leave rubbish uncovered (3,2)
|
| GO (=leave, depart) + TAT (=rubbish); e.g. to get at the truth is to uncover it | ||
| 15 | TEST BED |
Spooner’s top unruly youth once put on trial here? (4,3)
|
| Spoonerism of “best (=top) + Ted (=unruly youth, i.e. Teddy boy)”; test beds are used to trial, i.e. try out, new products, etc | ||
| 17 | SUNBURN |
Overheating complaint returning new students chafe about – on the contrary! (7)
|
| RUB (=chafe, abrade) in [N (=new) + NUS (=students, i.e. National Union of Students)]; “returning” indicates reversal | ||
| 19 | CASHIER |
Discharge when ready, oddly forgotten sidearm (7)
|
| CASH (=ready, readies) + <s>I<d>E<a>R<m> (“oddly forgotten” means all odd letters are dropped); to cashier is to discharge, dismiss from the armed forces | ||
| 21 | HOLDALL |
Perhaps family seat’s hiding ancient baggage (7)
|
| OLD (=ancient, antique) in HALL (=perhaps family seat) | ||
| 22 | PAGED |
Called to attend case of genie inhabiting bedsit? (5)
|
| G<eni>E (“case of” means first and last letters only) in PAD (=bedsit, as in bachelor pad); e.g. a doctor can be paged to deal with an emergency | ||
| 24 | PARANOIA |
This obsession‘s the norm – put out a broadcast! (8)
|
| PAR (=the norm, standard) + homophone (“broadcast”) of “annoy (=put out, irk) a” | ||
| 27 | LAMBRUSCO |
Meat course briefly cooked in red wine (9)
|
| LAMB (=meat) + *(COURS<e>); “briefly” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “cooked” | ||
| 28 | GOOFY |
Game of rugby’s finale’s being featured in comic strip (5)
|
| GO (=game, from China) + OF + <rugb>Y (“finale” means last letter only is used); Goofy is a canine character (“being”) in Disney films | ||
| 29 | STYX |
Place that’s fouled by waters in the nether regions? (4)
|
| STY (=place that’s fouled, i.e. by pigs) + X (=by, as in The room measures 4m by 5m); in Greek mythology, the Styx is the river in the Underworld (“nether regions”) | ||
| 30 | ADVERTISER |
English right invested in consultant influencer (10)
|
| [E (=English) + RT (=right)] in ADVISER (=consultant); influencers on social media often serve as online advertisers | ||
| DOWN
|
||
| 1 | SINK |
Degenerate psychiatrist Human Resources shunted out (4)
|
| S<hr>INK (=psychiatrist); “Human Resources (=HR)” shunted out” means that letters “hr” are dropped | ||
| 2 | ARSONISTS |
Those illicitly using Tinder? (9)
|
| Cryptic definition; the “tinder” of the definition is not the dating app, but kindling, dry matter for starting a fire! | ||
| 3 | ENDUE |
Provide experience rookies primarily wanted (5)
|
| ENDU<r>E (=(to) experience, undergo); “rookies primarily (=first letter only) wanted (=missing)” means letter “r” is dropped | ||
| 4 | YEARNED |
Craved last bit of roly-poly taken home (7)
|
| <roly-pol>Y (“last bit of” means last letter) + EARNED (=taken home, of pay) | ||
| 5 | ARMLESS |
Unappealing church left without members (7)
|
| <ch>ARMLESS (=unappealing, unbecoming); “church (=CH) left” means letters “ch” are dropped; the “members” of the definition refers to the arms and legs of the body! | ||
| 7 | AMBIT |
Play, not bothering to use golf range (5)
|
| <g>AMBIT (=play, move, as in opening gambit); ‘”not bothering to use golf (=G, in NATO alphabet)” means letter “g” is dropped | ||
| 8 | GREAT-UNCLE |
Get confused with nuclear family member (5-5)
|
| *(GET + NUCLEAR); “confused” is anagram indicator | ||
| 9 | ORIGINAL |
First dole payment served up here – a pound! (8)
|
| ORIG (GIRO=dole payment; “served up” indicates vertical reversal) + IN (=here, on the spot) + A + L (=pound, as in LSD) | ||
| 14 | STOCKPILES |
Shares buildings with squirrels (10)
|
| STOCK (=shares, on stock market) + PILES (=building, as in ancestral piles); to squirrel (away) is to hoard, stockpile | ||
| 16 | BLINDERS |
Covers boxing learner’s knockout performances (8)
|
| L (=learner) in BINDERS (=covers, for e.g. documents); blinders, as in to play a blinder, are knockout performances | ||
| 18 | UNANIMOUS |
Renegotiated a sum Union and all agreed (9)
|
| *(A SUM UNION); “renegotiated” is anagram indicator | ||
| 20 | REPOSED |
Serene bride so perfectly portrayed in the mirror (7)
|
| Reversed (“in the mirror”) and hidden (“portrayed”, shown) in “briDE SO PERfectly” | ||
| 21 | HORMONE |
Discovered more bread mainly bolsters husband’s testosterone? (7)
|
| H (=husband) + <m>OR<e> (dis-cover-ed” means first and last letters are dropped) + MONE<y> (=bread, dosh; “mainly” means last letter is dropped) | ||
| 23 | GAMMY |
Match cut short, setter’s injured (5)
|
| GAM<e> (=match, fixture; “cut short” means last letter is dropped) + MY (=setter’s); a gammy leg is an injured, maimed one | ||
| 25 | NIGHT |
Before dawn, time first sign of haunting spirit turned up … (5)
|
| T (=time) + H<aunting> (“first sign of” means first letter only is used) + GIN (=spirit, i.e. drink); “turned up” indicates reversal | ||
| 26 | DYER |
… one ensuring shades stay put – sounding portentous (4)
|
| Homophone (“sounding”) of “dire (=portentous)”; the “shades” of the definition are shades of colour that should be colourfast, i.e. stay put |
RR: FANG, 6(ac), bemused me a bit; I took “root” to be an indicator for the centre of “foreiGN AFfairs”, west to be the reversal of direction, and “facing perspective”, to be the location and protuberance of the tooth.
I’m not convinced though.
I have enjoyed the setter’s previous puzzles, and no change this time….but, I felt Jeemz has upped the difficulty level.
No quibbles, very fair setting, no bizarros, excellent variety. The surfaces are particularly well crafted.
ADMIRABLE & ORIGINAL.
Both thumbs erect, Jeemz and Riku
FANG
I had the same parse as the blogger.
“west facing perspective” is the reversal indicator (maybe a bit wordy).
SUNBURN
I took
“chafe about-on the contrary” as “about chafe”
(or one can say “chafe new students about”)
Enjoyed the puzzle as well as the blog.
Thanks Jeemz and RR.
I was very happy to learn Jeemz was in the chair today and this puzzle certainly didn’t disappoint. Some typically well-crafted wordplay and misdirection on display here coupled with witty surface reads.
Particular highlights include ADMIRABLE, ARMLESS, CASHIER and the amusing HORMONE.
Top puzzle and top blog, thanks Jeemz and RR