Longitude provides this Saturday’s brain-teaser – this is the third Indy puzzle by this relatively new setter, and the first we have blogged.
We were slightly surprised to find this at the easier end of the Saturday puzzle spectrum, with several write-ins. There were some smooth surfaces as in previous puzzles but 17ac was rather clunky in our opinion.
As it is Saturday, we are wondering whether there might be a theme – if so, we have completely missed it.
SHOT (go) G (German) LASS (girl)
A reversal (‘on retirement’) of IF (provided) + VERy missing the last letter (‘limited’)
FF (very loud) PE (exercise) in OAK (wood)
An anagram (‘clumsy’) of SEAMAN round (‘gathering’) I (middle letter of sails)
An anagram (‘eccentric’) of CHEERED MEN and MET
A reversal (‘rejected’) of N I (Northern Ireland) RIM (border) – we’ve never come across this wine before
OVER (concerning) TU (Trade Union) RES (resolution)
We think this must be: RAKER (‘gardener employing pole’) round IN (current) MA (degree) – but, while a rake could be said to have a ‘pole’ as a handle, it is a bit tenuous. We first thought it might be: RAKER (‘gardener’) round (’employing’) N (North – ‘pole’) round (‘holding’) I (current) MA (degree) – but the inclusions are in the wrong order. Any thoughts?
PEPS (livens) I (setter)
CH (church) AM (in the morning) PS (post-script – ‘on top of that’) ELY (cathedral city) SEES (views)
NIT (egg) RATE (speed)
hOT (warm) missing (‘leaving’) ‘h’ (hotel) HELLO (welcome)
A homophone (‘in hearing’) of STILE (‘steps’)
An anagram (‘sick’) of PUPS CURED
S (first letter – ‘top’ – of seam) LOW (down)
IC (integrated circuit – ‘chip’) in OFFER (present)
Hidden (‘eaten by’) in oGRE BEginning
rANKLES (is irritating’) rOCK (stone) both missing (‘losing’) ‘r’ (runs)
KA (‘Ford model’) T in (‘splitting’) SE (southeast)
FINals (3 out of 6 letters – ‘semi’) GER (German) TIP (upset)
VISOR (head guard) round (‘smuggling’) a reversal (‘back’) of TI (note – in sol-fa notation)
An anagram (‘gibberish’) of I REPHRASED
An anagram (‘horrible’) of SINCE AROMA
NA (North America) MEP (‘politician in Europe’) LATE (deceased)
Y (yard) DO (party) OR (other ranks) after EARL. We initially thought that this might be an unusual version of ‘early doors’ – which doesn’t fit the definition. However, apparently the ‘early door’ was a special entrance to a theatre or hall for those who had paid extra to get in ahead of the normal opening time.
IN (home) APT (apartment) + LadY (first and last letters or ‘clothing’)
PEE (‘water’) round (‘covering’) ST (street) L (lake) + D (first letter or ‘beginning’ to drain)
Hidden (‘tucked into’) elEVENSes
An anagram (‘complicated’) of CHEaT missing (‘releasing’) ‘a’ round (‘pressing in’) I (middle letter of stick)
OO (rings) ‘covered’ in HP (sauce)
Comment #1
Thanks Longitude, and Bert&Joyce! I’ve no better idea on RAINMAKER, and had the same thoughts. Had difficulty with some other parsings, too. Never heard of HP sauce or MIRIN.
I think it’s the second of your two explanations for RAINMAKER and I think the setter intends that ‘holding’ means the ‘i’ should precede the ‘n’.
I parsed RAINMAKER as in blog. I don’t feel sofamore’s explanation quite works, especially with the placing of MA. I had to check the meanings of RAINMAKER, MIRIN & EARLY DOOR. I wasn’t sure about the definition for SKATE. I presume the verb for riding a skateboard is ‘to skateboard’ but I’m happy to be corrected.
I had the same parsing as sofamore, but yes not very satisfactory.
Also thought having the full EARL in the clue for 16d and the answer also a bit clunky.
I liked the &littish HOOP and CHAMPS ELYSEES was nicely put together. I am with Sofamore on RAINMAKER, employing and holding indicating two different insertions, but I agree that it’s clumsy.
Thanks for the blog, Bertandjoyce!
Appreciate the discussion about RAINMAKER – I could of course weigh in with my opinion on what the setter intended but why spoil the debate? 🙂
Thanks Longitude – we hope you drop in again a bit later in the day.
RAINMAKER
I may be repeating what others said in different words. Bear with me.
holding in the sense of stopping could lead to N holding/stopping IMA.
Let me hazard another guess:
N holding I and MA like holding hands.
Well, I enjoyed this. I had more problem with accepting the definition of RAINMAKER, rather than the minutiae of the parsing, either way works for me (I’m with Longitude@7!). At least, it meant my initial entry of ENTRY for 16d, was proven wrong!
“Leaving” in a clue always makes me question my sanity, and makes me think of “how many stupid people does it take.. ” jokes, but “jealous husband” was clearly enough. I feel, as a self confessed coffee snob, that 12d is a triple definition as “diluted espressos” are indeed both “horrible”, and “Americanos”, if you really need to name them. I had to look up MIRIN.
Thanks Longitude and Bertandjoyce
KVa@9 – I think you nailed it: Pole-holding current degree i.e. I+MA holding N = INMA, and that “employed” by RAKER = gardener
There were a lot of excellent surfaces in this one. I really enjoyed it.
Considering that RAINMAKER meant nothing to me in the sense of the definition, I can only see it as:
“Gardener employing pole” : the classic is “hoer”, but “raker” is smarter.
“Current”, usually I, but equally “in”, as Bryan Ferry had it.
Degree:: surely, MA?
RA [IN MA ] KER
I had a few quibbles with a few clues, such as “warm” = “hot”, in 26(ac); but, like before, I’ll give Longitude some Latitude, because at the end of the day, it’s a cracking puzzle with some very original compiling.
Thumbs up L and B&J
I was happy enough with RAKER being gardener employing pole, but didn’t notice that you might apply N to pole. Of the proposed variations, the only one that doesn’t have structural problems is the one in the blog, ie (IN MA) in RAKER. Layman @11’s ‘Pole-holding current degree’ works, but unfortunately that’s not what the clue says. And then you also have to take ’employing’ as ‘holding’, which it doesn’t mean.
Good that the setter has left it open, and I hope they continue not to explain.
Very good clues here, I particularly liked some of the simpler ones, HOOP and AMERICANOS and SHOT GLASS.
An enjoyable solve which we won’t spoil the memory of by getting involved in the RAINMAKER debate. A couple of comments, though; in 8dn we weren’t sure if the anagram was of ‘gibberish I’ or ‘I rephrased’ until we got AMNESIA for 10ac. As for 24dn we thought it a bit &lit-ish except that tinned spaghetti hoops are usually in tomato sauce rather than HP sauce. Oh, and NHO the Japanese wine but it was clearly clued and easily confirmed in Chambers.
Thanks, Longitude and B&J.
Thanks Longitude for the gentle Saturday morning entertainment. My top picks were CREME DE MENTHE, OVERTURES, PEPSI, READERSHIP, and INAPTLY. I missed the nho HOOP and thought the ‘is’ in ANKLE SOCK was inappropriate; a comma or dash would have been better IMO. I spotted a number of drinks throughout the grid but not enough to be a theme. Thanks B&J for the blog.
Hovis @ 4: In the US, skateboarders are often called skaters and their activity is called skating. The American Heritage Dictionary endorses this. Maybe an American indicator might have made the clue more accurate.