Gurney is this morning’s setter.
Most of this went in smoothly, but I had to check CHRISM as it’s a new word to me, and it took me an inordinate amount of time to see DELHI (my LOI). There was a kind of a theme, I think, having spotted PRAISE, SACRED, HOST, PACIFIST, OLD HARRY, (team) SPIRIT, CEREMONIAL and the aforementioned CHRISM, as well as mentions of GOD and CHURCH in clues. However, the atheist in me could argue that CHARADE, DEAD END, HISTORICAL MONOLITH and IMAGINE are also theme words!
Thanks to Gurney.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PRAISE |
Speaks to God, we hear — appropriate words? (6)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [we hear] of PRAYS (“speaks to god”) | ||
| 4 | PORTRAIT |
Picture, landscape, given turn in print? (8)
|
| In printing, landscape orientation is PORTRAIT given a turn | ||
| 10 | CHARADE |
Cleaner promotion — ultimately risible travesty (7)
|
| CHAR (“cleaner”) + AD (“promotion”) + [ultimately] (risibl)E | ||
| 11 | DEAD END |
No way out — change demanded, Mike no longer needed (4,3)
|
| *(deanded) [anag:changed] where DEANDED is DE(m)ANDED with M (Mike, in the NATO phonetic alphabet) no longer needed | ||
| 12 | FLAK |
Criticism of liquid carrier when son is missed out (4)
|
| FLA(s)K (“liquid carrier”) when S (son) is missed out | ||
| 13 | CHEAPSKATE |
Keep cash at building — and become this? (10)
|
| *(keep cash at) [anag:buiding] | ||
| 15 | SACRED |
To some extent becomes a creditor, worthy of respect (6)
|
| Hidden in [to some extent] “becomeS A CREDitor” | ||
| 16 | ARBITER |
Judge’s supporter coming back — one term unfinished (7)
|
| <-BRA (“supporter”, coming back) + I (one) + TER(m) [unfinished] | ||
| 20 | MEMENTO |
What may help to recall internet feature often regularly circulating (7)
|
| MEME (“internet feature”) + <=O(f)T(e)N [regularly, circulating] | ||
| 21 | KIMONO |
Leading couples in kilts mostly, not clothing from East! (6)
|
| [leading couples in] KI(lts) MO(stly) NO(t) | ||
| 24 | HISTORICAL |
The man’s tailor subtly introducing cut originally from the past (10)
|
| HIS (“the man’s”) + *(tailor) [anag:subtly] introducing C(ut) [initially] | ||
| 26 | HOST |
Great number in country where World Cup is held (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 28 | IMAGINE |
Fancy that is about parent with strong drink (7)
|
| I.e. (that is) about MA (“parent”) with GIN (“strong drink”) | ||
| 29 | STERILE |
Fruitless way — European anger (7)
|
| St. (street, so “way”) + E (European) + RILE (“anger”) | ||
| 30 | MONOLITH |
March maybe about leaders of old lingering in organisation resisting change (8)
|
| MONTH (“march maybe”) about [leaders of] O(ld) L(ingering) I(n) | ||
| 31 | PROTON |
Particle — expert to explain finally (6)
|
| PRO (“expert”) + TO + (explai)N [finally] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PACIFIST |
One won’t fight agreement seeing condition is included (8)
|
| PACT (“agreement”) with IF (“condition) + IS included | ||
| 2 | AVALANCHE |
Article on church in American valley in fall (9)
|
| AN (article) on Ch. (church) in A (American) + VALE (“valley”) | ||
| 3 | SPAN |
Country one leaves for period (4)
|
| I (one) leaves SPA(i)N (“country”) | ||
| 5 | OLD HARRY |
Lorry had broken down — dickens! (3,5)
|
| *(lorry had) [anag:broken down]
Old Harry and dickens are both terms for the Devil. |
||
| 6 | TEAM SPIRIT |
Is part-time working help towards success in field? (4,6)
|
| *(is part time) [anag:working] | ||
| 7 | ARENA |
Part of rare, natural sporting venue (5)
|
| Hidden in [part of] “rARE NAtural” | ||
| 8 | TIDIER |
Papers in bank, comparatively neat (6)
|
| ID (identity “papers”) in TIER (“bank”) | ||
| 9 | DELHI |
Capital of French — Louvre, highlight? Indeed, first of all (5)
|
| DE (“of” in “French”) + L(ouvre) + H(ighlight) + I(ndeed) | ||
| 14 | CEREMONIAL |
One particular day I will be entertained by sort of food ritual (10)
|
| Mon. (Monday, “one particular day”) + I will be entertained by CEREAL (“sort of food”) | ||
| 17 | ECONOMIST |
Specialist notices changes, receiving award (9)
|
| *(notices) [anag:changes] receiving OM (Order of Merit, so “award”) | ||
| 18 | STRIDENT |
Urgent move forward, extremely neat (8)
|
| STRIDE (“move forward”) + [extremely] N(ea)T | ||
| 19 | NORTHERN |
Like Burnham? On the contrary — source of right-wing article on navy (8)
|
| <=ON [the contrary] + [source of] R(ight-wing] + THE (“article”) on RN (Royal Navy) | ||
| 22 | CHRISM |
Oil riches not English unfortunately — millions (6)
|
| *(richs) [unfortunately] + M (millions) where RICHS is RICH(e)S, but not E (English) | ||
| 23 | LAPSE |
At core neglect part of church — drop in standards (5)
|
| [at core] (neg)L(ect) + APSE (“part of church”) | ||
| 25 | SWAIN |
One who might love Southern farm wagon (5)
|
| S (southern) + WAIN (“farm wagon”) | ||
| 27 | TEAR |
Sign of emotion? Be quick (4)
|
| Double definition |
Fairly approachable, although some of the charades were difficult to solve. There was a bunch of nice surfaces again, with PRAISE, TEAM SPIRIT, and CHEAPSKATE the stand-outs. I thought of Roz when I solved PROTON.
I needed research to solve SWAIN, not knowing it or wain, and it took a long time for me to think of LOI HOST. I had no idea what OLD HARRY is, so thanks for the note.
Thanks Gurney and loonapick
Thanks for the blog , good set of clues , PORTRAIT is very neat .
Martyn@1 , sWAIN turns up in The HayWAIN by Constable and the name WAINwright , a mender of wagons .
The PROTON named and discovered by Rutherford in 1920 . Every atom contains at least one proton and virtually all of them were created just after the Big Bang .
In 19D, what exactly is “like Burnham” referring to?
Andy Burnham , former Mayor of Greater Manchester , very soon to be Prime Minister . “King of the North” .
Lots to enjoy here, although as usual I came up short on half a dozen but the rest was fun.
Thanks to Gurney and loonapick
Fun puzzle. Got a bit held up in the SW corner. Not sure I equate economist with specialist.
I found many of the surfaces just uninspired flat pack instructions to clearly flagged definitions, which were too obvious from the checked letters.
“one won’t fight”/ “sporting venue” / “particle”, etc.,etc.
4(ac), PORTRAIT. oof.
“like Burnham”. oof.
Sorry to be the moaning lisa, but a bit of a Munch scream from me for this puzzle. ( to be fair, I have found previous Gurney crosswords excellent, so it’s probably me that’s off, and not the setter )
Thanks Gurney and Loonapick
17dn: The main definition of economist on p 628 of Collins 2023 is “a specialist in economics”. Using the word “specialist” on its own as a definition for “economist” in a clue may be compared to “Particle” for “proton” in 31ac of this puzzle, or such crossword staples as “city” for the name of a particular city.
Thanks Roz@2. I do know wainwright, although I confess I do not use it much in everyday conversation and I do not think I ever bothered to investigate the meaning of wain.
I liked SWAIN for the way it reminded me of a word I knew implicitly but would never use. As I was solving there were some moments when I thought (correctly, as it turned out) “ENB is not going to like this.”
The asterism often referred to as The Plough, or in America The Big Dipper, or in Arthur Ransome The Saucepan, is also sometimes referred to as King Charles’s Wain. I’m not sure why as it doesn’t look like a wagon to me.
Like our blogger we found that most of this went in smoothly, but in the end we needed wordfinder help for MEMENTO, CEREMONIAL, STRIDENT and TEAR. In 19dn we did wonder if ‘on the contrary’ was leading to ‘southern’ rather than NORTHERN but soon realised it was a bit more straightforward than that.
Favourites were TEAM SPIRIT and HISTORICAL.
Thanks, Gurney and loonapick.
19dn: The comment from Big Al@12 has made me think a bit more about this. Collins 2023 p 440 gives on the contrary “quite the reverse; not at all”. I think the clue works better as “on the contrary” simply defining NO. I do not think “X the contrary” really works for “X reversed”.
Many thanks for the excellent blog, loonapick, and also thanks to all who commented.
In NORTHERN, “on the contrary” was meant to define NO.
There was no theme in the puzzle.
Very enjoyable – many thanks both. Lots of fun clues.
I failed on chrism and, disappointingly, ceremonial.
I guessed swain but had not come across the word before.
This was an enjoyable solve today
This was fun and solved with no problems. Last one in was HOST. I often find the short clues the hardest to solve!!
Fun puzzle. Thanks