Punk makes one of his infrequent appearances in the Indy (although he’s more often seen elsewhere as Paul or Mudd). Here’s a link to the original puzzle.
An enjoyable puzzle: a few words that aren’t common outside Crosswordland, but I’ve seen them before when setters have an awkward corner to fill. I liked the weaselly words, the brilliant daughter, and the killer sandwiches, none of which were quite as they seemed. I’ve noted a couple of niggles below, though I’m happy to be corrected if someone can explain them.
We should be looking for a theme, because it’s Tuesday. The school year has just finished (in the UK at least), so Punk has provided a summer-holiday puzzle. There are a number of well-known holiday destinations in the wordplays and solutions; also several “resorts”, though most of these turn out to be re-sorts (anagrams). If you really feel the need to go somewhere hotter and sunnier than the UK at the moment, I hope you enjoy it . . . Thanks Punk for the fun.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HOUSE-TRAIN |
Resort in the USA, or make Persian go elsewhere? (5-5)
|
| Anagram (re-sort) of IN THE USA OR.
To teach a pet (for example a Persian cat) where to go (in its litter tray). |
||
| 7 | GOER |
Traveller in Indian state picked up? (4)
|
| Sound-alike (picked up = heard) of GOA (a state in south-west India).
I don’t think “goer” is really used by itself for “traveller”, but it can be used in compounds such as festival-goer. |
||
| 9 | ALICANTE |
City in Spain with the greatest specialised language: English (8)
|
| ALI (boxer Muhammad Ali, nicknamed “The Greatest”) + CANT (jargon = specialised language) + E (abbreviation for English).
Port city in south-eastern Spain. |
||
| 10 | CREATE |
Island featuring a forge (6)
|
| CRETE (Greek island) containing A. | ||
| 11 | TIA MARIA |
Italian song I adore you, having renounced love for drink (3,5)
|
| TI AM[o] (Italian for “I love you”) without the O (zero = love in tennis scoring) + ARIA (Italian word for a song, especially a solo song in an opera). The order of the wordplay elements is a bit unexpected, but I suppose an Italian song called I Adore You could be a “Ti Amo aria”.
Coffee liqueur, originally Jamaican but now made in Italy. |
||
| 12 | BALTI |
Indian style island welcomes first of tourists (5)
|
| BALI (Indonesian island) containing the first letter of T[ourists].
Style of “Indian” cooking, which appears to have been developed by Asian chefs in Birmingham, UK. |
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| 14 | WINDSOR |
Weaselly words in house (7)
|
| Anagram (weaselly = sneaky) of WORDS IN.
The current UK royal house (family line). |
||
| 16 | CANINES |
Resort in France visited by one part of the set? (7)
|
| CANNES (resort city in south-east France) containing I (one in Roman numerals).
Part of a set of teeth, specifically the pointed ones near the front. |
||
| 17 | DIAMOND |
Maybe brilliant daughter without domestic staff, running about (7)
|
| D (abbreviation for daughter) + NO MAID (without female domestic staff), all reversed (running about).
Brilliant = a specific shape in which diamonds can be cut for use as gemstones. |
||
| 18 | STREAMS |
Flowers, many on street (7)
|
| REAMS (quantities of paper, or a general slang term for large quantities = many) after ST (abbreviation for street).
Flowers = things that flow = streams. |
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| 20 | MAINE |
State when I should cut hair (5)
|
| I (from clue text) inserted into (cutting) MANE (long hair on an animal’s head).
One of the United States of America. |
||
| 21 |
See 15 Down
|
|
| 24 | PISCES |
Fishes Charlie gutted eaten by Jimmy? (6)
|
| C[harli]E (gutted = inner letters removed), contained in PISS (Jimmy = slang for urination, from Cockney rhyming slang “Jimmy Riddle” = piddle or widdle).
Star sign: Pisces, the Fishes. |
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| 25 | DAINTILY |
Resort in Italy paired with Germany in elegant manner (8)
|
| Anagram (re-sort) of IN ITALY, after D (abbreviation for Deutschland = Germany). | ||
| 27 | ONAN |
Seed spiller with a very tiny part to withdraw? (4)
|
| NANO (prefix meaning one billionth = a very tiny part) reversed (to withdraw).
An old favourite in crosswords, with a hint of an extended definition: if you need the explanation, see Genesis 38:1-10. |
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| 28 | FINANCIERS |
Resort in France is for Zurich gnomes? (10)
|
| Anagram (re-sort) of IN FRANCE IS.
Derogatory slang for Swiss bankers. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | OIL |
Slick cat almost rampant? (3)
|
| LIO[n] (animal in the cat family) without the last letter (almost), reversed (rampant = upwards in a down clue).
Slick, as a noun = oil spillage. |
||
| 3 | SACRA |
Bones in line while erect (5)
|
| ARC (curved line) + AS (while), all reversed (erect = upwards in a down clue).
Plural of sacrum = bone at the base of the spine. |
||
| 4 | TANTAMOUNT |
As good as knight, ultimately, soldier on a horse (10)
|
| Last letter (ultimately) of [knigh]T + ANT (perhaps a soldier ant) + A MOUNT (a horse that one can ride). | ||
| 5 | ACETIC |
Sharp pilot with habitual mannerism (6)
|
| ACE (successful wartime fighter pilot) + TIC (mannerism or involuntary muscle movement).
As in acetic acid, the sharp-tasting component of vinegar. |
||
| 6 | NICE |
Resort in France worth a visit? (4)
|
| Double definition. Resort city in south-eastern France; or pleasant, so (of a holiday destination) worth visiting. | ||
| 7 | GRENADINE |
Killer sandwiches in syrup (9)
|
| GRENADE (a deadly explosive device = killer), containing (sandwiching) IN.
Fruit syrup used in cocktails, originally made from pomegranates. (French grenade = pomegranate; the explosive device acquired the same name because of its shape.) |
||
| 8 | ECTOTHERMIC |
Adapted like frogs, say, in cold temperature: different in shivering mice (11)
|
| C (abbreviation for cold) + T (abbreviation for temperature) + OTHER (different), all inside an anagram (shivering) of MICE.
Otherwise known as “cold-blooded” creatures, which don’t produce their own internal heat and so depend on the temperature of their environment. |
||
| 11 | TRINIDADIAN |
Resort in India? Drat! West Indian! (11)
|
| Anagram (re-sort) of IN INDIA DRAT.
From the Caribbean island of Trinidad. |
||
| 13 | CARTHUSIAN |
So boy south of Capri perhaps is brother (10)
|
| THUS (so = therefore) + IAN (a boy’s name), after (south of = below, in a down clue) CAR (for example a Ford Capri).
A monk in a Carthusian monastery. |
||
| 15/21 | DOMINICAN REPUBLIC |
Resort in Cuba priced on shortage of milk in country (9,8)
|
| Anagram (re-sort) of IN CUBA PRICED ON + MIL[k] (shortage = last letter dropped).
Country in the Caribbean. |
||
| 19 | TENDON |
Nurse touching tissue (6)
|
| TEND (nurse, as a verb = care for) + ON (touching).
Connective tissue joining muscle to bone. |
||
| 22 | LATHI |
Observed in Marbella, this club (5)
|
| Hidden answer (observed in . . .) from [marbel]LA THI[s].
A long baton, used by the police in India and surrounding countries. |
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| 23 | AS IF |
Conclusion yet to be reached in a riddle – yeh, right! (2,2)
|
| A + SIF[t] (riddle, as a verb = to separate using a sieve), without the last letter (conclusion yet to be reached).
As if! = yeh, right! = expression indicating “I don’t believe it”. (It’s been pointed out that “yeh, right” is a rare example of two positives making a negative.) |
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| 26 | LAR |
Deity briefly slowing up (3)
|
| I’m not sure about the wordplay: my guess is the musical term RAL[l] (slowing), without the last letter (briefly), reversed (up, in a down clue). But that doesn’t quite convince me because rall is already an abbreviation, for Italian rallentando. Any better ideas?
Latin, usually in the plural lares = guardian deities in an ancient Roman household. |
I suspect you’re right about 26D, though ‘briefly’ is doing a kind of double duty to indicate an abbreviated abbreviation. Another possibility might be LAR[go], but LARGO means slow rather than slowing up.
In 1968 three competitors in the Ximenes clue-writing competition came up with ‘Pineapple rings in syrup’ for GRENADINE.
Thanks for the blog.
No idea about LAR but found this an entertaining and enjoyable from Punk with the play on ‘resort’ as a theme-ish. I liked TENDON among the clues (big fan of a concise clue), CREATE and HOUSE TRAIN. Thanks to Quirister for the blog, and thanks to Punk for dropping by.
I thought 26d must be TIR (assuming TYR can be spelt thus) with rit. being ritardando briefly and then DAINTILY came along and disabused me of that notion.
My geography is grim so I figured this would be horrible, but then “re-sort” clicked and I found it a pretty fun workout. Also tried TIR, and not a fan of BALTI since it’s a Birmingham product with tenuously Indian roots, I wouldn’t count a curry as a “style”, and with the given crossers picking the right four-letter island was a chore. Conversely I had a great penny-drop moment with HOUSE-TRAIN. Thanks Punk and Quirister.
Great one, this. I started off getting nowhere, wondering whether to even bother, then gradually got hooked. The double meaning of Persian in 1A made a wonderful moment of realisation near the end.
Well, since “punk” means novice or beginner, I presumed that this was a crossword from a novice or beginner.
It was that poor.
My bad, as Ms.Q explains. The setter, as MUDD, is one that I usually applaud.
Some dire clues and definitions in this one, not for me, I’m afraid.
Thumbs down, but not for the ever-diplomatic Quirister.