PETO kicks off the week…
An enjoyable Monday morning puzzle. A couple of my parsings might be a bit dodgy.
Thanks PETO!
ACROSS
1. Translucent boil mostly having an uneven surface (3-7)
SEE-THROUGH
SEETH[e] (boil, mostly) + ROUGH (having an uneven surface)
6. Greek god’s accuser apparently hiding on the way back (4)
ARES
([accu]SER A[pparently] (hiding))< (<on the way back)
9. A literary sub-genre, on the other hand, not concerned with pursuing fun (3,4)
AGA SAGA
(AGA[in] (on the other hand, not IN (concerned with)) pursuing A GAS (fun)
10. Marsupial mouse endlessly swimming across river heading south (7)
OPOSSUM
((MOUS[e] (endlessly))* (*swimming)) across (PO (river) + S (south))
12. Put forward as fact in online comment embracing individualism at the outset (5)
POSIT
POST (online comment) embracing I[ndividualism] (at the outset)
13. Start to hold forth about Gail oddly back at home (9)
ORIGINATE
ORATE (hold forth) about ((G[a]I[l] (oddly))< (<back) + IN (at home))
14. Unnamed cardinal surprisingly thorough (7)
RADICAL
(CARDI[n]AL (unnamed, i.e. without N (name)))* (*surprisingly)
16. Shame about American bear (7)
SUSTAIN
STAIN (shame) about US (American)
19. Went without my turn to advance (7)
PROCEED
PEED (went) without (COR)< (my, <turn)
21. Wise monarch accepting immediately (7)
KNOWING
KING (monarch) accepting NOW (immediately)
22. Betrayal of Republican entrapped by schoolmaster at end of story (9)
TREACHERY
R (Republican) entrapped by TEACHER (schoolmaster) + [stor]Y (at end of)
24. Put in position by expert on Poland (5)
PLACE
ACE (expert) on PL (Poland)
26. Lacking enthusiasm to take in books on royal authority (7)
CONTROL
COOL (lacking enthusiasm) to take in (NT (books) on R (royal))
27. Shown openly eating Bill’s ham (7)
OVERACT
OVERT (shown openly) eating AC (bill)
28. Carry young child easily at first (4)
TOTE
TOT (young child) + E[asily] (at first)
29. Entire set split up before daughter becomes personally involved (10)
INTERESTED
(ENTIRE SET)* (*split up) before D (daughter)
DOWN
1. Bargain hunter finding fish higher in price! (7,2)
SNAPPER UP
SNAPPER (fish) + UP (higher in price)
2. Old academic flipped over introduction of standardised tests (5)
EXAMS
EX (old) + (MA)< (academic, <flipped) over S[tandardised] (introduction of)
3. Pity each revolutionary’s grief (9)
HEARTACHE
HEART (pity) + (EACH)* (*revolutionary)
4. Experiencing a spell of good luck when student managed to block toilet up (2,1,4)
ON A ROLL
(L (student) + (RAN (managed) to block LOO (toilet)))< (<up)
5. German porkies describing soldiers’ triumphs (7)
GLORIES
(G (German) + LIES (porkies)) describing OR (soldier)
7. Relating to a religious movement of friars at a bash (9)
RASTAFARI
8. Maiden cutting a little flower (5)
SOMME
M (maiden) cutting SOME (a little)
11. Evident in Robin’s charm (3)
OBI
15. Become extremely agitated and tense after literary Lorna’s letter (2,4,3)
DO ONES NUT
T (tense) after (DOONES (literary Lorna’s) + NU (letter))
17. That baked dish included in South Carolina exhibition primarily as a fine example of its type (9)
SHOWPIECE
(HOW (that) + PIE (baked dish)) included in (SC (South Carolina) + E[xhibition] (primarily))
18. Information turned over by the French court newspaper boss disregarded (9)
NEGLECTED
(GEN)< (information, <turned over) by LE (the, French) + CT (court) + ED (newspaper boss)
20. Think at length of Spanish gentleman keeping in good health (5,2)
DWELL ON
DON (Spanish gentleman) keeping WELL (in good health)
21. Of fundamental importance to mention diagram of identification at the front (7)
KEYNOTE
NOTE (mention), KEY (diagram of identification) at the front
22. Understood by Italian leader engaged in diplomacy (5)
TACIT
I[talian] (leader) engaged in TACT (diplomacy)
23. Copper meeting resistance from scoundrel (3)
CUR
CU (copper) meeting R (resistance)
25. Modify American person’s home over time (5)
ADAPT
A (American) + (PAD)< (person’s home, <over) + T (time)
The high number of envelope clues made this puzzle a relatively kind solve overall, just right for a Monday.
Still, I needed to check the blog to confirm/clarify the full parsing of 3 and 9.
My favourite was the literary DO ONE’S NUT.
11’s ‘charm’ could only be OBI but that would be ‘obi-kazari’ while ‘obi’ on its own refers to the wide sash worn around the kimono-wearer’s middle rather than the charm (‘kazari’) suspended from it. Of importance to a friend of mine who specializes in the art of the kimono but of minor note only here in crosswordland.
An enjoyable offering.
Thanks to Peto and Teacow.
In Chambers, obi meaning ‘charm/fetish’ is listed as a separate meaning to ‘sash’.
I initially parsed HEARTACHE as in blog but preferred ‘A’ for ‘each’ + CHE for ‘revolutionary’.
If it’s in the dictionary, fair enough…
Got stuck on the parsing of KEYNOTE so tx Teacow. How does ‘how’ equate to ‘that’ in SHOWPIECE exactly? Liked AGA SAGA, OPOSSUM and SNAPPER UP in particular.
Thanks Peto and Teacow
11ac further to Hovis @2, Chambers 2016 p 1061 has
obi¹ witchcraft and poisoning practised in the West Indies, Guyana, etc; a fetish or charm
obi² a broad sash worn with a Japanese kimono.
Collins 2023 p 1373 has obi¹ and obi² the other way round, and (under obi²) is more specific that the charm relates to the form of witchcraft.
I’d also like someone to explain ‘how’ = ‘that’.
I spent ages trying to make HEARTACHE parse with ‘revolutionary’ = Che, but couldn’t see ‘each’ = ‘a’ so ended up parsing as in the blog. Not sure which I prefer.
Thanks Peto and Teacow.
17dn: I cannot find any dictionary support for “how” = “that”. The following two sentences seem apt for this discussion, but I think they are saying different things.
I do not see how it works.
I do not see that it works.
While I am back in, apologies for putting 11ac instead of 11dn in comment 5.
“That” is in Chambers as a definition for “how” at the end of the list for adverbs and conjunctions, but I cannot think of an example where they interchangeable.
Akin to PB@7’s suggestion, maybe as question and answer?: He is how old? He is that old.
Cineraria@8. Thank you for that. I do not know how I missed it, but I can see “that” in Chambers 2016 on p 739 under how¹.
Thanks Pelham @5 for clarifying satisfactorily the other sense of ‘obi’ as in witchcraft distinct from ‘obi’ as a Japanese sash. I didn’t know the former.
I liked SEE THROUGH and the use of Lorna Doone. I hope Roz is pleased to see the troops in GLORIES.
An enjoyable puzzle from PETO after Saturday’s wrestling match with GUY. Thanks, PETO.
(BTW: I keep getting a “403 permission denied” screen when trying to post. Can you fix that, please.)
A very approachable puzzle that provided a gentle start to the week. I needed internet research to solve AGA SAGA, then I could not parse it. Aside from that, pretty smooth sailing.
Thanks Peto and Teacow