Samsa has produced our mid-week puzzle today. I have not encountered this compiler’s work before, and he appears to have just one previous Indy crossword blogged on this site.
As always when tackling a new compiler for the first time, I was excited to see what this puzzle would have in store. I found it to be quite challenging overall, even though I got off to a flying start, solving 1A straight away, which is a rarity for me, and a handful of others. However, my progress was not particularly fast, and in the end I searched Chambers for 12, where I had wrongly split the clue up into definition and wordplay; and 8, which I had wrongly parsed in my head and which was also an expression that I hadn’t come across before. So I think we can say that Samsa had the last laugh today.
It is not Tuesday today, but we are in the presence of a puzzle themed around Arthurian legend (see highlighted entries). A couple of other clues – 6 and 16A – also contain such allusions, although not their solutions. I also learnt something new today, as I wasn’t familiar with the Fisher King referenced at 15/20.
My favourite clues today were 1A, for misdirection; 18, for smoothness of service; and 27, for concision.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are underlined; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
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||
| 1 | PARADE |
Notice boring dock procession (6)
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| AD (=notice, advert) in PARE (=(to) dock, cut back) | ||
| 4 | ARTHUR |
Second half of Heston film follows technique of legendary Englishman (6)
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| ART (=technique, ideal way of doing) + <ben>HUR (=second half of (Charlton) Heston film Ben-Hur, i.e. the second of two 3-letter words); the reference is to King Arthur of Arthurian legend | ||
| 9 | RAGU |
Meat sauce for a gumbo’s stuffing (4)
|
| Hidden (“stuffing”) in “foR A GUmbo” | ||
| 10 | VOICEMAILS |
Articulate men delivered sound messages (10)
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| VOICE (=(to) articulate, air) + homophone (“delivered”) of “males (=men)”; a voicemail is an audio (“sound”) message | ||
| 11 | MAIDEN |
Virgin mother back from Bali hideaway (6)
|
| MA (=mother) + <bal>I (“back from” means last letter only) + DEN (=hideaway) | ||
| 12 | ELECTRIC |
Charged in to vote for hoax, essentially (8)
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| ELECT (=to vote for) + <t>RIC<k> (=hoax; “essentially” means middle letters only are used) | ||
| 13 | EXCALIBUR |
Sword, axe, club and fire essentially deployed (9)
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| *(AXE CLUB + <f>IR<e>); “essentially” means middle letters only are used in anagram, indicated by “deployed” | ||
| 15/20 | KINGFISHER |
Bird who keeps 17 advancing chess piece (10)
|
| The Fisher King is the figure “who keeps the Holy Grail (=entry at 17)” in Arthurian legend; “advancing chess piece (=king)” means the letters “king” move to the front of the word | ||
| 16 | COCK |
Chief swaggerer shown by sources of Chretien on chivalry? Kay (4)
|
| C<hretien> O<n> C<hivalry> K<ay>; “sources of” means first letters only; incidentally, Chrétien de Troyes was a 12th century French poet known for his work inspired by Arthurian legend; a cock is a strutting chief or leader, hence “chief swaggerer” | ||
| 17 | HOLY GRAIL |
Lady exhausted after beginning to hurdle over grand track for fabulous cup (4,5)
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| H<oly> (“beginning to” means first letter only) + O (=over, on cricket scorecard) + L<ad>Y (“exhausted” means all middle letters are “used up”, i.e. dropped) + G (=grand, i.e. $1000) + RAIL (=track); the Holy Grail is a coveted goblet in Arthurian legend | ||
| 21 | EMPORIUM |
Penguin could be leaving queen on island with hesitation for a big shop (8)
|
| EMP<er>OR (=(species of) penguin; “could by leaving queen (=ER)” means letters “er” are dropped) + I (=island, on map) + UM (=(sound of) hesitation) | ||
| 22 | NITWIT |
Discovered “in it” with donkey (6)
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| <i>N IT WIT<h>; “dis-cover-ed” means first and last letters are dropped | ||
| 24 | SLIM CHANCE |
Cancels him after playing around? Not very likely (4,6)
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| *(CANCELS HIM); “after playing around” is anagram indicator | ||
| 25 | BRIE |
British idea evens out French wheel? (4)
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| BR (=British) + I<d>E<a> (“evens out” means even letters are dropped); brie could make up a round French (cheese) wheel | ||
| 26 | TUNDRA |
Tough cockney fanatic turned around desolate region (6)
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| <h>ARD (=tough; “Cockney” means initial “h” is dropped) + NUT (=fanatic); “turned around” indicates reversal | ||
| 27 | AS WELL |
A fop to boot (2,4)
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| A + SWELL (=fop, dandy) | ||
| DOWN
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||
| 1 | PHALANX |
Two princes and an unknown in formation (7)
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| P (=prince) + HAL (=prince, i.e. Henry V) + AN + X (=unknown, in algebra); a phalanx is a solid formation of soldiers | ||
| 2/23 | ROUND TABLE |
Song for group with tenor fit for conference (5,5)
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| ROUND (=song for group, i.e. canon sung in unison) + T (=tenor, in music) + ABLE (=fit); incidentally, King Arthur’s companions were the Knights of the Round Table! | ||
| 3 | DA VINCI |
Six involved in endless caper by international artist (2,5)
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| [VI (=six, in Roman numerals) in DANC<e> (=caper; “endless” means last letter is dropped)] + I (=international); the reference is to the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) | ||
| 5 | REEFER |
Free, free, free at heart, uplifted with joint (6)
|
| *(FREE) + <f>RE<e> (“at heart” means middle letters only); “free”, i.e. liberated, is anagram indicator; a reefer is a cigarette containing marijuana, hence a “joint” | ||
| 6 | HEALTHIER |
The lady guarding a lake (the round one) is out of the woods? (9)
|
| {A + L (=lake) + [I (=one) in THE]} in HER (=the lady) | ||
| 7 | ROLLING |
Bread with gin drunk by revolutionary (7)
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| ROLL (=bread) + *(GIN); “drunk” is anagram indicator; e.g. a rolling stone, turning over and over again, could be described as being “revolutionary” | ||
| 8 | TIME OUT OF MIND |
Punishment for toddler concerning watch from ages ago (4,3,2,4)
|
| TIME OUT (=punishment for toddler, i.e. to calm down) + OF (=concerning, about) + MIND (=(to) watch, e.g. children) | ||
| 14 | ANCHORMAN |
Presenter of careless anachronism is missing (9)
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| *(ANACHRON<is>M); “is missing” means letters “is” are dropped from anagram, indicated by “careless” | ||
| 16 | CAMELOT |
Appeared before crowd in musical (7)
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| CAME (=appeared, turned up) + LOT (=crowd, large group); Camelot is the name of various musicals over the decades that have drawn on Arthurian legend, with Camelot being King Arthur’s castle. | ||
| 18 | YANKEES |
Petition for vote against stuck up Americans (7)
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| SEEK (=petition for) + NAY (=vote against); “stuck up” indicates vertical reversal | ||
| 19 | INITIAL |
First name shortened (7)
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| Double definition: (as an adjective) the “initial” phase is the first, opening one AND (as a noun) an initial is a “name shortened” | ||
| 20 |
See 15 Across
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| 23 |
See 2
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First time, for me, tackling a SAMSA, and I really enjoyed it. No quibbles, skilful clueing throughout.
I’m afraid setters are in no-win situation, with me, on themes. When I don’t see ’em,( i.e. very often), I moan. When I see ’em early on, like here (after 3 solutions), I moan that it telegraphs other solutions. So, spoilt a bit by that, but still a cracking crossie.
18(d), YANKEE:- Connecticut/ Twain may be?
Hats off, Sam & Riku
Raised an eyebrow at the dock (a tail, a paypacket) — pare (cheese) pairing, but no biggie. Didn’t notice the glaring theme, d’oh, let alone know about the 12th C poet! Otherwise an enjoyable cruise, thanks Samsa and RR.
Minor omission in the blog for 5d. The final RE is reversed (uplifted).
Forgot to punt, that Chretien at 16(ac), has an Arthurian link, which salvages the only weakish clue in the grid. Oops, another moan. Sorry.
In my studies of French and German literature, I managed to skip Chretien de Troyes, but enjoyed Kafka’s Metamorphosis, but I enjoyed how the hero of the second has played with the first today.
re@4, grantinfreo@2, apologies, you beat me to it.
Hovis@3, off topic: but I omitted to say thanks for your succinct steer on the [ ! ] in yesterday’s Stamp, much appreciated, and given the theme, I can only react DOH !!!