MUDD kicks off the week…
Plenty of great clues, with a few that I struggled to parse for a while.
Thanks MUDD!
ACROSS
1. Leader fitting in second man (7)
CAPTAIN
APT (fitting) in CAIN (second man)
5. Calculator, perhaps, passing fifty — might that be to scale? (6)
LADDER
ADDER (calculator, perhaps) passing L (fifty)
8. Queen moved to palace where king shackled (9)
CLEOPATRA
(TO PALACE) (*moved) where R (king) shackled
9. Effort you and I put into day (5)
SWEAT
WE (you and I) put into SAT (day)
11. Subject, maths originally introduced to you (5)
THEME
M[aths] (originally) introduced to THEE (you)
12. Vessel filled with chicken, cooker on the other hand… (4,5)
THEN AGAIN
TIN (vessel) filled with (HEN (chicken) + AGA (cooker))
13. Hard — as if camping? (8)
INTENTLY
Double (cryptic) definition
15. Dull stuff, say, points reviewed (6)
STODGE
(EG (say) + DOTS (points))< (<reviewed)
17. Clever little mammal evolved, finally (6)
SHREWD
SHREW (little mammal) + [evolve]D (finally)
19. In a kerfuffle, search bags always (8)
FEVERISH
FISH (search) bags EVER (always)
22. Genesis, where nice point made (9)
INCEPTION
23. Brownish pigment, peas in the soup injected with one (5)
SEPIA
(PEAS)* (*in the soup) injected with I (one)
24. Cloth kept here, as knitting is initially (5)
KHAKI
K[ept] H[ere] A[s] K[nitting] I[s] (initially)
25. Stubborn type admits got wrong! (9)
DOGMATIST
26. Dirty dog put in solitary, gutted (6)
SMUTTY
MUTT (dog) put in S[olitar]Y (gutted)
27. Connected right up (7)
RELATED
DOWN
1. Regulator tracks second item for the party? (8,5)
COCKTAIL STICK
COCK (regulator) + TAILS (tracks) + TICK (second)
2. Here, item under the tree? (7)
PRESENT
3. Enough drink has overwhelmed parliamentarian (5)
AMPLE
ALE (drink) has overwhelmed MP (parliamentarian)
4. That’s OK under no circumstances (3,2,3)
NOT AT ALL
5. Stuffed — like a fat cat? (6)
LOADED
Double (cryptic) definition
6. Strip cartoon ultimately embraced by lads, item that’s vulgar (9)
DISMANTLE
[cartoo]N (ultimately) embraced by (LADS ITEM)* (*that’s vulgar)
7. Stone me! River saved in remarkable deal (7)
EMERALD
(ME + R (river)) saved in (DEAL)* (*remarkable)
10. Thoughtful card, offered hugs (6-7)
TENDER-HEARTED
HEART (card), TENDERED (offered) hugs
14. Paper pristine, step on it (9)
NEWSPRINT
NEW (pristine) + SPRINT (step on it)
16. Agree ten is not right — one’s somewhat older (8)
TEENAGER
(AGREE TEN)* (*is not right)
18. Salvage lace that’s woven into hem (7)
RECLAIM
(LACE)* (*woven) into RIM (hem)
20. Mark I make bringing in voting system (7)
IMPRINT
I + MINT (make) bringing in PR (voting system, Proportional Representation)
21. Time I had with daughter during month (6)
MIDDAY
(ID (I had) with D (daughter)) during MAY (month)
23. Stand over six feet perhaps, small earlier (5)
STALL
TALL (over six feet perhaps), S (small) earlier
I agree that this was difficult in places.
I best liked the anagrams and RELATED & LADDER. I still do not see how “as if camping” is IN TENTLY – IN TENT or IN TENTS maybe. And thanks for the help in parsing 1d.
Thanks Mudd and Teacow
Nothing too taxing, and good fun. I always enjoy puzzles that don’t require repeated resorting to Wikipedia or Google.
With NEWSPRINT I spent too much time trying to use an anagram of “pristine”, although I was sure it was right. It took a while to convince myself that “strip” and “dismantle” are synonyms. And I was flummoxed by fhe voting system.
I took 2d as a double definition. HERE and ITEM UNDER THE TREE.
For camping, in-tent-ly is a made-up, whimsical adverb, Martyn @1. Got a 🙂 from ginf.
I enjoy novelty/ whimsical clues, so no quibbles, and some very crafty wordplays.
Like GDO@2, I felt STRIP and DISMANTLE had a chink of daylight between them, but I use both/either when working on my old Wankel car engine; and mantle has a “clothing” / robe connotation, so ( back to the whimsy), [DIS MANTLE] = [ DIS ROBE] = STRIP.
I found the clues economical, skilful, with well-put-together surfaces, and quite friendly….so
Here’s mud in your eye, both Teacow & Mudd
Agree with Grant@4 that, in-tent-ly was probably a whimsical offering. I thought of PRESENT as more of a double definition.
The puzzle was a lot of fun though I needed a reset to complete the upper portion where I just wasn’t seeing clearly on my first pass. Can’t think why in retrospect but I did come here to understand ‘cock’ as regulator. I was surprised to see ‘item’ in three separate clues but that’s a minor point which didn’t affect the solve.
For strip /dismantle, I thought of guns (though I don’t speak from experience! ) but my Dad, too, would use both for car engines.
I liked FEVERISH CLEOPATRA best.
Thanks Mudd and Teacow.
Thanks Mudd and Teacow
13ac further to earlier comments: note the question mark on the end of the clue indicating the whimsical definition of IN-TENT-LY.
6dn again further to earlier comments: The meaning of dismantle for removing clothing is in the Shorter Oxford 2010 p 707, but marked as obsolete and 17th century only. Still current is the meaning “Strip (something) of necessary equipment, covering, furniture, or apparatus”.
Thanks, Diane@6, and Pelham@123.
DISMANTLE….
Diane’s dad used it re his car engine; and “to disrobe” , per Mr.B, is valid, but archaic.
It just confirms how very old I am getting.
I only got CLEOPATRA at 8(ac) because I knew her mother.
I liked CAPTAIN and EMERALD. I can’t see a problem with “strip=dismantle” in the engineering context.
ENBoll& @8
Ah yes, I knew her too. I always called her Cleomatra.