A fun puzzle from MUDD.
FF: 9 DD: 6
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BOW WINDOW |
Opener batting with determination at first caught by Jack Russell, say (3,6)
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[ IN ( batting ) D ( Determination, first letter ) ] in BOW WOW ( jack russell, for example ) |
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| 6 | POSER |
Knotty problem, tangling of ropes (5)
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[ ROPES ]* |
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| 9 | BLOSSOM |
Succeed where failure embraced by retreating rabble (7)
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LOSS ( failure ) in reverse of MOB ( rabble ) |
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| 10 | WASPISH |
Prickly poisoner in dream (7)
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ASP ( poisoner ) in WISH ( dream ) |
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| 11 | PIPED |
Channelled, animal with 3.14 feet? (5)
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cryptic def; on the same lines of BIPED. 3.14 = PI |
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| 12 | NOSTALGIA |
Analogist’s sketchy memories (9)
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[ ANALOGIST ]* |
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| 14 | BYE |
Extra purchase for the listener? (3)
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sounds like BUY ( purchase ); a run in the game of cricket that didnt come off the bat |
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| 15 | OUT OF BOUNDS |
Inaccessible where springs have seemingly gone? (3,2,6)
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cryptic def; SPRINGS = BOUNDS |
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| 17 | TOASTMASTER |
Variety of atoms in sample for host (11)
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[ ATOMS ]* in TASTER ( sample ) |
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| 19 | GEL |
Stick pin back (3)
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reverse of LEG ( pin ) |
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| 20 | AIRSTREAM |
Current broadcast, watch online (9)
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AIR ( broadcast ) STREAM ( watch online ) |
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| 22 | WORTH |
Value in might, rowing backwards (5)
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hidden reversed in "..migHT ROWing.." |
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| 24 | ITERANT |
I lecture about vacuous theme repeating (7)
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[ I RANT ( lecture ) ] containing TE ( ThemE, vacuous i.e. without inner letters ) |
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| 26 | TUMBLER |
Glass, one rolling over and over (7)
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double def |
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| 27 | NANNY |
Spoil butter (5)
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double def |
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| 28 | ATHENIANS |
European citizens at that time occupying Asian ground (9)
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THEN ( at that time ) in [ ASIAN ]* |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BEBOP |
Jazz hit, live originally (5)
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BE ( live ) BOP ( hit ) |
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| 2 | WHOOPEE |
Basket found in minute for hot dog! (7)
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HOOP ( basket ) in WEE ( minute ) |
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| 3 | INSIDE OUT |
Inverted, thoroughly (6,3)
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double def |
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| 4 | DEMONSTRATE |
Show king in fluster, topped by ace (11)
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DEMON ( ace ) [ R ( king ) in STATE ( ~fluster ) ] ; i am iffy about this parsing so if this can be improved upon, most welcome |
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| 5 | WOW |
Knock one’s socks off, pulled up just the same? (3)
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cryptic def; clue implying a palindrome |
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| 6 | PASTA |
Ingredient of soup, a staple food of Italy (5)
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hidden in "..souP A STAple.." |
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| 7 | SMIDGEN |
Cutting into edges of skin, insect bit! (7)
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MIDGE ( insect ) in SN ( SkiN, edges of ) |
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| 8 | REHEARSAL |
Drill tries to bore through concrete (9)
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HEARS ( tries ) in REAL ( concrete ) |
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| 13 | SAFETY MATCH |
Difficult feats ending in easy game for striker (6,5)
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[ FEATS ]* Y ( easY, last letter ) MATCH ( game ) |
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| 14 | BATTALION |
Infantry unit cheers having broken up a couple of animals (9)
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TA ( cheers ) in [ BAT LION ( a couple of animals ) ] |
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| 16 | OARSWOMEN |
More than one boater was no more fashionable! (9)
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[ WAS NO MORE ]* |
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| 18 | AGREE ON |
Concur with a politician about Leader of Opposition (5,2)
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[ A GREEN ( politician ) ] containing O ( Opposition, starting letter of ) |
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| 19 | GORILLA |
Duck strangled by cook, a thug (7)
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[ O ( duck ) in GRILL ( cook ) ] A |
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| 21 | TOADY |
Creep towards new day (5)
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TO ( towards ) [ DAY ]* |
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| 23 | HORUS |
God welcomed by author, usually (5)
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hidden in "..autHOR USually" |
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| 25 | TEA |
Brew in the bag, taken regularly (3)
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alternate letters in "..ThE bAg.." |
I haven’t done the puzzles yet, but the FT and Guardian puzzles today are by the same author (Mudd and Paul). It might be a good opportunity to compare the very different styles that John Halpern brings to his two cryptic identities.
A crossword chock-full of great clues! I ticked so many but I’ll confine my top picks to POSER and SAFETY MATCH (surfaces), OUT OF BOUNDS (witty), GEL (pithy) and my COD, REHEARSAL which was silky smooth.
Thanks to Mudd and Turbolegs (your DEMONSTRATE works for me.
I also parsed DEMONSTRATE as in blog and don’t see any problem with it. I’ve always associated butting with rams rather than nannies but am happy to be corrected.
A very approachable puzzle indeed, although BYE was not one for NA solvers.
As Diane noted @2, there were plenty of good clues today. Interestingly, I had a completely different list of favourites to Diane, namely TEA, BATTALION, ROPES, PASTA, INSIDE OUT, and TOADY.
Thanks Mudd for a nice puzzle and Turbolegs
Martyn,
We had POSER/ROPES in common; I liked some of your picks too but my list was too long!
Thanks for the blog , good set of neat and concise clues , the FT showing a very wide range this week . I agree thar DEMONSTRATE is fine in the blog – she was an ace/demon card player .
Hovis@2 , wild nanny goats have horns and definitely butt .
[ Cellomaniac@1 , I always leave the Guardian for my journey home but I will compare the two . For the first time I am very close to switching my main crossword to the FT . ]
Thx both. Dnk Paul was aka Mudd, so thx Cello @1. I’m pretty dense re setters — Vlad can be gnarly, Imogen erudite, some are good at oblique synonyms, etc — but all a bit vague. Meanwhile, maybe the def in 18d needs the ‘with’: I agree on/concur with that point …?
Roz @6. I learn something every day. Mind you, I forget even more.
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs
4dn: From the position of the ~ sign in the blog, I think the worry may have been fluster = STATE, but Collins 2023 gives us
p 756 fluster n 2 a state of confusion or agitation;
and, to reinforce that
p 1934 state n 12 informal a nervous, upset, or excited condition (esp in the phrase in a state).
I agree that the exclamation mark in 2dn is an essential part of the definition; I am not sure what the ones in 7dn and 16dn are doing.
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs
I agree with yu Turbolegs that this was fun. I galloped through it with my morning coffee. My COD was SMIDGEN
Good fun and lots of great clues that others have picked out. I wondered whether to NANNY wasn’t to oversupervise and to spoil under supervise, but I guess there are many ways to spoil a child.
Very, very gudd, from mudd.
I loved 99%, but 15(ac), and the description “inaccessible” jarred a bit: the point is, it’s entirely accessible, but declared “off limits”.
I refer to the excellent TV series, “Detectorists”, wherein, presented with a circle of tape, marked “do not enter”, Mackenzie Crook tells Toby Jones…” I think I can get under this”.
Comedy Gold. Highly recommended.
As is this puzzle: every clue is a winner, joint best in show goes to ” PI PED” ( superb ), and WHOOPEE. But it’s a tour de force across the board.
Hats off, Mudd & Turbo
Yes, this was a fun puzzle – a nice diversion after my struggle with Paul this morning (did not know they are one and the same).
I did wonder, though, about striker=match: is not the match the thing being struck rather than the striker?
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs.