The original puzzle may be found here.
A pleasant start to the solving week with lots of smooth surfaces and a handful of clues tricky enough to stop this being a write-in. PERVASIVE and CANNONBALL held me up for a wee while, but not overly, and my LOI was OVERLYING (needed the L from CANNONBALL).
Thanks, Carpathian.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MISGIVING |
Married lives causing doubt (9)
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M (married) + IS ("lives") + GIVING ("causing") |
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| 6 | COMTE |
Arrive carrying bit of truffled cheese (5)
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COME ("arrive") carrying [bit of] T(ruffle) |
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| 9 | DOUBLE ENTENDRES |
Noble dudes enter crudely making risque remarks (6,9)
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*(noble dudes enter) [anag:crudely] |
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| 10 | TABS |
Southern club returned labels (4)
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<=(S (southern) + BAT ("club")) |
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| 11 | OPPOSING |
Against modelling work at first (8)
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POSING ("modelling") with Op. (opus, so "work") at first |
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| 14 | PERVASIVE |
Quietly shifty about King being common (9)
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P (piano, in music, so "quietly") + EVASIVE ("shifty") about R (Rex, so "king") |
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| 15 | BLINI |
Pancake batter initially left in middle of dairy (5)
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B(atter) [initially] + L (left) + IN + [middle of] (da)I(ry) |
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| 16 | ENDUE |
Invest in object tuned regularly (5)
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END ("object") + (t)U(n)E(d) [regularly] |
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| 18 | OVERLYING |
Covering part of cricket match with duplicity (9)
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OVER ("part of cricket match") with LYING ("duplicity") |
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| 20 | IN SPADES |
Abundantly popular suit (2,6)
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IN ("popular") + SPADES ("suit") |
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| 21 | SPUN |
Put a favourable slant on joke by son (4)
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PUN ("joke") by S (son) |
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| 25 | WELL-INTENTIONED |
Spa under canvas I possessed without having good motives (4-11)
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WELL ("spa") + IN TENT ("under canvas") + I + O(w)NED with W (with) out |
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| 26 | DOYEN |
Most senior member of party with craving (5)
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DO ("party") with YEN ("craving") |
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| 27 | SHOULDERS |
Takes responsibility for joints (9)
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Double definition |
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| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MIDST |
Film about duke shows heart (5)
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MIST ("film") about D (duke) |
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| 2 | SLUMBER |
Rest in small saddle (7)
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S (small) + LUMBER ("saddle") |
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| 3 | IDLE |
Oddly indulges not working (4)
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[oddly] I(n)D(u)L(g)E(s) |
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| 4 | ITEM |
Couple object (4)
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Double definition |
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| 5 | GO TO PIECES |
Fragile poetic egos fall apart (2,2,6)
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*(poetic egos) [anag:fragile] |
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| 6 | CANNONBALL |
Law announced by party to move rapidly and forcefully (10)
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Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [announced] of CANON ("law") by BALL ("party") |
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| 7 | MARTINI |
Drink in creative work seen in car (7)
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ART ("creative work") seen in MINI ("car") |
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| 8 | EASY-GOING |
Simple one wearing medal is placid (4-5)
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EASY ("simple") + I (one) wearing GONG ("medal") |
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| 12 | LACERATION |
Cut fabric allowance (10)
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LACE ("fabric") + RATION ("allowance") |
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| 13 | PIROUETTES |
Utter poise dancing in circles (10)
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*(utter poise) [anag:dancing] |
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| 14 | PREVIEWED |
Exhibited pride we’ve cultivated (9)
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*(pride we've) [anag:cultivated] |
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| 17 | DISPLAY |
Show detective inspector’s drama (7)
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DI's (detective inspector's) + PLAY ("drama") |
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| 19 | IMPINGE |
Strike mischievous child I nagged occasionally (7)
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IMP ("mischievous child") + I + N(a)G(g)E(d) [occasionally] |
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| 22 | NUDES |
Jogs not good for those lacking clothing (5)
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NUD(g)ES ("jogs", not G (good)) |
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| 23 | ONTO |
Aware of cognition being periodically deficient (4)
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(c)O(g)N(i)T(i)O(n) [being periodically deficient] |
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| 24 | DILL |
Daughter with sick plant (4)
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D (daughter) with ILL ("sick") |
Good fun, nothing too taxing. No quibbles.
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick. Makes me think I can battle the harder ones later in the week – but no doubt the ramparts will be breached in my false sense of security.
CANNONBALL was also the speed-bump for me – tho I was also stumped trying to work out the parsing for MISGIVING, so thanks L for that explanation.
13D must’ve felt temptingly close to something that could be clued as an &lit…
Smooth as you like. The lift-and-separate in WELL-INTENTIONED took me a moment, but everything else went in without issue. Favourites NUDES, PIROUETTES, DOUBLE ENTENDRES, IN SPADES.
Nice smooth going for a Monday. I do like that grid with max first letters across top and down LHS for easy crosswords.
Thanks Carpathian and Loonapick
There is VIRUS in the 10th row across but nothing else so doubtless a coincidence. Thanks to Carapathian for a gentle start to the week and Loonapick for the blog.
Comment #7
I also noticed VIRUS in the grid but couldn’t see any significance. Very smooth start to the week, with DOUBLE ENTENDRES and loi, PERVASIVE, being my favourites.
Ta Carpathian & loonapick.
Also in the unches: MONTY and SLY SOD.
That’s where I was looking (equally in vain) for a theme.
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick
I didn’t understand MISGIVING or CANNONBALL. Isn’t ITEM the same definition twice?
The two long ones were favourites.
[You have probably heard of the Essex girl who asked the barman for a double entendre, so he gave her one.]
The 4 corners give us meds and I’ve taken mine.
A good puzzle that I’m glad to have solved, as I’m supposed to be busy.
Thanks loonapick and Carpathian.
Straightforward mostly and no complaints. Nho endue but clearly clued. Also never heard CANNONBALL as a verb so this slowed me up. Loi MISGIVING.
Favourites PIROUETTES for its double definition surface, and IN SPADES.
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick.
Held up at the end by both CANNONBALL and PERVASIVE. Thought I was going to have to give up but then eventually normal service was resumed. Tx Carpathian and loonapick.
Good to see Carpathian turn the difficulty dial up a notch. WELL INTENTIONED was nicely done. I searched in vain for thematic double entendres unless PERVASIVE BLINI is a euphemism?
I seem to have lost my bet with myself that there’d be quibbling that ONTO should be two words. Chambers has ONTO as a preposition and ON TO as “aware of”
Cheers C&L
Carpathian’s trademark smooth surfaces for a good Monday crossword. I liked the noble dudes’ DOUBLE ENTENDRES, the dancing in PIROUETTES, and WELL-INTENTIONED while under canvas.
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick.
Stumped by CANNONBALL, but otherwise fine, if a bit above the usual Monday level of difficulty, though rather a surfeit of “alternate letter” clues I thought. I count 4 in all.
IMPINGE meaning “strike” was new to me, having only known the sense of “encroach” before, but it’s the first definition in my dictionary.
LACERATION took me an unconscionably long time despite having all the crossers plus RATION.
Thank you Carpathian and loonapick.
Like AlanC #8 and Trovatore #9, I also noted the three ninas; there is a fourth one, in the fourth column: SVUPLE, the French word for “please”.
I’ll show myself out…
What, only 18 comments at 9:30? Is there a spell over the castle and everyone asleep?
I had SPIN for 21 across, forgetting that “put” can be either present or past, so couldn’t make any sense of it.
When I was living in France I couldn’t get cheddar, but Comte (sorry, no access to accents) looked similar, so I used it to make Welsh rarebit, thinking it would probably be almost as good. It was better!
Thanks, Carpathian and loonapick.
[Valentine @19
Cheese of choice for Gratin Dauphinois!]
Not imbue, not endow, but endue. Hmm, instances..?
Muffin@10 …
When, eg, a lad and a lass, start going out and about together someone might comment ‘seems they’re an item now’ ….
Great to see Carpathian again after a three-month absence from the cryptic spot. Excellent Monday puzzle, as always. Not a walkover, though, as noted by loonapick — the last few were rather sticky
The surfaces were a bit uneven, but there were some entertaining ones, like 9a DOUBLE ENTENDRES, 11a OPPOSING, 5d GO TO PIECES, 12d LACERATION (though a classic), 13d PIROUETTES, 22d NUDES (funny)
I also thought 25a WELL-INTENTIONED was brilliantly constructed
Many thanks both
Thanks Carpathian for an enjoyable, clearly clued crossword. My top picks were MISGIVING, DOUBLE ENTENDRES, SPUN, GO TO PIECES, PIROUETTES, and ONTO. I also like ‘without’ in WELL-INTENTIONED as a way of eliminating the W. Thanks loonapick for the blog.
grantinfreo #21
From the liturgy for Evensong in the CofE:
Priest: Endue thy Ministers with righteousness. Answer. And make thy chosen people joyful.
PIROUTTES a top tick for the aptness of its anagram—not difficult to suss out, but elegant. Similar high marks for OPPOSING, DOUBLE ENTENDRES, GO TO PIECES and WELL-INTENTIONED.
Kudos to Carpathian and loonapick.
Thanks Carpathian and loonapick – a pleasure to see I had the same difficulty as the expert blogger – had to come back to the puzzle to solve Cannonball and thus get OVERLYING. Am I the only solver to take mild exception to the use of a verb definition of CANNONBALL? Or is it just excellent misdirection?
Comte,cheese ?
Paul tP @28. Comté is a French regional cheese.
Enjoyable solve overall.
Most of this was perfect for a Monday but I just couldn’t see CANNONBALL, which is a pity as it’s an excellent clue. Thanks, Carpathian and loonapick.
My experience was exactly the same as Loonapick’s. Has his brain been transferred to mine? I’m not about to change my moniker to Pickaloon.
Carpathian can always be relied upon to give us a pleasing Monday puzzle, and Loonapick to give us an excellent blog. Thanks both.
The two I didn’t know were COMTE the cheese and ENDUE, which I don’t see appearing very often in my daily life. Thought the GO TO PIECES clue an excellent one..
A slightly more challenging Carpathian than before; definitely not a quiptic even if mild. LOI LACERATION; “without” in WELL-INTENTIONED also made me think. Thanks Carpathian and loonapick!
CANNONBALL just, well, hit me from the crossers but not wordplay.
PERVASIVE loi.
Thanks for SVUPLE, ysc @ 18 🙂
I found this a little tougher than usual Monday stuff.
Thanks all.
After two sittings I solved everything except 4D (ITEM). For me it was a good mix of write-ins and rather tricky clues. It took me ages to see CANNONBALL, but now it is my favourite clue in this puzzle.
Thank you, Carpathian and loonapick!
Also, thanks to bobandcogs @22 for the explanations about ITEM