An entertaining puzzle from Poins, with a mini-theme of HEART (24d). Apologies for late and swiftly posted blog, and for any mistakes I have overlooked.
| Across | |||
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| 1 | BALSA | Model makers use it with liquid resin mostly BAL[m] = liquid resin mostly; SA = sex appeal, or ‘it’ — rather quaintly old-fashioned, but still doing service in crossword clues. Actually, now I think the wordplay might just be BALSA[m] = liquid resin mostly, with ‘it’ being part of the definition. But I am not sure how the ‘with’ fits in. |
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| 4 | SICK LEAVE | It cuts average benefit for those who are ill SICKLE = it cuts; AVE = average. Definition: benefit for those who are ill |
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| 9 | TWO BY FOUR | Reportedly in favour after man covers top of well with a piece of wood FOUR = sounds like ‘for’, in favour of; after TOBY containing W, top of well. A piece of timber measuring four inches by two inches in cross-section |
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| 10 | UTTER | Complete with piano taken from club [P]UTTER = a golf club, minus P |
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| 11 | EREBUS | Nietzsche’s last puzzle is God E = Nietzsche’s last; REBUS = puzzle (an enigmatical representation of a word or name by pictures representing the component parts of the word, as in a puzzle or a coat of arms; such a puzzle). Erebus, often conceived as a primordial deity, representing the personification of darkness |
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| 12 | ENTRENCH | Dig in ditch beyond eastern end of garden E = eastern; N = end of garden; TRENCH = ditch |
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| 14 | COCKATRICE | A short time after, heads of companies openly call King a monster C O C K = first letters of ‘companies openly call King a’; TRICE = short time. Cockatrice, a two-legged dragon with a rooster’s head |
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| 16 | HART | 24 on the tongue of an animal Sounds like 24d, ‘heart’ |
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| 20 | TYNECASTLE | Turn on river near the French 24s’ home TYNE = river; CAST = turn (given in Chambers; LE = ‘the’ in French. I got this from the wordplay and checking letters, but I needed to check to confirm that IT’s the home ground of Heart of Midlothian FC, more commonly known as Hearts |
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| 22 | SULTANAS | Fruit and nuts alas going off *(nuts alas) |
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| 23 | WITH IT | Having sex appeal is cool WITH = having; IT = that old sex appeal again. The whole clue sounds a bit 1950s. |
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| 23 | OWNED | Admitted finding wife wearing only diamonds W = wife; ONE = only; D = diamonds |
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| 27 | TAKE HEART | Be encouraged to lay hold of 24 TAKE = lay hold of; HEART = see 24d |
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| 28 | MEANDERED | Wandered at random with daughter before pursuing spiteful duke MEAN = spiteful; D = daughter; ERE = before; D = duke |
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| 29 | SET-TO | Arranged to go to Ohio after initially talking with Barney SET = arranged; T = initially talking; O = Ohio. Definition: barney, a rough noisy quarrel; humbug; a prizefight. Some would argue that the upper-case B is not valid unless the word begins a sentence. |
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| Down | |||
| 1 | BUTTERCUP | Ram front of car near Uruguay’s principal power plant BUTTER = Ram; C = front of car; U = Uruguay’s principal; P = power |
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| 2 | LOOSE | Relaxed with earl after battle Battle of Loos; E = earl |
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| 3/24 | ANY HUMAN HEART | Some try to embrace what we are ultimately about, which is novel ANY = some; HUMAN = what we are; HEAR = try; T = ultimately about. A novel by William Boyd, which I recommend as a good read. |
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| 4/19 | SHOW PITY | Why I stop dithering and have a 24 *(Why I stop) |
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| 5 | CHRONICLES | Accounts confirmed with not as many falling short CHRONIC = confirmed (habitual, deep-seated etc); LES[s] = not as many, short of its final letter |
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| 6 | LOUVRE | Look at river swallowing up Vienna’s premier gallery LO = look; URE = River Ure; V = Vienna’s premier |
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| 7 | ATTENDANT | A nurse dressed in brown appears on the first page? A; TEND = nurse; in TAN = brown; T = first letter of ‘the’. Definition: page |
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| 8 | EARTH | 24’s changed world *(HEART) |
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| 13 | GREY MATTER | Poet in conversation with mother about model’s intelligence GREY = sounds like (‘in conversation’) Thomas Gray; MATER = mother; T = model ( as in Model T Ford) |
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| 15 | CATALONIA | Spies covering up a story largely concerning autonomous region CIA = spies; A; TAL[e] = story largely; ON = concerning. Catalonia |
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| 17 | TWENTY-TWO | Proceeded, unknown to tenor, to cut one number for another WENT = Proceeded; Y =unknown; T = tenor; all in TWO = one number; giving another one |
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| 18 | VANISHES | Man held by secret service leaders after Virginia, returning home, disappears VA = Virginia; NI = ‘in’ (home) reversed; HE = man; SS = secret service leaders |
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| 21 | CANDID | Frank’s unfinished satire CANDID[e]. Candide was a French satire first published in 1759 by Voltaire |
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| 22 | STORM | Southern Republican overwhelmed by man’s rage S = Southern; R = Republican; in TOM = man |
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| 25 | SKIP | Slide showing some notorious kidnappers Hidden in ‘notorious kidnappers’ |
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TYNECASTLE wins the unnecessary obscurity for the first quarter of 2012 prize.
I admit that I thought it a bit obscure at first. But the wordplay and checking letters make it guessable, and most people have heard of Hearts as a football club, so I didn’t find it unacceptable in a weekend puzzle (when people are more likely have access to reference).
I doubt that many people have The Boys’ Book of Scottish Football Grounds on their shelves, even if they managed to work out that 24s’ required a capital letter and had ever heard of the soccer team. I certainly haven’t.
Re 5 dn. There are those who would point out that “not as many” is fewer , not less (which means not as much). I suppose I must be one of them, as I pursued this line at first.
Having been to Scotland quite recently and have several friends from Edinburgh, the name Tynecastle was hardly obscure to me, still it’s a horses for courses thing I guess. Was a little surprised to see heart appear twice crossing each other, a tad unusual here.
Pennes, you are right that 5d should really have been ‘not as much’. I got the answer first and worked back to the wordplay, so failed to spot this.