Solving time: 18:32
Solved late at night as I have to be away early tomorrow. Slowish start, and then had four left after 11:30 or so, in the dreaded “2 cross 2” formation – 18, 28, 15D, 14. I made things worse by inventing a new mistake – trying to solve 29 a second time and fit the new answer in at 28 – this might have cost a minute or two. When I read the right clue I think this was the first of the four to fall, once I’d given up on Wallis as “Mrs Simpson”. I suspect some people solving at more sensible times of day will beat my time. Six double defs is quite a few but I don’t mind – there’s no compelling reason why we shouldn’t sometimes have more of a clue type than usual.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | JUSTIN / JUST IN – 2 defs |
| 4 | ATLA(st.),NTIS = isnt* |
| 10 | (p)LAN(e),TERN |
| 11 | ANTONY,M – a triumvir is a member of a triumvirate |
| 12 | YA(N)K – wordplay structure seen long before finding the right animal – rather poor solving, as “statesman” is usually easy to see through |
| 13 | NAILED DOWN = (and old wine)* |
| 15 | Deliberately omitted – ask if baffled |
| 16 | DUB=name,A,I=current (physics notation) |
| 18 | AL(ON)G – “alg” being the midst of “sociAL Group” |
| 19 | LIFE CLASS – 2 defs – Linnaeus was the father of modern taxonomy |
| 21 | PROVERBIAL = (boar, viper, L=left)* – I don’t know the particular proverb which is apparently referred to, about a poor cat |
| 23 | I’D = I would,(p)L(a)Y |
| 26 | IN,STILL – implant (vb.) is the def. |
| 27 | C=carbon, APE=copy, LLA = rev. of all = quite |
| 28 | TELEGRAM = rev. of (Marge (Simpson),L/E/T from first letters) |
| 29 | C(RAY)ON |
| Down | |
| 1 | JOLLY – 2 defs |
| 2 | S(AN ANGEL)O – the 28th largest city in Texas |
| 3 | ITEM – 2 defs |
| 5 | TRAILER – 2 defs |
| 6 | AUTO,DID ACT = was effective |
| 7 | TONDO – hidden – a round painting |
| 8 | SE = London area,M(ayhem),ANTICS |
| 9 | IN(FAN),T |
| 14 | STAGGERING – 2 defs |
| 15 | SEAL=swimmer,POINT = direct = train – here’s a Sealpoint Siamese |
| 17 | BEARD’S,LEY = (type of) line. Vandyke is one of the various beards used in puzzles – a word worth looking up in Bradford. |
| 19 | LOB=send up,ELIA=essayist (C Lamb’s pseudonym) |
| 20 | FRAN(C)K – here is the required piece of Cesar Franck that everyone knows |
| 22 | O(USE),L |
| 24 | Y((chil)E)ARN |
| 25 | SPAR(e) |
Google is our friend adage-wise:
“In Macbeth I, vii, Shakespeare has Lady Macbeth refer to a contemporary adage, when she says,
Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own esteem,
Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would,’
Like the poor cat i’ the adage?
This is reportedly a reference to the Proverbs (1566) of John Heywood — a fellow playwright — which included the following adage that Lady Macbeth thought suited to her husband:
• “The cat would eate fishe, but would not wet her feete”
This adage suggests that it is a foolish stance to wish for something but be unwilling to go to some inconvenience to attain our goal.’
Like me wishing to be able to finish the crossword two days in a row, I suppose …
Really clever stuff. Loved LANTERN, JUSTIN and the similarly conceived INSTILL.
Much, much later, SEALPOINT came to mind, before I fell at the last with AMONG instead of ALONG. A tricky puzzle – I’d give it high marks for technical difficulty, but a lower score for artistic impression.
At 28, I remember a few months ago trying to fit WALLIS into an answer, before tumbling that it was the other – much more crossword-friendly – Mrs S who was required. That was useful today.
At 29ac did anyone else try to convince themself that DE(TAI)N might mean “draw” ? – it had me wondering for a while.
I came up three short today, missing SEALPOINT, BEARDSLEY and ALONG. I’d thought of ALONG but couldn’t justify it. Hadn’t heard of Vandyke beards or the artist so would never have got him. Much else to enjoy though and I was pleased to work out many answers from the wordplay, e.g. LANTERN, SAN ANGELO, CRAYON, CAPELLA, TONDO and FRANCK. TELEGRAM was first in – we’ve seen MARGE for Mrs Simpson within the past year.
18A ALONG is interesting, drawing “alg” from two different words. 21A PROVERBIAL is a bit 1960s – the quote was certainly lost on me. 2D SAN ANGELO must be classed as obscure. Luckily “angel” for financial backer is a knee jerk substitution. Once you’ve met the cat before it’s no problem but is difficult the first time. The same goes for the beard and I don’t know who BEARDSLEY was.
I loved 28A TELEGRAM, excellent construction and nicely misleading
I finished with Along and Sealpoint. As Z8etc says, there does not seem to be any justification for along = on in Chambers. Collins (4) has “The horse trotted along at a steady pace”, which might just pass the substitution test.
Finally I racked my brains for synonyms of Siamese. I got Thai, conjoined and cat but it was some time before I made the further conceptual leap to Sealpoint.
And yes, I’ve had my PDA.
As has been observed, a far better puzzle than yesterday’s. I particularly liked the clues to 11 and 12.
Going by the 3 times rule, I should have done this in 54 minutes BUT I finished this in just a little under 30 minutes. So, am I improving or is Peter B having a bad day?
Perhaps it’s literary heresy, but every time I see it these days I can’t help but think that the use of essayist=Elia is past its best before date, especially in a puzzle where Mrs Simpson is Marge.
Half of it, mainly the bit below the SW-NE diagonal went in well, but then I ground to a halt for a long time and finally resorted to aids after an hour and a couple SEALPOINT and AUTODIDACTIC kick started the rest. It also didn’t help that I had invented the Texas town of L[OA]S ANGELO
SEALPOINT I don’t think I would have got in a month of Sundays. The rest I should have got.
The degree of moderate difficulty included the clunky ‘train’ for ‘point’ in SEALPOINT.. Other than that 10ac, 13ac and 28ac.
Too mant DD’s though.
‘That is the problem which is torturing me, Jeeves. I can’t make up my
mind. You remember the fellow you’ve mentioned to me once or twice, who
let something wait upon something? You know who I mean — the cat chap.’
‘Macbeth, sir, a character in a play of that name by the late William
Shakespeare. He was described as letting “I dare not” wait upon “I
would”, like the poor cat i’ th’ adage.’