This one took me 45 minutes but I had some problems finishing off – as usual. A couple of really good clues (10ac and 21ac) made up for the odd duffer e.g.19 where you probably don’t need to read past the first three words. The jury is out on one answer which is not yet in any of my dictionaries but may be in the latest Chambers, but in any case the clue was dead easy so it’s no big deal if it isn’t. There’s only one word I was not familiar with (17ac) but again the wordplay was clear. Here we go…
Across | |
---|---|
1 | ADDICTION – AD (commercial) + DICTION (delivery) |
6 | Deliberately omitted |
9 | GONDOLA – along* holding DO (party) |
10 | SPOONER – A reference to the illustrious Doctor and how he might have said ‘billing and cooing’ which itself might be termed ‘spooning’. |
11 | SUGGESTIVE – (gives guest)* |
12 |
DOVE – DOVE |
14 | FILCH – FILTH (corrupt behaviour) with C (caught) replacing T (time). To filch is to steal, or nick as the clue has it. |
15 | PALPITATE – PALATE (taste) contains PIT (compete, as in ‘pit one’s wits against someone’) |
16 | CUSTOMISE – (suits come)* |
18 | SPOUT – S (small) + POUT (expression of annoyance) |
20 | SEND – S (succeeded) + END (purpose) |
21 | FICKLENESS – F (female) + ICKLE (as a child may say ‘little’) + NESS (head) |
25 | EXPLODE – EX (former) + PLOD (cop, from PC Plod in Enid Blyton’s Noddy books) + E (ecstasy). ‘Mushroom’ is the definition here. |
26 | ACADEMY – CAD (rat) inside A and E + MY (surprised remark) |
27 |
TWERP – T |
28 | EPICENTRE – The definition in COED is ‘the point on the earth’s surface vertically above the focus of an earthquake’ so unless I am missing something, this is a barely cryptic clue. |
Down | |
1 |
ANGUS – ANGS |
2 | DONEGAL – DONE (cooked) + LAG (con, convict) reversed. |
3 | CLOVEN HOOF – CO (company) contains LOVE (greatly enjoy) + N(ew) H(ampshire) then OF. The Devil is often depicted with cloven hooves. |
4 | Deliberately omitted |
5 | NASHVILLE – NE (North-east) contains ASH (wood) + V (very) + ILL (unfavourable). Otherwise known as Music City, this is the home of the Grand Ole Opry and all things Country & Western. |
6 | DOOM – Two definitions, one of the reverse. |
7 |
PANDORA – P & O (shipping company – formerly the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company) + R |
8 | HORSEMEAT – Another cryptic definition. |
13 | KISS ME KATE – (k i set makes)* With words and music by Cole Porter, this musical is based on The Taming of the Shrew. |
14 | FACTSHEET – FEET (plates, from CRS ‘plates of meat’) contains ACTS (performance) + H (hot). This often relates to a programme on TV or radio, hence ‘programme notes’ in the clue. |
15 | PRIVILEGE – PRIG (prude) contains VILE (ignoble) then E (attitude’s ending). |
17 | SYNAPSE – SNAPS (photos) contains Y (end of railway) then E (English). It’s to do with nerves and neurotransmitters and stuff. |
19 | OVEREAT – OAT (cereal) contains V (volume) + ERE (before) |
22 | KHAKI – Take the first and last letter of Knee-lengtH and of AnoraK + I (one) |
23 | SKYPE – Hidden. This brand name hasn’t yet made it to any of my dictionaries. They are all up to date I think except my old Chambers, so perhaps someone with the latest edition could check and see if it’s in? |
24 | COUP – CO (county) UP (to the north), but I would go south if I went up to London! |
SYNAPSE I knew only because some of the more scientific regulars here use the word from time to time. Isn’t EPICENTRE cryptic in the sense that a second, psychoanalytical meaning can be understood? Still not convinced re the ‘programme’ in 14dn.
Edited at 2012-02-24 03:23 am (UTC)
Add a ‘?’ to your clue and I’m sure it would pass mustard.
Most trouble in the top right, even with the (very simple) DEPTH in place: those that (literally) depended on it were by no means obvious. And I wasn’t confident with HORSEMEAT for the reasons already given.
I was sure that (with the initial in place) that “centre of country” was just the said N (at 5dn). Should have seen the obvious.
LOI was DOVE. Easy for those who immeditaely think of Dover; not so for the rest of us and are left with ?O?E.
18ac: I wonder if we’ll ever get “P” as the wordplay for EPICENTRE — about which I’m as confused as others.
COD to SPOONER (which I really wanted to be SLEDGER).
…on account of Sledge meaning something to you, it being one of your other AKAs?
Quite a few of the clues that took me ages to crack look very simple in retrospect, which is a mark of a good clue. My last in, for instance, was SPOUT, where I was looking for something like “drat” as my expression of annoyance.
I don’t think today’s setter is yesterday’s setter! I found this one so much easier. Flicked on the iPad at 06:30 to get the Round 2 results in the golf at Dove Mountain and then an hour later I’m penning in Dove at 12 across. I like coincidences like that. ‘ickle for “child’s little” and Plod for Cop in Explode made me smile – thanks jackkt for the origin of Plod. LOI Spout. One hour.
SPOONER, my CoD, was held up by not having its S. I had a tentative DROWNER (someone killing, as a something OWNER might have said) for a while, not helping at all.
FICKLENESS made me smile, EPICENTRE made me frown. Are we missing something? CUSTOMISE was a very fine anagram.
Edited at 2012-02-24 09:50 am (UTC)
An easier puzzle than yesterday plus a lack of tiredness meant a 20 minute solve. Nearly put “shoot” into 18A when I didn’t read the clue properly.
Loved SPOONER, can’t see 28A as cryptic.
HORSEMEAT is delicious particularly when cooked by the French and eaten with a good quality red.
Enigma
“A printed sheet containing information relating to items covered in a television or radio programme”.
Collins is, we are given to understand, one of the two principal references for the Monday – Saturday Times crossword, the other being the Concise Oxford.
Collins also has “ickle” as “an ironically childish word for ‘little'”.
Edited at 2012-02-24 05:59 pm (UTC)
Roll on next week!
Some clever stuff, and I’ve certainly no objections at all.