Solving Time: I found this relatively straightforward and completed it in two goes totalling about 45 minutes. At the time of writing there are 47 correct answers on the website, which is less than usual, so maybe I was on good form – this is an inexact science!
Anyone who successfully completed yesterday’s cryptic (25093) should be able to complete this too..
Anyone who successfully completed yesterday’s cryptic (25093) should be able to complete this too..
Only a single proper noun in this grid, unusually.
cd = cryptic definition, dd = double defintion, rev = reversed, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | stolenwise – once only = SOLE containing T, + “points anticlockwise” = NWSE containing I = island: S(T)OLENW(I)SE |
| 6 |
kilp – KIL( |
| 9 | grysbok – Greek = GK containing OB’S YR rev. Just when you think you are getting a grip on the gazelle/antelope/deer situation, along comes yet another one.. |
| 10 | sibship – drink = SIB containing I + B + SH |
| 12 |
attainment – corrupt = ATTAIN( |
| 13 | bam – bishop = B + AM = “is for first person” .. I am, she is.. Not heard of bam before but bamming as in “are you bamming me?” rang a faint bell |
| 15 | incage – indicator of US business = INC. + AGE = maturity, the def. being “Shut up forgotten,” I suppose.. the surface doesn’t quite work, without the forgotten |
| 16 | lemon dab – (done + lamb)* – simple, but a fine clue I think. Dabs and soles seem more or less interchangeable. |
| 18 | unpoetic – CITE + OP + NU (= “Aristophanic character”) all rev. Aristophanes is only there to indicate the Greekness of nu, but I was given a copy of the Penguin Classic “The Frogs & Other Plays” when I was quite young, and against all expectations I enjoyed reading it. After 2,400+ years, his work is genuinely funny still (in parts 🙂 |
| 20 |
gymmal – G + ( |
| 23 | tho – corrupT Honesty |
| 24 | effectuate – “with no strength left” = EFFETE containing (A CUT)* – effete is an interesting word, because I would not use it to mean “strong once, but no longer..” but in origin, it is actually related to fetus and means “no longer fertile,” ie worn out by bearing children – a more common problem once, than now. |
| 26 | xerotes – lovemaking = SEX containing “produced tears in” = TORE, all rev. |
| 27 | pulture – utter, in the sense of an utter disaster, = PURE containing previous month = ultimo = ULT. When I started officework in 1972, ult., inst., and prox. were still in common use.. now even Wikipedia lists them as less common |
| 28 |
nogg – ( |
| 29 | criosphinx – firm = CRISP containing O, + H + IN + X = by as in four by two.. your common or garden sphinx has the head of a woman, and should not be confused with an androsphinx (head of a man) or a criosphinx (head of a ram). Considering how mythological it is, it is remarkable how widespread they have become.. even books about them! |
| Down | |
| 1 | sagy – SAY (as in “have your say”) containing G |
| 2 | oxyntic – bull = OX, + CITY containing N, rev. |
| 3 | embranglement – (GENTLEMEN)* containing M + BRA. A top class clue, this one.. a neat anagram, and clever misdirection with the “male underclothing,” though I suppose men wear bras much more nowadays, than formerly.. |
| 4 | waking – comedian = WAG containing family = KIN. Another beautiful clue, neat & slick, but does the “experienced” really need to be there at all? |
| 5 | sistered – SIRE + D containing STE = “blessed woman,” at least if you are French (= sainte) it does.. |
| 7 | ichabod – I + CH + A BOD. As to why Ichabod means “The glory is departed,” well, you have to read about it.. frankly, words fail me. How was anyone ever able to bring themselves to believe this guff? |
| 8 | popemobile – POP + EMO + BILE. One of those clues that are easy to solve (lovely def., “What moves top cleric!”), especially with a crosser or two, but harder to parse. You need to know what emo is for a start, and I certainly didn’t… |
| 11 | button your lip – slight deviation = BLIP containing university visit = U TOUR containing theatre award = TONY. So, B(UT(TONY)OUR)LIP. What in my programming days we called nested statements. |
| 14 | ciguatoxin – nothing (if you’re American) = NIX + “to do with lugs (= ears) = OTIC, both rev. and containing month = AUG. So, CI(GUA)TO + XIN. The constructions of this clue and the one above, 11dn, are things of beauty! |
| 17 | diffusor – (IF FORD)* containing US. |
| 19 | prodrug – to urge = PROD + RUG = “cover for overexposed crown” = wig |
| 21 | matsuri – I + RUST + AM, all rev. Matsuri is a festival rather than a rite as we would understand it.. If you look up “Kanamara Matsuri” in Wikipedia or google images, you will get the idea 😉 |
| 22 | Scipio – alternate letters: SaCk ImPrIsOn. Scipio Africanus, victor over Hannibal, is generally reckoned to be one of the great generals of history. |
| 25 |
jeux – JE( |
Why does ICHABOD (once clued in the pre-Ximenean days of the Times As “Land of hope and ___” deserve such opprobrium? – it’s one of the more reasonable tribal tales from the OT, similar in rationale to people naming their children after the 1966 England squad. Not at all hard to “believe” whatever you may think of its relevance.
As to ICHABOD my problem with any biblical tale is differentiating between myth, fact, fable and allegory. I suspect this one contains a mixture of these elements.
For biblical text the author is unknown, the work has transmuted through several unreliable translations and various spells of editing usually by those with a particulae axe to grind. This makes it an unreliable source.
The same is not true to anything like the same extent for works by say Chaucer