With the rain pouring down non-stop on the Emerald City, I wouldn’t have minded if this puzzle had been more challenging. As it turned out, it was accessible to journeyman solvers like me, and probably a romp for the experts.
The only thing beyond my GK was 1ac, my last one in, but I particularly liked the history lesson. I’d never heard of the event, but it was obvious what it was when the helpers pointed me aright.
Thanks to the setter for a very enjoyable puzzle. How did you all get on?
Notes for newcomers: The Times offers prizes for Saturday Cryptic Crosswords. This blog is posted a week later, after the competition closes. So, please don’t comment here on the current Saturday Cryptic.
Clues are blue, with definitions underlined. Deletions are struck through.
| Across | |
| 1 | Fat Alexander refused to do so after siege (5,4) |
| SPARE TYRE – Alexander apparently destroyed half the city in anger, because they resisted the siege for so long. The definition is of stomach fat. | |
| 6 | Heroine doomed to die, and not an old lady (5) |
| NORMA – NOR=and not, MA=old lady. Heroine of an opera by Bellini. | |
| 9 | Tundra dweller in scarf and tie, about to strip off (7) |
|
CARIBOU – strip the outside letters from |
|
| 10 | English buddy welcoming days one may eat grub (7) |
| ECHIDNA – E, CHINA welcoming D. | |
| 11 | I will be rejected by older gent abroad (5) |
|
SENOR – SEN |
|
| 12 | Firing some workmen thus in garage (9) |
|
ENTHUSING – answer hidden in (“some of”) |
|
| 13 | Musical group straighten out Beethoven’s Sixth (5) |
|
COMBO – COMB=straighten out, O=sixth letter of |
|
| 14 | Forged euros sold, evading detection? (9) |
| ODOURLESS – anagram of EUROS SOLD, (“forged”). | |
| 17 | First guy with case of insomnia after computer nut (9) |
|
MACADAMIA – ADAM=first guy, IA=“case” of I |
|
| 18 | Officer repeatedly needing a drink (5) |
| COCOA – CO=(commanding) officer, then CO again, then A. | |
| 19 | New Order plugs new tune that’s not recorded (9) |
| UNWRITTEN – N=new + WRIT=order “plugging” anagram of TUNE (new). | |
| 22 | Poet‘s material taken from the Orient (5) |
| ELIOT – TOILE is the material, written backwards (“from the Orient”). | |
| 24 | Lean cold cuts forming a row (7) |
| INCLINE – C=cold, “cutting” IN LINE. | |
| 25 | Those people about to knock Freudian process (7) |
| THERAPY – THEY=those people, “about” RAP=knock. | |
| 26 | Meeting with Tory’s too utterly devoid of love (5) |
|
TRYST – T |
|
| 27 | Disparage old flame? My one scoffed (9) |
| EXCORIATE – EX=old, COR=my!, I=one, ATE=scoffed. To excoriate seems harsher than to disparage, but they’re certainly heading in the same direction. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Lets go of instrument in recital (5) |
| SACKS – “in recital”, sounds like SAX. | |
| 2 | Answer, pithy, about crop at the heart of rural economy (9) |
|
AGRONOMIC – A=answer, GNOMIC=pithy, “about” RO=the “heart” of |
|
| 3 | Banned setter turning round, getting shoved outside (9) |
| EMBARGOED – EM=ME “turning”, then O=round “getting” BARGED=shoved “outside”. | |
| 4 | I don’t know what to say to driver after trip? (5,3,2,5) |
| YOU’VE GOT ME THERE – whimsical double definition. | |
| 5 | Pick Caesar, say, to pen grand quote about kind of force (15) |
| ELECTROMAGNETIC – ELECT=pick, ROMAN=Caesar, say, “penning” G=grand, ETIC=cite=quote, backwards (“about”). | |
| 6 | Asian statesman‘s game bird rising first (5) |
| NEHRU – RU is the game. HEN is the bird, rising and going first. | |
| 7 | Bones almost set, say, by head of institute (5) |
|
RADII – a RADI |
|
| 8 | After a jumble sale: gain what a number will bring (9) |
| ANALGESIA – after A, put an anagram (jumble) of SALE GAIN. “Number” needs a silent B in the definition. | |
| 13 | Red stone concludes religious ritual, on leaving (9) |
|
COMMUNIST – ST=stone, following COMMUNI |
|
| 15 | Criminal‘s item in court, veneer oddly scratched (9) |
|
RACKETEER – use a RACKET in or on a court, then EER= |
|
| 16 | Latino’s fare from China, deal that’s beaten (9) |
| ENCHILADA – anagram of CHINA DEAL (beaten). | |
| 20 | Offbeat fashion label in fashion (5) |
| WACKY – CK=the Calvin Klein label, in WAY=fashion. | |
| 21 | One’s thick papers and current books (5) |
| IDIOT – ID=papers, I=(electrical) current, OT=books of the Bible. | |
| 23 | Tasty plant is a passing phenomenon, we hear (5) |
| THYME – sounds (we hear) like TIME. | |
The rest of it was not that difficult.
No problems here, the whole enchilada done in 22’34”.
Earth hour tonight!
It took me ages to spot ENTHUSING and although I solved the clue, I never did understand RADII till I came here. I also never resolved WACKY, so thank you, Bruce, for both.
FOI: SENOR
LOI: INCLINE/COMMUNIST.
SPARE TYRE was very good. I never knew that about Alexander.
COD to YOU’VE GOT ME THERE.
The device in 26, where you remove every example of a particular letter, is turning up now with some frequency: there’s one in today’s Jumbo. Challenge to setters: can we work through the entire alphabet with these?
Prior to that I had got 14 clues quickly, about 30 minutes, a good start for me.
I assumed NORMA would be correct as the go-to opera heroine- I hadn’t realised she was doomed. The hard to spell nut occurred recently so I know how to spell it now.
Around 2pm I had just four left, then two when I went online to fill in my answers. Eventually I thought of SACKS and the S got me the brilliant SPARE TYRE (COD for me).
I did see the film Alexander but all I can remember is Colin Farrell’s accent and Angelina Jolie.
Good puzzle.
David
FOI NORMA
LOI/COD SPARE TYRE
TIME 10:11
I find ‘from the Orient’ in 22ac odd, as to my mind it’s specifically a geographical term and the word TOILE isn’t coming from China. Not really complaining, I just find it a bit odd.
Funny to see ECHIDNA and ENCHILADA in the same puzzle.