No Parksolve time today as I’ll be winging my way from Rome back to Perth via Dubai. Too hot to run anyway.
Solving time was relatively slow, about 30% above my median time. I always feel like I do well with anagrams and there were precious few of those on offer today.
How did you all manage? Please share your thoughts amongst yourselves whilst I go looking for a fountain to jump into on my way to the airport.
| Across | |
| 1 | Some of the military police suppressing resistance (5) |
| CORPS – COPS (police) “suppressing” R (resistance) | |
| 4 | Why you may be using the stairs to leave the ground (4,3) |
| LIFT OFF – Double definition
One whimsical, one literal. |
|
| 8 | Former Queen in castle with unknown quantity of birds (7) |
| ROOKERY – ER (former Queen) in ROOK (castle) + Y (unknown) | |
| 9 | Name part of what IT leverages (5) |
| TITLE – Hidden in (part of) whaT IT LEverages | |
| 10 | Fear to observe reminder of the time? (5,5) |
| ALARM CLOCK – ALARM (fear) + CLOCK (observe)
Clock being an informal British term meaning to notice or watch someone / something. |
|
| 14 | Gossip is odd of us (6) |
| RUMOUR – RUM (odd) + OUR (of us) | |
| 15 | Endless frostiness after element of sarcastic humour (6) |
| IRONIC – IC [“endless” ICE (frostiness)] after IRON (element) | |
| 17 | Shovel dirt actively? Not for long (5-5) |
| SHORT-LIVED – (SHOVEL DIRT)*
Please put your hands together for our one and only full anagram of the day. |
|
| 20 | Warning sound? Lead back around shelter (5) |
| BLEEP – BP [PB (lead) reversed (back)] around LEE (shelter) | |
| 22 | Small group putting bed ahead of lake (7) |
| COTERIE – COT (bed) + ERIE (lake)
Erie’s a fair bit smaller than the other Great Lakes. I wonder if it’s in danger of being downgraded to “very good”. |
|
| 23 | Observe intelligence and endless sense in action (7) |
| WITNESS – WIT (intelligence) + [SENS (“endless SENSE”)]*
And that’s our quota of anagrams for the day. I make it one and a half in total. |
|
| 24 | Hold off beginning to pirouette in dance (5) |
| REPEL – P (beginning to Pirouette) in REEL (dance) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Fraud importing right grain (4) |
| CORN – CON (fraud) “importing R (right) | |
| 2 | Nonsense about old supporter (4) |
| ROOT – ROT (nonsense) “about” O (old) | |
| 3 | Lightweight training gear? Pays good money, sparing nothing, to secure one (5,4) |
| SHELL SUIT – SHELLSUT [pays good money (SHELLS OUT) without the “O” (sparing nothing)] to “secure” I (one)
Not familiar with the term personally, but a quick Google evokes memories of 1980’s Olivia Newton-John videos. |
|
| 4 | Instrumentalists ignoring power levels (6) |
| LAYERS – |
|
| 5 | Attractive article removed from Italian car (3) |
| FIT – A (article) removed from FI Mainly a British usage (via London’s West Indian communities) but it seems to be spreading its wings now. I think I first heard it used by Ali G… “me Julie is well fit”. |
|
| 6 | Extravert banned departure (8) |
| OUTGOING – OUT (banned) + GOING (departure)
Thought the clue contained a glaring mistake but as it turns out there’s support for extravert as an alternative spelling. Who knew? (certainly not this spell-checker which has given it the squiggly red line treatment). |
|
| 7 | At liberty to ditch an award at soccer (4,4) |
| FREE KICK – FREE (at liberty) + KICK (ditch) | |
| 11 | Woodworker to complain over log (9) |
| CARPENTER – CARP (complain) “over” ENTER (log)
Note that “over” as a conjunction only works for down clues. |
|
| 12 | Weapon annoyed Bob (8) |
| CROSSBOW – CROSS (annoyed) + BOW (bob)
If you can’t get “bow” to equal “bob” try pronouncing it differently. And give a little curtsy at the same time. |
|
| 13 | Revealing it limits male fashions (8) |
| IMMODEST – IT “limits” M (male) + MODES (fashions) | |
| 16 | Entertainment venue about to lay off last American (6) |
| CIRCUS – CIRC [CIRCA (about) without the A (to lay off last)] + US (American) | |
| 18 | Produce Republican during arrest (4) |
| CROP – R (Republican) “during” COP (arrest)
We need “produce” to be a verb for the surface reading but a noun for the definition. |
|
| 19 | This writer will have a large breakfast? (4) |
| MEAL – ME (this writer) + A + L (large)
So will this blogger. |
|
| 21 | Odd bits of prime steak dish, perhaps (3) |
| PIE – PrImE (odd-numbered letters of PRIME) | |
DNF Couldn’t crack SHELL SUIT. The four four-letter down clues give CORN MEAL and ROOT CROP.
Nice pick-up Curry. I always miss those things.
31 mins. Tricky but fair I thought, without any NHOs. Not sure why Bob = Bow, but it had to be CROSSBOW . Nice QC
You need the bow that rhymes with cow.
For some reason I couldn’t come up with ALARM for rather some time. But what really took time was SHELL SUIT (NHO, LOI). 10:14
There was nothing here I didn’t know other than the spelling ‘extravert’ which was a little distracting, but I was slow all round on this and needed 17 minutes to fill the grid.
24:52 for the solve. Struggled to get into the SW corner (other than bleep, pie) having ripped through the surrounds in about eight mins. Was stuck wondering whether “steel” is a lightweight (I’m thinking not) until an alphatrawl produced SHELL-SUIT and from that SHORT-LIVED. But then taken into SCC by the remaining five. Some tough defs/synonyms for the QC
Thanks to Galspray and Pedro.
Edit: parksolve scraping in just under 49mins.
A steady solve with no pink squares, which was a relief after the past couple of days.
I had some doubts about my LOI CROP due to the similarity of the clueing for 1a (and 1d with hindsight).
Finished in 8.44.
Thanks to galspray and Mara
DNFed most of the SW corner, lots of tough clues. Checked a few down answers and the across ones became quite simple. I just needed a start but couldn’t get it. Pretty hard for a QC I think, but the snitch will probably not reflect it I think (I think the difficulty will affect newer solver much more).
16:52. Nicely challenging all the way through. I liked CIRCUS and ALARM CLOCK.
Thank you Pedro and thank you galspray for the blog
I lived in the Manchester suburb of Wythenshawe for 15 years. If one was deluded enough to visit the Civic Centre (one of the poorest shopping venues imaginable) you quickly realised why the area was nicknamed SHELL SUIT City. The local low-lives wore them all the time. They were cheap and nasty, as were many of those who sported them, and usually in colours such as dayglo pink, or Caribbean orange. One formed the distinct impression that the wearer slept in it, and never took it off over a seven day period, when it would be switched for its twin which had come back from the launderette.
Nothing to frighten the horses in this puzzle, for which I squeezed just under my new Snitch rating by 6 seconds.
Obviously I failed to notice the mini-theme.
FOI LIFT OFF
LOI MEAL
COD SHORT-LIVED*
TIME 4:43
* If you’re only having one anagram, make it a good ‘un!
10:31
LOI was CIRCUS, where I completely failed to make sense of the wordplay. Thanks Galspray for the explanation.
Found this very difficult and took almost 25 minutes to complete. CROSSBOW and IMMODEST were especially slow to reveal themselves. So too was OUTGOING, though with far less reason.
I found this hard to break into, and at one stage, staring at an almost completely blank grid despite having read all the clues on the first run-through, I thought I was in for a large DNF. But the right side eventually came together, then the SW, then the holdouts in the NW – LOI SHELL-SUIT. 14:26 for the solve and a tough workout.
I share the surprise at the lack of anagrams, and at the spelling of Extravert, but I assumed it was a legit alternative.
Many thanks Galspray for the blog and a safe journey home. It was good to meet at the gathering at the George and I hope to see you in January.
DNF IMMODEST and CIRCUS. I felt very slow and dim this morning, and couldn’t get going at first. I even needed a hint for RUMOUR (good clue).
I also liked LIFT OFF, ROOKERY, CROSSBOW and FOI CARPENTER.
Knew the horrible SHELL SUIT. Yes, was taken aback by Extravert!
Did not much enjoy the puzzle today, but many thanks, Galspray.
A good puzzle with some very neat clues. Unfortunately Pedro had me off balance in the SW corner and, whilst I finished and parsed them all (but glossed over BOW), I slipped into the SCC.
Thanks to both.
DNF, similar to others, ALARM CLOCK took an age and SHELL SUIT defeated me. The rest was tough but doable.
SW corner held me up before I realised how BOW worked. Could not parse CIRCUS. Thanks Galspray for the blog and Pedro for a good brain workout.
DNF, did not get CIRCUS, where I had DISCUS, with DISC{O} being my entertainment venue. I just forgot that it didn’t have a definition.
FIT for “attractive” predates Ali G, and “well” for an intensifier, we used it in Manchester in the 70s.
Misread “reminder” as “remainder”, so the first word of ALARM CLOCK was LOI.
Liked LIFT OFF, although no one really says that for an out of order lift.
Yes I wasn’t suggesting it started with Ali G., that’s just where I heard it.
I didn’t spend a lot of time in Manchester in the 70s!
I was stuck on “remainder” too…
decent QC from Pedro I thought. All green in 8:18 but by no means many write-ins for me. COD to SHELL-SUIT.
LOI was WITNESS
Thanks for blog Galspray
33:59
Was just about to hit my 20 minute target but was left with the last 2 which took a further 14 minutes. Just couldn’t see what was going on with SHELL SUIT and an alphabet trawl didn’t help. Once I finally saw it LOI ALARM CLOCK went in straight away.
30 mins…
I’m glad I’m not the only one who found this tough. A real trudge as I worked around the grid, with plenty of misdirection.
I initially thought 3dn might be Sweat Pant – but the singular didn’t feel right and I couldn’t parse it. Similarly, I went down the Disco route with 16dn until I got some other checkers.
For reasons I won’t bore anyone with, I was reading something about the Battle of Crecy in 1346 and had crossbows and longbows stuck in my mind – so 12dn came fairly quickly. Still a good clue though.
As usual, a Saturday completion is a win whatever the time.
FOI – 1dn “Corn”
LOI – 16dn “Circus”
COD – 12dn “Crossbow”
Thanks as usual!
Another DNF by quite a wide margin, nothing wrong with it just too many tricky ones crossing each other for me. I welcome the range of difficulties; you don’t improve from a diet of all write-ins.
I share the shudder at shell-suits, probably the most horrible garment in history, a completely shapeless mess, usually with another shapeless mess as the occupant. (also highly inflammable, lots of nasty accidents)
Thanks to Pedro and galspray.
” … highly inflammable, lots of nasty accidents …”. The garment, or the person wearing it??
I have been amused in the past by things you have said, but I fell about at that one. I don’t know, I never tried to set fire to either.
A bit resonant of the old Jasper Carrot sketch “Setting Fire to a Fart”.
6:57. On the tricky side, I think, rather than me just being a bit slow. I liked BLEEP best. Thanks Pedro and Galspray.
From CORPS to CIRCUS in 7:45. Wondered what BOB had to do with BOW. Thanks G. Liked LIFT OFF and SHORT LIVED. Thanks Pedro and Galspray. In Durham this weekend for the 60th anniversary celebrations of the founding of Van Mildert College. Spent a convivial evening yesterday with some other relics from those days. Quite a few from the 65/66 contingent, and my crowd from 69/70. Another evening of serious carousing lies ahead after tonight’s formal dinner with guest of honour Jonathan Edwards.
Tricky for me as well, though I did find at least most of the harder ones (needed all the checkers for SHELLSUIT and CROSSBOW) elicited a “ha, nice” after getting them, particularly the O/I switch in SHELLSUIT. Thanks both.
15:02 after a real mental workout! Everything was clued fairly but it took me a while to get going, with only 5 clues in after my first pass. I ended up resorting to reading clues out loud with the emphasis in different places to try to pick up what was the straight part and what was cryptic. Thank goodness no one could hear!
Thanks to Pedro & Galspray.
I’m going to try that reading out loud with different emphases tactic- think it might prove useful for me!
11.42 Another tricky one. SHELL SUIT needed lots of checkers. LOI CIRCUS. Thanks galspray and Pedro.
Solved in an hour, found it quite difficult, but very satisfying to have been able to wrestle through it. Thanks for the blog 😁
Nice, leisurely solve. Liked LIFT OFF and SHELL SUIT (despite the involuntary shudder as I always associate them with Jimmy Savile). Came to a grinding halt with LOI CIRCUS. Eventually resorted to an alpha trawl for the first letter and then took a while to understand the parsing. Thanks galspray. Nice one Pedro.
12:47
Yes, I found this a bit of a parp to finish, mainly on the left hand side, answers not really coming too smoothly. IMMODEST was clever, but should have seen CROSSBOW and SHELL SUIT more quickly. 1a had a nice lift and separate which foxed me for a while.
Thanks Galspray and Pedro
A comprehensive DNF today. It didn’t start well when we only had three clues from the first pass of acrosses (inc. COTERIE which I didn’t think augured well for the difficulty level) . We recovered somewhat on the downs but we eventually ground to a halt in the SW corner, watching those having a drink inside the SCC, with IMMODEST, WITNESS and CIRCUS all unsolved, none of them ungettable in retrospect but isn’t that mostly the case? We finally resorted to a word search for the first which helped us get to the final two (in 23:47 FWIW) feeling rather chastened as it’s otherwise been a pretty good week. Thanks, all.
You may not be able to see me supping my beer in the SCC, but I was allowed in …. just. I’m in the shadows at the back, by the entrance to the toilets. The prime seats by the windows were all taken when I arrived.
Pleased to finish this engaging puzzle which had some tricky moments – and far too few anagrams! Parsing took rather longer than solving at times, but I am trying to make sure I do dissect the clues properly so I can have more of a go at the harder fare in the 15×15 when the Snitch isn’t too intimidating.
Nice puzzle. Did over lunch. Safe journey home, Gallers; you’ll be pleased to hear it’s chilly and wet here after weeks of warm, dry weather.
Thanks Alto. My time in London felt “nice and hot” while the two weeks in Rome was too hot, and relentlessly so. But with a few hours to kill in Dubai I decided to leave the airport and now I’m discovering a whole new level of hot.
Never thought I’d be looking forward to returning to a Perth winter!
Quite hard, I would say. Approx. 36 minutes for me, but I was fortunate to remember to go back and review my previously biffed OUTbOuNd at 6d before coming here.
My first pass through the Across clues, a process that typically takes me about 5-7 minutes, depending upon my success and their difficulty, yielded just three solutions, one of which (a biffed CLOCK WATCH at 10a) turned out to be completely wrong. Fortunately my first pass through the Downs was a little more productive and I then had enough checkers to work with.
The SW corner held out the longest, apart from having to re-visit 6d.
Many thanks to Galspray and Pedro.
Another swift solve that crashed at the end, this time in the southwest, where CROSSBOW / IMMODEST / WITNESS occupied me for fully 10 minutes, taking me just through the doors of the Club at 20:01. Now, where’s my croissant to reward my persistence? I probably would have done better to let the clock run while I ran out to the bakery and try again on my return.
Liked ROOKERY, ALARM CLOCK, and RUMOUR. Never heard of a SHELL SUIT but liked the clue. While not thrilled by this expansion of my vocabulary, I’m at least not put off my breakfast as I was yesterday. (Actually after seeing Fabian’s comment on Savile, I’m put off my breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it’s all too vivid an image.)
Thanks to Pedro and galspray.
21:38 here, a bit of a toughie. Most of what I experienced has already been mentioned by others, but I seem to be the first to be breeze-blocked by ROOT, my LOI.
Thanks to Pedro and Galspray.
A long 37 minutes to limp home. Very difficult I thought. IMMODEST, WITNESS, RUMOUR, CROSSBOW all took ages to get. Never seen extrAvert before. Tough for a QC.
10:30 I found it straightforward apart from my last 2 which were witness and circus
LOI shell suit – didn’t think steel suit could be right but my wife, who hates crosswords , got it straightaway
Only got to this late on Sunday. Found it easy except for LOI IMMODEST, which properly breezeblocked me and added a couple of minutes! Got there in 08:02 for a Good Day. COD BLEEP. Many thanks Gallers and Pedro.
I WILL NOT RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE!