Oh. By the way, if you are at the Championship tomorrow look out for me in Times HQ or in The George (after my morning preliminary eliminates me) and say hello if you spot me.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, deletions and [] other indicators.
Across | |
1 | After loose scrum, dismiss pack on one’s back (8) |
RUCKSACK – …along a mountain track. RUCK (loose scrum) with SACK (dismiss) [after]. Val-de-ri, Val-de-ra…* | |
5 | Location that’s superb when going back (4) |
SPOT – TOPS (superb) reversed [when going back] -> SPOT. | |
8 | Spiteful person used to remove vetness from vindscreen? (5) |
VIPER – Double definition, second cryptic (hence the ?). Turn the v’s back to w’s to get the definition WIPER and then pronounce in an ‘Allo ‘Allo German accent. Vonderful! | |
9 | Crush half of troy weight (7) |
TROUNCE – First two letters of [half of] TR |
|
11 | Criminal handlers of stolen goods keeping identification secrets (11) |
CONFIDENCES – CON (criminal) FENCES (handlers of stolen goods) outside [keeping] ID (identification). | |
13 | Someone who writes in French, to the Thunderer? (6) |
AUTHOR – AU (to, in French) THOR (the Norse god of thunder). Very nice surface; “the Thunderer” being a nickname of our favourite daily newspaper. | |
14 | Hairdresser: one supplying insults? (6) |
BARBER – Double definition, second cryptic (hence the ? again). A BARB is an insult, so somone supplying one could be termed a BARBER. | |
17 | Technical word island country used for “ending” (11) |
TERMINATION – TERM (technical word) I (island) NATION (country). | |
20 | Former partner strongly criticises European extension (7) |
EXPANSE – EX (former partner) PANS (strongly criticises) E (European), | |
21 | Little fruit from Greek imitator (5) |
GRAPE – GR (Greek) APE (imitator). | |
22 | The type to put in an order (4) |
SORT – Another double definition. I don’t think we need the “the” at the start of the clue, but it does, generously, point us to the noun rather than the verb “type”. | |
23 | Change in entirety, for all time (8) |
ETERNITY – [Change in] (entirety)* . |
Down | |
1 | Party seen to be in contravention (4) |
RAVE – Hidden [seen to be in] in contRAVEntion. | |
2 | One who imitates leaders of PETA yet chooses to wear fur? (7) |
COPYCAT – Fortunately you don’t need to know that PETA stands for “People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals” (which I didn’t know). But if you did know it, you will have seen that we have a very fine surface here. Take the first letters of [leaders of] PETA Yet Chooses and dress in [chooses to wear] COAT (fur). | |
3 | Salad plant to reveal unexpectedly to big cat, first off (6,5) |
SPRING ONION – SPRING ON (to reveal unexpectedly to) |
|
4 | Rising volume with air conditioning that makes puss go mad? (6) |
CATNIP – Take PINT (volume) and AC (air conditioning) and write upwards [rising] -> CATNIP, a type of mint.![]() Illustration by the painter Jacob Sturm Read more about how it affects cats here. |
|
6 | Sudden anxiety with satyr-like character in charge (5) |
PANIC – PAN (satyr-like character) IC (in charge). | |
7 | Special gift almost certainly something valuable (8) |
TREASURE – TREA |
|
10 | Person in theatre who performs surgery using rubber and ruler (5,6) |
OPERA SINGER – OP (operation; surgery) ERASING (using rubber) ER (the Queen; ruler). The surface gives a bit of a bizarre image. | |
12 | Tart crumbled in officers’ dining room makes a soft base (8) |
MATTRESS – Anagram of (Tart)* [crumbled] -> ATTR [in] MESS (officers’ dining room). | |
15 | Variant of Belgian language (7) |
BENGALI – [Variant of] (Belgian}* | |
16 | Moan about feeble National Trust (6) |
LAMENT – LAME (feeble) NT (National Trust). | |
18 | Tear wrapping from éclair that’s readier to eat (5) |
RIPER – RIP (Tear) and the outside letters of [wrapping from] EclaiR. | |
19 | Refuse to acknowledge sample from Golden Years (4) |
DENY – Hidden in [sample from] GolDEN Years |
*I think I just disappeared down a rabbit hole. Apologies for the digression. Yes I know the Happy Wanderer’s lyrics say “knapsack”, but I couldn’t resist the reference as I do like to go a wandering and, along with 8A, I was reminded of this, possibly scurrilous to some, version of the song.. By the way, this week’s mountain track for me was, as much as you can get one in Cambridgeshire, The Devil’s Dyke.
John, since you are going to the Championships, it would be nice if you could give us another picture blog this year. Many of us have a good excuse for not making it, like being on the other side of the Atlantic, or in Australia.
Steady solve to finish in 12:30 which at 1.5 Jacks I am scoring as a Good Day. Needed most of the crossers for both 11ac and 17ac. Toss up for COD between VIPER and AUTHOR but I know vich vun vins.
John, in the blog for 2dn you need an extra “leader” – it’s the leaders of PETA, Yet and also Chooses inside COAT, otherwise you just get COPYAT.
Thanks Rongo and John.
Templar
Edited at 2019-12-06 01:31 pm (UTC)
Brian
FOI RUCKSACK
LOI CATNIP
COD SPRING ONION
TIME 6:53
PS I will be at The George from about 1.30pm but probably will have left before the final round finishes.
Edited at 2019-12-06 11:23 am (UTC)
Many thanks to Kohn and Rongo.
6’20”
I am not taking part in the Championships as I take 30 minutes most days not under exam conditions. However, I shall be in the George tomorrow from about 1230 (I am the person with the Times folded under one arm ….. crossword half-completed ….. drinking white wine).
Only struggle on parsing was 10dn “Opera Singer” which took a while to get right. Similarly, on 3dn I was looking for an animal which ended in “onion”, not seeing the first two letters were part of the “spring”.
But what on earth was 8ac? I’ve never seen anything like that before and couldn’t work out whether it was a misprint in the newspaper, a different cryptic style or just plain lazy cluing.
FOI = 1ac “Rucksack”
LOI = 4dn “Catnip”
COD = 12dn “Mattress” – although from experience these are not always as soft as they should be.
Thanks as usual to the setter and blog.
Learnt something today
PlayUpPompey
Diana
Barber was first in.
Edited at 2019-12-06 05:30 pm (UTC)
Graham
Been working at these about 2 or 3 years now and still can have a DNF, or half an easier 15×15. Strictly paper & pencil over a gentle Costa for me. Few ‘times’ worth admitting to as 30 mins is fast for me! But then I wouldn’t find it so relaxing or enjoyable whizzing through… The blogs are always informative so thanks for all the effort put in by stereos and contributors.
Thanks for the blog
I find that Rongo’s puzzles have a different feel from some of the others, which I think is a good thing and makes for an interesting challenge.
FOI Rave
LOI Author
COD Rucksack – one for the rugby fans!
Thanks Rongo, and John for the – as always – entertaining blog 😊
Biffed treasure and opera singer, only parsing post-solve.
Fun solve while waiting for daughter to finish her Saturday morning tennis lesson.