By Harry’s exacting standards, this one was at the easier end of the spectrum I thought. Not much to frighten the horses – all in all a pleasant stroll.
From a parsing point of view this one highlighted my (somewhat embarrassing) lack of real understanding of the “semi & lit” clue type, I fear. I may be wrong, but I think there are a couple lurking in here. Anyway, (as ever) I look forward to enlightenment from the assembled crew.
Thanks to our setter.
Definitions underlined: DD = double definition: anagrams indicated by *(–): omitted letters indicated by {-}
| Across | |
| 1 | A sometime entertainer (9) |
| PERFORMER – PER (A – as in “ten quid per/a head”) + FORMER (sometime). Neat. | |
| 6 | Stories unchanged in a Western reading? (5) |
| SAGAS – Palindrome – which in the context of an across clue makes it “unchanged” whether you are reading it from east to west or vice versa | |
| 9 | Maharishi at sunset offers massage (7) |
| SHIATSU – Hidden in (indicated by “offers”) mahariSHI AT SUnset | |
| 10 | Spoilt, after acquiring island with wife? (7) |
| MARRIED – MARRED (spoilt) picks up an I (after acquiring island) | |
| 11 | Expensive kind of shirt in shop’s wrapping (5) |
| STEEP – TEE (kind of shirt) “in” ShoP (shop’s wrapping) | |
| 12 | Sort of cruel son that pinches daughter? (9) |
| SCOUNDREL – *(CRUEL SON) – with “sort of” indicating the anagram – + D (daughter) also in the mix. Not overly sure of the definition here – it may well be a Semi & Lit (a clue type which I’ve never quite grasped) – leave that to the rest of you to advise on please! | |
| 13 | What leads to associating with party girl (3) |
| DOT – T (what leads To) ‘associating with’ DO (party) | |
| 14 | I sport fine pants around Royal Society (5,6) |
| FIRST PERSON – *(SPORT FINE) – with “pants” indicating the anagram – ‘around’ RS (Royal Society) | |
| 16 |
People working on bars spin my shots all over the place (11) |
| SYMPHONISTS – *(SPIN MY SHOTS) with “all over the place” indicating the anagram. Rather nice cryptic definition. | |
| 18 | Vegetable dish? Take it away, son! (3) |
| LAD – {SA}LAD with SA (‘it’ – i.e. sex appeal) being ‘taken away’ from the healthy stuff | |
| 19 | Space to work with joint housing? (5,4) |
| ELBOW ROOM – ELBOW (joint) + ROOM (housing) | |
| 21 |
Investor in corner, having exchanged pounds and euros (5) |
| ANGEL – ANGLE (corner) with the L and E swapping (having exchanged pounds – L – and Euros – E), giving us the business angel | |
| 23 | Top kind of Scotch earl ruddy modified (7) |
| ALTERED – {M}ALT (kind of Scotch beheaded) + E (earl) + RED (ruddy). A stroke of luck for me as the ALT parsing just fell into place as I typed; spent ages trying to figure that out first time around, convinced it was something to do with my computer keyboard. | |
| 24 | This is offensively loud if its head goes off! (7) |
| TRIDENT – {S}TRIDENT (offensively loud without its head – i.e. first letter), and also (I think) a reference to the missile which would indeed make a bit of a bang if the head went off. This might also be a Semi & Lit but I’m really not sure. | |
| 25 | Regressive bill Corbynite challenged (5) |
| DARED – AD reversed (regressive bill) + RED (Corbynite) | |
| 26 | Old revolutionaries back at home greeting Rolls (9) |
| NIHILISTS – IN reversed (back at home) + HI (greeting) + LISTS (rolls). Needed to research after solving to understand the definition, as I’d always just thought a nihilist was someone who had no real beliefs. Apparently they were a revolutionary group in Russia. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Jobs for a couple seen propping up the bar? (5) |
| POSTS – DD, with the second one decidedly cryptic (think goalposts on a football pitch) | |
| 2 | Goal to cut monthly outgoing for clothing (7) |
| RAIMENT – AIM (goal) ‘cuts’ RENT (monthly outgoing) | |
| 3 | Happy as a successful North Pole expedition? (2,3,2,3,5) |
| ON TOP OF THE WORLD – Gentle cryptic | |
| 4 | Mushroom dessert northern men sent up (9) |
| MOUSSERON – MOUSSE (dessert) + N (northern) + OR (men – other ranks) reversed (sent up). Was unaware of the fungus, but trusted to the wordplay which was generous enough | |
| 5 | Lover boy making yours truly wear jumper (5) |
| ROMEO – ME (yours truly) ‘wears’ ROO (jumper – as in kanga…) | |
| 6 | Awful sinner grips pale dog (8,7) |
| SPRINGER SPANIEL – *(SINNER GRIPS PALE) with “awful” pointing to the anagram | |
| 7 | X-Factor king splitting leaves lumps in throats (7) |
| GOITRES – IT (X-factor) ‘splits’ GOES (leaves) | |
| 8 | Party row gets Democrat kicked downstairs (9) |
| SIDELINED – SIDE (party) + LINE (row) + D (Democrat) | |
| 13 | Don’t give any attention to work sir graded (9) |
| DISREGARD – *(SIR GRADED) with “work” indicating the anagram | |
| 15 | Sort of game to try on suit? (4,5) |
| TEST MATCH – TEST (try on) + SUIT (match), giving us the match format invented to provide the godless with a sense of eternity | |
| 17 | Mafioso beast taking out knight for bishop (7) |
| MOBSTER – MONSTER (beast) loses its N (knight – chess notation) and has it replaced by B (bishop) | |
| 18 | Drunk as a snake? (7) |
| LEGLESS – Well, have you ever seen a snake with legs? | |
| 20 | Look up study of ancient history? (5) |
| OLDEN – LO reversed (look up) + DEN (study) | |
| 22 | A car manufacturer’s plant (5) |
| LOTUS – DD | |
COD 14. LOI, somewhat surprisingly, PERFORMER. Thanks for the parsings for GOITRES and ALTERED. I’m afraid I’m too much of a beginner myself to venture comment on the semi &lit-edness or not of particular clues!
http://www.nature.com/news/four-legged-fossil-snake-is-a-world-first-1.18050
No anagrind as perhaps the true meaning of the ‘Cricklewood Grindr’ has become apparent – since the death of George Michael.
Keep it up!
Only doubt: there were/are? loads of nihilists (26ac) who were/are? far from revolutionary. Most couldn’t give a damn.
And the several kinds of philosophical nihilist that Nietzsche was (wrongly) accused of being were almost counter-revolutionary.
Edited at 2017-01-22 05:25 am (UTC)
A semi &lit is one where the entire clue is required for the definition, but one or more words are not required for the wordplay. So I would say 24ac is a semi&lit as “This is” is not required for the wordplay, only the def.
I seem to have to sign in every time I visit LJ at the moment.
Agree that 12ac is &lit and 24a semi &lit, but to be honest who really cares? They are cracking clues, and that’s what matters.
I was slightly surprised 22d was allowed – didn’t think commercial names like that could normally be alluded to in clues. Or is that just in the weekday one?
OV
Edited at 2017-01-22 02:00 pm (UTC)
I suppose what you mean is you have to think for yourself, rather than use set rules to cut corners .. but where on earth is the harm in that? Surely it is what crosswords are for? Why keep do you keep trying to impose these conventions?
Never have understood your preference for a straitjackkt, Jack … 🙂
At one time some rules and conventions were widely accepted as those of the game (see Peter Biddlecombe’s article written in 2008 and still available here: http://times-xwd-times.livejournal.com/174088.html which contains a reference to brand names) but times change and things have moved on and have in some cases become more relaxed.
Generally I’m happy that they should do so, although I dare say if you dredge back into the archives you’ll find individual examples where I may on occasion have expressed a less tolerant view.
On this occasion however I was making no judgment one way or the other so I’m a bit surprised you have seen fit to use it as an opportunity to have a go at me.
Edited at 2017-01-22 06:50 pm (UTC)
No, I was just having a go, as I occasionally do, at the idea that crossword conventions are good and should be preserved. When Ximenes formulated them (most of them, I can’t blame him for brand names etc), they were needed. They helped focus setters’ minds on being fair to solvers and not just hinting or doing what they felt like. We have all seen crosswords from the 40s and 50s that must have been a nightmare, until you got used to them.
But as you say, things have changed. The standard of clue setting (and editorship!) has gone up a lot and I would like to think that now we can allow setters to use their creativity a bit more and they will not get carried away to such an extent that clues become unfair. I haven’t a list, but I think that definition-by-example would be a good example of something that isn’t really a fault at all even though we complain about them.. and even though we solved the clue OK! I even caught sight of an indirect anagram fairly recently, I’m sure I did .. the criterion should be “Could I solve it? Was I able to understand what the setter was getting at?” and it should not be “Has some unwritten rule or convention been transgressed?”
My father used to say that rules are for the guidance of wise men and the observance of fools. If I were editor, which I never will be of course, I would say .. “Only one hidden clue per puzzle, no dead people, and no brand names .. except of course just now and then, to keep them all on their toes!” .. and that would be a good thing in my opinion
I hope all that makes sense .. I can’t promise not to return to this topic, but I will do my best 🙂
horryd Shanghai
There were opportunities to get started like Springer Spaniel and then I was off on a very enjoyable trip. I had Garment -provisionally – for 2d but saw it was not right. Hold-ups were Mousseron (unknown but I managed to work it out), Goitres which I had vaguely heard of and LOI -9a-when I predictably missed the hidden until the penny dropped. I managed to complete it on Monday morning; that’s quick for me. David