Solving Time: Quite a long time, again. I found getting started difficult, and then had a bit of a rush in the middle, and then had trouble finishing off. Probably nearer two hours than one, all in all. But I’m not in any particular hurry, with these crosswords. I don’t think that objectively it is any harder than average, but what do you think?
Once again, the crossword is sound as a bell technically. One is however left to muse on how often some of these words ever get an airing.. “Just off down to the Duumvir & Yikkers for a swift pint” … (there actually was a pub in Norwich called the “19dn & Firkin,” now closed) With this particular grid you don’t even get much in the way of Scrabble fodder, though Zimb or Luma might come in handy one day. You do get some very elegant cluing from this, the monthly Jewel in the Crossword Club’s crown.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Moshpits – second son = MO + S, mine’s = PIT’S containing H for husband.. Engagingly defined in Chambers as “a space where moshing takes place.” It is safe to say I have never moshed. |
| 5 | Unwise – “For all to see” = the film classification U, + one = I inside every direction, ie NWSE in this case. |
| 8 | Droop snoot – I often have trouble with hidden clues, but this one, reversed in “cartoon’s poor depiction” is not too hard. Famously Concorde had one, and its Russian clone too, among others |
| 9 |
Luma – “ |
| 10 | Queen Anne’s dead – Female in suit = Queen, + (and DA seen)* – not a phrase I’d heard before. You would think it died out of usage centuries ago but no, this is from the Liverpool Echo in 2005: ” ‘McFadden’s gone past the three French players there,’ said Lawrenson, who can also tell you that Queen Anne is dead, night follows day and bears defecate in the woods.” |
| 11 | Ataraxy – X + A RAT + A rev., + Y = Yen. A state of tranquility, not something I experience all that often, being a Liverpool supporter. |
| 13 | Duumvir – a Dutchman = RUUD containing IV + M, all rev. Famous Ruuds include the footballers van Nistelroy, and Gullit, both of whom rate big articles in Wikipedia. Hadn’t heard of duumvir, but it is a natural enough extension from triumvir or triumvirate.. |
| 15 | Yikkers – (KEY RISK)* – animal noises apparently. |
| 18 | Offscum – starts = OFFS, as in “And they’re off!” + CUM which is Latin for “with.” Eg Summa cum laud. |
| 21 | Ejusdem generis – (E JUDGES ME)* + SIREN (“enticing singer”) rev. Although I had heard of sui generis, meaning “of its own kind,” tracking down its sort-of-opposite proved difficult and in the end I was sadly reduced to googling for the phrase. |
| 22 |
Zimb – ZIMB |
| 23 | Louis Seize – LOIS, as in Lois Lane (!) containing U, + SEIZE which is French for sixteen, ie 4×4. The reference is to the period of Louis XVI, a fertile one particularly for furniture it seems, though Louis himself may remember it better for the French Revolution and the use (on him) of the guillotine. A very clever and original clue. I have no objection to some knowledge of French being required, since I have it 🙂 |
| 24 | Tethys – the first and last letters (shells) of “three Turkish Yachts.” I was familiar with Tethys both as the third satellite of Jupiter, and the Sea Nymph whose name is being borrowed. But the ancient sea was new to me. Earth sounds to have been a lively planet, 250 million years ago |
| 25 | Caboceer – pole = CABER containing “name dropping once” = OCE. Another unfamiliar word I had trouble tracking down |
| Down | |
| 1 | Madoqua – AM rev. + to perform = DO + QUA = the conjunction as, eg “his views on music qua music,” useful if you wish to be labelled as pretentious. A madoqua is an elegant little antelope, a dik-dik |
| 2 | Smoke jack – cigarette = SMOKE + JACK = card, the def. being “no longer used befuddled head,” the word being marked “obs.” |
| 3 | Pupunha – drop litter = PUP + UN + HA, the “stuffing in junk and sham.” Another clever clue for an interesting palm tree |
| 4 | Tenancy – “time evacuated” = TE + NANCY, the French city. At last, a relatively easy one.. |
| 5 | Up to snuff – (put off Sun)* – a familiar phrase to us Georgette Heyer addicts, but maybe not otherwise.. |
| 6 |
Wilhelm – “is going to brief” = WIL |
| 7 | Samadhi – one has, raised = SAH I containing M + AD = mass publicity. Samadhi being an end result of Zen Buddhism, for example, if you are a diligent enough monk |
| 12 |
Xyridales – hmm, (SEXY)* containing |
| 14 | Vicereine – VICE + REIN + E, for the Viceroy’s wife. Or a female viceroy, if one was ever allowed, which I rather doubt |
| 16 |
Itemize – I |
| 17 | Khutbah – cassock finally = K + HUT = shed, plus BAH = “I’m disgusted!” Ingenious.. A khutbah is given by a khatib.. |
| 18 | Ouguiya – Open University = OU, (a more democratic abbreviation than the more common Oxford equivalent) + GU(I)Y + A. Ouguiya is African rhino in the sense that is it the currency of Mauritania |
| 19 | Finnsko – loud = F + pub’s = INN’s + floor = KO. A reindeer-skin boot (also finnesko, or Finsko) so rare it even floors the mighty Wikipedia, and Google struggles, though it turns out you can actually buy a pair for US$525 |
| 20 | Mishear – another nice easy one, my first in since I often start in the SE corner; ask if puzzled. |
QUEEN ANNE IS DEAD was common in my parent’s generation and often used as a term of mild abuse against some pompous politician divulging some piece of common knowledge as if it were real cake thrown to the masses. We have much to thank Robin Day, David Frost, et al for
Andrew