Solving Time: Not recorded, but this felt about averagely hard. I notice that Jason J (second in the recent Championships) completed it in 21 mins 18secs, whereas the winner took 31mins. Remarkable.
The crossword itself is as good and as query-free as ever. It seems to me to have a slightly waggish air about it this month, as if the setter was enjoying himself. Some quite creative stuff, all very enjoyable..
cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as *(–)
Across | |
---|---|
1 |
coloboma – insensible state = COMA containing launch = LOB + O( |
5 | affear – distant = AFAR containing fine English = FE. The old poet referred to is good old Edmund Spenser, god’s gift to both setters and lexicographers |
9 | ria – AIR rev. I assume that air in the sense of someone having, eg, an air of unconcern, is what is meant here. A ria is a drowned river valley |
10 |
longinquity – pine = LONG + enclosed by = IN + cleared out = QUIT + Y( |
12 | dissatisfy – *(I’D SAY FISTS) |
13 |
wadt – ( |
15 |
scampi – have = SCAM + mine = PI( |
16 |
no-hoper – drama = NOH, + OPER( |
18 | cotonou – resting place = COT + close to = ON + “where in Benin” = OU, the official language of Benin being French. Cotonou is its largest city. |
20 |
inhume – cruel = INHUM( |
23 | esse – looks = SEES, inside out = ESSE |
24 | maquisards – *(SQUADS I ARM) |
26 |
electric arc – “awaiting office installation” = ELECT, as in Chairman elect, etc. + R( |
27 | iou – another clever device I haven’t seen before, at least in The Times. I got 19dn and promptly wrote this in, in both places! It goes diagonally down to the left from the I in 3dn. |
28 |
ivy-tod – IVY TO( |
29 | dewy-eyed – I’m struggling with this one a bit. Let’s see, action = DEED one assumes, so we have WYEY to explain. And aha, Chambers tells me that WYE = “the letter Y, or anything shaped like it.” So we have WYE and Y as “followers of ex (X).” |
Down | |
1 | corody – modest = COY containing ROD |
2 |
liassic – C( |
3 | bellarmine – call = BELL + Arab = AR + “associated with me” = MINE |
4 | manrikigusari – “nearly twice to provoke” = IRK + IR, containing “American soldier turning on his country” = IG + USA, + Vietnam = ‘NAM. All then rev. This clue caused problems (beyond the obvious) since it appears that in some editions of Chambers it is misspelt. I’m not sure which editions that would be, since it seems correct in all the ones I have (the last four). |
6 |
fiqh – F( |
7 | epicarp – on a grand scale = EPIC + ARP which stands, or rather stood, for Air Raid Precautions. Unless you were around during WWII you probably need to have seen Dad’s Army |
8 |
roysters – R( |
11 |
infundibulate – for a laugh = IN FUN + stretch = DILATE containing BU( |
14 |
phthisicky – P( |
17 | acoemeti – master = ACE containing old = O, + object up = METI |
19 |
tushery – ( |
21 |
mercify – MERCI + F( |
22 | osmund – *(MUD’S ON) |
25 |
otto – fulsome = OTT + O( |
Jason (fluent Japanese-speaker) would no doubt have the edge over Magoo when it came to 4dn, though I’m not sure whether that would be enough to account for a 10-minute difference.
28ac: IV(
OR)Y-TO(WE’RE)D. “Ivory-towered” is in Chambers.21dn: MERCI (= thanks to the French) + F(
AMIL)Y.