With 1A and 1D going straight in and the first nine down clues putting up very little resistance, this was a quick 40 minute solve.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | SPADESMAN – SPA-DESMAN; water-circulator=SPA; insect-eater=DESMAN; |
| 10 | TALI – TA(L)I; lake=L; fish=TAI; talus=ankle bone; |
| 11 | POIGNANT – (panting + o=oxygen)*; |
| 13 | FLAUNCH – (whar)F-LAUNCH; =flanch-2=widen; |
| 14 | COCCOS – COC(k)-COS; small pile=cock then replace “edge”=k by COS=lettuce; tubers; |
| 15 | SCRY – SC(a)RY; old word for crystal-grazing; |
| 16 | EMPEACH – E-MP-(r)EACH; |
| 17 | ODORANT – O-DO-RANT; |
| 19 | DENE – two meanings; 1=sandy tract 2=valley; |
| 20 | SIMP – SIM-P; evangelical=SIM; priest=P; a simpleton; |
| 21 | EATERIE – E(ATE)RIE; |
| 24 | ANIMIST – ANI-MIST; tropical bird=ANI; animism theory came from the same mind that gave us the phlogiston theory, German scientist Georg Stahl 1660-1734. Enough said; |
| 26 | IRON – NORI (seaweed) reversed; |
| 27 | FORMAL – FOR-MAL; |
| 28 | MIDRASH – DIM reversed – RASH; a method of interpreting biblical stories by looking for deeper meanings than the surface reading. Not sure how this fits with the pesher and the work of people like Barbara Thiering; |
| 29 | STANDISH – S-TAN-DISH; square=S; brown=TAN; old ink stand, place in Gloucestershire, Pilgrim Father, Pennine golf course etc.; |
| 30 | CRUS – CRUS(h); |
| 31 | DESPOTATE – D-ES(PO)TATE; duke=D; |
| Down | |
| 1 | STUCCO – CUTS reversed – CO; |
| 2 | ALECTO – A-LECTO(r); a Greek Fury (nothing to do with debt default); |
| 3 | DISCERP – D(ay)-(prices)*; |
| 4 | EPROM – (th)E-PROM; acronym from Erasable Program Read Only Memory; |
| 5 | MILLET – M(ILL)ET; |
| 6 | AGACANT – AGA-CAN’T; alluring; |
| 7 | LANCH – hidden (p)LAN-CH(ildren); old word for launch; |
| 8 | ENCRINITAL – (clear innit)*; a fossil crimoid; |
| 9 | ETHYNE – E(THY)NE(rgy); |
| 12 | CORDIERITE – CORD(IE-R)ITE; |
| 18 | ALIDADE – (sad ladies without s=son twice)*; instrument used by cartographers; |
| 19 | DETRACT – ED reversed – TRACT; |
| 20 | SLIMSY – SL(I-MS)Y; US word for frail; note that “flimsy” also works; |
| 21 | EMESIS – (n)EMESIS; |
| 22 | REMORA – R-ROME reversed-A; see=ROME; |
| 23 | ECLOSE – EC-LOSE; EC=post code for City of London; worker=type of bee; emergence from a pupal case; |
| 24 | AO,DAI – A-O-DAI; slinky Vietnamese tunic for women; |
| 25 | SOTHO – SOT-HO; old fool=SOT; (word of) moderastion=HO; |
DNF. I had FLIMSY at 20dn and had no reason to question it. I don’t much like 3dn with “end” meaning “beginning” and “before” meaning “after”.
FLIMSY is the “obvious” answer but when you cant solve SIMP you have start questioning
In a very famous puzzle Ximenes once had the entire NW corner made up of clues like these but if you followed that path, as most did, you ended up with one grid entry that was complete gobbledygook and so had to start again! I learned a big lesson on that puzzle.
3dn had been corrected by the time I got to it but it still took me a while to try the other end of “day”.
Otherwise I’m not surprised to hear that you found it very easy, because I finished it without too much trouble. It took me a bit longer than 40 minutes though – and I used Chambers a lot.
They’re all tough when you first start. Use these blogs to learn the techniques by unravelling each clue and understanding how we derive the answers. Don’t hesitate to ask for help.
You stand no chance without Chambers (or George uses Brewers). A new version of Chambers has been published in time for Christmas and these (and AZED in the Observer) will probably swith over in January
Peter Biddlecombe
Sunday Times Puzzles Editor