It’s the best crossword of the month again – the Monthly Club Special. Very tricky – it took me nearly 2 hours, but I had lots of fun along the way…. not least in parsing some of the fiendish wordplay. Too many great clues to choose a favourite. 12A was my first one in and 22A my last. Thank-you fiendish setter. How did you all get on?
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Space over capital, which repeats in frieze? (6) |
| METOPE – EM (space) [over] -> ME, TOP (capital) E (letter) that [repeats in] frEizE That took a lot longer to parse than to solve! A rather good &lit to start with, I think, now I’ve worked it out. | |
| 4 | Composer of film about return of half-forgotten Wagner festival (8) |
| SKRYABIN – Not a transliteration of the composer’s name I have see before. SKIN (film) about [return of] BAYReuth (Wagner festival) [half-forgotten] -> RYAB. | |
| 9 | Owlet caught New Zealand bird in curve downward (7) |
| NOCTUID –C (caught) TUI (New Zealand bird), in NOD (curve downward). | |
| 11 | Cry “what jerks”, backing youth in Greece (7) |
| EPHEBOS – SOB (cry) EH?[what?) PE (jerks) all reversed -> EPHEBOS. | |
| 12 | The reader almost breaks concealed bone in neck (5) |
| HYOID – YO{u} (the reader) [almost] in HID (concealed). | |
| 13 | Embryonic layers developing stem cell without lines and rod (9) |
| ECTODERMS – [Developing] (stem ce{ll} rod)* losing the L L [without lines] | |
| 14 | Injecting liquid iodide, modify log for observation (5,5) |
| VIDEO DIARY – VARY (modify) including (iodide)*. | |
| 16 | Mountain of bones (4) |
| OSSA – Double definition. Referring to this mountain in Greece. | |
| 19 | One’s about to follow Egyptian spirit or Japanese one (4) |
| KAMI – KA (Egyptian spirit) I’M (one’s) [about] -> MI. | |
| 20 | Fiend in charge stops ogreish princess getting into trouble (10) |
| AFICIONADO – A double inclusion. IC (in charge) in FIONA (ogreish princess), in ADO (trouble). | |
| 22 | Fiend, not quite without justification, skinned fum, a mythical bird (9) |
| IMPUNDULU – Two fiends in a row, but this one isn’t a definition. IMP (fiend) UNDU{e} (without justification) [not quite], {f}U{m} [skinned]. The fum, of course, is another mythical bird – the Chinese name for the Phoenix. Nice one. | |
| 23 | Computer geeks regularly ignored, now thankful (5) |
| OTAKU -Alternate letters, [regularly ignored], of nOw ThAnKfUl, | |
| 25 | Possibly gifted property that Jacques Tati exhibits (7) |
| ACQUEST -Hidden in JACQUES Tati. M. Tati the film-maker. | |
| 26 | Scottish girl set to work with help (7) |
| ELSPETH – (set help)* [to work]. | |
| 27 | Joined line in revolution against very regal movement (8) |
| MAESTOSO – SEAM (joined line) reversed -> MAES, TO (against) SO (very). | |
| 28 | French con artist is in Barcelona with mugger, say (6) |
| ESCROC – ES (is in Spanish) CROC (mugger; an Indian crocodile). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Pinko chaps against interrupting Arab leader (9) |
| MENSHEVIK – MEN (chaps), V (against) in SHEIK (Arab leader). | |
| 2 | Relatively young crater yet encompassing younger crater’s peaks (5) |
| TYCHO – THO (yet) outside Younger Crater [‘s peaks]. | |
| 3 | Try leaving domestic fowl and assume rook cracks shoulder-plate (8) |
| POULDRON – POUL{try} (domestic fowl) without the try, R (rook) in DON (assume). | |
| 5 | Light boots and silk hotel uniform on man accepting post (13) |
| KLETTERSCHUHE – KC (King’s Counsel; silk) H (hotel) U (uniform) HE (man) [accepting] LETTERS (post). | |
| 6 | Name of violinist striking feet in long barbarian cacophony (6) |
| YEHUDI -Removing the last letters of [striking feet of] YE{n} (long) HU{n} (barbarian) DI{n} (cacophony). Yehudi Menuhin, of course. | |
| 7 | Turning up in the part of sandwich containing bone, a wild pig (9) |
| BABIRUSSA – RIB (bone) A, in AS (in part of; acting) SUB (sandwich) all [turning up] -> ABIR in BUSSA. | |
| 8 | We are Newton, conversely striving (5) |
| NISUS – N (Newton; unit of force) US IS (we are) [conversely] -> IS US. | |
| 10 | Perishes stateside, making case for soulless doctor’s ill-fated day (4,9) |
| DIES INFAUSTUS – DIES (perishes) IN US (stateside) outside FAUST (soulless doctor). | |
| 15 | Quip I deem funny in place of earlier rider? (9) |
| DEMIPIQUE – (quip I deem)* [funny]. An old form of saddle. | |
| 17 | Subsequent bridge system united most of broad (9) |
| ACOLUTHIC – ACOL (bridge system) U (united) [most of] THIC{k} (broad). | |
| 18 | Greek giant dog’s destruction welcomed by tailless rodent (8) |
| MOLOSSUS – LOSS (destruction) in [tailless] MOUS{e} (rodent). A bit harsh on the dog. Wasn’t it the farmer’s wife who cut of the tails? | |
| 21 | Deep home insulation material, perhaps (6) |
| INFELT – IN (home) FELT (insulation material, perhaps). | |
| 22 | Prayer leader with one answer breaking silence (5) |
| IMAUM – I (one) A (answer) in MUM (silence). | |
| 24 | Ancient spook in CIA ultimately following every other in Le Carré (5) |
| AFEAR – CIA [ultimately] F (following) [every other in] lE cArRé | |
I managed this in 45 minutes, which is quick for an MCS, though I should have taken longer to insert NISUS instead of NUSIS: not sure what I was thinking and didn’t check in Chambers. Bang goes another hundred quid.
I actually thought the vocab was less arcane than usual, and a lot of answers went in without the usual checking. I wouldn’t have spelt SKRYABIN like that, but the wordplay made it inevitable. Not all of his music was “challenging” (for which read practically tuneless), but such is reputation.