This was more of a challenge than I have had in recent blogs, mainly because of defective general knowledge on may part. There is a good range of clues, though. A couple of very old chestnuts – I’m sure I’ve seen 10ac, 21ac and 3dn before, but overall fun and fair.
Across | |
7 | Big book about company not yet ready? (2,4) |
TO COME – big book is a TOME with CO for company inside | |
8 | Mass meeting consumes energy, in fact (6) |
REALLY – Mass meeting is RALLY, with E | |
9 | Criminal is grass (4) |
BENT – Double definition. This one floored me for the simple reason that I did not know bent was a type of grass | |
10 | Make people a gift (8) |
DONATION – DO (make) + NATION (people) | |
11 | Everything for factory (3,5) |
THE WORKS – double definition | |
13 | One’s turning over newspaper to examine closely (4) |
SIFT – ‘one’s’ backwards is SI, FT is a newspaper. | |
15 | Strength of character exhibited by Magritte (4) |
GRIT – hidden word: MaGRITte | |
16 | Famous ostrich I dissected (8) |
HISTORIC – anagram (‘dissected’) of OSTRICH I | |
18 | One lassoing a troublemaker is unseemly (8) |
IMPROPER – IMP is a troublemaker, ROPER is one lassoing | |
20 | Confront fiascoes regularly (4) |
FACE – alternate letters of fiascoes | |
21 | One engaged to withdraw name from money affairs (6) |
FIANCE – Money affairs is FINANCE, minus N for name | |
22 | Ship’s officer errs, up for correction (6) |
PURSER – anagram (‘for correction’) of ERRS UP |
Down | |
1 | Cooperating for capturing woman (8) |
TOGETHER – TO GET HER | |
2 | Speaking exaggeratedly about plain drink being delicious (5-8) |
MOUTH-WATERING – MOUTHING (off) outside WATER | |
3 | Sensitive offer (6) |
TENDER – double definition | |
4 | Shortly trim American fruit-tree (6) |
PRUNUS – trim is PRUNE, lose the last letter, add US | |
5 | Anger after church service cancelled: a painful initiation (7,2,4) |
BAPTISM OF FIRE – BAPTISM (church service) + OFF (cancelled) + IRE (anger) | |
6 | What Prodigal Son shows additionally (4) |
ALSO – hidden word: prodigAL SOn | |
12 | Pet fish, one fine to rear (3) |
KOI – I OK (one fine) backwards | |
14 | Recoils from birds seen round lake (8) |
FLINCHES – FINCHES outside L for lake | |
16 | Take place, maybe up north (6) |
HAPPEN – Another one that floored me, as I did not know the Northern English dialect usage of ‘happen’ to mean maybe. | |
17 | Fight over drug is embarrassing predicament (6) |
SCRAPE – SCRAP + E | |
19 | Worker installs one gas-pipe (4) |
MAIN – MAN is worker, with I inside. |
Quite an unusual grid.
Last few: mouth watering (focused on boasting), improper and loi main.
Dnk happen and prunus, prob forgotten bent for grass.
Liked baptism, historic, the works, but cod improper even though i think its come up before.
Thanks
I happened to know BENT because as a boy I could earn a few pennies by digging out “the bents” from the lawn; the approved instrument was an old table knife with a yellow bone handle.
Done and dusted in 9:38, a Very Good Day.
Templar
Bent no problem for this student of golf; people do get emotional about fescues.
An excellent puzzle I thought with good surfaces and clues.
David
2) trial and error; there won’t be anything to inform you that the series of letters is to be divided in two different ways
In this instance it’s a description of the whole phrase one lassoing a trouble maker being described as an imp-roper as in one who ropes imps
So in that regard it’s perfectly fine
Any day I’m ahead of Verlaine on the leader board is special, especially since I did this in a pub accompanied by the Who and Fleetwood Mac.
FOI TO COME
LOI MAIN
COD BAPTISM OF FIRE
TIME 3:26
Edited at 2019-03-23 03:19 am (UTC)
Three tough puzzles to end the week and I finished this one in 17.53 with the NW being very stubborn. Enjoyed 1d once I’d finally seen how it worked.
Thanks for the blog
Knew bent as in bent fescue – and happen, which should surely have dropped the h for ‘appen!
Got imp and roper but shouldn’t they be in the correct order in the clue? Things are hard enough without swopping parts around…
Nick
Nick