Parkrun + Solve = 34:31.
Not sure I’ve blogged a Myles before, so let’s begin by thanking him / her for our daily dose. Nice puzzle I thought and I can’t see anything that will outrage the masses, but I suppose that’s really up to the masses.
Is WHATNOT well known as an item of furniture? Not to me but then interior design isn’t really my thing.
Anyway, here’s how I parsed the clues. Would be delighted to hear your thoughts / complaints / corrections:
(In the clues, definitions are underlined and anagram indicators are in italics.
In the explanations (ABC)* indicates an anagram of abc. Deletions and other devices are indicated accordingly, I hope).
| Across | |
| 1 | Couturier Pierre meeting a large cleric (8) |
| CARDINAL – CARDIN (couturier Pierre) + A + L (large) | |
| 5 | Said to change platform (4) |
| DAIS – (SAID)* | |
| 8 | Scot’s sound in mind? On the contrary, one wanders a lot (5) |
| NOMAD – No’ mad (Scottish for “sound in mind”)
Is “On the contrary” just there to improve the surface reading? To distinguish between a sound mind and one who wanders? I think so, but wouldn’t be surprised if I’ve overlooked something obvious. |
|
| 9 | Accurately record taking man on board, for example (7) |
| CAPTURE – Double definition
The first definition refers to something that captures the moment, such as a photograph, a courtroom sketch or a newspaper report. The second definition is from chess (or draughts). |
|
| 11 | Blue, could be Black, White, Red, or Yellow (3) |
| SEA – Black, White, Red and Yellow are all names of specific SEAs.
… whilst blue is a term used to reference “the sea” in general. |
|
| 12 | Insurance for vehicle circling university city in North America (9) |
| VANCOUVER – VAN COVER (Insurance for vehicle) “circling” U (university) | |
| 13 | Not quite second, coming in last, somehow (6) |
| ALMOST – MO (short for moment, or second) inside (LAST)* | |
| 15 | Hard sign pointing way in school (6) |
| HARROW – H (hard) + ARROW (sign pointing way)
One of only two or three schools in the UK, according to Crosswordland. |
|
| 18 | New doubts sorted out, as Pilgrim Fathers sailed (9) |
| WESTBOUND – (NEW DOUBTS)*
An annoying pedant would point out that some of them must have started the journey eastbound from Rotherhithe in order to exit the Thames. |
|
| 19 | Drink which comes before you, from what you hear (3) |
| TEA – Homophone of T, which comes alphabetically before U (homophone of you) | |
| 20 | Sea-god’s spear I had found in river (7) |
| TRIDENT – ID (I had) in TRENT (river) | |
| 21 | Belonging to base we use frequently (5) |
| OFTEN – OF (belonging to) + TEN (base we use)
As opposed to TWELVE, which is the base we should use. Probs a bit awkward to change now though. |
|
| 22 | Stitch in time — there’s a clue in there (4) |
| HINT – Hidden in stitcH IN Time
A rare case of the definition not appearing at the start or end of the clue. |
|
| 23 | Suburban street at heart of massacre’s centenary (8) |
| CRESCENT – Hidden in massaCRE’S CENTenary | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Players hugging a bridge player before a game of cards (7) |
| CANASTA – CAST (players) “hugging” A + N (bridge player) + A
Bridge players are designated as N, S, E and W when describing the play. |
|
| 2 | Odd graduate seen in Cuban dance (5) |
| RUMBA – RUM (odd) + BA (graduate) | |
| 3 | Most of Asian country viewable as united (11) |
| INDIVISIBLE – INDI |
|
| 4 | I’d moved away from crash, possibly grave if not acute (6) |
| ACCENT – ACC |
|
| 6 | Shaking a container of missiles (7) |
| AQUIVER – A + QUIVER (container of missiles)
The missiles in this case being arrows. |
|
| 7 | Second gear is curse (5) |
| SWEAR – S (second) + WEAR (gear)
As in sportswear or wet weather wear for example. |
|
| 10 | Experts as well as criminals opposing arguments (4,3,4) |
| PROS AND CONS – PROS (experts) + AND (as well as) + CONS (criminals) | |
| 14 | Young lady: one working for special embassy (7) |
| MISSION – MISS (young lady) + I (one) + ON (working) | |
| 16 | Piece of furniture not what’s been swapped around (7) |
| WHATNOT – NOT and WHAT “swapped around”
Hmmm. Did anyone else think there was less to this clue than meets the eye? |
|
| 17 | Complain incoherently as male, say (6) |
| MUTTER – M (male) + UTTER (say) | |
| 18 | Contemplate what’s wrong about Conservative (5) |
| WATCH – (WHAT)* about C (Conservative)
I thought this was a slightly loose definition but the very first def for contemplate is “look thoughtfully for a long time at”, so that’ll do me. |
|
| 19 | It divides the fixed-rate tax (5) |
| TITHE – IT inside (divides) THE | |
And that wraps it up for me today, now it’s over to you. As Hoges used to say in the Winfield commercials, “let ‘er rip Boris”…
I found this a bit chewy for a QC but very satisfying and an enjoyable tussle. Enjoyed taking ages to complete.
FOI 12a Vancouver
LOI 9a Capture
CODs 2a Vancouver/19a Tithe/4d Accent.
More please!
11:39
Poorish day for me – out-laws round for daughter’s birthday so somewhat distracted until they’d gone, after which progress was much quicker. Them’s the breaks…
Thanks Myles and Galspray
DNF after 1 hour 30 minutes and 12 seconds, split over 2 days. Fresh eyes not as helpful as we’d hoped for me or Mr. Struggling_On. Going to tackle some of the back catalogue over the weekend to warm up for Monday’s offering. Very enjoyable as always.
DNF by a country mile
INVISaBLE – never would have done that in an across clue – that’s two pink squares in two days from teh same vertical spelling challenge. I have heard of Pierre Cardin but I associate him with cheap 1990s suits which presumably was rather after the glory years. Unless Concept Man is couturiery too.