I found this on the harder side but maybe it just wasn’t my day.
My favourites were along the top and bottom of the grid, especially the cryptic definition at 1a. Plenty though to get the brain into gear for the day ahead and I needed all crossing letters for my last in at 11a.
At one stage it looked as though the SCC was beckoning before I eventually limped over the line in 14:00.
Thanks to Teazel
Definitions underlined in bold, deletions indicated by strikethrough.
| Across | |
| 1 | New Age greeting? (8,4) |
| BIRTHDAY CARD – Cryptic definition
Well and truly sucked in. I was looking for various hippy practices; chakras, incantations and things like that (I think). |
|
| 8 | A minute part in range (5) |
| AMBIT – A (‘A’) M (‘minute’) BIT (‘part’)
Constructed as instructed. |
|
| 9 | Son hauls up bundles of crops (7) |
| SHEAVES – S (‘Son’) HEAVES (‘hauls up’) | |
| 10 | Dug tins out for cleaning (7) |
| DUSTING – Anagram (‘out’) of DUG TINS
A gentle anagram and my first in after the preceding clues refused to yield. |
|
| 11 | Oriental fighting to finish in knockout (5) |
| KENDO – END (‘to finish’) contained in (‘in’) KO (‘knockout’)
Form of Japanese martial art with participants using swords made of bamboo and wearing protective armour. |
|
| 12 | Granny arranged to return in French city (6) |
| NANTES – NAN (‘Granny’) then reversal (‘to return’) of SET (‘arranged’) | |
| 14 | Be flexible about home for unsold wine (3,3) |
| BIN END – BEND (‘Be flexible’) containing (‘about’) IN (‘home’) | |
| 17 | Slightly damages computer parts (5) |
| CHIPS – Double definition | |
| 19 | Put into words with great speed (7) |
| EXPRESS – Another double definition | |
| 21 | Employ these people and you might get slated (7) |
| ROOFERS – Cryptic definition
Very good. To be seen as a cryptic clue, ‘slated’ could be taken in the surface reading as meaning harshly criticised. |
|
| 22 | Put nothing on bottom of face cloth (5) |
| CHINO – O (‘nothing’) following (‘on’) CHIN (‘bottom of face’)
‘Put’ as an instruction to the solver. CHIN as ‘bottom of face’ seemed a bit odd but I suppose it’s anatomically correct. One of the ones that held me up. My knowledge of clothes is very limited. I know CHINO as a cotton fabric used for making trousers, called, surprisingly enough, chinos. |
|
| 23 | Stay calm, unlike Anne Boleyn (4,4,4) |
| KEEP ONES HEAD – Definition with cryptic hint | |
| Down | |
| 1 | With this pass, one may take flight (8,4) |
| BOARDING CARD – Cryptic definition
I was sure that ‘flight’ was going to refer to “stairs”, so I spent too long trying to make “stairway” fit without the crossers in place. Once this ambiguity was resolved, not a very cryptic definition |
|
| 2 | A puzzle for the Inspector (5) |
| REBUS – Double definition
The protagonist of the series of detective books written by Ian Rankin. |
|
| 3 | The lion is restless: call this urgently (7) |
| HOTLINE – Anagram (‘is restless’) of THE LION
Arguably just ‘this’ is really the definition, even though it is not at the end of the clue. |
|
| 4 | Transfer a small notice (6) |
| ASSIGN – A (‘a’) S (‘small’) SIGN (‘notice’) | |
| 5 | Examine an American method of payment (5) |
| CHECK – Double definition
The ‘American’ spelling of “cheque”. |
|
| 6 | Income concerning chosen location (7) |
| REVENUE – RE (‘concerning’) VENUE (‘chosen location’) | |
| 7 | Almost grand and mature, very well-behaved (2,4,2,4) |
| AS GOOD AS GOLD – AS GOOD AS (‘Almost’) G (‘grand’) OLD (‘mature’)
The enumeration was very helpful here. |
|
| 13 | Chart-topper, a little offensive (7) |
| NOISOME – NO I (‘Chart-topper’) SOME (‘a little’) | |
| 15 | Troublemaker gets to work creating strong effects (7) |
| IMPACTS – IMP (‘Troublemaker’) ACTS (‘gets to work’) | |
| 16 | Endlessly insolent boy is individual (6) |
| PERSON – PER |
|
| 18 | Having great inclination to soak (5) |
| STEEP – Double definition | |
| 20 | The best chocolate finally with fewer calories (5) |
| ELITE – I know it’s in the dictionaries, but I’m not a big fan of LITE. What’s wrong with good old “light”? Anyway, according to the OED it’s been around since 1955 so it looks like it’s here to stay. |
|
28 minutes
Another horrible day. I haven’t got the brain for this and I never will. Blunder after blunder. Embarrassingly bad and completely dispiriting. Like most hobbies I try, the QC has me in knots. After 4 years, this really should be straight forward. Instead, it gets increasingly hard and feels more like toil than pleasure.