ParkSolve time = 36:30 (Tried a new Parkrun at Pyrmont in Sydney. Not a bad course but I always go slower at a new venue for some reason).
Our gratitude goes to Joker for our daily dose today. I note that it’s almost an anagram-free zone, with only one full and two partial anagrams. A situation that doesn’t play to my strengths but your mileage may vary on that point. We also have the lesser-spotted triple def at 19dn.
Please share your experience of today’s challenge in the comments, particularly if you’ve noticed a theme or a Nina. I haven’t but then I never do. Here’s my attempt at deconstructing the clues…
(In the clues, definitions are underlined and anagram indicators are in bold italics.
In the explanations (ABC)* indicates an anagram of abc. Deletions and other devices are indicated accordingly, I hope).
| Across | |
| 8 | Said person wanting coat for protection (7) |
| LACQUER – Homophone (said) of LACKER (person wanting)
Not sure I’ve ever heard a person described as a lacker but you get the drift. |
|
| 9 | Level pegging in the qualifiers (5) |
| EQUAL – Hidden in thE QUALifiers | |
| 10 | Declare Oscar is surrounded by immorality (5) |
| VOICE – O (Oscar in the NATO alphabet) surrounded by VICE (immorality) | |
| 11 | Concern that’s highly valued varsity material in rag mag? (7) |
| UNICORN – UNI (varsity) + CORN (material in rag mag)
A Unicorn company is defined as “a start-up that reaches a valuation of $1 billion and is not listed on the stock market” hence a “concern that’s highly valued”. And apparently there’s another modern slang meaning of unicorn which only serves to remind me of the sheltered life I’ve led. Do your own research. On edit: And rag mag is a term for one of those junk tabloid magazines whose content could be described as corny in the “trite or banal” sense. |
|
| 12 | Friend from Prague maybe reported end of game (9) |
| CHECKMATE – Homophone (reported) of CZECH MATE (Friend from Prague, maybe) | |
| 14 | Card in centre of pack, note (3) |
| ACE – AC (centre of pACk) + E (note) | |
| 16 | Exist going backwards in time (3) |
| ERA – ARE (exist) reversed (going backwards)
Are and exist can be synonymous of course, but using them interchangably would sound a bit Yoda-ish I think. |
|
| 18 | Strange daydream about ecstasy being immediately available (5-4) |
| READY-MADE – (DAYDREAM)* “about” E (ecstasy) | |
| 21 | Relative move in dance numbers given backing (7) |
| STEPSON – STEP (move in dance) + SON [NOS (numbers) reversed (given backing)] | |
| 22 | Sacred composition encountered outside Old Testament (5) |
| MOTET – MET (encountered) “outside” OT (Old Testament)
A polyphonic choral composition on a sacred text usually without instrumental accompaniment, as any fule kno. |
|
| 23 | Untruth in article relating to extraterrestrials? (5) |
| ALIEN – LIE (untruth) in AN (article)
The question mark is required as other types of alien are available. |
|
| 24 | Eggs over cold and hollowed out round fruit (7) |
| AVOCADO – AVO [OVA (eggs) reversed (over)] + C (cold) + A Ova “over” reminded me of a great scene from Family Guy where Stewie schools Brian on radio protocol. Over. |
|
| Down | |
| 1 | Charlie gets call I’ve broken collarbone (8) |
| CLAVICLE – C (Charlie in the NATO alphabet) + (CALL I’VE)* | |
| 2 | Musical mounted, keeping 100 busy (6) |
| ACTIVE – ATIVE [EVITA (musical) reversed (mounted)] “keeping” C (100) | |
| 3 | Charming counties regularly visited (4) |
| CUTE – Alternate letters (regularly visited) of C |
|
| 4 | Injury from electric vehicle around university area (6) |
| TRAUMA – TRAM (electric vehicle) around U (university) + A (area) | |
| 5 | Food shop remarkably makes up consignment (8) |
| DELIVERY – DELI (food shop) + VERY (remarkably) | |
| 6 | Dawn is gold and yellow when captured by artist (6) |
| AURORA – AU (gold) + OR (yellow) “captured by” RA (artist)
Aurora is Latin for dawn. AU is the chemical symbol for gold and OR is the heraldic term for gold or yellow, as well as the French word for gold, all derived from the Latin “aurum”. But still quite solvable without being fluent in French, Latin, chemistry or heraldry! |
|
| 7 | Enthusiast eating large tart (4) |
| FLAN – FAN (enthusiast) “eating” L (large) | |
| 13 | One reeks when upsetting paraffin oil (8) |
| KEROSENE – (ONE REEKS)*
I’m sure we had this in a Quickie I blogged quite recently. |
|
| 15 | Political event with left replacing right in House, perhaps (8) |
| ELECTION – E There’ll be one later this year in America, not that you hear much about it. |
|
| 17 | Type of acid cracking tops of the insulating containers (6) |
| ACETIC – ACE (cracking) + TIC [first letters (tops) of The Insulating Containers]
Does anybody say “ace” any more? Not that it matters. |
|
| 19 | Plant for periodical and book (6) |
| ANNUAL – Triple definition
Nice use of periodical in the surface. |
|
| 20 | A small carrier off course (6) |
| ASTRAY – A + S (small) + TRAY (carrier) | |
| 21 | Examination is scarcely sufficient, having no time (4) |
| SCAN – SCAN |
|
| 22 | Tie up boat in low river (4) |
| MOOR – MOO (low) + R (river)
As in the lowing of cattle, one of those crossword tricks that you spot quite easily after many years of, well, not spotting it. |
|
25:12
Parkrun solve time 55 minutes.
Pretty tough. Took a long time to see LACQUER. I guess I wasn’t expecting 2 Qs in one puzzle. But it was the top right that held me up and finished with AURORA and LOI UNICORN unparsed and with fingers firmly crossed.
My third DNF in five days! And all three were substantial failures, rather than just one wrong solution. My solve rate over the past 9-10 months or so has been nearly 95%, so what’s happening?
Today, I hit the buffers after 25 minutes with three clues to solve. A further 15 minutes working on L___U__, ___I_E and ___U_A produced absolutely nothing and when I saw the answers here I realised I would never have solved them. It was a pity, because I had enjoyed the challenge until then.
Outcome = DNF (gave up after 40 minutes with 3 clues unsolved).
Thanks to Joker and Cedric.
Don’t be too hard on yourself Mr RC, there’s been some tough old puzzles this week. According the the Quitch it’s been the hardest week since December last year.
11:45 here, a good time for this anagram-averse solver. LOI UNICORN, which I got from the crossers and then realised I knew the definition too.
Thanks to galspray and Joker.
Happy with 16:22, not least because for a while I was expecting a DNF. Bunged in UNICORN unparsed, was given a good mental workout by AVOCADO which had more components than I’m used to, and stared at the gaps in ACTIVE for the best part of five minutes. That last one was particularly annoying as I couldn’t get Evita out of my head, and as it turned out I shouldn’t have tried.
Difficult week, hoping for a somewhat easier ride in the next. Thank you for the blog!
Is anyone aware of a good forum for getting feedback on cryptic clues?
This did seem hard – as the comments/times above suggest. I managed to get through pretty unscathed at 13 minutes with a big hold up at the end on the two favourites from above UNICORN and LACQUER. Interesting blog – thank you.