Time: 12:44. Joker is a setter I often struggle with, but despite a not exactly speedy time and a few tricky bits, I didn’t find this as tough as some of his in the past.
No real obscurities to deal with and for the most part (not always) the wordplay was clear. Seven anagrams which seemed to put themselves together with little effort from me helped. One difficulty was with the double unchecked letters which always makes things a bit harder.
I’m glad it wasn’t me undergoing the ‘suffering’ but I liked the surface for 4d and I always appreciate a triple definition, today’s at 21a. I probably haven’t explained it very well and would welcome others’ comments about 13d.
Thanks to Joker
Definitions underlined in bold, deletions and letters in wordplay not appearing in answer indicated by strikethrough.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Thus see single performer’s act (4) |
| SOLO – SO (‘Thus’) LO (‘see’)
Paul Simon say. He appears with Art Garfunkel in 6d. |
|
| 3 | Hushed-up bungle came first (7) |
| MUFFLED – MUFF (‘bungle’) LED (‘came first’)
I seem to remember we had MUFF for ‘bungle’ a little while ago. Yes, looking it up it was in QC 3233 by Pedro last month |
|
| 8 | Drug for allergies? He maintains it is working (13) |
| ANTIHISTAMINE – Anagram (‘working’) of HE MAINTAINS IT
The question mark I suppose as antihistamines can also be used for other symptoms or conditions such as nausea and motion sickness. |
|
| 9 | Bird concealed by plumes in retreat (3) |
| EMU – Reverse hidden (‘concealed by… in retreat’) in Of the greater-spotted variety – also appeared yesterday. |
|
| 10 | Dread slithering snake (5) |
| ADDER – Anagram (‘slithering’) of DREAD
Indeed. Nice surface. |
|
| 12 | Fruit and nut alas melting (7) |
| SULTANA – Anagram (‘melting’) of NUTS ALAS | |
| 14 | Trouble with deep tracks blocking attempt reversing (7) |
| DISTURB – RUTS (‘deep tracks’) contained in (‘blocking’) BID (‘attempt’) all reversed (‘reversing’)
Followed by another… |
|
| 16 | Deer beginning to nurse a back leg joint (5) |
| ANKLE – ELK (‘Deer’) N |
|
| 17 | Make a choice spinning top (3) |
| OPT – Anagram (‘spinning’) of TOP | |
| 20 | Chewed once forty nice sweets and chocolates (13) |
| CONFECTIONERY – Anagram (‘Chewed’) of ONCE FORTY NICE | |
| 21 | Did groom put on clothes prepared? (7) |
| DRESSED – Triple definition
DRESS(ED) for ‘(did) groom’ as in to style hair, for ‘prepare(d)’ as in to clean or make food ready. |
|
| 22 | Entertainer’s presence, not good (4) |
| HOST – My last in, needing both the crossing letters. GHOST wasn’t the first word to come to mind for ‘presence’ as something not seen but felt to be present, but it’s used in this way. |
|
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Usual place cabs wait on a road (8) |
| STANDARD – STAND (‘place cab waits’) A (‘a’) RD (‘road’) | |
| 2 | Overdue coffee losing heat ultimately (4) |
| LATE – LAT |
|
| 3 | Regret the absence of American wife (6) |
| MISSUS – MISS (‘regret the absence of’) US (‘American’) | |
| 4 | All of a tingle suffering whipping (12) |
| FLAGELLATION – Anagram (‘suffering’) of ALL OF A TINGLE
Hurts even thinking about it. Hands up if you initially put in FLAGELLATING. |
|
| 5 | Casual help accepted by large sponsor (4-4) |
| LAID-BACK – AID (‘help’) contained in (‘accepted by’) L (‘large’) BACK (‘sponsor’)
BACK for ‘sponsor’ as a verb. |
|
| 6 | Work for a couple that ought to be paid on time (4) |
| DUET – DUE (‘ought to be paid’) T (‘time’)
Progressing on from 1a. Work in this sense being a musical or dramatic work or yes, an act. |
|
| 7 | Hearty quality of free lunches unsettled son (12) |
| CHEERFULNESS – Anagram (‘unsettled’) of FREE LUNCHES plus S (‘son’) | |
| 11 | Aloofness of daughter with current point of view (8) |
| DISTANCE – D (‘daughter’) I (‘current’) STANCE (‘point of view’) | |
| 13 | Name thy stone? There’s nobody limiting one’s answer (8) |
| AMETHYST – Variation on a hidden, with the letters ‘N…one’ (‘there’s nobody’) containing (‘limiting’) in NAME THY STone
Interesting construction with the letters surrounding the hidden – ‘N…one’ – indicated separately by ‘nobody’ and then the definition referring back to the ‘stone?’ as ‘one’s answer’ = one (example / type of a) stone is the answer. |
|
| 15 | Went sailing, royalty regularly occupying berth (6) |
| BOATED – |
|
| 18 | Relief about carbon cutting (4) |
| ACID – AID (‘Relief’) containing (‘about’) C (‘carbon’)
Acid as an adjective. |
|
| 19 | Leading actor is the woman’s love (4) |
| HERO – HER (‘the woman’s) O (‘love’) | |
17 minutes delayed by ANKLE because although it was the first answer I thought of it took me a while to justify it from parsing.
I spotted AMETHYST as hidden and thought no more about it so didn’t appreciate the clue’s additional level of complexity which was rather good.
There seem to be a lot of EMUs around here these days so I asked Gemini for the relevant collective noun. Apparently there are three, of which I like ‘mob’ the best:
A Mob: This is the most common and widely accepted term. Given that emus are large, powerful, and can look a bit intimidating when they’re running toward you, “mob” feels pretty fitting.
A Drumming: This is a more poetic, descriptive term. It refers to the deep, resonant booming or drumming sound emus make using their inflatable neck sacs.
A Flock: The reliable, “safe” choice for any group of birds, though it’s arguably the least exciting option for a bird that can’t even fly.
Yes, a “mob” it is but I like the idea of a “drumming” of emus and my browser AI does give it some support, saying it is a “recognised phrase”, if not a “traditional” collective noun. I couldn’t find it as a collective noun in the dictionaries, including our Macquarie. Emus certainly can move at a great rate of knots if you come across them unexpectedly in the bush and can be a bit intimidating.
A bit intimidating? Like, they can kill you? It’s always been mob for me, same with roos. Did the puzzle in, um, 8.21, delayed by the ‘deer’ ref for ANKLE believing some obscure African animal would be required. Thanks BR and Joker.
I made SULTANA hard by being spelling FLAGELLATION with two Gs. Had to check the anagrist to convince myself otherwise. Also held up by HOST and DISTANCE at the end. Didn’t know any of the collective nouns for EMU – do like a mob! All green in 15.29.