Time: 11:56. A couple of clues here for our ‘very wise’ (I would never say ‘smug’) classicists.
Apart from the classical references, I found this did not require too much specialised knowledge (our ovine friend in 8a) and the vocbulary wasn’t too obscure. The ‘artist’ in 24a and ‘Norse god’ in 18d are pretty standard fare in crossword land, even if I know very little about either. Overall, about medium level of difficulty for me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if many of our commenters found it on the easier side.
Thanks to Wurm
Definitions underlined in bold, deletions and letters in wordplay not appearing in answer indicated by strikethrough.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Bump into freight boat (5) |
| BARGE – Triple definition
My initial thought was a double definition (‘Bump into’ and ‘freight boat’), but ‘freight’ and BARGE can both be verbs meaning to transport goods, the latter specifically by barge, so a triple def does work. |
|
| 4 | An elder could be very wise (7) |
| LEARNED – Anagram (‘could be’) of AN ELDER | |
| 8 | Barber of Suffolk and Kent say? (7) |
| SHEARER – Cryptic definition
I tried to make “Seville” fit. The ‘Suffolk’ and ‘Kent’ are both breeds of sheep. Very good and my COD. |
|
| 9 | Tolerates poor journalists (5) |
| HACKS – Double definition | |
| 10 | Flying nowhere near settlement? (2,2,3,3) |
| UP IN THE AIR – Definition with cryptic hint – the ‘settlement’ nothing to do with a group of dwellings, village etc, but a matter to be resolved | |
| 14 | Staff cutting wages in travesty (6) |
| PARODY – ROD (‘Staff’) contained in (‘cutting’) PAY (‘wages’)
The “a false, absurd, or distorted representation of something” definition for travesty in Oxford Dictionaries covers many bases, including our answer and Collins specifically has “parody”. |
|
| 15 | Distances between small steps (6) |
| SPACES – S (‘small’) PACES (‘steps’) | |
| 17 | Old job description (10) |
| EXPOSITION – EX (‘Old’) POSITION (‘job’)
Not the first word to come to mind for ‘description’ – I would think of an exposition as more of an explanation or demonstration than just a description, but again Oxford Dictionaries comes to the rescue with sense 1 as “A comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory” and the other dictionaries suggest this sense. |
|
| 20 | Parties with news boss given drugs (5) |
| DOSED – DOS (‘Parties’) ED (‘news boss’) | |
| 22 | A last look back for Cretan princess (7) |
| ARIADNE – A (‘A’) then reversal (‘back’) of END (‘last’) and AIR (‘look’)
I would have had no idea about this if it weren’t for the wordplay. In Greek mythology she helped Theseus to defeat the Minotaur by providing him with a ball of jewels to navigate the labyrinth. Thanks, Wikipedia On edit: Thanks to Roundabout Here and Templar. The ball of “jewels” was a figment of my imagination, ignorance and bad proof-reading. It should be a ball of thread of course. |
|
| 23 | Luddite hurt, made weaker (7) |
| DILUTED – Anagram (‘hurt’) of LUDDITE | |
| 24 | Artist living in eastern state (5) |
| ERNST – Hidden (‘living in’) eastERN STate
Max Ernst (1891-1976), German surrealist artist and a founder of the Dada movement. |
|
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Deep sea fish (4) |
| BASS – Double definition
The first definition as an adjective as in “a bass/deep voice”, the second as a noun for the swimmer. Looking it up, there are both sea and freshwater species of bass fish. |
|
| 2 | Dance authentic we’re told (4) |
| REEL – Aural wordplay (‘we’re told’) of REAL (‘authentic’) | |
| 3 | EU with final message on fateful day for Greek writer (9) |
| EURIPIDES – EU (‘EU’) RIP (‘final message’) IDES (‘fateful day’)
Playwright in Ancient Greece (approx. 480-406 BC), author of Medea and Electra amongst other works. Wondering what ‘final message’ could be, my first try was EUMENIDES, which I now see is a play rather than a playwright. Maintaining the classical feel, the Ides of March as a ‘fateful day’ for one Julius Caesar; instant word association for Ides = March. As noted here before, in the ancient Roman calendar the ides represents the 15th day of March, May, July and October and the 13th day of other months. |
|
| 4 | Cat eating a rat’s head and throat part (6) |
| LARYNX – LYNX (‘Cat’) containing (‘eating’) A (‘a’) and R No need to dwell on the grisly surface here! |
|
| 5 | Timber made up part of Noah’s Ark (3) |
| ASH – Reverse hidden in a down clue (‘made up part’) of NoaHS Ark | |
| 6 | He can con criminal? That won’t happen (2,6) |
| NO CHANCE – Anagram (‘criminal’) of HE CAN CON | |
| 7 | Key is with lock in Harrow (8) |
| DISTRESS – D (‘Key’) IS (‘is’) TRESS (‘lock’)
‘Harrow’ as a verb here, nothing to do with the place name or boy’s school as the initial surface reading suggested. |
|
| 11 | Somehow the pony is put in trance (9) |
| HYPNOTISE – Anagram (‘Somehow’) of THE PONY IS | |
| 12 | Cracking spindle injured daughter (8) |
| SPLENDID – Anagram (‘injured’) of SPINDLED then D (‘daugher’)
‘Cracking’ seems a rather old-fashioned word, but maybe that’s just me. |
|
| 13 | Rugby player also involved in plan (8) |
| PROPOSAL – PROP (‘Rugby player’) then anagram (‘involved’) of ALSO | |
| 16 | Maroon thread (6) |
| STRAND – Double definition
‘Maroon’ as a verb meaning to abandon or isolate and nothing to do with the colour as suggested by the surface. |
|
| 18 | Zero clamour for Norse god (4) |
| ODIN – O (‘Zero’) DIN (‘clamour’)
Odin, Thor, Baldur… and that’s the limit of my knowledge of gods in Norse mythology. |
|
| 19 | Better echo in club (4) |
| BEAT – E (‘echo’) contained in (‘in’) BAT (‘club’)
‘Better’ here as a verb. |
|
| 21 | Point little Dorothy makes (3) |
| DOT – Definition with a not so cryptic hint, an abbreviation of the name Dorothy (‘little Dorothy makes’) being DOT. | |
DNF. 15 mins to guess incorrectly that Einst was an artist.
Clearly need to improve my general knowledge of artists.
Just managed to complete this but had to resort to pen and paper. Anyone else have trouble ? Could not get it to work on my phone, though all the other puzzles seemed to be ok. It stuck in ‘downloading puzzle. Thanks for the puzzle and the blog
The sheep SHEARER took a little while – I might have twigged more quickly if at least one of them had been a Leicester 😅
The first half dozen went in very quickly and I thought that I was finally on the wiggly one’s wavelength, but then – of course – it all slowed down. I think it was partly because I was eating bacon and eggs at the same time and had to keep stopping to put my pen down!
Anyway, a nice puzzle – I liked PROPOSAL and HYPNOTISE, and since the Luddites came from round here, I gave DILUTED a tick too.
about 10:30 FOI Bass LOI Ernst COD Ariadne
Thanks Wurm and BR – an excellent blog
12:30, nice puzzle.
COD to PARODY.
Thanks both
Enjoyed today’s puzzle – especially SHEARER 😂😂
Thanks Wurm and BR
A rather disappointing 15 mins. I found it hard and was dismayed when I saw the Snitch.
Failed as usual on 15 x 15. 4 answers short, but I suspect it was ‘easy’ for the brain boxes.
PS Now seen Snitch for 15 x 15. Even more disappointed.
23 mins, spending the last 10 mins on 3 clues in the SE corner. Persevered to final get beat, ernst and ariadne with a sigh of relief. Biffed Shearer.
FOI Bass
LOI Shearer
COD Splendid
thanks Wurm and BR