| 1 |
Fido playing with cat? It’s probably not true (7) |
|
FACTOID – anagram (‘playing’) of FIDO + CAT. ‘An item of unreliable information that is reported and repeated so often that it becomes accepted as fact’ |
| 5 |
Card game and second card game (4) |
|
SNAP – S + NAP (also a card game) |
| 7 |
Queen abandons train tax (6) |
|
EXCISE – ER taken out of EXERCISE. I have nothing whatsoever against our current Queen Consort, but when someone says ‘the Queen’ I will never not think of Elizabeth II |
| 8 |
Unexpected answer brought round, using past tense to begin with (6) |
|
ABRUPT – acronym |
| 9 |
Mathematical figure finally struck corrupt Nobel title (5,6) |
|
KLEIN BOTTLE – [STRUC]K + anagram (‘corrupt’) of NOBEL TITLE. ‘a closed surface with only one side’, cf Möbius Strip. |
| 10 |
Dog’s underwear (6) |
|
BOXERS – double definition |
| 12 |
Stage covered in man-made greenery (6) |
|
DEGREE – hidden word. This one got me hook line and sinker, my LOI |
| 14 |
Gardener involved with big cake (11) |
|
GINGERBREAD – anagram (‘involved’) of GARDENER + BIG |
| 17 |
First aid welcomed by soldiers (6) |
|
MAIDEN – AID inside MEN |
| 18 |
US writer to attempt verse (6) |
|
POETRY – POE (Edgar Allan) + TRY |
| 20 |
Misled, losing exterior key? (4) |
|
ISLE – [M]ISLE[D] |
| 21 |
Decorum of style — 60 per cent of style (7) |
|
MODESTY – MODE (style) + STY (60% of STYLE) |
Well, I finished this puzzle in a not unrespectable 12:21, but I can’t really agree with our blogger’s description of it as “thoroughly enjoyable “. I thought there were too many loose definitions: I had a minor MER at exercise for train (they are not the same), and cake for GINGERBREAD (surely it is a biscuit), and a major one at unexpected for abrupt (definitely not the same); there was some very obscure GK (I have actually heard of KLEIN BOTTLE as some 50 years ago I took a maths degree, but it is hardly GK), the NHO KNOTGRASS, and the American DIAMOND for a sports area. And so on; by the end the teeth were a touch gritted.
A shame, as there were also some very good clues in the mix. So something of a curate’s egg for me I’m afraid.
Many thanks Curarist for the blog.
I think you may be being a little unfair, as the first definitions of both GINGERBREAD and ABRUPT are as given by the setter. Both transitive and intransitive senses of TRAIN also include references to exercise.
I’d never heard of the KLEIN BOTTLE, but with an initial K given, it wasn’t too tough.
I solved the thing in a pretty poor time, too (12:36), so I’d love to have a moan, but I think this is all pukka and above board!
And now you’re being quite generous, I think Cedric is simply wrong about ABRUPT on this occasion
Points taken, though on gingerbread, perhaps this is a US/UK thing – from the internet “Gingerbread … often refers to a cake in North America, while it frequently implies a hard biscuit in the UK”. It would fit with City’s greater familiarity than mine with a Diamond. As for Abrupt, I would say the more common meanings are sudden, curt, rude – I can think of people who have a very abrupt manner and it is not in the least bit unexpected when you encounter it!
I suspect from the subsequent comments that one of the issues with the Knotgrass and Klein bottle clues is that neither are too hard to construct if you have the initial K from the other. As it happened I did know the bottle, so could guess the NHO weed, but if you are stumped on both, you are somewhat snookered.
Yes, the 9s are tricky and certainly held me up. Sounds like ‘not grass’ for KNOTGRASS is devious for being so congruent.
Just two on the first pass of acrosses and those were the very last two: ISLE and MODESTY. Downs gave me a route in and then good progress until a bit stuck on the last two. Hadn’t heard of a KLEIN BOTTLE or KNOTGRASS – pesky science – but clued kindly if you have all the checkers. All green in 13.05. THe most fun I’ve had doing a puzzle for quite a while – bravo City!
Exactly my experience of the solving process but sadly I didn’t enjoy it – sorry City!
This felt tricky whilst doing it but it eventually only took me slightly over my average solving time.
I couldn’t parse SNAP, having not heard of the game ‘nap’, needed all the checkers for the unknown KLEIN BOTTLE (my heart sank when I saw the definition, maths not being my thing) and KNOTGRASS was also new to me but very kindly clued and sounded similar enough to the dreaded Japanese Knotweed to feel plausible.
Started with FOX and finished with SNAP in 7.56.
Thanks to Curarist and City
I’ve just realised that I thought it *was* knotweed! Oops. They all count …
19:27 Found the degree of difficulty eg klein bottle almost led me to snap.
TaCAC
Only four in 20 minutes, and only three in five minutes. Chinese, apprehend, nudge on the first pass. Degree on the second pass. I got the gee but was thinking gee-wizz for wow. Is gee-wizz shortened Jesus wizards, as I have heard the latter used in that way.
Thanks C and C
Sadly, this one not for us. Not on wavelength. A treacle day.
NHO KLEIN BOTTLE, KNOTGRASS, DIAMOND in baseball, NAP as a card game nor GINGERBREAD as a cake. MER at train. OCEAN? BIPED as Ostrich? X for vote? – felt laboured.
Doubtless a healthy challenge –
Thank you Curarist -and City.
Pretty pleased to compete this in 45 minutes as I came to a complete halt more than once.
Didn’t know KLEIN BOTTLE but as ulaca says the initial K led to the answer and although KNOTGRASS was vaguely familiar it needed all the crossers.
Spent too long looking for a synonym for ‘misled’ when the answer ‘isle’ was in front of me. Good clue.
Thanks City and Curarist
Klein bottle? seriously?
I started by not getting 1a, solved FOX to get the starting letter, got FACTOID, wondered if it was right and decided that this could be a day of elliptical definitions. I did like BIPED and EXCISE. DIAMOND and GEE for wow continued the creeping Americanisms.
NHO LOI KLEIN BOTTLE, what a strange thing! All done in 08:14 for a Tough Day. Many thanks City and Curarist.
I agree with many comments above especially regarding the weed and bottle (I did maths to a high level and never encountered Klein). I finished it with a sigh but strayed into the SCC, partly because I wanted to parse them all.
As Cedric says: ‘a curate’s egg’ but the enjoyment of solving the good parts was outweighed by the eyebrow raising at the poor (e.g. Ostrich for biped) as far as I am concerned. I didn’t really like it overall.
Thanks both, anyway.
P.s. I did look up Klein Bottle and was intrigued by it – as ‘a mathematical, non-orientable surface with no distinct inside, outside, or edge, meaning it is one-sided and boundaryless.’ A fascinating extension of the well-known Möbius Strip. It dates from 1882, apparently. Amazing what you discover via the QC…..
15:55 for the solve. Hmm, not my bag. Too many obscurities – NHO KNOTGRASS, NAP or RAY=bar. I’m stunned to learn those occasions when Steve Wright gave us FACTOIDs they weren’t necessarily true. CHINESE was the only anagram I could unravel without checkers. Missed the ABRUPT acrostic and DEGREE hidden on first readthrough. Enjoyed the GEE-GEES clue. My solve helped out by the OCEAN / SPRAT chestnuts.
The week coming in at 1hr02 of which ten mins was wasted over two days on a pair of last pairs – so overall pretty good.
Thanks to Curarist and City and have a good weekend everybody
13:30
I enjoyed this puzzle, despite the unknown KNOTGRASS. Luckily I had heard of a KLEIN BOTTLE. LOI was POETRY.
Thanks Curarist and City
DNF disaster. Had to reveal eg NHO KLEIN BOTTLE(!), and KNOT and DIAMOND and FOX, though could have got the latter.
But I guess I enjoyed the parts I did solve, e.g. SNAP, POETRY.
Thanks for vital blog, Curarist. CNP EXCISE, for instance.
If anyone wants to see what a Klein bottle looks like https://youtu.be/SYBRxqEE4XQ?t=46 and Matt’s search for the Klein-ing frame at the maths park.
Thank you! Whacky…
17 minutes. Not the most comfortable solve because rather too many answers went in with a “Hm, I suppose so…”. KLEIN BOTTLE came from the anagrist but rang the faintest of bells so I have probably seen it in a previous puzzle (maybe not a QC though).
24:00. Reduced to many biffs and alphabet trawls to finish. NHO KLEIN BOTTLE and struggled with FOX. Difficult.
No problem with the Klein bottle, as I have one in view on the kitchen shelf. It doubles as a bottle opener! I don’t recall coming across City as a setter before, but enjoyed his/her offering. All correct and parsed in a reasonable time before the cuppa has been made. Liked FACTOID and BIPED.
Thanks. City and Curarist
I’m with the blogger. Thoroughly enjoyable quick crossword. Even remembered the Klein bottle though last encountered about 60 years ago!
A thoroughly enjoyable struggle. I had to think harder than breakfast time usually permits, but I enjoyed all those lightbulb moments today. The Klein thing was a NHO but had to be once sufficient checkers appeared. I didn’t feel that anything strayed outside the normal latitude permissible to setters so slightly surprised at the contrary feelings of some – but that’s the fun of it I suppose, we are all different. MISLED was elegantly simple, I liked the ostrich, ABRUPT should have leapt out at me but for some reason didn’t until later on.
Thanks all.
. . .can you let us know if the Maiden was Misled ?
From FOX to ISLE in 10:52. Didn’t know KLEIN BOTTLE, but with the K given as first letter, it wasn’t too hard to arrange the anagrist. Had heard of knotweed so KNOTGRASS was a small leap. DIAMOND took a while and a forehead slap after it materialised. Thanks City and Curarist.
Sort of finished it, but an awful lot of guesses so your good blog was essential fare, thank you Curarist. NHO NAP, KLEIN BOTTLE (may we know a little more?), DIAMOND (surely only US), KNOTGRASS.