ParkSolve time: 35:30 on another delightful Autumn morning.
Again I have the pleasure of blogging a Saturday Joker and it’s the sort of high-quality puzzle we’ve come to expect.
Let us know how you went. Meanwhile I’m heading off for that most punishing of experiences, watching a movie with a bunch of people who have all read the book when I haven’t. Wish me luck.
(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 | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Army chap destroyed source of drugs (8) |
| PHARMACY – (ARMY CHAP)* | |
| 5 | X in “waXwork” is supersized (4) |
| KISS – Hidden in waxworK IS Supersized
X for kiss being an early form of text-speak. |
|
| 8 | Trying to find roof beam when the first goes missing (5) |
| AFTER – Not the most obvious definition but I like it. |
|
| 9 | Bad smell around place is disgusting (7) |
| OBSCENE – OB [BO (bad smell) reversed (around)] + SCENE (place) | |
| 11 | Wanton unoccupied suffering change of heart in favour of one (11) |
| UNINHIBITED – UNINHABITED (unoccupied) with the middle letter changed (suffering change of heart) to I (one) | |
| 13 | Getting on, feeling the chill a bit without cape (6) |
| OLDISH – |
|
| 14 | Cowardly Charlie chased by bird (6) |
| CRAVEN – C (Charlie) “chased by” RAVEN (bird) | |
| 17 | Lure of saint leaving Italy in 1922-43? (11) |
| FASCINATION – ST (saint) “leaving” FASCI |
|
| 20 | Spear I had found in river (7) |
| TRIDENT – ID (I had) found in TRENT (river) | |
| 21 | Head of arboretum donated succulent (5) |
| AGAVE – A (“head” of Arboretum) + GAVE (donated)
As in the cactus-y meaning of succulent. |
|
| 22 | I encountered returning pair of lovers (4) |
| ITEM – I + TEM [MET(encountered) reversed (returning)] | |
| 23 | Clergyman always gripped by right objective (8) |
| REVEREND – EVER (always) “gripped by” R (right) + END (objective)
A couple of chestnuts to round off the Acrosses. |
|
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain, say, cut off at the top (4) |
| PEAK – |
|
| 2 | Surprise tons with a noise outside (7) |
| ASTOUND – T (tons) with A + SOUND (noise) “outside” | |
| 3 | Two fish pierced by tip of sharp metal implement (11) |
| MARLINSPIKE – MARLIN + PIKE (two fish) “pierced by” S (tip of Sharp)
Mainly used for managing ropes and knots in marine environments |
|
| 4 | Crowd in church with English dress (6) |
| CLOTHE – LOT (crowd) in CH (church) + E (English) | |
| 6 | Inadequate IT holds author up (5) |
| INEPT – IT “holds” NEP [PEN (author) reversed (up)]
As in lacking proficiency. |
|
| 7 | Mailing involving poster initially paying out (8) |
| SPENDING – SENDING (mailing) “involving” P (Poster initially) | |
| 10 | Secondary route Sinbad organised (11) |
| SUBORDINATE – (ROUTE SINBAD)* | |
| 12 | Alternative to rice cold? Often it’s cooked (8) |
| CONFETTI – C (cold) + (OFTEN IT)*
Clever clue. We don’t throw rice at weddings any more, but I think most churches banned confetti long ago as well? |
|
| 15 | Struggle introducing new label showing year wine’s made (7) |
| VINTAGE – VIE (struggle) “introducing” N (new) + TAG (label) | |
| 16 | Rook cat’s chewed and half left (6) |
| CASTLE – (CATS)* + LE (half LEft) | |
| 18 | Small price paid for renting horse (5) |
| SHIRE – S (small) + HIRE (price paid for renting)
An English breed of draught horse, as you probably know. |
|
| 19 | Animal running up for grass (4) |
| REED – DEER (animal) reversed (running up) | |
13 minutes. MARLINSPIKE with MARLIN as a fish for wordplay in a QC? Good God! That clue seemed totally out of kilter with the rest of the puzzle.
19:37 Struggled around fascination with confetti and done in by the marlinspike.
TaGAJ
Marlin was easy enough with the checkers but I wouldn’t have got it without. Pike took a while even though we had it yesterday.
18 in about an hour. SW missing mostly.
I spent a long time looking at 12d trying to identify the anagrind and the anangrist and the cryptic definition.
Thanks J & G
I found this fairly tricky but manageable in the end.
Started with PHARMACY and finished with FASCINATION in 10.21.
Thanks to Galspray and Joker
8:19 but WOE, and a frustrating one at that, as after navigating a number of clues that required a bit of thought – including the little-known marlin fish – I put in OLDeSt for my LOI. A bit careless as even as I put it in I wondered about the parsing. But it didn’t (much) spoil the enjoyment of another fine puzzle by Joker.
Many thanks Galspray for the blog and a good weekend to all.
18 minutes when I finally took a punt on KISS, I missed the hidden and thought something really clever was going on with the big X. Which of course there was.
Lots to enjoy here but awarding CoD jointly to FASCINATION and the aforementioned KISS.
Thanks Joker and Galspray