I continue to look for interesting facts about the numbers that I blog, but I fear I am destined not to find much with numbers ending in 3. The best I can do here is to point out that 1023 is the smallest number made up of four different digits!
There is a potential NINA in the fifth row of the grid, but probably accidental.
My word of the day (WoD) is ABOUT FACE and my clue of the day (CoD) is 20a. Interesting to see if you all found this easier than usual, and thanks to Pedro for an entertaining but gentle work out.
Across
7 I make assessment, providing cross (5)
IRATE – I (I) and RATE (make assessment) to provide that sort of cross, as in angry
8 Flattens designs (4,3)
LAYS OUT – Double definition, the first with a number of possible interpretations, such as how a pugilist might lay out (or flatten) his opponent, and the second referring to laying out a design or sketch.
10 Not too bright about location of Taj Mahal? Here’s a plan (7)
DIAGRAM – DIM (not too bright) around (or about) AGRA, the city location of the famous marble mausoleum in India
11 Dismissal involves 50 becoming careless (5)
SLACK – SACK (dismissal) includes L (Roman numeral for 50)
12 Improving electrical safety after new close shave (4,5)
NEAR THING – EARTHING is a way to improve electrical safety, after N{ew}.
14 Agreement, heading off item of legislation (3)
ACT – The agreement is a {p}ACT from which the heading (first letter) has been removed
15 See odd parts of Ghent (3)
GET – Odd letters from G{h}E{n}T. See and GET are synonymous in expressions such as ‘get / see the joke’ or ‘get / see the point’.
16 A fight expert comes round following reversal (5-4)
ABOUT-FACE – A (a) BOUT (fight) and ACE (expert) come around F{ollowing}. F is a legitimate abbreviation for following according to my online Chambers, and is another example of the first letter abbreviation controversy that was discussed in yesterday’s blog. ABOUT-FACE will be familiar to anyone who has drilled on a parade ground, where it is a common drill command ‘inviting’ military personnel to make a 180-degree turn, or a reversal.
18 Rocketry experts taking line regarding nose (5)
NASAL – The rocketry experts are NASA taking L{ine} – another of those pesky first letter abbreviations. I just did a check, and according to Chambers, every single letter in the alphabet (A through to Z) is a legitimate first letter abbreviation for something, in many cases for several or many things. In tribute to Nick_the_novice who raised this yesterday, I am going to coin the term HOLA! (Harrumph Opening Letter Abbreviation) to describe these from now on (if I remember)!
20 Lose lustre: rather like small mountain lake? (7)
TARNISH – A TARN is a small mountain lake, and something that is rather like that might be described as being TARN-ISH.
22 Poison distributed in scare (7)
ARSENIC – Our first anagram of the day, indicated by ‘distributed’ of [IN SCARE]
23 Relative giving vague directions, perhaps, losing last two (5)
UNCLE – Giving vague directions might be described as UNCLEAR. Lose the last two letters as instructed to give the name of a close relative. The ‘perhaps’ is there because there are other ways of being unclear other than giving vague directions.
Down
1 Meeting might not proceed before locating this ulterior motive (6,6)
HIDDEN AGENDA – A cryptic definition
2 What may prevent you seeing waterfall? (8)
CATARACT – Double definition, the first posed as a question.
3 Look equal (4)
PEER – Classic two-word double definition, obeying Rotter’s First Law of Cryptics – two-word clues are nearly always double definitions (there are exceptions that prove this law).
4 Man I arranged to host first of London University’s ex-students (6)
ALUMNI – Anagram (arranged) of [MAN I] containing (hosting) first letters of L{ondon} U{niversity}.
5 Vision certainly accepted by rowers (8)
EYESIGHT – Certainly is YES and this is accepted by (inside) EIGHT, An EIGHT is a name given to a team of rowers in an eight-oar boat (as in the annual boat-race between Oxford and Cambridge)
6 Bright star, one seen at Stratford, on the rise (4)
NOVA – The river at Stratford is the AVON (hence Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare), which is reversed to give the name of a transient astronomical effect that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently new star.
9 Assume command, putting an end to game of roulette? (4,3,5)
TAKE THE WHEEL – Cryptic clue – if one took the wheel being used, any game of roulette could not continue without a replacement
13 Hard splitting dog and Siamese here? (8)
THAILAND – H{ard} (a legitimate HOLA!) splitting TAIL (dog, as in the transitive verb sense of to dog or to tail) and AND (and). Siam is a formerly used exonym for THAILAND, whose people are still referred to as Siamese in some quarters.
14 A bit of plumbing in church? If absolutely necessary (2,1,5)
AT A PINCH – A (a) TAP (bit of plumbing) IN (in) CH{urch}. AT A PINCH is an expression meaning ‘in case of a necessity or emergency’.
17 Sudden movement in operations to make lenses (6)
OPTICS – The sudden movement is a TIC inside OPS (operations). OPTICS is the science of light, or the plural of OPTIC, an old name for a lens, telescope or microscope
19 Call for help over feeling less than well? (2-2)
SO-SO – Call for help (SOS) followed by O{ver} (yet another HOLA!). If feeling less than well, one might describe one’s condition as SO-SO.
21 King exiled in decisive battle (4)
ROUT – R (king, another HOLA! this time from the Latin R{ex}) and OUT (exiled).
Overall, not terribly difficult, with nothing remotely esoteric.
On HOLAs: Surely we want to distinguish between legitimate abbreviations (R for king or queen, say, or L for line) from dubious Chambersisms (like T for town); it’s only the latter that should provoke a harrumph. 4:36.
Edited at 2018-02-08 05:46 am (UTC)
The question you asked is also absolutely fine as we’re here to help, but the point at issue that led to this discussion was actually about single-letter abbreviations.
Edited at 2018-02-08 10:13 am (UTC)
It was hard by the dim lake of Auber,
In the misty mid region of Weir—
It was down by the dank tarn of Auber,
In the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir.
Dnk cataract is a large powerful waterfall, but with all those A’s and the generous first part of the clue it went in with confidence.
Some very nice clues: near thing, tarnish, nova and COD hidden agenda.
Not today though. Like our illustrious blogger my best time for a long while too – smashing the 5 minute barrier, so definitely on the Pedro wavelength.
Nothing to scare the horses today. Thanks as always to setter and blogger.
4’25”
Thanks Rotter and I like your HOLA idea.
PlayUpPompey
COD: 12 (& 16), I’m not sure we see this type of clue/answer often in a QC?
LOI: 6 … my head was stuck in London not the Midlands.
thanks Pedro & Rotter.
Carl
I had time to look at today’s 15×15 which I thought relatively straightforward for any of the experienced QC solvers. David