A tricky one from Asp, I thought, with some unknown vocabulary and lots of beautifully deceptive clues. I was pushed just into the SCC, finishing in 20:01. If I hadn’t made and corrected a typo while entering my last answer, I would have been just the other side of 20 minutes. As Asp tends to be one of the harder setters, I’m happy with that.
My first one in was NESS, last one BERATING, COD to UNCOMMON, where I was convinced that “lack of sophistication” was the definition until I saw UN at the top of UNSEALS and thought, “hold on, that’s an article in French. Ohhhh…”.
On edit: Quadrophenia, in the very first comment below, points out that there is quite a clever theme to this puzzle. If you spotted it in time for it to help with your solve, you have my permission to go to Smug Factor 10.
Definitions underlined, synonyms in round brackets, wordplay in square brackets and deletions in strikethrough. Anagram indicators italicised in the clue, anagram fodder indicated like (THIS)*.
| Across | |
| 1 | Odd article in Le Monde showing lack of sophistication (8) |
| UNCOMMON – UN (‘A’ in French, so an ‘article in Le Monde’), COMMON (lack of sophistication). | |
| 5 | Prominent piece of land held by businessman (4) |
| NESS – Hidden in [held by] ‘Ness’ is a synonym for headland, or promontory. |
|
| 8 | Line is removed from shocking opening (8) |
| STARTING – STARTLING (shocking), minus L for Line. | |
| 9 | Podcaster’s way of running portal (4) |
| GATE – Homonym of ‘gait’ (way of running).
Podcasts used to be audio only, hence the use of ‘podcaster’ to signal a homonym clue, but I understand that the kids these days are watching them too. |
|
| 11 | Following source of financial news during tumultuous era (5) |
| AFTER – FT (abbreviation for Financial Times, the British newspaper focused on, well, finance), inside (ERA)*. | |
| 12 | However, idiot finally had an idea (7) |
| THOUGHT – THOUGH (however) + last letter of As in, “Shall we go to the pub?” “Now, there’s a thought”. |
|
| 13 | Salt spring? (6) |
| SEASON – Double definition, the first being a verb. | |
| 15 | Everyone in Slough yielded to temptation (6) |
| FALLEN – ALL (everyone) in FEN (slough).
Pronounced as “slew”, a slough is an inlet filled with water, which I guess makes it a close relative of a fen. I didn’t know this word until I moved to California, where I live relatively close to Elkhorn Slough. My dictionary marks it as “N Amer”, so this may be tricky for many. |
|
| 18 | Fool regularly ignored trendy set (7) |
| CLOTTED – CLOT (fool), plus every other letter of T That’s ‘set’ as an adjective, as in jelly. Most often seen in ‘clotted cream’. |
|
| 19 | Best part of dairy product (5) |
| CREAM – Another double definition. | |
| 21 | Control time in office for auditor (4) |
| REIN – sounds like [for auditor] ‘reign’ (time in office). | |
| 22 | Smashed TV set screening men’s formal attire (8) |
| VESTMENT – (TV SET)* containing [screening] MEN.
The apostrophe in the clue is not a possessive here, but a contraction of “is”. |
|
| 23 | First person guided around shop (4) |
| DELI – I (first person) LED (guided), reversed [around]. | |
| 24 | Reprimanding despicable person’s boring existence (8) |
| BERATING – RAT (despicable person) entering [boring] BEING (existence). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Releases elite US troops to support peacekeeping force (7) |
| UNSEALS – SEALS (elite US troops) below [to support, for a down clue] UN (United Nations, peacekeeping force).
As in classified records that reach their “keep secret until” date. |
|
| 2 | Make a detailed plan of church painting and sculpture? (5) |
| CHART – CH for church + ART (painting and sculpture).
The question mark is an indication that the wordplay for ART is a definition by example. |
|
| 3 | One unable to shut up car opening (10) |
| MOTORMOUTH – MOTOR (car) MOUTH (opening, as a river). | |
| 4 | Highly decorated knight coming in to deliver speech (6) |
| ORNATE – N (knight, from chess notation), inside [coming in] ORATE [to deliver speech].
One of the few clues I got on first sight. Pretty sure we’ve seen exactly this construction before. |
|
| 6 | English vicar’s first financial backer for any of the Gospels (7) |
| EVANGEL -E for English, V [V I had never seen this word before, but I backformed the possibility of its existence from ‘evangelist’ and ‘evangelical’. Checking my dictionary, one of the definitions is “any one of the four Gospels”, so the definition couldn’t be more accurate, and the wordplay was pretty clear. |
|
| 7 | Exhausted writer found in street (5) |
| SPENT – PEN (writer) inside [found in] ST (street). | |
| 10 | Roaming on coast via Canadian province (4,6) |
| NOVA SCOTIA – (ON COAST VIA)*
Turns out that Nova Scotia is the sixth Canadian province that comes to my mind when I try to list them. |
|
| 14 | Leader of American party unconcerned about others (7) |
| ASOCIAL – A [leader of A Another word I didn’t know, but was willing to believe in its existence. |
|
| 16 | How to identify someone 9 staff upset (7) |
| NAMETAG – GATE (the answer to clue number 9) + MAN (staff), reversed [upset].
For once, I was happy about cross-referencing clues, because I had solved 9 and actually thought to try the answer here. And it worked! I believe the convention is that numbers when written with digits (‘9’) can (but don’t have to) refer to other clues, but numbers written out (‘nine’) do not. |
|
| 17 | Stick plug in this place (6) |
| ADHERE – AD (plug) HERE (in this place). | |
| 18 | Crude bombs made better (5) |
| CURED – (CRUDE)* | |
| 20 | Resin obtained from bio-fuel emissions (5) |
| ELEMI – hidden in [obtained from] No, me neither. From my Shorter OED: “any of various oleoresins obtained from tropical trees of the family Burseraceae and used in varnishes and ointments;” So now we know. |
|
Very reassuring reaction. It didn’t dislike it, but feel much better about my DNF and time after reading these comments. NHO ELEMI and EVANGEL, but those weren’t that tricky anyway. Simply couldn’t see FALLEN or, for some reason, UNCOMMON, and needed the latter to get MOTORMOUTH.
I quite liked NAMETAG, but I gather that puts me squarely in the minority.
Excellent write-up!
Very late getting to this today, and whether this made any difference to my solving time I don’t know, but I missed my target at 11.51. I found it tough, and the general consensus seems to be that it was so, but I enjoyed it and agree with others that the inclusion of a tougher crossword for the QC now and again is not unreasonable.
I found the ne corner particularly tricky, and this is what took me beyond my ten minute target. UNSEALS and ASOCIAL were a long time in solving, and I even failed on my LOI 13ac where I was convinced that I was looking for a seafaring person and a perhaps obscure word for water popping out of the ground. Unfortunately SEADOG doesn’t fit the latter’s criteria!
Too hard for me, but all fair. Had to give up with Motormouth, Asocial and Uncommon unsolved. All required fairly long synonyms for words in the clue that I couldn’t think of. Find the anagrams, or ones made of several constituent parts easier.
Nearly managed it but beaten in the end by SEASON, which I should have got, and ASOCIAL which I might not have.
I found it very satisfying as the clues fell one by one. Liked BERATING and NAMETAG among others.
Thanks Asp and Doofers.
Isn’t ASP a ‘small venomous snake’ or would that be misdirection!! It was hard, ‘bombs’ for anagram, which scuppered my bottom corner, but if I’d remembered ‘Clot’ from roughly
my childhood life might have been simpler. Oh, and, the poor old folk living in the Fens did they know they’re in a bog, well ‘miry place’ anyway!
I lived near the Fens. Never thought of it as a SLOUGH which I associate with Slough of despair, though tbf, prior to Fenland drainage parts of it would have been very unpleasant. Intermittent fever was common – ?? Malaria
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1233687100
Something of a foxtrot today, with the emphasis on ‘slow’! (not slew or slough😅)
Of course I didn’t notice the nina, but I thought it was fun when pointed out. No trouble with the GK – EVANGEL was on the edge of my vocab but it seemed clear enough. I knew ELEMI, as we’ve seen it before (although maybe only in the biggie). There is a well known brand of skincare called Elemis, which presumably relates to the resin.
I liked the surfaces for CHART and NOVA SCOTIA very much.
I learnt to drive in Slough, around the trading estate, and the smell of chocolate from the Mars factory was indeed tempting.
13:12 FOI Ness LOI Uncommon COD Fallen
Thanks Asp and Doofers
Another b****y awful performance.
35 minutes of pure hell and another week ruined.
Why do I bother when I clearly have no talent?
Spotted theme early on which helped nho EVANGEL
DNF.
Some enjoyable clues (UNSEALED, SEASON, AFTER) but 3 nho was too much for me
SLOUGH, MOTORMOUTH, ELEMI , on top of other tricky clues. Dispiriting.
Perhaps tomorrow will be better.
Thanks Doofers.
My worst outing for a long time. With 6 unsolved clues a few of which I should have got: Uncommon and Season but Rein and Berating were difficult.
Very lively blog today. Maybe Asp did us a favour?
Gave in with 3 missing. No complaints, I just wasn’t feeling sharp enough with a cold hovvering to keep going. Tough but fair.
FOI Ness
LOI Clotted
COD Cured
Thanks Asp and Doofers
Got there in about 20 minutes, so it was a fair challenge, but I thought it was a bit tough for a QC – quicker than the 15 x 15 only because there were fewer clues to solve, but not much different in terms of difficulty, especially the north-west quadrant which stayed nearly blank for a long time – getting MOTORMOUTH was the key to unlocking it.
ELEMI was the only NHO for me, but the word play was pretty transparent and once I had the checkers it was lingering doubts over.
My last one in was UNSEALS – I thought “releases” was a bit of a stretch, but I guess if you unseal something you might well release something (else) from inside it.
Had a go at 15 x 15. Got about 2/3 in 2 hours! No enjoyment or sense of achievement.
Another nightmare day for me.
Well, Asp, since I’m sure you read this blog regularly, you’ve certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons this time! A great puzzle, fine Nina, which I missed, and my first DNF on one of yours, as like many above. I was fixated on Do being party and consequently didn’t get ASOCIAL, despite leaving it and coming back to it later. As you know, I like a challenge and, unlike some, don’t mind being beaten occasionally by a worthy opponent. So keep them coming…
16:33. I don’t feel that’s awful for me given some of the other comments here. it was a bit of a struggle, but a very enjoyable one.
Really enjoyed yesterday’s crossword. DNF today. I agree it is good to have a range of difficulties, but this one was out of my league.
Finished in about 40 minutes.
Most of the clues went in without undue difficulty – then Bradford to jolt the memory plus the crosses finished it off.
Didn’t really see the Nina but all was clear in retrospect.
Thank you Asp & thanks for the blog.
Judging by the range of the comments I guess we’ve all learnt something (probably)!
I’m not the quickest EVER….but I thought this was a BRILLIANT PUZZLE & THANKYOU ASP …. Achieving the solutions & the then reading all the comments… I’ve decided I’m not so slow after all. Get a grip all of you… this was fun. Very clever