Time: 15:44.
I think this is my first time blogging a setter’s first offering. I searched the archives for any other puzzles by Frank and came up blank as far back as I looked (to 2022). So welcome, Frank.
I enjoyed this, although I was fast to start with and then very slow. With less than 10 minutes gone I had only three clues left: INITIALS, RIALTO and my last one in, SEESAW.
Frank gives us a wide selection of the clueing techniques for part of a word: “at first”, “beginning to”, “to start with”, “missing”, “starting late”. And that’s just from the Across clues.
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 | Performer caught out at first by microphone (5) |
| COMIC – C |
|
| 4 | News articles beginning to slate Conservatives (7) |
| STORIES – S Two very similar clues to start off the acrosses. |
|
| 8 | The author’s entering one worried candidate (7) |
| NOMINEE – MINE (the author’s, as in “that’s mine!”) inside (ONE)*. | |
| 9 | Farewell from university following a pass (5) |
| ADIEU – U (university) after [following] A [in the clue] and DIE (pass).
I still don’t like the euphemism “pass” for “die”. |
|
| 10 | To start with, scouting contingent walking and climbing (10) |
| SCRAMBLING – First letters of S The third outing of this clue construction. |
|
| 14 | Get the better of unfashionable humorist (6) |
| OUTWIT – OUT (unfashionable) + WIT (humorist). | |
| 15 | Retreat after retirement to Venetian location (6) |
| RIALTO – LAIR (retreat) reversed [after retirement], plus TO [in the clue].
The Rialto is the centre of Venice. There is also the very famous Rialto Bridge, which may be what Frank had in mind. |
|
| 17 | Eating, rave about having no meat (10) |
| VEGETARIAN – (EATING RAVE)* | |
| 20 | Come to religious lesson at a church (5) |
| REACH – R.E. (Religious Education: religious lesson), plus A and CH for church. | |
| 22 | Missing golf, move abroad — somewhere like Dubai? (7) |
| EMIRATE – EMI |
|
| 23 | Steelmen starting late forged iron? (7) |
| ELEMENT – s(TEELMEN)*. In this clue, we need to drop the first letter [starting late].
The question mark shows that this is a definition by example: other elements are available. |
|
| 24 | Argue against Root being withdrawn (5) |
| REBUT – TUBER (a root) reversed [withdrawn]. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Coin dispatched to be picked up (4) |
| CENT – sounds like [to be picked up] SENT (dispatched). | |
| 2 | Note characters turning up during home matches (4) |
| MEMO – Reverse hidden [characters turning up] in |
|
| 3 | Cheat with writing one’s made to join up (9) |
| CONSCRIPT – CON (cheat) + SCRIPT (writing).
Very neat. |
|
| 4 | Witness was lying about up-and-down affair (6) |
| SEESAW – SEE (witness, the verb), plus WAS reversed [lying about].
This is the “an object of a particular type” meaning of “affair”, as in “she was wearing a black, off-the-shoulder affair”. Very P.G. Wodehouse. |
|
| 5 | Djokovic, maybe, neither starting nor finishing eggs (3) |
| OVA – Djokovic the tennis player’s first name is Novak. Remove the first and last letter [neither starting nor finishing]. | |
| 6 | Personal letters? (8) |
| INITIALS – Cryptic definition. Your initials are certainly personal to you, although almost certainly not unique to you.
I was gazing at I_I_I___ for ages. I even wondered if the answer was going to be IIIIIIII for a moment. |
|
| 7 | Scot lacking heart to encourage SNP politician (8) |
| STURGEON – S Nicola Sturgeon, former leader of the Scottish National Party. |
|
| 11 | Military officer organised air bridge (9) |
| BRIGADIER – (AIR BRIDGE)* | |
| 12 | Join RAC finally on roadside? (8) |
| CONVERGE – last letter [finally] of |
|
| 13 | Agents at ground stand still (8) |
| STAGNATE – (AGENTS AT)* | |
| 16 | Passionate artist laid up with depression (6) |
| ARDENT – RA (Royal Academician, artist), reversed [laid up], plus DENT (depression).
Today I learned that the number of Royal Academicians is capped at 80. |
|
| 18 | Insult in pub borne by British (4) |
| BARB – BAR (pub) on top of [borne by] B for British.
Bars and pubs are not the same. Here in California we have too many of the first and far too few of the second. But in Crosswordland all drinking establishments are fungible. |
|
| 19 | Crack shot’s first to plug jumbo? (4) |
| JEST – S |
|
| 21 | Long-handled device regularly used in The Open (3) |
| HOE – alternate letters [regularly used in] tHe OpEn. | |
Ok, so I failed (DNF) because of RIALTO (clearly need someone to give me an expenses paid trip to Venice!) and JEST. But lots of good, if occasionally stretching, clues. Great start Frank!
And having read other comments, pleased with myself for getting INITIALS and SEESAW.
Dear HD,
Hard luck re the DNF, but I wonder how many Venetians would be able to solve a cryptic clue about the Twin Sails bridge.
I also DNF’d and had a great deal of trouble with RIALTO.
P.S. I’m just on my way home from visiting my (very) elderly father in the C part of the BCP area. I was brung up there.
I too fell over on the RIALTO. Ashamed to say that I had no idea where it was. Nevertheless a lovely debut puzzle, thank you Frank.
Perfect pitch Frank. Thank you
Late to this but just wanted to welcome Frank and thank him(?) for a most enjoyable debut QC. It was just right for me.