This, I believe, is a particularly tricky one to place on the “degree of difficulty” spectrum. On the one hand there are no obscure references (apart from 1dn being an unusual word – but generously clued) and most of the definitions are pretty literal (although 9dn is a very nice cryptic definition). On the other hand, the succinct (one might even say ‘terse’, albeit in a totally non-derogatory way) cluing might prove somewhat disconcerting to newcomers. It certainly took me a few minutes to get into the rhythm.
Anyway, whether you find it relatively straightforward or rather hard, I hope you all enjoy this fine example of the setter’s art as much as I did. Thanks very much to Joker for a lovely puzzle.
Definitions underlined: DD = double definition: anagrams indicated by *(–): omitted letters indicated by {-}
| Across | |
| 1 | Self-assertive dog biting part of leg (7) |
| PUSHING – PUG (dog) taking in (biting) SHIN (part of leg) | |
| 5 | Stop circulating mail (4) |
| POST – *(STOP) with “circulating” signposting the anagram | |
| 7 | What’s ruled in true metres (5) |
| REALM – REAL (true) + M (metres) | |
| 8 | Former newspaper, say (7) |
| EXPRESS – EX (former) + PRESS (newspaper) | |
| 10 | One parliamentarian is a devil (3) |
| IMP – I (one) MP (parliamentarian) | |
| 11 | Take down girl’s garment (9) |
| DISMANTLE – DI’S (girl’s) MANTLE (garment – a kind of cloak) | |
| 13 | Outcry where university rower embraces priest (6) |
| UPROAR – U (university) + OAR (rower) ’embraces’ PR (priest – abbrev. of Pastor) | |
| 14 |
Decoration of lavish ceremony leading to Order of Merit (6) |
| POMPOM – POMP (lavish ceremony) in front of (leading to) OM (Order of Merit) | |
| 17 | Mentioned earlier as help about a vocal number? (9) |
| AFORESAID – AS AID (as help) around (about) FORE (sounds like ‘four’ – a vocal number). Nice QC clue, I thought – particularly clear definition compensates for somewhat tricky wordplay. | |
| 19 | Self-importance displayed by the gods (3) |
| EGO – Hidden in (displayed by) thE GOds | |
| 20 | Ban is to operate on worked amber (7) |
| EMBARGO – GO (to operate) after (on) *(AMBER) with “worked” indicating the rearrangement | |
| 22 | Herb is a man’s name (5) |
| BASIL – DD – simple but elegant | |
| 23 | Support Remain (4) |
| STAY – DD | |
| 24 | Slim profits ultimately got by loan provider (7) |
| SLENDER – S (last letter – ‘ultimately’ – of profitS) + LENDER (loan provider) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Quiet and well-spoken — having gone to pieces? (11) |
| PARTICULATE – P (quiet – musical notation) + ARTICULATE (well-spoken), giving a scientific term meaning “in the form of minute separate particles”. Not a word I was familiar with, but seemed feasible enough and the wordplay was compelling. | |
| 2 | Soldier’s eating new fish (7) |
| SNAPPER – SAPPER (soldier) ingesting (eating) N (new) | |
| 3 | I am to act as a go-between next (9) |
| IMMEDIATE – I’M (I am) + MEDIATE (to act as a go between) | |
| 4 | Like a fry-up — grand, right and simple (6) |
| GREASY – G (grand) + R (right) + EASY (simple) | |
| 5 | Something in orange piping — not fashionable or good (3) |
| PIP – PIP{in}{g} – i.e. PIPING minus IN (fashionable) and G (good) | |
| 6 | Son cried and did some housework (5) |
| SWEPT – S (son) + WEPT (cried) | |
| 9 | What makes flat bread in a cooker (5,6) |
| STEAM ROLLER – ROLL (bread) inside (in a) STEAMER (cooker) | |
| 12 | Like something one won’t catch a video lab processing (9) |
| AVOIDABLE – *(A VIDEO LAB) with “processing” signalling the anagram | |
| 15 | Very glad purchaser initially rented (7) |
| PLEASED – P (Purchaser initially) + LEASED (rented) | |
| 16 | Islands, distant ones with no name (6) |
| FAROES – FAR (distant) + O{n}ES (ones with no name – i.e. minus the N) | |
| 18 | Death notice about king in revolution (5) |
| ORBIT – OBIT (death notice) goes around (about) R (king) | |
| 21 | Take power from appeal to God for some light (3) |
| RAY – {p}RAY – P(power) removed from ‘appeal to God’ | |
Time 7:45.
Greasy clues
Briefless Barrister
BB
COD uproar.
Edited at 2017-11-01 06:01 am (UTC)
Di
Diana ( I don’t answer to Di)
26:26. A very good QC indeed. Liked the topical surface of ‘Support Remain’ and the excellent 22a. Have never heard of PR as abbreviation of Pastor, and we non-conformists never call our Pastor a ‘priest’.
1a & 1d only appeared late which always leads to a slower time.
COD 5d.
PARTICULATE only came to me once all the checekers were in place and I can’t say I’ve heard of it, let alone ever used it.
Edited at 2017-11-01 06:01 am (UTC)
I’m standing by for jackkt to hit me with a dictionary (as usual!), but I don’t think that “well-spoken” is really a fair clue for “articulate” – I have only ever encountered “well-spoken” in the sense of courteous/refined/graceful of speech, and it is entirely possible to be refined of speech and yet rather inarticulate (see Prince Charles), or indeed highly articulate but not very refined of speech (see Russell Brand).
Now fighting the urge for a greasy bacon bap.
Templar
from charing cross.
Furthermore, I don’t think 12d parses properly, but it’s a fine point.
Despite that a very enjoyable puzzle with my COD going to 16d
Thanks Nick
Joker
Another happy customer at 16:08 – pleasantly challenging.
Thanks to Nick for the blog.
Good challenge
PlayUpPompey
The bloggers are really helpful so even if you get stuck follow the blog through it will help you learn.
Agree. After a couple of years I reckon in a given week to have 1 or 2 DNFs, a couple at 20-30 mins and maybe one sub 20.
Without the blog I never got close.
PARTICULATE was known to me by that instrument of the devil, a DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter), which requires those of us that drive a reasonably modern diesel-engined car to dance to the tune of the DPF every few months and take it for a 40 minute drive that we don’t need to take. My next car will be petrol!
No particular hold-ups and LOI was 14a after 18 minutes.
I was a newbie a while ago and, thanks to regular practice and this blog in particular, I can now finish correctly most days in about 20 minutes.
Do not despair! David
The bloggers are really helpful so even if you get stuck follow the blog through it will help you learn.
No Idea of time as I was rushing around all day and didn’t get a peep at it until 3pm (finally finished at 9). However I fully agree with author of “another tough one”, I have done almost every QC since they started, but before that had never done a cryptic crossword in my life (does that make me a real newbie?). All of the lead bloggers are very helpful on explaining the derivation of the answeres, and of providing helpful guides and pointers. They have undoubtedly contributed to my steady increase in performance. My best is 7:50, but that is a rarity and I normally take about 25 mins, sometimes they just fall into place and sometimes they don’t. I just look forward to tomorrow’s if I get a rubbish time and other bloggers cruise through, remember that several of the QC bloggers are cracking the 15×15 every day.
I also do the Ken Ken, Futoshiki, Brain Trainer, Cell blocks, Set Square and Suko every day, which really are “only” iQ tests, I would be interested in comparing times with the somewhat arrogant author of the last anonymous blog (hint:my best “difficult” ken ken time is under 2 mins)
Edited at 2017-11-02 12:09 am (UTC)
The bloggers are really helpful so even if you get stuck follow the blog through it will help you learn.
Good puzzle, thanks.
Mighty