I’m back on the blog after a bit of a hiatus; thanks to Mohn for giving me a holiday two weeks ago.
I found this a tricky puzzle to get into, with particular difficulty in the NW corner. The bottom half of the grid filled up as I plugged away at several half-understood clues, parsed after the event. 8ac was my last one in – our miserable setter can take comfort in a job well done!
Across |
1 |
GROOM – G (grand) + ROOM (place) for Royal official. |
8 |
A DOG’S LIFE – think setter as in the dog breed, for this idiom meaning miserable existence. |
9 |
ALLAY – calm down from ALL (everyone) + AY (all year, all the time) (literary word for always, see comments). |
10 |
TINFOIL – TIN (can) + FOIL (be frustrating) for this wrapper. Difficult if, in your head like mine, this is two words. |
11 |
SEVENTH – SH (keep quiet) surrounding (about) EVENT (happening) in such a heaven. |
12 |
WIMPISH – WISH (desire) around (to suppress) IMP (troublemaker) is rather feeble. |
16 |
CONTEST – object to, TEST (check) on CON (prisoner). |
17 |
EXHAUST – double definition, empty and part of car. |
20 |
BUTCHER – double definition, more aggressively masculine and tradesman. |
22 |
REIGN – G (good) to be in(side) REIN (control) for to be king. |
23 |
RUMINANTS – sheep and goats for example from RUM (curious) + IN + ANTS (insects). |
24 |
EIGER – E’ER (always) holds reversal of GI (soldier back) in this mountain. |
Down |
1 |
GRASS – double definition. The main constituent of lawn, and weed, a colloquial terms for marijuana. |
2 |
OBLIVION – forgetfulness, and OB (old boy) + IV (one very) taken in by LION (cat). |
3 |
MAYAN – this old Central American is MA (married) + YANk (New Englander briefly). |
4 |
MOUTH-WATERING – MOUTHING (insincerely speaking) around WATER (drink from tap) for whetting the appetite. |
5 |
TSUNAMI – MAN (chap) reversed (go up) inside anagram of SUIT (indicated by tatty) gives disaster, naturally. |
6 |
DIDO – DID (used to) + O (love, in tennis) for old queen. |
7 |
WEALTHY – rich from W (wife) + hEALTHY (fit, losing first H (husband)). |
13 |
INFUSING – IN (at home) + FUSING (getting together) and preparing tea. |
14 |
ICEBERG – double definition. Sort of lettuce and something found floating in the sea. |
15 |
METHANE – anagram of THE NAME (indicated by is different) for gas. |
18 |
HORSE – hunter perhaps from R (runs) in HOSE (stockings). |
19 |
TONER – final letters from musT gO iN thE printeR, and this! Super clue. |
21 |
TOME – book. If it’s from you, it’s TO ME? |
As to the bloggers,their help is invaluable and I know they do this on a voluntary basis so it is much appreciated. Having said that some of the bloggers really explain in a way that helps newbies to understand how to unpick a clue, others not so much. Not a criticism just an observation as all help is welcome.
Excuse the frustration but two days in a row with puzzles that were unsolvable to a level that I have not even got 30% is frustrating after a few weeks of really making progress.
Let us with a gladsome mind
Praise the Lord for He is good
For His mercies ay endure
Ever faithful, ever sure
As for AY as an abbreviation, it has no dictionary support as far as I can see.
My two last in were ICEBERG (durr, how did that take me so long?) and CONTEST (which I actually thought was a pretty weak clue, but them I would say that wouldn’t I …)
Many thanks to William for the blog
I am a cultural Pygmy.
LOI was DIDO, which I vaguely remembered from some distant past in my life (not a classicist at all). Worked my way through the alphabet, luckily D comes early. My first thought was USED TO=DID was a bit tenuous so carried on looking for the answer. But once DIDO was thought of, I couldn’t see what else it could be.
Welcome back william_j_s.