Solving time – off the scale, and I made a mistake with 24ac. Probably around 45 minutes, but I’d stopped counting by then. I actually noticed the C-Nina after the first half-dozen clues went in – COCKCROW, CRAM, COCA, ACCURACY, FLICKS, ALICIA… and so it continued. 18A, 21D and 26A were the only 3 answers without a C, but luckily they had very clear wordplay and weren’t a distraction. My only real problems were 15A (I put HOIST in at first for some reason, I in (g)HOST?), which gave me a real headache with 3D, as it looked reasonable but nothing would fit. And 24A, where I basically gave up with and stuck in the only thing I could think of – I’M COLD, making it probably the worst cryptic definition in the history of the cryptic crossword! What you might “state” if you’d bought a new jumper but hadn’t put it on yet! I knew it had to be wrong but put it in anyway (even typed it in online so I could prove it was wrong), then the correct answer came to me a couple of hours later when I was thinking of something else.
Best puzzle of the year so far for me, despite my struggles with it.
Across |
1 |
COCKCROW – COCK (haystack) + R(un) inside COW (farm animal). |
5 |
FLICKS – F(emale) + LICK’S (light coat’s, as in a lick of paint, for example). |
9 |
ACCURACY – CC (cubic centimetre = mini-volume) inside AU (gold), + RACY (lively and entertaining). |
10 |
ALICIA – I (one) + CIA (spies across pond) next to A + L(ake). |
12 |
CAESIUM CLOCK – COCK (tap) around [E (key) inside (musical)*. The UK time standard is based on one of these, which isn’t expected to gain or lose a second in 138 million years. |
15 |
HOICK – HOCK (a German white wine) around I(sland). |
16 |
OUTSOURCE – OUT (blooming) + SOURCE (sounds like “sauce”). |
18 |
REPUDIATE – RE PUD I ATE. I think I’ve seen this clued similarly before, but still a fun clue. |
19 |
DISCO – D.I’S CO (detective’s business). Get down and groove, man. |
20 |
HOLY ALLIANCE – HE (fellow) around (in a locally)*. |
24 |
IN CALF – cryptic definition, brilliant and too good for me! |
25 |
OK CORRAL – hidden reversed inside “popular rock opera”. |
26 |
EASING – AS (like) + IN (home), inside (th)E and G(rand). |
27 |
DÉCLASSÉ – LASSE(s) after DEC (Jan’s predecessor). A French word meaning “having lost social standing”. |
Down |
1 |
CRAM – double definition. |
2 |
COCA – first letters of “Caucasus Or Central Asia”, snow being slang for cocaine. |
3 |
CARJACKED – CARED (bothered) around JACK (one of the clubs perhaps). |
4 |
OCCASIONALLY – OCCASION (bring) + ALLY (friend). |
6 |
LILAC – CALL (drop in) reversed around I (one). |
7 |
CYCLO-CROSS – CYCLONE (huge blow) minus two compass points + CROSS (go to the other side). |
8 |
SHACKLETON – HACK (knife roughly) + LET ON (made out), all after S(earch-party). Sir Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic explorer. |
11 |
CUT THE CACKLE – (take electric clutch)* |
13 |
CHURCH MICE – punning cryptic definition, based on the saying “poor as a church mouse” and the fact that electronic mice are moved around on mats. |
14 |
GIN PALACES – GP (General Practitioner = doctor) around IN, + A + LACE’S (tie’s). |
17 |
OLD SCHOOL – OLD (used) + SCHOOL (train). |
21 |
ALL-IN – GALLING (annoying), minus the G’s. |
22 |
ARCS – SCRAP (a bit) reversed without the P for quietly. |
23 |
CLUE – (bal)L inside CUE (something used to pot). |
Does the presence of a lot of Cs make it a NINA? If so, that’s something I’ve learnt.
Testing stuff and certainly not dull!
Edited at 2013-03-09 02:27 am (UTC)
CHURCH MICE will stay in the memory a long time.
Thanks (and curses) to the setter.
Edited at 2013-03-09 03:09 am (UTC)
Edited at 2013-03-09 11:02 am (UTC)
Edited at 2013-03-09 01:00 pm (UTC)
What a cracking job by the setter. It took longer than the Anax puzzle that appeared the next day spread over two sessions. My only query is, like Jack, the “gay” in 14D
Well blogged Andy – bet you’re glad you had a week to do it!
Edited at 2013-03-09 12:07 pm (UTC)
I wonder why, as you frequently seem to find the weekday puzzles too easy yet Saturdays are often among the hardest of the week, or if not hardest, the most inventive – today’s being on the easy side of course, just to negate my point!
Edited at 2013-03-10 09:55 am (UTC)
I’ve only ever encountered the term GIN PALACE as a reference to a type of boat, oddly.
I’m afraid that (such is my ignorance of things disco) I still don’t understand the definition part of the clue. I was going to ask you to explain it in words of one syllable, but since you’ve already tried that, perhaps you could could have another go with something polysyllabic if it’s not too much trouble. Also the wordplay doesn’t work for me: “business of investigating?” would do for PISCO, but DIs (assuming DI stands for Detective Inspector) can’t form a Co as they work for the Police.
There were one or two nice clues, but this was very far from being my favourite puzzle of the year.
Last few minutes on IN CALF. Jersey flagged cows and Channel Islands immediately, but still needed to traverse the alphabet.
For once I beat some of the fast brigade.
Rob