14:40, so about average difficulty for me. Rather more people than usual in the wordplay, and a couple in the grid, so some of it had a TLS-y feel. Nice to see “Our ‘Enery” make an appearance – I didn’t even know he was dead!
Across | |
1 | Food cook carries is hot and cold (4,4) |
FISH CAKE – FAKE (cook, e.g. the books) around IS + H(ot) + C(old). | |
6 | Wish expressed for peace is false — look into it (6) |
SHALOM – SHAM (false) around LO (look). | |
9 | Great drink containing solvent (8) |
ACETONIC – ACE (great) + TONIC (drink). | |
10 | Business group in vehicle reached by phone (6) |
CARTEL – CAR (vehicle) + TEL (phone). | |
12 | Time to invade Indian island (5) |
CRETE – T(ime) inside CREE (Indian). | |
13 | Maybe maiden at home is sticking pig — a common household task! (9) |
HOOVERING – OVER (maybe maiden) + IN (at home), inside HOG (pig). | |
14 | Terribly mean blokes do go on for many years (4,3,5) |
MAKE OLD BONES – (mean blokes do)*. | |
18 | For each favourite, make allowance for bad act? (12) |
PERPETRATION – PER (for each) + PET (favourite) + RATION (make allowance for). | |
21 | By battle site, disregard short priest (9) |
MONSIGNOR – MONS (battle site) + IGNOR(e) (disregard short). | |
23 | Reproduced document shows Australia needing help after setback (5) |
DIAZO – OZ (Australia) + AID (help), all reversed. An old chemical photocopying method. | |
24 | A yen to go on after ailments? Quite so! (3,3) |
I’LL SAY – A + Y(en), after ILLS (ailments). | |
25 | Transient affair involves love ultimately out of this world (8) |
FLEETING – FLING (affair) around (lov)E + ET (extraterrestrial, out of this world). | |
26 | French writer performing for old judge (6) |
GIDEON – GIDE (André Gide, French writer) + ON (performing). Biblical judge. | |
27 | Gracious — regretful Miss has to hide extra-large plant! (8) |
MYOSOTIS – MY (gracious) + OTIS (regretful Miss, ref. Miss Otis Regrets, Cole Porter song), around OS (extra-large). The forget-me-not genus. Annoyed with this one, as I knew it and had it right on my paper copy, then typed in MYOSITIS when submitting online. |
Down | |
1 | Loud competition enthralling any number in the country (6) |
FRANCE – F (loud) + RACE (competition) around N (any number). | |
2 | Without hesitation children get angry (3,3) |
SEE RED – SEED (children) around ER (hesitation). | |
3 | Famous boxer had to work hand in glove (9) |
COOPERATE – COOPER (Henry Cooper, famous boxer) + ATE (had). | |
4 | Adventurous wanderer in dark, English bishop bumping into German philosopher (6,6) |
KNIGHT ERRANT – NIGHT (dark) + E(nglish) + RR (Right Reverend, bishop), all inside KANT (Immanuel Kant, German philosopher). | |
6 | Gasp when the ideal situation falls short (5) |
HEAVE – HEAVEN (ideal situation) “falls short”. | |
7 | Europeans move slowly north carrying a box (8) |
LATVIANS – SNAIL (move slowly) reversed, around A TV (a box). | |
8 | African galas may go wild (8) |
MALAGASY – (galas may)*. Someone from Madagascar. | |
11 | Army officer, subsequently fellow-fighter going side by side (12) |
COLLATERALLY – COL (army officer) + LATER (subsequently) + ALLY (fellow-fighter). | |
15 | One won’t 2 (SEE RED), when this / unemotional? (9) |
BLOODLESS – double definition. | |
16 | Cheap food of a former Chinese period sending a bad message? (8) |
SPAMMING – SPAM (cheap food) + MING (former Chinese period). | |
17 | After sound suggesting grumble, was first to be happy (8) |
GRUNTLED – GRUNT (sound suggesting grumble) + LED (was first). Facetious back-formation from disgruntled, but it’s in the dictionary. | |
19 | Deviant reveals deplorable inclination, getting left out (6) |
SADIST – SAD (deplorable) + (l)IST (inclination, minus the L for left). | |
20 | Tedious folk gathered round good short-story teller (6) |
BORGES – BORES (tedious folk) around G(ood). Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine master of the short story. | |
22 | This person’s a success — a potential queen bee maybe? (5) |
IMAGO – “I’M A GO”. |
I do like to be reminded of expressions like MAKE OLD BONES, which seem to be on the wane, more’s the pity.
btw, Andy, I nominated yesterday’s puzzle for inclusion in the Memories’ ‘Good Puzzles’ section. Any chance?
Edited at 2016-02-27 11:17 am (UTC)
You’re probably the only passenger on that train to have used the word ‘ideal’!
Sue doesn’t read the blog, then.
Edited at 2016-02-27 11:54 am (UTC)
The good news is that I was on the right lines with Masagaly for the unknown African and Aidzo for the unknown copy.
And the train was on the right lines too -on time! David
As for the other words, well, you know ’em now! Next time they appear they’ll be easy write-ins.
Edited at 2016-02-27 05:48 pm (UTC)
Let’s see how this would work in this puzzle.
10A – ‘Vehicle’, short answer, think ‘car’, ‘bus’, ‘sub’, ‘van’. For a long answer, something starting with ‘auto-‘.
12A – ‘Indian’ is usually ‘Ute’, ‘Cree’, or ‘Sioux’ in a homophone. Islands in cryptics? ‘I’, ‘ait’, ‘Cos’, ‘Elba’, ‘Crete’ come up often. Bingo!’
18A – A chestnut for sure! All experienced solvers will have seen all three elements many times before, including this very clue.
21A – Battle sites are often ‘Mons’ or ‘Somme’.
26A – French writers are usually ‘Gide’ or ‘Camus’, who is ‘sumac’ backwards.
2D – An obvious enclosure of either ‘er’ or ‘um’. A 3-3 enumeration for ‘get angry’ should suggest an immediate possibility.
11D – Army officer at the beginning is either CO, Col, or possibly CIC. ‘Fellow-fighter’ screams out for ‘ally’ a common word ending. A write-in for most.
16D – ‘Chinese period’ is almost always ‘Ming’ at the end of a word. That give you half of it right off.
17D – ‘was first’ is almost always ‘led’ at the end of word.
My FOI was actually ‘Borges’, I was a big fan of Ficciones as a teenager. But the clues are analyzed were write-ins as well.
Edited at 2016-02-27 10:35 pm (UTC)
As someone pointed out on the club forum, MYOSOTIS was pretty difficult if you didn’t know the song.
Oh yes, yesterday’s puzzle was a keeper. And the TLS was very hard too (and good). 17.37
Edited at 2016-02-27 02:52 pm (UTC)
Edited at 2016-02-27 07:55 pm (UTC)
I was surprised and pleased to see GRUNTLED: if it’s good enough for Bertie Wooster it’s good enough for me.
14ac is an expression I have only ever heard with reference to wine: ‘it’s delicious now but I don’t think it will MAKE OLD BONES.’
Edited at 2016-02-27 05:50 pm (UTC)