ST 4218 (Sun 1 Apr) – Goonlike schemata

Author   talbinhoPosted on Categories Daily Cryptic
Solving time: 4:15

After some recent improvements, this is another of those puzzles which leaves you wondering if this crossword is edited/proofread at all. Either I have missed something (quite possible), in which case I look forward to being shot down in flames, or 29ac contains as basic an error as you could wish to see.

* = anagram.

Across
6 OFF ICE
9 ABE (Lincoln) + L – surely this clue would have made more sense if it had read “One man who was murdered…”? Perhaps it was supposed to, especially in the light of 29ac.
10 RING + LEADER (“LIEDER”) – Chambers defines ‘ringleader’ as ‘a person who takes the lead in mischief’ and ‘firebrand’ as ‘a person who stirs up trouble’, but can they really mean the same thing?
12 IND + WELLS
16 LATH[e]
19 REVEL + A TORY – ‘the party’ for the verb ‘revel’ isn’t ideal. Why not just ‘party’, which wouldn’t damage the surface reading?
21 FOR + TRESS – ‘tress’ can mean a plait of hair, which I suppose can consist of multiple locks, though ‘lock’ would have worked as well.
23 DE (rev. of ED) + FRAY
25 CAR + TW[o] + RIGHT
27 REAL[m]
28 T[he] ISSUE
29 SCHEMATA; (MATCHES)* in SA – I wonder who is to blame for this. Maybe there’s a word like ‘unfinished’ missing in the clue (“Plans to hold various matches in South Africa“).
Down
2 PUB + L + IS + HER[e]
5 D + AND(IF)Y
6 [h]OWL
7 FLAGEOLET; (FLOAT GLEE)* – a small flute.
8 C + R + EEL
15 M(EDIT)ATES
17 TERMAGANT; (MAN TARGET)* – a good semi-&lit (“Nag who could make man target“).
20 VI (= 6) + SAGES
22 O(MAN)I[l]
24 FOR(U)M
26 RYE; “WRY”

6 comments on “ST 4218 (Sun 1 Apr) – Goonlike schemata”

  1. 19A – I understand “revel” to be a noun as well – “an instance of revelling”.

    29A – I’m glad you’ve confirmed there’s something amiss here.

    10A – I can’t see a problem with matching the two definitions you’ve given here.

    I just love the word “termagant”, but only see it in crosswords. I tried using it the other day with friends and got some very funny looks!

    1. 19ac – You’re quite right about ‘revel’ being a noun, I wasn’t sure so checked in Chambers but misread the entry. The word ‘the’ could still be dispensed with, though.

      10ac – I think you’re right about this too. The online Compact OED defines ‘firebrand’ as ‘a fervent supporter of a particular cause, especially one who incites unrest’ which is much closer to ‘ringleader’.

    1. Thanks, on behalf of all solvers! I should emphasise that what surprises me is not that setters occasionally make such errors (on the contrary), but that they seem to make it past this puzzle’s editor on such a regular basis.
  3. This was a “clean sweep” for me in 5:15, a few seconds of which was spent wondering if there could possibly be an alternative solution to 29a that would match the clue! It’s good to see a setter coming clean about this sort of thing, rather than leaving us to wonder whether we’re missing some subtle twist.
  4. 29 a Before the admission above I thought maybe that was the setter’s little 1st April wobbler to see if we’re paying attention?

    The “easies” for the Easter Bunnies:

    1a Lively (riptides)* at sea (8)
    SPIRITED

    11a Theologian placed in official record as cheat (6)
    FI DD LE

    14a (No house may)* get renovated? There’s expression of disapproval (5,2,3)
    SHAME ON YOU

    18a Man making female embarrassed (4)
    F RED

    3d After closure of bar, I was first to get angry (5)
    R I LED

    4d Like meal that could have been cooked by (scouter here)* (5-6)
    THREE COURSE

    13d Incomprehensible language from wife after a big drink (6,5)
    DOUBLE DUTCH

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