Solving time: 46:39
I feel Jonathan should be blogging this one as it has something of a musical flavour to it. We have brass (11a), woodwind (5d) and keyboards (13a, well, sort of) but no strings or percussion in our ORCHESTRA (14d). We even have an OPERA at 15a. It will make a nice accompaniment to our meal of RAVIOLI to start, RISOTTO for the main, PRALINE for dessert, followed by some EDAM and a TEA SERVICE. How very civilized!
I found it fairly tough overall, but on the whole fair. I didn’t like 10a for reasons I’ve mentioned below, but otherwise some good stuff.
cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this
Across | |
---|---|
1 | HISTORIC PRESENT = (CHOIR SIT)* + PRESENT |
9 | PR + A + LINE |
10 | CHUGGER – cd – I’ve not come across a CHUGGER before, and I’m not a fan of relatively obscure words such as this being clued with cryptic definitions. Personally I think cds should be restricted to common everyday words. If you don’t know the word, you haven’t a hope of getting it without taking a wild guess. Apparently chuggers are those annoying people that stop you in the street and try to persuade you to commit to making a regular monthly donation to charity. It’s a portmanteau of charity & mugger. |
11 | TUBA = A + BUT all rev – 14 is a reference to 14d: ORCHESTRA |
12 | ATMOSPHERE = (REST-HOME + A + P)* |
13 | PIANOLA = P + (IAN + LA) about O |
15 | OPERA + NT (National Trust – a UK organisation which buys up buildings & monuments of historic national importance, restores them and opens them to the public. |
17 | REDUCER – dd |
19 | ASTOUND = A + S(T)OUND |
20 | TEA SERVICE = TEASE (cod) + |
22 | EDAM = E + MAD rev |
25 | RISOTTO = IS + OTTO after R – There have been four Holy Roman Emperors called Otto. |
26 | AGAINST – dd |
27 | MANDARIN CHINESE = (MEN IN SEDAN CHAIR)* |
Down | |
1 | HO |
2 | STAR + BOARD |
3 | OVID rev hidden in |
4 | IN + ER + TIA |
5 | PICCOLO = ICC (1 c.c. = little volume) in POLO, another reference to 14d: ORCHESTRA |
6 | EQUIPMENT = MEN (guys) after QUIP (crack) all in |
7 | EAGLE – dd – An eagle in golf is two-under-par on any hole. This is most commonly done by taking 2 shots on a par 4, or 3 shots on a par 5. It can also be done with a hole-in-one on a par 3, but this is much rarer, hence the word ‘normally’ in the clue. |
8 | TORMENTED = MEN in TORTE + D |
13 | PYRETHRUM = (MYRRH PUT)* about E (Egyptian) – I’m not very good at flowers, and I hadn’t heard of this one, but I managed to come up with it from the wordplay. |
14 | ORCHESTRA = (ACTOR + R |
16 | ABUNDANCE – cd – An abundance bid in solo whist is where the bidder believes they can make 9 of the 13 possible tricks. |
18 | RAVIOLI = RAVI + (OIL)* – Ravi Shankar was a famous Indian sitar player and a personal friend of George Harrison. |
19 | ARCHAIC = A + (CHAIR)* + C |
21 |
|
23 | MITRE = |
24 | BALI = LAB rev + I |
Edited at 2012-04-01 06:18 am (UTC)
I happened to know CHUGGER from news reports on a London-based radio station. It’s in the latest Collins and Oxford Dictionary of English but my Chambers is too old to list it.
The flower at 13dn gave me most difficulty and was my last in.
Maybe I’m getting better at ST puzzles because I also did quite well on this week’s special offering, and indeed the Everyman, which I usually finish in about 15 minutes, took me nearly twice as long as the ST.
Edited at 2012-04-01 05:46 am (UTC)
I happen to know the word because I think it has appeared in another crossword at some time. However, it is a relatively obscure word and the clue leaves one guessing and needing to use a dictionary to verify (which I don’t particularly see as a problem but know there a lot of folk who do)
I was helped by knowing the word CHUGGER but I completely agree with you Dave.