Solving time: About an hour and a quarter
I found this one quite hard-going. There were several unknowns to me – Horatio Alger, Maillot, Jonathan Sacks, Allen Ginsberg and Omnium-Gatherum. This last one in particular slowed me down a lot as it stopped me from getting lots of helpful initial letters.
Despite the obvious gaps in my education, there were several good clues here, but the one that sticks out is the rather devious 19d. But anyway, I’d better get this posted as it’s already a bit late, for which I apologise.
cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this
Across | |
---|---|
1 | WHIPPER (one with cat) + SNAPPER (fish) |
10 | MAIL + LOT |
11 | ALGER + I |
12 | INEBRIATE = (BERTIE + IAN)* |
13 | RABBI |
14 | MA(S)TER |
15 | GINS + BERG – Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and a leading figure of the Beat Generation. |
18 | ABSTRACT – dd |
20 | GROT + TO |
23 | HEROD = HERD about |
25 | ARROWROOT = R |
26 | RHUBARB – dd – it’s a word traditionally muttered by background actors to simulate hubbub |
27 | ACADEME = (MADE)* in ACE |
28 | MASSAGE PARLOUR = (OUR MP + A LASS + GEAR)* |
Down | |
2 | HEIRESS – cd |
3 | POLAR BEAR = (PARABLE + OR)* |
4 | EXTRAS – dd |
5 | S(HALE)OIL |
6 | AUG + ER – I wasn’t aware that the Queen traditionally spends August at Balmoral, but now I do. |
7 | PARA + BLE |
8 | ROARING + FORTIES – Forties is a shipping forecast area in the North Sea, while the Roaring Forties is a high-speed wind found in the Southern Ocean between latitudes of 40° and 50° |
9 | OMNIUM-GATHERUM = (MIGHT OUR MENU + A)* + M |
16 | SCREW BALL – dd |
17 | SCRABBLE – dd |
19 | STRAUSS – SURREALISTS = (RILE + STRAUSS)* – Rather a sneaky one! |
21 | THOREAU = (E + AUTHOR)* |
22 | ERRATA – I think this is just a cd, although if so, it seems a lilttle weak to me |
24 | DRAM + A |
Re 22dn, the clue is not so much a cd as an instruction to find a word that means “mistakes” but is in latin.. I think it works OK, myself.
I tend to see Jeff Pearce as one of the easier ST setters, but this one was definitely harder than his usual
I might have gotten stuck on Roaring Forties, but it is a brand of blue cheese from Australia.
I also find that I had 5d incorrect, having started with SNAKE OIL and then changing it to SLAKE OIL which unfortunately doesn’t exist. Speaking of which, I can’t find any support in the usual sources for AT = atomic at 25ac.
Didn’t know the rabbi nor the ragged writer nor the Latin phrase.
Edited at 2013-01-20 05:39 pm (UTC)
I was very surprised by 19dn: I don’t remember ever seeing a compound anagram in a daily puzzle before: they were completely new to me when I started doing Mephisto and Azed (where they’re common), which was fairly recently. I had assumed they were considered off-limits.
BTW to Dave: at 8dn, you need FOR, TIES. “(Calling=ROARING) FOR knots (TIES)”.