Solving time: 21:41
I did this one online for a change, and recorded one of my fastest times in recent memory. I don’t know if this one was particularly easy, or if I just found myself on Tim’s wavelength (for a change!).
The parsing of 13d left me a little bemused, so I’d be interested to hear other peoples’ take on it.
cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this
Across | |
---|---|
1 | ADVERTISEMENT = (MEN TEST DRIVE A)* |
9 | TILED = TIED about L |
10 | SECTIONAL = (COASTLINE)* |
11 | PLATOONS = PLANS about TOO (very) – ‘small bodies of soldiers’ in the definition |
12 | BI(SEC)T |
14 | SANTA MONICA = SANTA + “MONIKER” |
16 | YAH = HARRY (prince) rev with RR (Rolls Royce, posh car) removed. I noticed a few comments on the forum about ‘leaving’ here being used the wrong way round, and that the car is leaving the prince rather than the prince leaving the car. But I read it as ‘leaving’ meaning ‘not taking’ as in ‘I ate my dinner but I left my peas’ which seemed to work OK as far as I was concerned. |
18 |
|
20 | TO THE LETTER – dd – a ‘letter’ is someone who lets, like a landlord |
22 | PER PRO = PROPER (fitting) with the second half written first. ‘For’ is the definition. It’s an abbreviation of per procurationem, meaning ‘by the agency of’, more commonly abbreviated to just pp, and used when signing a letter on behalf of someone else. |
23 | FRANKEST = RANK (row) in FEST (party) |
26 | P + LATITUDE |
27 | CHASM = AS in (CH + M |
28 | MASTERSTROKES = (MARKS + ROSETTES)* – ‘High’ is the anagrind, although I’m not sure in what sense that would work. |
Down | |
1 | ANTIPASTO = PA in (STATION)* |
2 | VILLA + IN – Aston Villa are the Birmingham-based soccer club |
3 | RADIO = DIO |
4 | INS AND OUTS – dd |
5 |
|
6 | ELIMINATE = (MILAN TIE)* + |
7 | T(ANNE)RY |
8 | F(L)IT |
13 | SIDE ORDERS – I wasn’t quite sure how to parse this one. An eleven often refers to a football (soccer) team, which would be a side. But it could also be a reference to 11a: PLATOON, and a platoon would certainly want orders. Whichever one it is, where does the other word come from? Could it even be both at once? But then it would be doing double duty which would be bad. Perhaps ‘Eleven gets what eleven wants with dinner’ might have been better. |
15 | ASTEROIDS = O |
17 | HARD TIMES – The outskirts of H |
19 | FIREARM = IRE in FARM – I was a bit confused by this one as I didn’t know a rod could be a firearm, but it’s a slang term for a gangster’s pistol apparently. |
21 | THE SACK = HE’S in TACK – I’m not sure about ‘shoddy work’ as a definition for ‘tack’. A tack can be a large temporary stitch, so I assume this is what’s being referred to, but I’m not sure it’s what you’d call shoddy work. |
22 | PAPA – dd – comes after Oscar in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet |
24 | NICE + R |
25 | F + USE |
When you have nothing else to wear
But cloth of gold and satins rare
For cloth of gold you cease to care–
Up goes the price of shoddy.
I agree with Dave in giving the COD to HARD TIMES.
An easier puzzle much appreciated after the last two Saturday prize ones; per pro was the pick for me, as one runs across it seldom in crosswords these days.
Fortunately none of the queries raised here or in the Club forum even entered my mind.
Edited at 2013-07-21 04:54 am (UTC)
YAH was my favourite clue – can’t see any problem with it.
SIDE ORDERS … I’m clueless.
GRR.
Beaten by PER PRO, a Latin abbreviation written in full then abbreviated again but differently. Eh? So YAH didn’t matter.
Was stuck on DISHES at 13: I suppose a side might be given orders by the captain, but clue is rather unsatisfactory.
At 21, I read ‘tack’ as just meaning ‘something tacky’.
Jill M – forgot my login and password