It’s good to be back, squeezing in a blog report before work, and the shared clue writing in this puzzle happens to be similar to a puzzle coming up in the Sunday Times. On December 29 we will have a special supplement to celebrate the centenary of crosswords, with six crosswords, four Sudokus, three codewords, two articles on crosswords, and all our usual puzzles. Some of the crosswords will be different to our usual fare, but solvers of our usual puzzles should be able to solve them. The extra crosswords will be presented online using the new software that was demonstrated at the Times Crossword Championship in October. One of them has clues from all five of our setters.
Solving time: about 40 minutes, with 8D not seen until considerably later.
It was late at night after a hard day at the “clueface”, and I’m not as quick as I used to be, but puzzles from new setters can take a long time, and with a mixture of clues, you can’t get used to a new style. My favourite clues were 1, 10, 15, 21, 24, 26, 31, 1D, 2, 19, 22, 23, 27. There were very few technical flaws with the others, but some of the surfaces weren’t quite strong enough for me. Now that I get people (not as many as I expected) sending hopeful sample puzzles, they confirm that the difficult thing is to combine a convincing surface meaning with fairness and rule compliance.
Thanks to everyone here for looking after the blog well. I don’t visit every day, but it’s still interesting reading when I do. On we go with the clues, using a template for blog reports which I was relieved to find.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | SUNSET – UN = a French, in a revolutionary version of TESS. |
| 4 | HARMLESS = (Sharm el S)* |
| 10 | PI(G-MEN)T – “stain” has the right meaning, and a G-man is an FBI agent |
| 11 | CONCEDE = s(CONCE) = fortification, DE = “of” in French. I don’t think this one works – “of the French” in the same style as “the French” would have to be DU or DES, so “Surrender of French” would have to be used. |
| 12 | OATS – hidden (first of four hidden words, but difficult to avoid this problem in a group puzzle unless the organiser sends an extra email saying “hidden word slot now taken”. The appearance of SUNSET when it’s the answer to 1A is a similar hazard. |
| 13 | DENIGRATED = opposite of “valued”. – DEN, GI<, RATED. |
| 15 | ELATED – hidden |
| 16 | EN CLAIR – (Racine, L)* |
| 20 | DECENCY – cede*, C=compliance in NY. A tricky abbreviation but within the rules I currently use |
| 21 | LITCHI – hidden |
| 24 | I,N,TIMID,ATE |
| 26 | C,LOT |
| 28 | SYNONYM – SpYiNg, O=over, NY = city, M. I’d say “state” and “broadast” just qualify as synonyms, but with a big range of synonym possibilities, I think a clearer pair might have been found. |
| 29 | FOR SAKE = the reason for the Japanese shopping. Independent invention is possible, but a similar trip to the bar is quoted in a centenary puzzle collection purchased at the Penderel’s Oak gathering. |
| 30 | DAY = sunrise, sunset, BREAK – an imaginative clue, but I wasn’t completly convinced by the “day” part. |
| 31 | SPEECH – S=society,“peach” |
| Down | |
| 1 | SUPPOSED – StUmP = puzzle, POSED |
| 2 | NEGOTIATE – 2 definitions |
| 3 | EWES from first letters of “Ezra was eccentric, so” |
| 5 | AUCTIONS = Au, tonics* |
| 6 | MINERAL OIL (a laxative, hence “go”) = (in limo, earl)* |
| 7 | EVENT – hidden |
| 8 | SPEEDS – cryptic definition based on cameras in yellow boxes – my last answer. |
| 9 | UTTER- U for O in Otter [or at least that was my reading – on reflection, UTTER seems equally convincing …]. Surface relies on pretty good geography for Holt in Norfolk. |
| 14 | DETERMINER – 2 defs |
| 17> | INCULPATE – IN,(CUL from first letters),P,ATE. Interesting story, but “first of” applied to 3 words seems just a bit flaky |
| 18 | ACADEMIA = Oxbridge – (Jack) CADE = rebel, inside A,MIA = rev. of aim=train. |
| 19 | SIXTIETH – I for E swap in “six teeth”. Interesting dental story, but difficult to indicate “six teeth” without giving the game away. |
| 22 | BIASED = “be said” – def using “bias” as in bowls, I think |
| 23 | STUFF – 2 definitions |
| 25 | TANGY – (TANGO – O) + Y. I think the wordplay is fairer without the comma in the clue |
| 27 | TRAP = part reversed |
Merry Christmas to all of you.
Many thanks to sotira, all setters, and PB, and Merry Christmas to all.
What I mainly noted was the frequency of the letter E, the overlap between 1ac and 30ac (as noted by PB) and a double use of “city” as NY (20ac and 28ac). Also the two puns on “lot(s)” in 26ac and 5dn.
Not much taken with the concealed odd-letters part of 1dn where you have to turn “puzzle” into STUMP before finding the odds to get SUP. Surely not quite within PB’s rules??
Got a Groan-like chuckle out of the clue for MINERAL OIL. And ditto from Jerry’s clue for ELATED and its gruesome take on the festivities shortly to come. The cunning def at 19dn was well done. Had me going for a while.
I’ll cop responsibility for 14dn for which the alternatives were:
14. One deciding end of the session in restaurant (10)
14. Judge in ermine threads has gone off the rails (10)
Won’t be giving up my many part-time day jobs any time soon.
Edited at 2013-12-23 08:23 pm (UTC)
Edited at 2013-12-23 11:56 pm (UTC)
As regards my clue, note that it could have been just dinner (or more surreally, dormouse) but donkey seemed to fit best
(Penfold, not logged in on this machine)