Across | |
---|---|
1 | SCATTERBRAINED – how do you make it? You ‘scatter’ BREADIN* is how. |
12 | WATERMARK – W(ith) A TERM ARK. |
13 | ESCARGOT – true, not much is slower than a snail – CARGO in SET*. As the saying nearly goes, it was a brave man who first ate a snail. |
15 | LIBYAN – LIAN(a) holding BY. |
19 | PALLADIO – PALL + ADIO(s). Afraid I know nothing of the man save his name and the eponymous Palladian style, but architecture is far from being my strong point. |
25 | VALENTINE – isn’t this a week late? Fast = LENT, in VAIN + E(ast). |
26 | RECORDING ANGEL – monitoring one’s actions on Earth for judgement in the hereafter; alternatively, the symbol of gramophone companies before someone thought to use a dog listening to his master’s voice instead. |
Down | |
1 | SURFACE TENSION – obvious that it’s an anagram of FINE COURTESANS, but I started off convinced that a CURTAIN would minimise exposure and was left wondering how FOENESS fitted into that. |
2 | AMNESIC – sure it’s right, CINEMAS*, but I would have thought AMNESIAC was more usual. |
3 | TWEET – TWEE+(linne)T. Is twee really ‘very pretty’? I thought it was more derogatory than complimentary, but that may just be me. |
6 | IMPARTIAL – 1 MP (m)ARTIAL. Nice misdirection with “just” as the definition. |
7 | EXOGAMY – EX + (AGO) reversed + MY, the choosing of a spouse from outside one’s close social group. |
8 | D’YE KEN JOHN PEEL? – a) hero of a traditional English folk song, and b) the popular BBC radio broadcaster, longest serving DJ on poptastic Radio 1, who also extended his repertoire on Radio 4. |
18 | SEEPAGE – as per Private Eye, see page 94 for details… |
20 | DRAWING – i.e. success = WIN, which is transvestite and thus in DRAG. |
All in all, a diverting puzzle today, though the failure of the Crossword Club (now resolved as of 11:30 am GMT, it appears) is obviously vexing. What reference work will they offer us as compensation if this continues, I wonder? And while I know I’m supposed to be offering answers rather than questions, I can’t see how the wordplay works to make 14 down RIGOLETTO, and can’t see an alternative answer: am I missing the blindingly obvious here?
Time approximately 40 minutes including that presumption, as I had to do it the old-fashioned way by making a diversion on my way to work and buying an actual paper. Puzzle then had to compete with the opening of my post &c., checking e-mails &c., so didn’t have my full attention. I’d still classify it as slightly tougher than average.
Paul
10:59 for another quite tricky puzzle. I suspect non-Brits may have a fair amount of trouble with 8D – D’YE KEN JOHN PEEL. The music is under ‘sheetmusic’ here and the words are here.
Don’t yet understand the wordplay in 19A but assume it’s PALLADIO from ‘architect’. 21D is my COD suggestion for smooth surface and misleading def.
But no, it’s not a midnight thing with this incident.
I’ve started printing my puzzle the night before rather than in the morning because I got sick of fighting with the site before my cup of java. Sheesh, even the cat leaves me alone until he sees the cup half empty.
I’m 20 hours past the publishing hour and there is only the “blank” page. I took a stab at the archives and even they are empty after Feb 15.
>>>bows >>>exits
Edited at 2008-02-19 12:46 pm (UTC)
Well done Topicaltim for your first analysis. On my first day they put a different clue in the e-version to the one in the paper – clearly they like causing Tuesday beginners problems. Jimbo.
I’m getting good at “guessing” correct answers though, in this case recording angel (a term which I don’t recall having encountered before), peony (knew the flower but not the farm worker) and exogamy.
Agree with linxit on 13 for COD – a completely and utterly brilliant clue. Honourable mentions to 1a, 11 & 18
Anyone would think we knew each other !
I struggled with 15a but was helped greatly by my new Times Atlas. Thanks Ed 😉
1a was brilliant, 13a almost as good, but I’m going for 22a as my COD nom.
Stumped by 8D, after a lot of trying, but upon seeing the answer here I realize there wasn’t a chance to begin with. I thought the rest was fairly difficult also, taking well over an hour. Well, there’s always tomorrow.
It took me two PATH train rides, an evening, and a lunch hour to finish this one.
I’m new to cryptic crosswords, but it seems to fit. Bean – runner beans?
I dunno.
Maybe he’s in the atlas.
I particularly liked 22A (STEEL BAND) so will go for that as my COD.