Solving time : 8 minutes, which is good, things have been rushed lately, and so will be this report. One little quibble, a lot of straightforward clues, but some very concise wordplay. Good puzzle to hone skills on. And away we go…
Across |
1 |
STOMACH: double definition |
5 |
GO(=game),DUTCH: Go used to be very popular in Australia when I was an undergraduate, haven’t heard much about it since then |
9 |
TOP,SECRET: I think this is meant to be a double definition? |
11 |
CHEAT: E in CHAT |
13 |
STRAIGHT(=poker-hand),FACED(confronted): not sure if this was intended as an &lit, the two halves go pretty obviously together |
21 |
TO,MA,TILL,O: Woohooo! long construction/charade |
24 |
PARMA: R in PA,MA |
25 |
H,ENNA(=ANNE reversed): one of two of his queens |
26 |
SHINTOIST: (THIS,IS,NOT)* – does one have to be oriental to be a Shintoist? |
28 |
GALATEA: Guessed this from the checking letters. The statue carved by Pygmalion |
 |
Down |
1 |
SHTICK: H in STICK. So what’s the deal with all these politicians… |
2 |
OPPRESSOR: I liked this, anagram of (PROSE,PROS) |
3 |
ABETTER: TT in A BEER. Split a beer? I’d rather split an atom! |
4 |
HER,BARIUM: Boom! Boom! Obviously, loved this for the gratuitous placement of an alkaline earth |
5 |
G(h)ET TO |
8 |
HOMICIDE: 1,CID in HOME. Get out of my house, CID |
16 |
SNATCHES: two definitions |
18 |
H,A,T RACK: cute |
19 |
CAPITOL: The 17 one is in Washington, D.C. |
22 |
M,ANNA: We have ANNE and ANNA in the same crossword, crossing each other |
9 Ac: Allusion to sleeping like a top.
21 Ac: Tomatillo was new to me, but couldn’t be anything else from the clue and checking letters. A physalis apparently, a close relation of the cape gooseberry. The latter a weed here, but great to eat. Brilliant on a pav.
28 Ac: Galatea. Again, could not be anything else, and knew vaguely of a connection with Pygmalion.
Similar thoughts about 1 Dn. It is nice to be led gently to less common answers.
Surely it is one of Henry’s 6 Queens (Anne Boleyn) not 2. Or maybe the others weren’t officially queens or something.
Nearly messed up writing MANTRA where MANNA was meant to go. Of course it didn’t fit!
a rather straightforward puzzle. Not as easy as yesterday. i guess like others that Friday may well be a stinker although PB says doesnt work lile that!
we will see…
Thanks Ross for pointing out the reference in 9A – I missed that.
It must be blindingly obvious as George hasn’t mentioned it, but what is the meaning of “steaming” in 7D?
The problem in the lower half was I had convinced myself early on that 14 would start with HARD and had opted for HARDGOING which seemed like a good idea at the time but on reflection was not, and this meant I was unable to crack 21 for ages. Eventually I worked out the wordplay to give me TOMATILLO (not sure if I have heard of this before) and revisited 14d.
I found it hard to get properly started in the NW apart from 11 and I’m afraid solving each of the remaining clues was a bit of a struggle.
I take some comfort from successful guesswork elsewhere, picking the right spelling at 19 and GALATEA at 28. I didn’t know the Pygmalion reference but knew of Acis and Galatea so decided to bung it in and hope for the best.
Guess those beattings from my father did the trick after all?
I don’t really understand 9. Can anyone explain the significance of “the knack of sleeping well”?
Made the same rick as Peter on Herbalism and agree that it ultimately doesn’t quite work as a metaphorical double.
Galatea, as for others, was a twilight entry and a bit of a crappy clue I think.
Was ignorant of the ‘sleeping like a top’ idiom.
So what happenned today? Cue Jeremy Clarkson: You did it….
in…..
….
…eight minutes thirty.
Woo hoo.
Lucky guess for Galatea and tomatilla from wordplay. Apart from that it couldn’t have been much more straightforward.
Q-0, E-5, D-1 COD dunno.
10 reminds me, up here in Yorkshire partygoers have started injecting ecstacy straight into the soft tissue in their mouths. It’s known as taking e by gum.
Congrats, Penfold. You’re a star with a reasonably priced biro.
Happy Mole Day everyone!
No real problems although I didn’t know the GALATEA reference. A few pretty numb clues, some very good ones and I think 4D is fantastic.
Q-0 E-6 D-6 COD 4D
Yahoo Serious did both, when he split the beer atom.
There is a footy XI of “easies”:
10a It’s emphatically uttered through part of one’s mouth (2,3)
BY GUM. I doubt that this gets uttered emphatically any more – even in the darkest depths of the north.
12a Acting so violently when capturing one belligerent (9)
AGONIST1C. Anagram of (acting so) and 1 = I. New word for me.
17a Unfortunately, not a richer man like Getty or Rockefeller, say (5,8)
NORTH AMERICAN. Anagram of (not a richer man).
27a Second speaker who follows a celebrity? (7)
S TALKER
6d Ask questions after operation re bed if poorly (7)
DEBRIEF, Anagram of (re bed if).
7d Steaming with limited room to manoeuvre (5)
TIGHT. One of the large – and increasing – number of words for being drunk. For example recent ones might include trolleyed (perhaps derived from the drinks trolley) and Michael McIntyres gazebo-ed.
14d Breaking new ground can be stressful (9)
HARROWING. My POI – shame for a country lad not to see this one sooner.
15d Constable, say, supporting part of case against swindler (3,6)
CON ARTIST
19d Senate building or temple in Rome (7)
CAPITOL
20d Aid to meditation used by shaman traditionally (6)
MANTRA. Hidden in last 2 words.
23d Laboratory apparatus some expert researchers initially put together (5)
L A S E R. First letters of first 5 words.