Solving time 25 minutes
A very middle of the road puzzle. Not a 15D like 16D but not a beast either. Not much to 19D about unfortunately and no major talking points except the setter finding octagonal shapes unusual.
Across | |
---|---|
1 | HEARTY – HE-ARTY; HE=His Excellency=Ambassador; |
4 | DOLPHIN – (go)DOLPHIN; the Godolphin Arabian was one of three stallions that were the founders of the modern thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock; |
9 | NEVER – RE-VEN reversed; VEN=venerable=Archbishop; |
10 | EDWARDIAN – (dead in)* surrounds WAR; strictly 1901-1910; |
11 | YORKSHIRE – YORK-S-HIRE; bowl=YORK (cricket jargon); as distinct from its beer the cuisine of Yorkshire is poor fare and Yorkshire pudding is up there with the worst of it; |
12 | SWISS – SWI’S-S; Westminster post code=SW1; |
13 | OPEN – O(PE)N; |
14 | SHOCKINGLY – S(HOCK)INGLY; |
18 | BACKSTROKE – BACK-ST(R)OKE; STOKE (City) is a football team from the city of Stoke-on-Trent in the Potteries; |
20 | KRIS – hazard=risk then move the K to gtve this Malay knife; |
23 | SHORE – two meanings; 1=a shore beam; 2=leave on shore; |
24 | COWARDICE – C(h)O(WARD)ICE; protege=WARD; |
25 | OCTAGONAL – (L)OC(TAG-ON)AL; why “unusual” – the setter can’t have seen many crystals; |
26 | NAMED – N-A-MED; |
27 | FREESIA – F-(easier)*; |
28 | THINGY – THIN-G(u)Y; |
Down | |
1 | HONEYCOMB – cryptic definition based on queen bee activity; |
2 | ADVERSE – A(D)VERS-E; |
3 | THRUSH – T(oug)H-RUSH; the mistle thrush; |
4 | DOWSE – sounds like DOW’s. The Dow Jones is the US Footsie founded by Charles Dow, Edward Jones and the forgotten Charles Bergstresser; |
5 | LORDSHIP – LORDS-HIP; |
6 | HAILING – HAIL-IN-G(hana); |
7 | NONES – NO(N)ES; |
8 | PERISHER – two meanings 1=dying (croaking) 2=oldish slang for an irritating child; |
15 | CAKEWALK – CAKE-(LAW reversed)-(kir)K; Brownie=sickly type of CAKE; a dance; |
16 | YESTERDAY – (try a seedy)*; |
17 | ASPERGES – AS-PER-G-ES; tn French “thou art” = tu ES; Christian ritual; |
19 | CHORTLE – CHOR(LT reversed)E; |
21 | RAILMAN – RA-IL-MAN; RA=Royal Artillery; |
22 | WRENCH – W(R)ENCH; |
23 | SPOOF – FO-OPS all reversed; FO=Foreign Office; |
24 | CANNA – CAN-NA; tin=CAN; sodium=NA; obscure plant better known as an island; |
… and I had two wrong letters: ‘railmen’ for my Italian island (!), and ‘aspergms’ for some sort of French art. Was totally caught out with the ‘es’ (despite having done a French degree many moons ago…). Also, I’d not heard of the ritual.
Also, didn’t parse DOLPHIN, NEVER (thought it was something to do with REV), EDWARDIAN, and didn’t know that there was such a thing as a SHORE beam. Yes, I agree, the ‘unusual’ in 25a was misleading.
Had no idea about the eponymous thoroughbred (4ac). Only the chap of the same surname, Hugh Godolphin, from Pynchon’s V. 15dn (CAKEWALK) is an odd clue — including a part-DBE. But is there any other word that fits C•K•••••, apart from the Bluebottle-esque CAKEHOLE?
Didn’t really understand 9ac (NEVER). The misleading REV bit seemed obvious but the rest was baffling. Thanks to Jim for sorting it.
ASPERGES is a bit obscure but it cropped up recently in the Graun Weekly. So I happened to know it. And the cryptic def at 1dn? — “What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence”.
Edited at 2013-09-03 08:34 am (UTC)
And, naturellement, I like 1dn!
Finding OCTAGONALs odd is one thing, but finding Yorkshire pud unpalatable is close to heretical! Can, and should, be eaten with ALL roasts.
However I thought 11ac rather a good clue, and was shocked – shocked! – by the unwarranted attack on yorkshire pudding by our illustrious blogger. I have been there and eaten that overcooked mess too Jim, but it is not always like that. In fact nowadays Yorkshire has some of the best restaurants in Britain and some of the original gastropubs.
I well remember my (Yorkshire) grandmother having YP with gravy as a starter, a plate of tripes and YP with custard after, as a pudding..
25ac just had to be OCTAGONAL but for ages I could only explain the word “shape” in the clue. I am going to cry “foul” at the inclusion of “unusual”. After this and “seaside” yesterday I am starting to wonder if the crossword editor was on holiday when this week’s puzzles were passed for publication.
Also unknown were ASPERGES and CANNA (not known to my spell checker either, I note as I type) but in each case the wordplay was helpful so they gave me no problems.
I had most of this done very quickly, but then got thoroughly bogged down with two left. OCTAGONAL looked like the obvious answer, but I was thoroughly put off by the word “unusual” and struggled mightily with the wordplay because I failed for ages to see “tag on” as “trail behind”. I also had serious doubts about ASPERGES: the wordplay suggested it but it’s French for asparagus, which seemed an odd name even by the standards of Christian rituals.
Eventually I figured out the wordplay for 25ac but it was all to no avail. I had put FREISEA at 27ac. This demonstrates that I know more about cows than plants, but not enough about either to construct a word that actually exists. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
Jimbo, I can only conclude from your comment about Yorkshire pudding that you’ve never had a good one. When done badly they’re like chewing putty, but done properly they are surely impossible to dislike.
In my book over-cooked beef is a mortal sin.
Edited at 2013-09-03 08:37 am (UTC)
21 minutes with OCTAGONAL not parsed but guessed.
Edited at 2013-09-03 08:49 am (UTC)
I finished in the SW with the CHORTLE/SHORE/ASPERGES crossers. I’m annoyed with myself for not getting the latter sooner because it has appeared elsewhere in the last couple of weeks.
I’m in the “when a Yorkshire pudding is done well it is excellent” camp. I like the idea of making actuarial adjustments to take into account regional “delicacies”. The deep-fried Mars Bar would be right up there.
Edited at 2013-09-03 12:03 pm (UTC)
I liked the deceptive clue for 27, which had me tentatively entering ER for the last 2 letters before I saw EASIER as anagram fodder.
If I had a pound for every time I’ve misspelt FREESIA or FUCHSIA in a crossword, I’d have enough for a full Sunday roast and a pint in a Yorkshire pub (so just the pint down south).
I followed keriothe’s lead with a ‘freisia’. Maybe it’s time I accepted reality and stopped ‘solving’ anagrams in my head. Something about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results …
Thanks, jimbo, for the Johnsonian quip which actually made me chortle.
Thanks, Jimbo, for explaining never and octagonal.
At 6d I was expecting the answer to be the capital of Ghana beginning HI (greeting) which I actually wrote in but I was forced to rethink when Edwardian then gave me HII????
At 18 I thought the support had to be BRA so started writing breaststroke.
COD to thingy.
I’d been pretty sure I got “asperges” from Barbara Pym, although when I went to confirm it Google tried to direct me to “asperger’s syndrome”.
The octagonal stop sign is such a ubiquitous thing I really do wonder what the setter was thinking in saying “unusual”.
18.18 for me following a 13 minute run yesterday so I have a feeling the rest of the week could be brutal.
Edited at 2013-09-03 01:41 pm (UTC)
I realise not all brownies contain pot but I just can’t think of them any other way now.
My FSA (USA) was in 1957.