Pleasant enough puzzle, perhaps on the easy side of average – 20 minutes to solve on blogging day. One rather obscure botanical term but clued properly today. Some historical references and I’m usually surprised by younger solvers not being aware of what to me are common knowledge so we shall see if Russian and US history causes any difficulties.
Across | |
---|---|
1 | COOT – COO-T(arn); pigeons coo; apparently bald bird or Victor Meldrew; |
3 | SPELLBOUND – S(PE-LLB)OUND; PE from PE(arls); Hitchcock film with spellbinding Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck; |
10 | ATTRACT – A-T-T-CAR reversed-T; T=time; magnetic ability; |
11 | LARGISH – L(ARG(o)-IS)H; UK national debt; |
12 | SUB-POSTMISTRESS – BUS reversed-POST-MI-STRESS; second-in-command in a Post Office; |
13 | SHINDY – SHIN(D)Y; D from (feature)D; Irish wake or German rapper; |
14 | COVERAGE – COVE-RAGE; common solvency ratio of debt interest to cash available; |
17 | DETOXIFY – (fixed toy)*; field day for alternative medicine; |
18 | CAMPER – CAMP-E(urodolla)R; always for me the 1950s Volswagen campervan; |
21 | SEE,ONES,WAY,CLEAR – two meanings; if you clear your path and the postman falls, are you liable?; |
23 | OCARINA – O(rchestra)-CARIN(g)-A; a small wind instrument; |
24 | PREVAIL – (real VIP)*; |
25 | DISSEVERED – DISS(EVER)ED; not a word one meets every day; |
26 | OKAY – OK=OKAY; |
Down | |
1 | CHASSIS – C-HAS-S-IS; “estate” is type of car; a chassis is more associated with trucks and TVs I suspect; |
2 | OCTOBRIST – OC-TOURIST with U changed to B; October 1905 Russian doves; |
4 | POTATO – POT(A)TO; a POTTO is a loris; a King Edward is a spud; POTATO(e) was Dan Quayle’s nemesis; |
5 | LOLLIPOP – LO(ILL reversed)P-OP; pop song from my 1950s youth; |
6 | BURY,THE,HATCHET – two meanings; an Iroquois custom to mark the end of hostilities; |
7 | UNITE – U-(E-TIN reversed); neanderthal trade union; |
8 | DEHISCE – hidden (belgra)DE-HIS-CE(ll); botanical reference to torture for hayfever sufferers; |
9 | MASON,DIXON,LINE – MASON-D-XI reversed-ON-LINE; D from (score)D; symbol of cultural differences between North and South US based upon a real “line” proposed by Mr Mason and Mr Dixon in 1700s to resolve a border dispute in Northern US; ; |
15 | APPLEJACK – APPLE-JACK; Jonothan is an APPLE; more US culture, distilled cider known as Jersey Lightening; |
16 | OFF-STAGE – OFF(STAG)E(r); house=audience in theatre; |
17 | DESPOND – reference “the slough of despond” from Pilgrim’s Progress; |
19 | RURALLY – RU-RALLY; RU=Rugby Union; |
20 | MAGPIE – MA(GP-I)E; reference Mae West (yet more US culture); an outer part of a rifle target; |
22 | EVANS – E(VAN)S; son of Ifan; |
Thanks for this, Jim, all complete today, but several from wp: DEHISCE, MAGPIE, and yes OCTOBRIST and M-D LINE, too. Not sure if that indicates that I’m a ‘younger solver’ or just that I’m hopelessly ill-informed when it comes to historical references…
My LOI was EVANS, even though it was the obvious answer. I couldn’t work out where the V came from, since I was counting the N in the set of directions, and vaguely wondered whether EWANS would count to complete the set. A decent little double deception for the trigger happy seasoned solver who would also expects “leaders” to produce first letters.
CoD to CHASSIS with its wee hint towards duck houses and such, with a side helping of speculation on whether any estate cars have a chassis these days.
Never heard of POTTO or MAGPIE in the required context but DEHISCE is one of those words that once met and struggled over in a crossword is engraved on my brain forever. MASON-DIXON LINE I learnt of and remember from Tom Lehrer’s song “I Wanna Go Back to Dixie”
Edited at 2013-12-10 09:58 am (UTC)
I remember a fine Gary Larson Far Side cartoon where Mrs Dixon is berating her son: “Why is it always *Mason*-Dixon, never Dixon-Mason.. you always did come second…” etc etc.
I had most of the necessary GK, the exceptions being MAGPIE, POTTO and APPLEJACK.
On the matter of historical references being common knowledge or otherwise, it obviously depends what you learned at school. I suspect that British history was proportionately much less prominent in what I was taught than was the case in previous generations (or will be the case in future if Mr Gove has his way). So I sometimes struggle with British historical references but have no problem at all with OCTOBRISTs or the MASON-DIXON LINE.
Two reversing vehicles in one puzzle.
25ac (last in) was good: “endlessly” not signalling a final deletion.
Only DNK was MAGPIE. ODO has:
“the division of a circular target next to the outer one, or a shot which strikes this”.
A picture would help.
Re 9dn: Pynchon’s Mason and Dixon is a must read for the scientifically inclined novel reader. If there are any left.
The ocarina is interesting scientifically because the sizes of the uncovered holes and their number, and the total internal volume of the instrument, alone determine the rate of vibration of the note sounded. Because this note is a pure tone it lacks definition and this is one reason why no composers take the instrument seriously.
Edited at 2013-12-10 11:16 am (UTC)
Edited at 2013-12-10 12:47 pm (UTC)
Decent set of clues apart from 14, which did not appeal – ‘aggression at seaside’, ‘cove rage’? Oh dear!
What does Miley Cyrus have at Christmas? Twerky.
There are more on the Grauniad website if you’re interested. My favourite:
How do you know if Santa’s been in your garden shed? You’ve got three extra hoes.
“When the Queen takes a photo of herself on her phone, does she call it a onesie?”
(or summat like that…)
Edited at 2013-12-10 01:27 pm (UTC)
!
I’m memorizing that one. Thank you, janie.
Q. What’s orange and sounds like a parrot?
“Real” answer: a carrot
“Better” answer: David Dickinson.
I found the last few in the SW distinctly tricky, with EVANS, DISSEVERED and MAGPIE taking nearly as long as the rest of the puzzle.
Having grown up on the Lower Clarence, I love magpies (don’t worry, I don’t expect anyone to understand that). But I’d never heard the word in this context. Still, very gettable via the wordplay.
Little else to say except that potto reminded me of the yellow Preston’s of Potto lorries I see going up and down the A1 which I always think should be Potto’s of Preston.
Thank you for the commentary, Jim.
Still, never mind. 24 minutes for today’s run-out, in which, yes, COVE RAGE was… a clue.
Do please check the blog first thing tomorrow (or late tonight in some time zones) for a Festive Announcement.
I was actually minded to comment on Jimbo’s note on coverage myself but only to say that it’s the ratio of available cash to interest rather than the other way round.