Solving time: 44:29
There was a lot of clever stuff going on here, so my time felt like a good one. It took me a while to get started, but I made fairly steady progress thereafter.
I think 4a just gets my COD, narrowly ahead of 5d, but there are plenty of other good clues here. My compliments to the setter.
cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | MA (the chick feeder) + CAW (squawk) |
| 4 | PYGMALION = GYP (pain) rev + MALI (nation) + ON – ‘the work of an Irishman’ is the definition, as George Bernard Shaw was from Dublin. |
| 9 | T(HE’S)AURUS |
| 10 | EX-CON – dd – a political defector being an ex-conservative |
| 11 | ROCOCO = OR (gold) rev + CO (joint, as a prefix) twice |
| 12 | TRAIN SET = TEST (to check) rev about RAIN |
| 14 | TEN-GALLON HAT – cd |
| 17 | BANTAM + W + EIGHT |
| 20 | I + DO LATER |
| 21 | UGRIAN = (AIR GUN)* – not a word I knew but with all the checkers in place there seemed no alternative. |
| 23 | CAB(A)L |
| 24 | AMPLIFIER = (IMPERIAL)* about F (strong) – ‘mint’ is the anagrind. |
| 25 | S + POTTIEST |
| 26 | HONEY – dd |
| Down | |
| 1 | MATURITY = RUT (hollow) rev + IT all in MAY (tree) |
| 2 | CRESCENT = C (curved shape) + RECENT (new) about |
| 3 | WHATCHAMACALLIT = HATCH (fashion) + A + MAC (coat) + ALL (everything) all in WIT (mind) |
| 4 | PARR – cd – Parr being both the name of a fish, and of Henry VIII’s sixth wife. |
| 5 | G + ASTRONOMY (subject for those looking up) |
| 6 | AMERICAN ENGLISH – cd – In American English a ‘story’ can be a level of a building, to us a ‘storey’. |
| 7 | INCISE = IS in |
| 8 | NINETY – I’m not sure of the wordplay, but I think it’s that ninety in Roman numerals is XC, which is hidden in ‘excess’ but must be written in capitals, hence ‘capped’. |
| 13 | ALL THE RAGE = (L |
| 15 | IGNITION = IT + IN + GI all rev + ON |
| 16 | STINGRAY = STINGY (mean) about |
| 18 | DISCUS |
| 19 | BOO-BOO = BOOB (mistake) + O x2 (nothing to be repeated) – &lit |
| 22 | SPAT = TAPS (hot and cold) rev |
The whole process reminded me of abdominal surgery. Jumped in full of confidence, then realized it was all going to be a lot more complicated than I’d thought. Muddled along for a while, then put in the last couple of bits without really being sure.
Still, it all ended well (the crossword, that is). I stared at 3d for ages with all but the first checker in place, wondering what on earth could have that many As in it. Having put it in, I couldn’t be bothered to parse it – I’m not keen on these Ikea-style clues where you have assemble the word from a multitude of small parts.
Failed to parse NINETY as well. Looking at [daveperry]’s suggested parsing, I think this had the makings of a clever clue, but it somehow missed the mark.
UGRIAN I only got because the anagram was so clearly flagged, and because “Finno-Ugric” had cropped up recently. What ever happened to the Ugs?
LOI was 1ac (MACAW), which I didn’t think was a good clue although I can’t say why not. Overall, though, I enjoyed this one – challenging but doable.
I’m working tonight and looking forward to brisk business. I’ve got an accumulator bet running with some colleagues, which will pay for a good weekend’s drinking if, by midnight: (a) we get at least one stabbing, (b) the total of lost extremities is greater than two (digits count individually unless they are lost along with the limb) and (c) there are no fatalities (DOA’s excluded). I’m fairly optimistic about (a) and (c), and can always give (b) a nudge in the right direction.
Award for Most Unexpected Accident of the Day (so far): owl attack. Moral: think twice before attempting to rescue an owl that has been hit by a car.
Edited at 2014-02-28 09:21 pm (UTC)
This blog needs a little livening up
I have a surgeon friend with a dark, dark sense of humour – goes with the territory no doubt.
I was slowed by bunging in EIGHTY for 8dn (capping WEIGHTY = “in excess”, admittedly rather loosely, and probably just a thinifer’s reaction to all those fattipuffs) and didn’t twig the true significance of “capped” until I came here. (Thanks!)