Hello solvers, and thank you for this opportunity to fill out the ranks of such an august blog. As an old 7D with occasional 12A delusions usually thwarted by a tendency towards 10A, I was pleased to be allocated, for my maiden outing, a puzzle of considerable 4D, but without anything too abstruse that would have provoked 1A, or even worse, a 11A. As a trained classicist I had all the necessary 14D to recall Claudius’s wife and Nero’s mother 22A, but despite since then becoming a web developer by trade, I found 15A the obscurest term to summon from its definition (though fortunately the route to the solution was unambiguous).
1D is not what I called it as a lad, though I wish I had as, it is a considerably more evocative name for the pastime! 26A brought to mind images of the late lamented Jack Duckworth fancying his pigeons in a grubby string vest, which I am happy now to share with you.
I’m afraid to say I didn’t time myself on this occasion but I believe it was comfortably solvable in the space of commuting between Norwood Junction and Wandsworth, i.e. my ideal length for a crossword puzzle. With a few good gags and requiring just a very light smattering of astrological-historical-technological knowledge for completion, it was for me a wholly reassuring and enjoyable puzzle. How about yourselves?
Across |
1 |
DISORIENTATION – confusion: punningly, to dis-“orientate” could be to occidentalise… |
9 |
CLING FILM – something to wrap it [cold fish] in: C [cold] LING [fish] FILM [picture] |
10 |
SLOTH – sin: LOT [fate] in SH [don’t talk] |
11 |
SCOWL – dirty look: S [“initiation” of Small-time] COWL [hood] |
12 |
EGOMANIAC – [a person] who’s full of himself: OMANI [Arabian resident] in CAGE [prison] reversed [about] |
13 |
NASCENCY – birth: S [singular] CE [civil engineer] in NANCY [Lorraine city] |
15 |
BOTNET – computers that are infected: some of ofTEN TO Boot, in reverse [backed up] |
17 |
DIE OUT – vanish: OahU [margins] in DIET [usual food] |
19 |
CURLICUE – twisty tail: CUR [dog] with LICE [parasites] around [retains] U [classy] |
22 |
AGRIPPINA – Roman emperor’s wife: A [area] twice around [divided by] GRIPPINg [compulsive, endlessly] |
23 |
GLINT – flash: G [Gordon’s beginning] plus LINT [padding] |
24 |
EMCEE – presenter: sEeMs ClEvEr [alternate letters only] |
25 |
CHINAWARE – service (perhaps): CHIN [face feature] plus AWARE [on the ball] |
26 |
VESTED INTEREST – stake: punningly, a “vested interest” could be a hobby carried out while wearing a vest |
Down |
1 |
DUCKS AND DRAKES – double definition |
2 |
SLIP-ONS – [footwear] easily kicked off: LIP [backchat] in SONS [children] |
3 |
RIGEL – star in Orion: RIG [fix] on bELt [middle of] |
4 |
EMINENCE – Cardinal: MINE [dig up] N [new] CE [Anglicans] supporting E [English] |
5 |
TOMBOY – cryptic definition, playing on “a miss is as good as a mile” |
6 |
TESLA COIL – transformer: I [one] in LOCAL SET [group of neighbours] reversed [upstanding] |
7 |
OXONIAN – member of university: (NIXON + MAO – M [male])* [surprisingly] |
8 |
SHOCK TREATMENT – cryptic definition |
14 |
EQUIPMENT – tackle: QUIP [crack] in cEMENT [concrete “with top removed”] |
16 |
MUTATION – change: TI [titanium] in AMOUNT* [variable] |
18 |
EARACHE – pain: EA [each] plus RACHEl [wife of Jacob “reduced”] |
20 |
COINAGE – fresh term: CO [company] IN AGE [during later years] |
21 |
MINCED – toned down for politeness: M [compendiuM “finally”] INC [including] ED [edition] |
23 |
GLADE – wood’s open space: GLAD [content] resting on E [energy] |
Main thing to note was a rather giveaway CD at 8dn which at least had the merit of not referring to perms, mullets and 1dn bottoms.
Nothing much to frighten the horses here though I needed wordplay to come up with 6dn and I might have struggled with 15ac if it hadn’t been so clearly signalled as a hidden reversal. Having said that, I believe I have met both answers here in previous puzzles but neither stuck. 38 minutes with the last 5 spent on 21dn having immediately thought of MINCED but with no idea how it could be the answer until I suddenly thought of ‘mincing one’s words’.
Edited at 2014-05-23 06:07 am (UTC)
Managed all ok, but took some time at the end alphabet-running for TOMBOY. Still don’t really get the ‘as good as’ bit…is it just to make it sound like ‘a miss is as good as a mile’? Not sure I like it that much.
BOTNET, RIGEL and TESLA COIL from vague memory and wordplay.
Great that Verlaine has volunteered… can’t begin to imagine the extra stress that would put on solving quickly to have the blog up so early…! Many thanks.
15:12 … solved on paper again and somewhat hampered by having tried to cram MONOMANIAC into 9 spaces. I’ll have to ask crypticsue where she gets her Tippex (or start actually parsing clues properly).
Much delayed at the end by COINAGE and CURLICUE (which gets my COD vote; lovely word, lovely clue).
I thought this might be quick when DUCKS AND DRAKES went straight in. I loved playing it as a child and I remember my best throw as achieving 14 hops. Admittedly this number may have grown with the passing of time.
Having switched to solving on treeware today I thought it ironic to get CHINAWARE in 25A. Presuming the tablet on which I usually solve is manufactured in the Far East mightn’t that be dubbed Chinaware?
Is there any compelling reason for it to have been known as “ducks and drakes”? Doing it with real ducks and drakes would probably be cruel.
A bit red-faced at not seeing OXONIAN at the first attempt at the anagram, even though I am one (slothful, yes, but not egomaniacal).
Never did me any harm that I can tell though, etc etc.
Having engaged sprint mode, I started to put in DAVID AND GOLIATH at 1d, being a stone’s throw apart (how witty!) before realising it had nothing else going for it.
NASCENCY looked like another of those words Shakespeare would have cobbled together when he needed a couple of extra syllables at the end of a line to mean “birth”. Again the wordplay was kind, with Nancy being one of the more crossword friendly (and familiar) French cities. It was never going to be Metz.
Has anyone tried picturing a singlet on a stake? Only in Crosswordland.
And, of course, my welcome to Verlaine, especially for the fine preamble which cheerfully demanded decoding.
Edited at 2014-05-23 08:22 am (UTC)
Very quick this, under ten minutes, greatly helped by 1ac and 1dn going straight in.. about as close as I ever get to solving each clue in sequence
Not noticed botnet before but remembered Agrippina, she was married to Derek Jacobi..
A reasonably gentle offering for your first venture but with some interesting and some not so interesting clues. I also don’t like 5D. I knew BOTNET and the COIL and have been doing these puzzles long enough to know dear old AGGY and Jacob’s wife. Middle of the road 20 minute solve.
Thanks for the entertaining blog, Verlaine. Welcome from yet another slothful Oxonian. I’m not an EGOMANIAC though: that would be beneath me.
That’s not to say I approve of the punniness.
Vest wise I was more in mind of Onslow in KUA (Geoffrey Hughes, who was also in Corrie of course). Not a pretty sight. Fine amusing clue though. Nice blog, Verlaine, especially when commuting at 6 a.m., not a pleasant concept. My debut on Monday will be at a more civilised hour.
Thanks verlaine for your entertaiing blog. Who’s the chap wearing the stovepipe?
Best clue for deceptive wording was 23d.
Excellent debut blog.
Verlaine’s preamble was indeed excellent, so thanks for that.
Coinage held me up for ages at the end (I wanted there to be a Y in there for “term of company”) and I needed the wordplay to get Tesla coil and Agrippina (she didn’t come up much in Business Studies with French).
Soon fix that. I’m blogging on Sunday.
I was always encouraged by my Grandmother to eat my crusts which would make my hair grow curly. It never did, thank goodness and the toughness of post war bread crusts.
Mike and Fay
FOI RIGEL, LOI the aforesaid crosser. Now just think how neat the clue would have been had RIGEL been anywhere near Orion’s belt – it actually marks his left foot (or left knee, or right foot, depending on which drawing you look at). Still, no crossword’s perfect …
About half an hour for me, with RIGEL my FOI and CHINAWARE my LOI. I too deplore the use of EMCEE, which is an ugly import from the yewessay. ECCLE would have fitted just as well.