My solving time was off the scale so I’m not planning to reveal it as I suspect it was heavily influenced by blogger’s nerves. Having said that, I note that two of the top five times currently on the leader board are over an hour so I don’t think it was an easy puzzle by most people’s standards. I shall be interested to read what others made of it
Across |
|
---|---|
1 |
DOWNTOWN – W |
5 | BREWED – Sounds like “brood” (litter) |
10 | PUT ONE’S FOOT DOWN – PUT ON (assume), E’S (European’s), FOOT (pay, as in bill), DOWN (reduced) |
11 | REAPPLY – RE (soldiers), APPLY (rather like cider). Definition: exercise again |
12 | PROOFED – PRO (for), then F (folio) inside OED (Oxford English Dictionary) |
13 |
SURGICAL – SUR |
15 |
END-ON – |
18 |
OPPOS – |
20 | MARYLAND – RY (railway) + LAN (network) inside MAD (furious) |
23 | ORBISON – OR (men), BIS (for playing twice), ON (performing). The definition refers to Roy aka “The Big O”. |
25 | PROVOST – PRO (hooker), V (versus), OST (East German) |
26 | KNOW A THING OR TWO – Anagram of 0 (love) + WORKING NOW THAT |
27 | ROMANY – ROM (memory), ANY (no matter what) |
28 | WHODUNIT – Cryptic definition – Ha-ha! |
Down |
|
1 | DEPORT – Double definition, the second one is archaic but survives in the word ‘deportment’. |
2 | WITH A BUMP – Double definition of sorts |
3 | TENT PEG – TENT (sweet red – type of wine), PEG (female). I think ‘headed’ here simply indicates ‘in front of’ though I did wonder if it might be a further wine reference. |
4 |
WISPY – W |
6 | RATHOLE – Anagram of HER A LOT |
7 | WOOLF – L (left) inside WOOF (something setter goes) – Ho-ho! |
8 | DING-DONG – NG (no good) + DON (fellow) inside DIG (like). Definition: close, as in a close contest or ding-dong match. |
9 | COMPILER – COMPLIER (observer, as of laws, rules etc) with its ‘I’ moved up (promoted) |
14 | COMANCHE – MA (old woman) inside CONCHIE (peacenik) with its ‘I’ removed (left). Definition: Language of US |
16 |
DINE OUT ON – Anagram of TO ONE IN + U |
17 | CO-WORKER – OW (pained cry) inside CORKER (smashing something) |
19 | SUSTAIN – Anagram of SAS UNIT |
21 | LEOPOLD – LEO (stars), P (quietly, OLD (getting on). All the King Leopolds in Wiki were of Belgium but I have a feeling the setter may have had someone else in mind. |
22 |
AT MOST – AT MOS |
24 |
BROOM – B |
25 | PUNCH – Double definition. I liked the second one which may be taken to refer to Constable’s ‘The Hay Wain’ set in Suffolk where the horses that pulled it may well have been Suffolk Punches. |
“something setter goes without” – brilliant.
Oh, and ditto on the inclusion of “through” in 16’s definition. That makes it a technically correct definition of the phrase, but perhaps still leaves some depths unplumbed.
No need to apologise for your time, Jack; you seem to have a knack of landing the tough ones.
I’ll just join in the general chorus of praise for a great puzzle. Thanks, setter (and jackkt, who hooked a corker and landed it safely).
sheesh, I am truly a masochist to be voluntarily tortured this way.
I’ll add my vote to WOOLF for cod
Janie (trouble logging in)
I wrote MARYLAND in twice, the first time just guessing, the second time determined to shove that penny over the edge and giving up on BR for the railway network.
WOLF for “setter” I was going to be cross about, and DING-DONG for “near”, but then the dawn came up like thunder for both. “What setter goes” is just sublime. This setter knows how to hide where the breaks come.
I like the fine detail, too: The Suffolk Punch horses for the haywain are just right (though it’s hard to tell from the picture) for Flatford Mill.
Well disentangled, Jack!
Edited at 2014-05-30 10:09 am (UTC)
Edited at 2014-05-30 11:42 am (UTC)
LOI was 9dn where I was trying to make it COMPOSER, as I was sure 13ac had to be plural. COD to 7dn.
Lost in admiration for all those of you who can complete such a puzzle. This serves to confirm my Novice status, just as a few kind souls were querying whether I should be “upgrading” my handle!
But, tomorrow is another day and I will tackle the Saturday puzzle with the confidence of a man who has knocked over the last 6 of them – bring it on!
Was for a short time concerned that the setter had ventured into ‘taboo slang’ with 2D; no, surely not? It can’t be ‘with a bang’!
Sincere apologies to those out there of a sensitive disposition.
Thanks to those who responded yesterday about what I now know are called ‘neutrinos’. No doubt some of them did this in about 2 minutes but I haven’t looked yet.
This was a super puzzle, for the reasons already mentioned, and WOOLF the best of a very good bunch.
A very small point, Jack, but in 1ac I think it’s ‘aren’t proprietors of‘
And what a fine puzzle, probably the best we’ve had for several months so bravo setter. A real object lesson in “lift & separate” and well-hidden definitions.
So many highlights but in addition to woof and bodywork I’d like to give special mention to spotting game.
I hadn’t come across conchie before but it struck me as likely shorthand for conscientious objector.
Thanks for the blog too.
FOI WITH A BUMP, LOI LEOPOLD (preceded by WHODUNIT and MARYLAND), which trio held me up more than somewhat … Oddly for such a delight, no stand-out clues, so not so much a COD today as a “Crossword of this and probably several Weeks”!
Lots of wit and lateral inventiveness, GK within reason, no trivial descending to over-complex wordplay or obscure words, the archetypal “difficult (and enjoyable) ways of getting to simple words”. Well done setter, more please!
Edited at 2014-05-30 09:07 pm (UTC)
Do you still save links to extra-good puzzles such as this?
Cheers,
Rob