Solving time : 8:52 and relieved that this was a more straightforward puzzle than the last two days as I am in dress rehearsals for a production and am not getting in until pretty late. This might have a bit of “you know it or you don’t factor” with an Irish place name I got from wordplay, and an anagram for a term that I’ve only ever seen in crossword puzzles.
Unfortunately with the play opening on Friday I am unable to make it to the National Puzzlers League convention which is this weekend in Boston. I know a few of the board regulars are going, so have a great time!
Away we go…
Across | |
---|---|
1 | SUBTRACT: SUB(below), TRACT(expanse of land) – nice clue to get us going with the less familiar definition of “dock” |
5 | SPRINT: S(small), PRINT(lithograph) |
10 |
PEREGRINE: PE(exercises) and REGRE Chambers confirms it can mean the bird without having “falcon” included |
11 | PETER: PET(favored) and ER |
12 | PURR: UP(finished) reversed, then RR(Rolls Royce) |
13 | BALLYMENA: BALLY(wretched), MEN(fellows), A |
15 | AMANUENSIS: anagram of NAMES,IN,USA – MS PA here is a little sneaky, making the definition “manuscript personal assistant” |
17 |
LIMB: M |
19 |
FORE: R |
20 |
BONESHAKER: this was a biff at the time, but it’s BONKER with an anagram of AS,HE |
22 |
EMACIATED: reversal of DETAI |
24 | SAFE: A in S, FE |
26 | EAGER: change the W in WAGER to an E |
27 | DRAIN-PIPE: anagram of RAINED containing PIP |
28 | TRENDY: TRY(hear) around END(the ultimate) |
29 | IN ITSELF: I, NITS and then the German word for 11 is ELF |
Down | |
1 | SAPS: PASS with the S and P switched |
2 | BERMUDA TRIANGLE: anagram of D(isappearance),LARGE,MARINE,BUT |
3 | RIGOROUS: RIG(equipment) then POROUS missing the P |
4 | CLIMB: the answer to 17 is LIMB, put C on top of it |
6 |
PAPAYA: PAPA surrounding A, Y |
7 |
IN THE NICK OF TIME: imprisoned regularly is IN THE NICK OFT then I’M |
8 | THREADBARE: READ, BAR in THE |
9 | REAL LIFE: E, ALL in RIFE(current) |
14 |
BAFFLEMENT: I work with a BAFFLE on a daily basis, it is an air regulator, looks like a big vane on a fume hood, follow it with MEANT missing A |
16 | NOONTIDE: NO then a reversal of EDIT(work on magazine),NO(number) |
18 | CHESTNUT: or CHEST NUT |
21 | NIMROD: I’M inside N, ROD |
23 | DRAWN: DR(medic), AWN(bristles) |
25 |
LEAF: LEF |
NIMROD and AWN were also only known from crosswords, but they were harder to stuff up.
Another pleasant outing otherwise. Thanks setter and George.
WOD 20ac BONESHAKER
COD 10ac PEREGRINE
18dn CHESTNUT was a chestnut
32 mins and no passes.
Edited at 2017-07-06 05:24 am (UTC)
Two of the answers mentioned by Galspray I knew by association with English music. NIMROD is the title one of Elgar’s Enigma Variations. Eric Fenby was famously AMANUENSIS to Fred Delius in later life and Ken Russell’s TV film on the subject (A Song of Summer) is well worth seeing if you are interested. It’s eccentric but absorbing and made before he (Russell) went completely bonkers.
Edited at 2017-07-06 05:22 am (UTC)
Thank you, George, for the blog title, which successfully replaced my Barry Manilow 2d ear worm with a better one.
Even better, I learned a couple of things, the first being the German for 11, and the second being what NIMROD meant. A word oddly familiar from the Enigma Variations as jackkt mentions, but also from the Hawker Siddeley plane and the more modern use as an insult—I can hear David Jason saying “Oh Rodney, you complete nimrod…” with a grimace right now.
I never knew what it meant or that it came from the Bible. One theory, apparently, is that the modern insulting usage came from Bugs Bunny calling Elmer Fudd, accurately and biblically, a “poor little Nimrod.”
Otherwise quickish 20:05, and PURR was last in, unparsed – fixated on the U being posh.
Favourite was the “semi-double def” NIMROD. Overall though, a bit too kind a puzzle for him (? her).
Thanks to setter and blogger.
Edited at 2017-07-06 07:56 am (UTC)
If you’ve studied modern Irish history you’ll know that BALLYMENA was where Dr Ian Paisley grew up and the UDA based a large paramilitary force during the troubles
Edited at 2017-07-06 08:34 am (UTC)
Edited at 2017-07-06 04:33 pm (UTC)
Under 20 mins so dead speedy today… biffed PURR, IN THE NICK. I too wondered about Time as the magazine, but luckily already had DRAIN PIPE so took a few mins to work it out properly.
Edited at 2017-07-06 11:15 am (UTC)
Roin
I twigged that MS PA could mean “manuscript personal assistant” but that didn’t help as I only knew that amanuensis was a word and hadn’t the foggiest what it meant.
Edited at 2017-07-06 02:09 pm (UTC)
Edited at 2017-07-06 03:20 pm (UTC)
Anne