Music: Mozart, Horn Concertos, Seifert/Karajan/BPO
Time: 23 minutes
Not your average Monday puzzle, I would have to say. Lots of novel constructions, and answers, made this a bit of a challenge. I had a hard time getting started, but once I had a few checking letters I was able to finish in a decent time, a bit below my average according to the SNITCH. I did find the puzzle very enjoyable.
I suspect some solvers will find this tough, particularly if you rely on stock cryptic elements. Take 1 across – yes, one of the usual newspapers is used, but the other parts are tricky, and the answer is a new one, at least as far back as TfTT goes.
| Across | |
| 1 | Lowland newspaper in competing field (4,6) |
| RIFT VALLEY – RI(FT)VAL + LEY. | |
| 6 | Fish that’s fat dropping by (4) |
| CHUB – CHUB[by]. | |
| 10 | Move round capital of Iceland, city in Europe (5) |
| TURIN – TUR(I[celand])N. | |
| 11 | Ours quite polluted, how might the sea appear? (9) |
| TURQUOISE – Anagram of OURS QUITE, with a novel anagram indicator. | |
| 12 | Tongue found in mouth? (7,7) |
| ESTUARY ENGLISH – CD – in the mouth of the Thames, that is. | |
| 14 | On reflection, self-regard in a god reaching high point (7) |
| APOGEAN – A P(EGO backwards)AN. | |
| 15 | One in eight, say, added to half of that in pitcher? (7) |
| THROWER – TH[at] + ROWER. A pitcher of the baseball variety. | |
| 17 | A matching pair, boy and his namesake less alike ultimately (7) |
| JIMJAMS – JIM + JAM[[alik]e]S. The literal refers not to a fit of fear or depression, but to a matching pajama top and bottom. | |
| 19 | Don’t stop vehicle: run that (5,2) |
| CARRY ON – CAR + R + YON. | |
| 20 | Unremarkable actions helping criminal (7,7) |
| NOTHING SPECIAL – Anagram of ACTIONS HELPING. | |
| 23 | Performance from old lady, character on main platform (9) |
| RIGMAROLE – RIG + MA + ROLE, a rig as in an oil platform. The literal points to the complicated ritual performance meaning of rigmarole. | |
| 24 | Expression I had in mind initially about love (5) |
| IDIOM – I’D + I[n] (O) M[ind]. | |
| 25 | China tea (4) |
| MATE – Double definition, the second of which needs a diacritic. | |
| 26 | Important people, monarch and child welcomed by servants (10) |
| PERSONAGES – P(ER,SON)AGES. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Timeless non-fiction book (4) |
| RUTH – [t]RUTH. | |
| 2 | Rogue reformist fanned flames? (9) |
| FIRESTORM – Anagram of REFORMIST. | |
| 3 | Opening flower marvellous, money invested in new business (7,7) |
| VENTURE CAPITAL – VENT + URE + CAPITAL, flower as in the River URE. I just biffed this one. | |
| 4 | Note tenor fluffed nearer to the coda? (5,2) |
| LATER ON – LA + anagram of TENOR. Interesting literal. | |
| 5 | Grave, resting place for listener? (7) |
| EARNEST – EAR NEST, a touch of Uxbridge. | |
| 7 | Island, one south of hot country (5) |
| HAITI – H + AIT + I. Haiti is a country, but not an island | |
| 8 | Number wearing jewellery chattering (10) |
| BLETHERING – BL(ETHER)ING. | |
| 9 | A common mathematical expression? (6,8) |
| VULGAR FRACTION – A witty CD. | |
| 13 | Big noise from piper before month on strike (10) |
| PANJANDRUM – PAN + JAN + DRUM. | |
| 16 | Itinerant getting on beyond route (9) |
| WAYFARING – WAY + FARING. | |
| 18 | “Sir” gone abroad? (7) |
| SIGNORE – Anagram of SIR GONE, an &lit. | |
| 19 | Wood and, in the absence of meat, cranberry jam (7) |
| CYPRESS – C[ranberr]Y + PRESS. | |
| 21 | Intoxicated in snug? (5) |
| TIGHT – Double definition, an easy one. | |
| 22 | Comrade of Robespierre’s an English novelist (4) |
| AMIS – AMI’S. | |
Could someone put me out of my misery and explain how number=ether.
I presume it’s “number” as in “a thing which makes you numb” rather than “one, two, etc” – does an ether make you numb?
Yes, ether is an anesthetic, it makes you numb, so it is a “number”.
Oddly enough VERB was my first solve! 34 mins, held up by NAVY – I too had flirted with NOVE, thinking it might be a short service in a monastery. Some great clues today.