DNF after 61:45
A very interesting, if challenging, puzzle, that I thought would be a lot easier after the top two across clues went in without much trouble. I probably would have thrown in the towel well before I did, pressing reveal on only my last two (18ac and 23ac), were it not for blogging rights.
I’m off to parse a few of these (and do a bit of googling) before a well-earned rest!
Edit: it was BIFFs at 14ac and 18ac that took the longest to parse…
Definitions underlined.
| Across | |
| 1 | Bird continues to nest in hide (6) |
| SISKIN – IS (continues) contained by (to nest in) SKIN (hide). | |
| 4 | Swiss produce soldiers to probe meat supply line (8) |
| EMMENTAL – MEN (soldiers) contained by (to probe) an anagram of (supply) MEAT + L (line). | |
| 10 | It’s just beginning to sell in markets (5,4) |
| FAIRS FAIR – first of Sell in FAIR and FAIR (markets). | |
| 11 | Periodic suppression of kidnapping and — imminently — dropping litter (2,3) |
| IN PIG – every other letter from (periodic suppression of) kIdNaPpInG. | |
| 12 | Heartless lad grabs single bunk (7) |
| BALONEY – first and last of (heartless) BoY (lad) contains (grabs) ALONE (single). | |
| 13 | Warning from Spooner in the kitchen, where there’s great activity (7) |
| HOTSPOT – Spoonerism of “pot’s hot” (warning in the kitchen). | |
| 14 | Rich, released from Further Education, revolutionised capacity (5) |
| LITRE – |
|
| 15 | Medication program overlooked by office (8) |
| OINTMENT – ‘app’ (programme) removed from (overlooked by) appOINTMENT (office). | |
| 18 | One for the road? This may stop me indulging (8) |
| SUPEREGO – my best guess: SUP ERE GO = drink before leaving = one for the road? | |
| 20 | One on the wing that races linesman (5) |
| HOMER – double definition, the first referring to a homing pigeon. | |
| 23 | Warring figure after some liquor (7) |
| MARSALA – MARS (warring figure) + A LA (after). | |
| 25 | Don’s neighbour has called in disarray (7) |
| DERANGE – on solving, I thought this was something to do with rivers, but I can’t quite see it now. |
|
| 26 | Organ donor has left for good (5) |
| LIVER – gIVER (donor) has L (left) instead of ‘g’ (good). | |
| 27 | In the old days, duck cycled around historic county (9) |
| YORKSHIRE – contained by (in) YORE (the old days) is SHIR-K (duck) cycled around. | |
| 28 | Fighter, being mountain-based, occupies lower ground (8) |
| TOREADOR – OREAD (being, mountain-based) contained by (occupies) TOR (hill, albeit on lower ground than a mountain). | |
| 29 | A favourite car in business (6) |
| MINION – MINI (car) + ON (in business). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Pains in rear from nasty infection for the duration of the game (8) |
| SOFTBALL – last of (in rear) painS + OF (from) + TB (tuberculosis, nasty infection) + ALL (for the duration of). | |
| 2 | All but crack the central character in Peter Pan (7) |
| SKILLET – all but the last of SKILLEd (crack) + the central letter of peTer. | |
| 3 | Possibly lying at home, seeing what’s before me (9) |
| INSINCERE – IN (at home) + SINCE (seeing) + RE (the note before ‘me’). | |
| 5 | Notice several days in Spring fitting around Golf Society (8,6) |
| MARCHING ORDERS – MARCH (several days in spring) + IN ORDER (fitting) containing (around) G (golf) + S (society). | |
| 6 | Be disparaging about women perhaps going topless (5) |
| EXIST – sEXIST (disparaging about women perhaps) without its top. | |
| 7 | Part of Rashid’s armoury steals trophy from the ground (7) |
| TOPSPIN – NIPS (steals) + POT (trophy), all reversed (from the ground). Adil Rashid, England spin bowler. | |
| 8 | Down south in remote lands (6) |
| LIGHTS – move S (south) down in S-LIGHT (remote). | |
| 9 | I’m relaxed about that light approach and effort? (4,4,4,2) |
| EASY COME EASY GO – EASY (light) + COME (approach) + EASY (and light again) + GO (effort). | |
| 16 | Looking to heaven, this writer’s inspiring leporine sage (9) |
| MAHARISHI – reversal of (looking to heaven) I AM (this writer’s), containing (inspiring) HARISH (like a hare, leporine). | |
| 17 | Plant joint tenants outside of town (4,4) |
| TREE FERN – REEFER (joint) contained by (tenants) outermost letters of TowN. | |
| 19 | Carrying very minute drops from impure liquid, runs towards source (7) |
| UPRIVER – anagram of (liquid) ImPURE minus (drops) the ‘m’ (minute), containing (carrying) V (very) + R (runs). | |
| 21 | Not much covering one ousting Democrat from US (7) |
| MANKINI – MANKINd (us) with I (one) replacing (ousting) ‘d’ (democrat). | |
| 22 | Up to carrying cross? It’ll repel evil (6) |
| AMULET – AT (up to) containing (carrying) MULE (cross). | |
| 24 | Vessel that road carries north (5) |
| AORTA – reverse hidden in (… carries north) thAT ROAd. | |
Too hard, took over an hour.
I put SWIFT for HOMER, held me back. I think SWIFT works as well as HOMER.
A lot of biffing, some parsing impossible, especially LITRE, was surprised that all biffs were correct.
75:48. and yet somehow managed to make the top 100 at 10pm. I think this will be a good way for the thesaurus writers to find a huge variety of words for challenging. difficult difficult, lemon difficult. I really enjoyed it, some of the parsing was a bit beyond me, but I biffed away merrily and luckily my instincts were somehow right… Thank you setter for this beautiful monster, and to the poor blogger who had to parse it!
Finished, within 24 hours elapsed, off and on. I liked it. I feel perhaps the really tricky puzzles are both more accessible and more fun than the very *obscure* ones!
I see everyone found this very hard not just me.
I got superego but didn‘t understand the one for the road bit, sup ere go is probably right but imo a bit flaky. I had mankind for a long time beforr getting minion, which i didnt know was a pet, then finally biffed tree fern as I was fed up, and amazingly it was right. Looking at the rest of it toreador was also a biff. 57 tiring minutes, Very very hard
I got there in the end after an hour and a quarter’s rather joyless struggle. Sometimes I really enjoy a challenging puzzle but this one was just a slog. I didn’t have any of the eureka moments that I get with some difficult puzzles. 18a was my LOI – the only word in the lexicon that fitted the checkers. I still don’t think it works as a successful clue.
That was HARD! C
Unnecessarily difficult in my opinion. It was a real struggle without the rewards that I’d hope to get on cracking such unwieldy clues. Bah. Done in… well just ‘done in’ will suffice, I thnk.
Sensational puzzle. Happy to achieve 80% albeit with aids and days. Bravo setter and bloggers. Cheers. Brian.
Several days later … finally got there, on third take. An hour and a half all up, and in the end I just had to check there wasn’t an alternative word to SUPEREGO. In so doing I got to underrstand why SUPEREGO might be a restraint on indulgence, but never did see the ONE FOR THE ROAD bit. Even now I think it’s a bit of a stretch. Overall though, a great challenge. Many thanks.
Began Friday evening, finished Tuesday lunchtime (I did a few other things between times). Thanks to my namesake.