For me, the most enjoyable but hardest of the three in this set, 25 minutes, although hopefully I have it correct; no repeat of last week’s embarrassing NIT NOT NUT nonsense. (How’s that for alliterative poetry?). It’s a fine puzzle worthy of the event, with a scientist, a Trojan, a gas, and a poetic hot place, to balance the books.
Across | |
1 | STOICISM – iNSERT C (constant) into (MISS OTI)*; D phlegm. |
5 | FRUGAL – RUG (carpet) inserted into FAL (river in Cornwall, whence Falmouth); D not wanting waste. |
10 | INTENSIFICATION – IN TENS = decimally, I, FICTION = lie, insert A; D magnifying. |
11 | AFFLICT – AFT = stern, insert FLIC(K) = film with last cut; D trouble. |
12 | HEIRESS – Hidden reversed in BRA(SSERIE-H)OTEL; D woman who’s left something. |
13 | VIRGINIA – Insert IR GIN into VIA (through); D state. |
15 | MEDIA – Delete the CO and N from COMEDIAN, to leave media; D who’ll deliver news. |
18 | DWELT – LEWD (mucky) reversed, T; D frequently thought, as in ‘my mind dwelt on what he had told me’. |
20 | TOP BRASS – TOSS = lurch; insert PB (lead) and RA (gunners); D they might / &lit. |
23 | INFERNO – (NON-FIRE)*; D &lit. Easiest anagram of the year? |
25 | COCAINE – Insert odd bit of CHAN = C A into COINE(R) = short money-maker; D Charlie, friendly sounding name for the naughty white stuff. |
26 | BECAUSE IT’S THERE – (THE SAUCIEST BEER)*; D reason for mounting desire. Why do you climb a mountain? Brilliant. |
27 | RELIEF – Cryptic definition. |
28 | DETRITUS – STIR = move, insert U = secondary bit of Putney; gives you SUTIR. Then add TED for grocer HEATH; Reverse it all (westward); D refuse. From French, from Latin deterere, to wear away, the original meaning being pieces of rock etc. like a glacial moraine. |
Down | |
1 | SPIRAL – DD. |
2 | OUT OF TIME – Double definition, where in one TIME = prison sentence. |
3 | CANTING – CAN and TIN two metal containers, G for good, D on a slope. |
4 | SKIRT – TRIKS = activities of magicians, without the letter C; up to reverse; D fringe. |
6 | REALISM – Insert IS into REALM = kingdom; D reliance on the facts. |
7 | GRIME – (ED)GE half = GE, insert RIM = another edge; D dirt. |
8 | LINESMAN – Cryptic definition, I presume there are still some sports which have linesmen / lineswomen as opposed to referee’s assistants. |
9 | HIGH CAMP – DD. |
14 | NITROGEN – NIT = Charlie, ROGE(R) = understood, unfinished, N = note; D dominant in the air, 79% or thereabouts. |
16 | DISSIDENT – D (duke) ISN’T insert SIDE = faction, D IS SIDE NT; D rebel. |
17 | AD LIBBER – Sort of double cryptic definition, a LIBBER of ADS could be a supporter of commercial rights. LIBBER is apparently a real word, defined as “a member or advocate of a movement calling for the liberation of people or animals.” |
19 | TORTURE – TORE = did race, around TUR = RUT (groove) inverted; D cause extreme discomfort. Something of an understatement perhaps. |
21 | RICHTER – RICH = productive, TER(M) = period shortened; D scientist associated with shake-ups. As in Charles Francis Richter who in 1935 devised the logarithmic scale for measuring earth tremors and quakes. Shake-ups, indeed. |
22 | AENEAS – Delete L from ELENA, (EENA)*, AS = like; D Trojan. You classicists will know he was the son of Prince Anchises and the goddess Venus, and something of a hero, but I’ve never read the ILIAD or the AENEID and don’t intend to. |
24 | FOCAL – The homophone clue, sounds like FOLK’LL for people are going to; D relating to a centre. |
25 | CUTIE – CUT = piece of meat, IE = that’s; D a dish. Not PC perhaps. |
Loved RICHTER “associated with shake-ups” and the “reason for mounting desire”. Great stuff setter and well done Pip
cod to the ‘mounting desire’ def of 26ac.
I hadn’t parsed DETRITUS or TOP BRASS when I finished so thanks to pip for unravelling these.
As Pip says, this was very challenging but beautifully done. I just started to go through it again, circling those clues I thought especially tricky, but realised that was going to be most of them! I’m pretty sure AFFLICT, INTENSIFICATION and CANTING were my last ones in so I’ll name those as particular blighters.
Too many good clues to pick a COD so I’ll highlight TOP BRASS as a terrific &lit., and BECAUSE IT’S THERE as a clue which must have brought a few smiles on the day in the midst of all that frowning.
Edit: on the off-chance that someone cares, I solved the 3 puzzles of the second heat (which I was due to take part in before having to withdraw) at one sitting a few weeks ago in a time of 55:20, which is a little faster than my effort at last year’s Champs. I would have had one error, though — the notorious NUT from the second puzzle. On the plus side, that’s two errors fewer than last year! Of course, under competition conditions …. who knows?
Edited at 2015-12-09 11:08 am (UTC)
Brilliant crossword, and a brilliant demonstration of why I don’t go to the championships. I mean, I’d only be there for the drinking, and by the time I finished three of these all the pubs would be closed.
Big time-wasters were COCAINE (forgot the “charlie” thing), RELIEF (nice one Centurion, like it, like it) and TOP BRASS, where I missed the point entirely and wondered how “lurch” could clue BSS.
Compliments to the setter and thanks for the blog Pip.
In my 13th year, I was set the summer holiday task of translating as much as I could of Virgil’s Aeneid 2 (the one with ‘Timeo Danaos, et dona ferentes’ – I fear Greeks, even when bearing gifts) so no problem there. Even 50 years later, I can still recite the first dozen lines or so. This goes down a treat at parties.
Edited at 2015-12-09 11:47 am (UTC)
Last solved was 22dn, where I’d been trying to see if HELENA could be made to work.
‘Detritus’ was the only one I couldn’t parse. ‘Cocaine’ and ‘ad-libber’ were brilliant.
Too many good clues to pick a COD. INTENSIFICATION took ages to spot, and for some reason I discarded DISSIDENT for a long time because it wouldn’t fit. However, this turned out to be due to my having misconstrued the numbers of Ss and Ds, and all was well in the end.
Bob
Thanks to pipkirby for help parsing MEDIA and NITROGEN. I’ve also learned some new definitions of ‘charlie’ and who Heath was. (Is that the Heath from the Beatles’ song ‘Taxman’?)
I think I worked too hard on this puzzle, but it was awfully satisfying to finally crack clues like DWELT, AENEAS, and INTENS.
Here’s to a better tomorrow…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxman
Having read that I didn’t realise the complexity of the chord structure and musical analysis I was at the time trying to master!
Many nice clues, but I particularly liked INTENSIFICATION and of course the reason for mounting desire.
Thanks for explaining “biffed”. I’ve been wondering about that too, but somehow I never dared to ask.
Despite all that, I thought this was a most interesting and enjoyable crossword.