28 minutes for this one. I blogged this as a last-minute stand-in so I haven’t written much, but please ask if further explanations are required.
{deletions} [indicators]
Across |
|
---|---|
1 | CAPSICUM – CAP (beat), anagram [rocking] of MUSIC |
6 | CASBAH – AB (sailor) reversed inside CASH (money) |
9 | STUN – STUN{t} (wheeze) |
10 | ACCUSATION – C (conservative) + USA (country) inside ACTION (hostilities) |
11 | JUST AS WELL – JUST (very recently), AS WELL (too) |
13 | LEEK – LEE (shelter), {par}K |
14 | I DARE SAY – Anagram [novel] of IS A{l}READY |
16 | VIRAGO – A inside VIRGO (sign of a house) |
18 | ODDISH – DO (serve) reversed, DISH (food) |
20 | ITERATES – {c}ITES (names) encloses RATE (judge) |
22 | FAZE – Sounds like “phase” (chapter). My last one in very much aided by realising we probably had a pangram but were still missing F and Z. |
24 | RENT-A-QUOTE – Anagram [oddly] of NOT A QUEER T (time) |
26 | BOTTICELLI – B (British), OTT (excessive), ICE (coolness), ILL (poor) reversed |
28 | DUEL – U (united) in DEL (key) |
29 | NO BALL – NOB (aristocrat), ALL (everyone). ‘Lord’s decision’ is the definition. |
30 | DEMERARA – Hidden and reversed in {pe}AR A REMED{y}. ‘From the east’ indicates reversal. |
Down |
|
2 | ASTOUNDED – A (answer), then {righ}T inside SOUNDED (seemed) |
3 | SENATOR – N (new) inside SEAT (constituency), O{verfamilia}R |
4 | CHAOS – CHA{d} (republic, minus D for Democrat), SO (very) reversed |
5 | MAC – Two definitions |
6 | C’EST LA VIE – Cryptic definition with ‘Nice’ indicating the answer is in French |
7 | SETTLER – L (learner) inside SETTER (me – or rather him or her) |
8 | ATONE – ON (working) inside ATE (scoffed) |
12 | ELYSIAN – ELY (see), {place}S, IAN (boy) |
15 | SPHERICAL – Anagram [awkwardly] of RILES CHAP |
17 | GUEST BEER – Anagram of SURE BET EG |
19 | INERTIA – IN (ruling), ER (monarch), then {p}A{p}I{s}T{s} reversed |
21 | ASUNDER – A, S (small), UN + DER (foreign articles) |
23 | A GOGO – AGO (in the past), GO (travel) |
25 | AXIOM – A, XI (team), OM (honour) |
27 | LAD – DAL{i} (painter) reversed |
COD to 24ac, as according to the Premier of WA I was part of a Rent-A-Crowd yesterday. Presumably the cheque’s in the mail.
Thanks setter and Jack.
A good Monday morning workout but I too thoughtlessly shoved in CARE for 22 across
FOI DEMERARA SOI GUEST BEER LOI ODDISH
biffed LEEK
COD 7dn SETTLER Enjoyed 4dn & 6dn too.
I imagine 29ac will be tricky for some.
horryd Shanghai
Was going to complain (1ac) that CAPSICUMs are not hot — I eat the big red ones three times a week (at least). They’re tasty but mild and very good for health. Now I see that they’re part of the grossum group (sweet peppers). The longum varieties (chilli peppers) are another matter — but never called capsicums in these parts. Always wondered why capsicum spray worked as a weapon.
No-one in Nice (or indeed France) actually says C’EST LA VIE. Like ‘déjà vu’ it is a ‘French’ expression used only by the English. The French have their equivalents: le shampooing, for instance. Or ‘build-up’, which is what my French colleagues call an acquisition.
Edited at 2015-11-23 08:37 am (UTC)
“They even steal from us the words they lack,
Le weekend, le camping and cul-de-sac”
Yes, I discovered that the hard way as a youthful exchange student. Très embarrassing.
I’m often asked if I would like to travel
And visit other lands across the sea
But though it might be pleasant
I think that for the present
This is the place where I prefer to be
Let others go to Sweden or Siam
I think I’ll stay exactly where I am
They say it’s lovely when a
Young lady’s in Vienna
But it’s nicer, much nicer in Nice
In Amsterdam or Brussels
The men have great big muscles
But they’re nicer, much nicer in Nice
I’ve heard that the Italians
Are very fond of dalliance
And they’re also keen on it in Greece
But whatever they may say
This is where I want to stay
For it’s so much nicer in Nice
Some people’s one desire is
To go to Buenos Aires
But it’s nicer, much nicer in Nice
The laws are rather vague in
The town of Copenhagen
But they’re nicer, much nicer in Nice
And some may like a flutter
In Bombay or Calcutta
But they might have trouble with the p’lice
Other places may be fun
But when all is said and done
It is so much nicer in Nice
Now I’m intrigued to know what galspray’s mistake was for 14a. I did wonder for a while if I had missed a Len Deighton novel called I Dark Spy or something. Was it that?
On my first run through, it was “obvious” that we were looking for a three-word novel title, so I pencilled in “A” as the first word. Came back to it after the checkers were in place, and was happy that there was only one possibility, given the anagrist.
A dire say I’ll be more careful in the future.
Edited at 2015-11-23 10:44 am (UTC)
Kirk (to Klingon Captain:
“Sorry about your crew, but as we say on Earth, c’est la vie.”
While researching, I came across this truly Kwirky video of Emerson Lake and Palmer’s hit. The words are synched in at 2.10.
I also had FAZE as my last one in, and was working through the alphabet to get there. Fortunately F isn’t too far down.
I rather liked the clue for C la V until it was pointed out that they actually ne say it pas en France. I’m another who was looking for the title of a novel for far too long at 14. No problem with faze but as I was writing it in I did think I was lucky that it occurred to me so quickly.
Around here they certainly don’t say ‘C’est la vie’, they say ‘tant pis’ or worse things, usually ‘merde’.
Count me in as another person who left FAZE till last. Didn’t occur to me that we might be looking for a pangram; that’d probably have helped!
Edited at 2015-11-23 05:34 pm (UTC)
Apart from that, I thought this was quite a chewy one, but very enjoyable and well worth the £1 that it cost whoever’s paper it was that I stole.
I was slowed down somewhat by Peter O’Toole, I fear. I spent last night watching him in “Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell” on DVD, and played “drink along a’Jeffrey”. On reflection this may have shown poor judgement. There really should have been a warning along the lines of “Do not attempt. Stunts were performed in a closed bar by a trained drinker.”
Edited at 2015-11-23 06:37 pm (UTC)
26 Throw from stage to audience (4)
It was my LOI there, too… should probably have gotten the hang of this word by now.