You’ve probably already heard enough from me as blogger this week but I was scheduled to do this one, so here it is…
Solving time: 54 minutes over two sessions because as so often these days my solving was interrupted by a brief snooze. A nice puzzle with only one unknown meaning and not even a hint of a MER. A little trickier than yesterday’s however – for me at least – even though that had some unknown words as answers.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
| Across | |
| 1 | Very old structure from the back spooks (7) |
| ARCHAIC : ARCH (structure), CIA (spooks) reversed [from the back] | |
| 5 | Some doctors send a message about violent emotion (7) |
| MADNESS : Hidden [some] and reversed [about] in {doctor}S SEND A M{essage} | |
| 9 | Old celebrity to wake up shortly, like the birds (9) |
| OVIPAROUS : O (old), VIP (celebrity), AROUS{e} (wake up) [shortly]. I remembered the word from a previous encounter but had completely forgotten its meaning other than a vague association with eggs (based on ‘ova’): producing eggs that are then hatched outside the body. | |
| 10 | Maybe stick fork into small fruit (5) |
| SPEAR : S (small), PEAR (fruit) | |
| 11 | Consuming interest in France before 1940? (13) |
| PREOCCUPATION : PRE-OCCUPATION (France before 1940?) | |
| 13 | Measure of velocity of a moving Perseid (8) |
| AIRSPEED : A, anagram [moving] of PERSEID. The Perseids are a meteor shower. Didn’t know that but didn’t need to. | |
| 15 | Disorderly signature on paper (6) |
| RAGTAG : RAG (paper), TAG (signature). Does anyone remember Rag Tag and Bobtail (Watch with Mother)? | |
| 17 | One proverbially cool copper leaves behind a burden (6) |
| CUMBER : {cu}CUMBER (one proverbially cool) [copper – Cu – leaves). Or CU{cu}MBER if you prefer. | |
| 19 | Backing show, risk being invested on and off (8) |
| REVERSAL : REVEAL (show), with R{i}S[k} [on and off] contained [being invested] | |
| 22 | A Wagnerian may unexpectedly sing this? (4,2,1,6) |
| AWAY IN A MANGER : Anagram [unexpectedly] of A WAGNERIAN MAY. The definition is &lit. | |
| 25 | Be obliged to keep line significantly cut (5) |
| HALVE : HAVE (be obliged) containing [to keep] L (line) | |
| 26 | In church, over to first carved pillar (5,4) |
| TOTEM POLE : TO, then O (over) contained by [in] TEMPLE (church) | |
| 27 | To open sunshade the very thing for tourist (7) |
| VISITOR : IT (the very thing) contained by [to open] VISOR (sunshade) | |
| 28 | Daughter avoids open car, day being very hot (7) |
| ROASTER : ROA{d}STER (open car) [daughter – d – avoids] | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Frenzied? I pronounce myself fine (4) |
| AMOK : With AM OK from the cryptic hint | |
| 2 | One offering a prune, that used to bring the tea? (7) |
| CLIPPER : Two meanings, Cutty Sark, now a museum in Greenwich, was one of the very last tea clippers. | |
| 3 | Range, note, is marble (5) |
| AGATE : AGA (range), TE (note). This is a toy marble that resembles the colouring of the semi-precious mineral. Other brands of cooking appliance are available, and can we please have a moratorium on AGATE for a while? | |
| 4 | Perverse fancy for a single note (8) |
| CROTCHET : Two meanings, the first of which was completely unknown to me: A whimsical fancy; a perverse belief or preference, usually about a trivial matter. | |
| 5 | Expression of dislike, receiving second question in place of prayer (6) |
| MOSQUE : MOUE (expression of dislike – a pout) containing [receiving] S (second) + Q (question) | |
| 6 | Unlike pirates, a duke must be well turned out (9) |
| DISPARATE : Anagram [well turned out] of PIRATES A D (duke) | |
| 7 | Gray is one for example appearing in computer catalogue? (7) |
|
ELEGIST : EG (for example) contained by [appearing in] E-LIST (computer catalogue?). Thomas Gray is best known for his evocation of the churchyard in Stoke Poges that begins: The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea, The ploughman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me. |
|
| 8 | Force nine given very alcoholic brew to drink gallon (6,4) |
| STRONG GALE : STRONG ALE (very alcoholic brew) contains [to drink] G (gallon). Gales are classified: Force 7 – moderate, 8 – fresh, 9 – strong, 10 – whole. Quite a lot of strong ale being consumed around here at the moment! | |
| 12 | Non-English characters in conflict about very ghoulish entertainment (3-5,2) |
| CAR-CRASH TV : Anagram of [in conflict about] CHARACT{e}RS [non-English – remove e], V (very). Defined as ‘television programmes that show deliberately controversial, disturbing, or horrific material’ . Collins advises ‘ghoulish people show an unnatural interest in things such as human suffering, death, or dead bodies’, so that seems to fit. | |
| 14 | I would put in now for top post (9) |
| PRESIDENT : I’D (I would) contained by [put in] PRESENT (now) | |
| 16 | One at the dinner table who pricks hypocrisy? (8) |
| DECANTER : Two definitions of sorts, the second somewhat whimsical perhaps becomes clearer when a hyphen is added: DE-CANTER. | |
| 18 | Assemble for review, dropping book with which one’s spotted (7) |
| MEASLES : Anagram [for review] of ASSEM{b}LE [dropping book – b] | |
| 20 | Kind forbidden to punish (4,3) |
| SORT OUT : SORT (kind), OUT (forbidden) | |
| 21 | Pro about to go on stage finds agent (6) |
| FACTOR : FOR (pro) contains [about] ACT (to go on stage) | |
| 23 | Old instrument a British journal’s taken up (5) |
| GAMBA : A + B (British) + MAG (journal) reversed [taken up]. More usually called viola da gamba this was a viol that resembled the modern cello. Gamba is Italian for ‘leg’. | |
| 24 | Stern thing parents do with children (4) |
| REAR : Two meanings | |
Car crash tv had me completely bamboozled and then I had a vague recollection of seeing this answer a few months ago and hey presto.
Lots of clues to like- archaic, away in a manger( classic anagram), oviparous and crotchet being stand outs. Very relieved to have finished this one.
DNF after an hour. DECANTER and REVERSAL.
Long way to go yet!