Solving time: 39 minutes. This was a puzzle of two halves for me. The answers in the top half almost wrote themselves in at first glance, but then in the bottom half I saw the long answer at 28ac immediately (although I struggled a bit with its spelling) and then ground to a halt and struggled to complete the rest of the grid.
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 | Eg motel‘s promise in connection with case (11,4) |
| PORTMANTEAU WORD | |
| PORTMANTEAU (case), WORD (promise). The definition by example is a blend of motor and hotel. It’s a word possibly little known in the UK until the release of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1960 which introduced us to the infamous Bates Motel. | |
| 9 | King Edward’s first upset brought about fine commotion! (9) |
| KERFUFFLE | |
| K (King), E{dward’s} [first], then RUFFLE (upset) containing [brought about] F (fine). This was given new currency in the mid-noughties in the sketch show Little Britain in which Lou (of Lou & Andy) had the catchphrase “What a kerfuffle!”. Those who read Sunday Times crossword blogs may have been reminded of ‘kerfuffle’ last weekend when it was mentioned in comments by Matinp1 and Peter Biddlecombe. | |
| 10 | Caribbean bishop joining union leader in jail (5) |
| CUBAN | |
| U{nion} [leader] + B (bishop) contained by [in] CAN (jail) | |
| 11 | Singer recalls decisive win at football? (6) |
| LINNET | |
| TEN NIL (decisive win at football) reverses [recalls] | |
| 12 | One entering pub by hotel in French resort (8) |
| BIARRITZ | |
| I (one) contained by [entering] BAR (pub), RITZ (hotel) | |
| 13 | Yankee concern adopted by heavyweight industrialist (6) |
| TYCOON | |
| Y (Yankee – NATO) + CO (concern – company), contained [adopted] by TON (heavy weight) | |
| 15 | Unusually snug tent head of Winchester may stand for? (8) |
| TUNGSTEN | |
| Anagram [unusually] of SNUG TENT. In cryptic crossword-speak ‘Head of Winchester’ = W, the chemical symbol for wolfram aka tungsten. | |
| 18 | Plantigrade mammals a speaker’s lad puts up with (3,5) |
| SUN BEARS | |
| SUN sounds like [a speaker’s] “son” (lad), then BEARS (puts up with]. I assumed ‘plantigrade’ had something to do with diet but apparenly it means walking on the soles of one’s feet, like humans. I didn’t really know the creature either, but the wordplay was helpful. | |
| 19 | Compulsion to line up carrying uniform (6) |
| DURESS | |
| DRESS (line up – set in order) containing [carrying] U (uniform) | |
| 21 | Like an old buffer‘s mistake involving uneven walk (8) |
| BLIMPISH | |
| BISH (mistake) containing [involving] LIMP (uneven walk). This comes from ‘Colonel Blimp’, a character invented by the cartoonist David Low. The Colonel was an obese reactionary ex-officer, a pompous elderly diehard. (SOED) | |
| 23 | Plant everyone installs at first with hesitation (6) |
| ALLIUM | |
| ALL (everyone), I{nstalls} [at first], UM (hesitation). NHO this one and my first thought, though obvioulsy not correct, was ‘alyssum’ a plant I do know. | |
| 26 | One that may be spotted laughing maniacally? (5) |
| HYENA | |
| A barely cryptic definition | |
| 27 | Female artist round back of Tate, one regulating courses (9) |
| DIETITIAN | |
| DI (female) + TITIAN (artist) containing [round] {Tat}E [back]. But for the wordplay I might have been tempted to write ‘dietician’. | |
| 28 | Agriculturist reportedly beheaded Green: it’s to do with drugs (15) |
| PHARMACOLOGICAL | |
| PHARMA sounds like [reportedly] “farmer” (agriculturist), {e}COLOGOCAL (green) [beheaded] | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Character in Dad’s Army allowed to make yeast cake (7) |
| PIKELET | |
| PIKE (character in Dad’s Army), LET (allowed). Pte Frank Pike, the youngest member of the Dad’s Army platoon, was played by Ian Lavender. He’s the only one of the group still living. | |
| 2 | Repeat lecturer unexpectedly shrunk somewhat (5) |
| RERUN | |
| Hidden in [shrunk somewhat] { lectu}RER UN{expectedly} | |
| 3 | Burrower crosses river, primarily heading for animal shelter (9) |
| MOUSEHOLE | |
| MOLE (burrower) contains [crosses] OUSE (river) + H{eading} [primarily]. What a shame that the defintion didn’t refer to the Cornish village of this name, pronounced ‘Muzzle’. It might have been fun if set as a homophone! | |
| 4 | Worthless supporter climbing on top of fence (4) |
| NAFF | |
| FAN (supporter) reversed [climbing], F{ence} [top] | |
| 5 | Sure time to travel, like some retired academics (8) |
| EMERITUS | |
| Anagram [to travel] of SURE TIME | |
| 6 | Left church in ancient city, being sore (5) |
| ULCER | |
| L (left) + CE (church) contained by [in] UR (ancient city) | |
| 7 | Bluetit sadly trapped in old European dungeon (9) |
| OUBLIETTE | |
| Anagram [sadly] of BLUETIT contained by [trapped in] O (old) + E (European) | |
| 8 | Resident needs study, principally investigating form of Buddhism (7) |
| DENIZEN | |
| DEN (study), I{nvestigating} [principally], ZEN (form of Buddhism) | |
| 14 | Song and English literature Glaswegian is unable mostly to take up (9) |
| CANTILENA | |
| E (English) + LIT (literature) reversed [up] contained by [to take] CANNA{e} (Glaswegian ‘is unable’ – cannot) [mostly]. I didn’t know this word and I struggled to construct it from wordplay and checkers. I might have struggled even more with the parsing had I not come across ‘cannae’ in a puzzle very recently as I was reminded that it ends in E. | |
| 16 | Arduous, setting about contact sport (9) |
| GRUELLING | |
| GELLING (setting) containing RU (contact sport – Rugby Union). By another happy coincidence I also came across RU as ‘contact sport’ very recently so it was my first thought today. | |
| 17 | Experts like certain poems — and like the study of versification (8) |
| PROSODIC | |
| PROS (experts), ODIC (like certain poems). Not a word I use, but I vaguely knew of it. | |
| 18 | Kids with one parent and one science graduate on voyage evidently? (7) |
| SIBSHIP | |
| I (one) + BS (science graduate – Bachelor of Science in the USA) in SHIP (on voyage evidently). In the UK ‘Bachelor of Science’ is BSc and BS stands for ‘Bachelor of Surgery’ or something less savoury! Another word I didn’t know. The definitions I’ve read suggest the kids have both parents in common but I assume that one parent in common might also apply as suggested in the clue. | |
| 20 | Influential student group changing sides finally (7) |
| SEMINAL | |
| SEMINA{r} (student group) becomes SEMINAL when the last letter [finally] changes sides – moves R (right) to L (left). | |
| 22 | Quiet girl at museum finally finding David’s work (5) |
| PSALM | |
| P (quiet), SAL (girl), {museu}M [finally]. In the Bible the Book of Psalms has been linked historically to the name David as author, but this has long since been discounted so a question mark might have been in order here. | |
| 24 | Like certain bone‘s current deficiency largely restricting one (5) |
| ILIAC | |
| I (current), LAC{k} (deficiency) [largely] containing [restricting] I (one). ‘Pertaining to the hip bone’ is one defintion of this. | |
| 25 | Trade in timber in Kentish Town? (4) |
| DEAL | |
| A triple definition to end with. Deal is a town in Kent. Kentish Town is actually an area of north-west London. | |
Missed the ‘head of Winchester’ and DNK SIBSHIP nor PROSODIC.
Had to use aid for the former to complete the grid.
FOI was DEAL -which shows I’m learning Crosswordese -and I drove through there twice last week. It looked lovely in the sun.
Last two were unknowns: CANTILENA and SIBSHIP.
Having failed before with Dietician I got it right today.
COD to LINNET.
David