DNF (but well over 90 minutes). I have few words that can express the experience of having wrestled with this puzzle. I found this very, very difficult, barely putting in a single answer in 25 minutes. Perhaps I was just off the wavelength, but I think not. I can’t fathom how the setter was able to hide their meaning so cleverly.
I managed all but 9 across without aids, but needed help to get the last three letters. Quite a disappointing finish to an excellent puzzle.
| Across | |
| 1 | Foreign priest admitted by junior vaccinator? (6) |
| JABBER – ABBÉ (foreign priest) in JR (junior) | |
| 5 | Old writer’s son leaving the navy with little speech (8) |
| TACITURN – TACITUS (old writer) has S (son) removed + RN (the navy) | |
| 9 | Organ playing after the epistle [is] novel (5,5) |
| TITUS GROAN – anagram of ORGAN after TITUS (the epistle)
This is the one that got me. Obviously I had GROAN, but _ I _ U _ barely suggested anything to me, and I don’t know the book. (TITUS GROAN or the Bible.) |
|
| 10 | Old trousers / that go round on the carousel (4) |
| BAGS – double definition
The latter referring to the carousel at the airport, something I only realized now. |
|
| 11 | Cooperate with others in summons to table (3,5) |
| GET ALONG – ET AL (with others) in GONG (summons to table)
Thanks to vinyl for this parsing! I should start calling my kids to dinner with a gong… |
|
| 12 | Force one’s way to the end of American thoroughfare (6) |
| THRUST – THRU (to the end of, American) ST (thoroughfare) | |
| 13 | Articles far removed from from armed conflict (4) |
| WARE – WARFARE (armed conflict) with FAR removed | |
| 15 | A very tiny bit [of] excellent cheese (3,5) |
| TOP QUARK – TOP (excellent) QUARK (cheese) | |
| 18 | Book pilgrimage, to return before motorway opens (8) |
| JEREMIAH – HAJ (pilgrimage) reversed, ERE (before) MI (motorway) inside (opens)
I figured out HAJ quite early, but this was one of my last in. |
|
| 19 | Republican tease traps back stabber (4) |
| DIRK – R (Republican) in KID (tease) reversed | |
| 21 | Rough up apprentice coming in for employment (6) |
| TOUSLE – L (apprentice) in TO USE (for employment)
Didn’t know L = ‘apprentice’. |
|
| 23 | Hospitality worker with first-rate hair (8) |
| WAITRESS – W (with) A1 (first-rate) TRESS (hair) | |
| 25 | Mediaeval work suffered damage, lots missing (4) |
| EDDA – hidden (lots missing) in SUFFERED DAMAGE
Embarrassed to say this one had me fooled for an eternity. |
|
| 26 | Commit to keep going forever, ready initially for university (10) |
| PERPETRATE – PERPETUATE (to keep going forever) with first letter of READY instead of U (university) | |
| 27 | At home opening wine, a pipe (8) |
| CLARINET – IN (at home) in CLARET (wine) | |
| 28 | Autocrat[’s] clear skin? (6) |
| DESPOT – DE-SPOT (clear skin?) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Neckcloth [wanted] — I freeze (5) |
| AMICE – AM ICE (I freeze) | |
| 3 | Upset then abuse Highlanders (9) |
| BHUTANESE – anagram of THEN ABUSE
Was very fooled. |
|
| 4 | Argument after a number of cars get bigger again (6) |
| REGROW – ROW (argument) after REG (a number of cars) | |
| 5 | Rated bottom of class, / feared catastrophe (7,3,5) |
| THOUGHT THE WORST – double definition, the first literal, the second idiomatic | |
| 6 | The cap on? Whipped off, perhaps, here (8) |
| CENOTAPH – anagram of THE CAP ON
One takes one’s cap off, perhaps, at a gravesite. |
|
| 7 | Murphy maybe, / who rides the underground? (5) |
| TUBER – double definition, ‘murphy’ being an informal term for ‘potato’ | |
| 8 | Doctor sticking point right in the behind (9) |
| REGISTRAR – GIST (point) R (right) in REAR (behind)
Very funny, although I did not know REGISTRAR in the ‘doctor’ meaning. |
|
| 14 | Pretentious, admitting one’s turning up with affected voice (9) |
| ADENOIDAL – LA-DI-DA (pretentious) around ONE reversed (turning up)
It was around the time I solved this clue that my mind blew up. |
|
| 16 | Prepared to fight: / where did I put the deodorant? (5,4) |
| UNDER ARMS – double definition, the latter very literally | |
| 17 | Penalises wordplay long drawn out (8) |
| FINESPUN – FINES (penalises) PUN (wordplay) | |
| 20 | Engine part, / the cracking choice of some Lilliputians (3,3) |
| BIG END – double definition
Various factions of the Lilliputians disagreed about which end of the egg to crack. I didn’t know either meaning of BIG END but it was possible to get from crossers. |
|
| 22 | One’s driving into the sun: a lift could be the alternative (5) |
| STAIR – I (one) in STAR (the sun) | |
| 24 | Apply oneself [in] fierce contest (3,2) |
| SET TO – double definition | |
It took me ages to get properly started started on this. I got TITUS GROAN straight away, which helped. And I had the top and bottom rows quite quickly. After that it was a patient slog in 2 sessions. I have never heard of a TOP QUARK, but it had to be. Last one in AMICE – which I should have spotted earlier. 45 minutes
Thank you, PlusJeremy, for saying this puzzle was hard; that’s encouraging and consoling for those of us just venturing ‘up’ from the QC!
RoseCov
Normally when I find something this hard I look on this site and see a time of 12m or so. I cannot tell you how relieved I am that even the crossword gods found this difficult. SW corner impossible for me, even though I knew Edda.
Pleased to complete this in 36 mins but then I had a splurge of pink on submission. Apparently TATER and TOGS were wrong….
56:38 and proud of it! thought I was onto a winner when 1ac when straight in, and then nothing else did for ages… Quite a few I did not parse, and NHO AMICE, EDDA. QUARK as a cheese is new to me but the definition seemed quite clear. I just started reading TITUS GROAN to my daughter, so it was fresh in the mind. thanks Setter for a really fun puzzle! (and thanks Jeremy for giving it your best!)
DNF. Gave up after 47m with only 80% solved. Among those I failed to spot was TOP QUARK, despite having a PhD in physics.
All said above