Solving time: 14 minutes.
Not the best of days for me. I had all but 2dn solved within my target 10 minutes but then suffered a mental block. So foolish of me as it’s almost a chestnut. I later found I had a wrong answer at 24ac as the result of a very careless guess.
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 | Diffident when admitting a gee-gee is hairy (6) |
| SHAGGY | |
| SHY (diffident) containing [when admitting] A + G G (gee-gee) | |
| 4 | Unfinished article is not that (4) |
| THIS | |
| TH{e} (definite article) [unfinished], IS | |
| 9 | Disorder upsetting grandee (7) |
| DERANGE | |
| Anagram [upsetting] of GRANDEE | |
| 10 | One charge to get you very angry (5) |
| IRATE | |
| I (one), RATE (charge) | |
| 11 | Letter maybe showing integrity (9) |
| CHARACTER | |
| Two meanings | |
| 12 | Model in non-U outfit (3) |
| SIT | |
| S{u}IT (outfit) [non-U] | |
| 13 | Group of swimmers in educational establishment (6) |
| SCHOOL | |
| Two meanings | |
| 15 | Teasing talk in suburban territory (6) |
| BANTER | |
| Hidden [in] {subur}BAN TER{ritory} | |
| 17 | Female horse losing tail is hurt (3) |
| MAR | |
| MAR{e} (female horse) [losing tail] | |
| 18 | Where to put croutons? Having difficulty (2,3,4) |
| IN THE SOUP | |
| A literal hint precedes a figurative definition | |
| 21 | Huge US soldier meeting little worker maybe (5) |
| GIANT | |
| GI (US soldier), ANT (little worker) | |
| 22 | Staying-power of Santa, flying across motorway! (7) |
| STAMINA | |
| Anagram [flying] of SANTA containing [across] M1 (motorway) | |
| 23 | The girl married Noah’s son (4) |
| SHEM | |
| SHE (the girl), M (married). Noah had two other sons: Ham, and Japheth | |
| 24 | Cell entrance is blocked by this writer (6) |
| GAMETE | |
| GATE (entrance) contains [is blocked by] ME (this writer). This was the one I got wrong. I biffed the name of a writer, misspelling his name to fit the checkers. I’m too embarrassed to give further details as it was careless and stupid and I ignored all the conventions of methodical clue solving. And there wasn’t even a hope of it fitting the remainder of the clue. Can’t think what came over me but it just goes to show we all have our moments! | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Understands about foreign duke manifesting charms (7) |
| SEDUCES | |
| SEES (understands) containing [about] DUC (foreign duke) | |
| 2 | A type, not the first to get on a vessel (5) |
| AORTA | |
| A, {s}ORT (type) [not the first], A. As mentioned in the intro this was my LOI and I needed nearly 5 minutes to spot it, yet ‘vessel’ meaning ‘blood vessel’ has come up countless times before, often cluing this very same answer. I wasted time trying to think of a word meaning embark on a ship. | |
| 3 | More than one tree expert goes stealing nuts (12) |
| GENEALOGISTS | |
| Anagram [nuts] of GOES STEALING. Family trees of course. | |
| 5 | Principal decided to provide piece of audio equipment (7) |
| HEADSET | |
| HEAD (principal), SET (decided) | |
| 6 | The fellow in group producing bit of newspaper? (5) |
| SHEET | |
| HE (the fellow) contained by [in] SET (group). Some repetition here with ‘set’ twice in consecutive clues, and ‘he /the fellow’ following ‘she / the girl’ at 23ac. | |
| 7 | Aptitude to be crooked? (4) |
| BENT | |
| Two meanings | |
| 8 | Invaders are beaten on a mountain range (6,6) |
| SIERRA NEVADA | |
| Anagram [beaten] of INVADERS ARE, then A | |
| 14 | Plants in container put in this place (7) |
| HERBAGE | |
| BAG (container) inserted [put] in HERE (this place) | |
| 16 | Agent with fine material as substitute (7) |
| REPLACE | |
| REP (agent), LACE (fine material). This might have been clued with reference to two materials but the setter chose to be kind to us. | |
| 17 | Arts graduate introducing grand American wizard (5) |
| MAGUS | |
| MA (arts graduate), G (grand), US (American) | |
| 19 | Rubbish? You have to keep quiet! (4) |
| TOSH | |
| TO, SH (keep quiet!) | |
| 20 | Woman overturning wicked circle (5) |
| OLIVE | |
| EVIL (wicked) + O (circle) reversed [overturning] | |
We like Izetti.
DNF due to geneologists and gamete and feeling rather cold in a semi outside cafe
I solved this at the British Museum after visiting the Hieroglyphs exhibition. Maybe that helped; I was finished in 12 minutes.
LOI was GAMETE.
I biffed AINT at 4a which took longer than it should have to unravel.
Otherwise no real problems SHEM vaguely known but the clueing was clear as is usual from Izetti.
COD to STAMINA -made me smile.
David
Dear Mr 1,
I also had AINT for a very long time at 4a. It seemed to work, didn’t it?
Having failed on CARTOUCHES on Friday and struggled with GAMETE and MAGUS today, I’m thinking my vocabulary is way too small for these crosswords.
Dear Mr C,
I think the same about my vocabulary. In fact, mine is generally too limited for my own household, the only other member of which is Mrs Random.
Challenging, but in a good way. NHO GAMETE and needed help to get it.
I never saw the bag in HERBAGE, so had vile pink squares there and on TUSH, which also didn’t parse properly. Should have known better. Ah well, tomorrow is another day.
Superquick today. 5:53 with my LOI CHARACTER correcting my misspelled GENEoLOGISTS. GAMETE was not a problem (my degree is in Genetics).
Is Genetics one of the CHARACTER’s in Asterics and Obelics?
I looked it up! No Genetix.
A silly DNF. I spelt out Genealogists on my printed out copy, then entered it with an O instead of the A – this messed up 11a with the only word I could come up with (a non-parsing Comforter) and that stumped the obvious and familiar 2d Aorta.
FOI 4a This
LOI 1d Seduces
COD like me today 18a In The Soup.
11:56
Pretty straightforward and easily under my 20 minute target. Several answers seem to have come up recently including AORTA and SCHOOL. Only LOI TOSH caused any delay.
Good time !
A late and exceptionally difficult solve for me, today. I found it hard to get started, but then found some success in the lower half of the grid. However, any semblance of flow dried up all too soon and the last 10 or 11 clues really had to be chiseled out. In the end, I had question marks hanging over many clues (incl. THIS, SIT, SHEM, MAGUS, SEDUCES, AORTA, DERANGE and GAMETE), so I was mightily relieved when I read Jack’s excellent blog and found I had solved the whole puzzle correctly. Total time = 57 minutes. Very slow, but not a DNF!
Mrs Random experienced some of the same doubts and difficulties as me (e.g. with SHEM and MAGUS), but she finished in 27 minutes and is now getting on with some knitting for her mum.
Many thanks to Izetti and Jackkt.
Persistence pays off in the end! Well done on avoiding a DNF as there were pitfalls aplenty here.
Thankyou, Mr A.
I thought this was fairly easy for an Izetti at first, but I was worried I hadn’t got anything in the NW and indeed this proved my undoing. When I returned to it, it took as long again as everything else had, with my LOI being GENEALOGISTS as I just didn’t see the anagrind for ages. I haven’t been doing these as regularly lately because of work, instead taking the 15×15 in to puzzle over at a more leisurely pace. I guess they have fewer anagrams, so I’m out of the habit of spotting them. That’s my excuse anyway. Finished up on 25:22, so not a disaster for me, but definitely off pace. Thanks Izetti and Jack.
Didn’t expect much today as I have a nasty head cold and blocked ears. However, I was on the wavelength and, for once, didn’t overthink an Izetti. A little way into the SCC, but I don’t really care about that because I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.
FOI – SHAGGY
LOI – SIT
PDM – AORTA
COD – GAMETE
Thank you for the blog.