Hello everyone. This puzzle took me nearly 10 minutes, the time at which I start to feel that either the puzzle is a little hard for a QC or I’m having an off day. Happy to stay the right side of the boundary, but still, you can tell me which! In any case, thanks Teazel.
I didn’t notice until writing up the blog that there are few double definitions, but I couldn’t miss the cricketing bent. Perhaps that accounts for my needing a little extra time, finding myself stumped on occasions. At least I wasn’t caught out entirely, so no knock to the confidence. I was bowled over by the appropriateness of 12a to my solving experience and got into a spin over what looked like a mysterious missing linked clue after 13d. I didn’t need to get Googly with any internet help, but have included the odd Wicketpedia link below.
I’d better stop now or I’ll go batty. Gotta run – bye!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, explicit [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Obstinate Liberal, one into very soft stuff (6) |
| MULISH — L (Liberal) and I (one) go into MUSH (very soft stuff) | |
| 5a | French city is seriously annoying (6) |
| ANGERS — Two definitions | |
| 8a | Cricket ball hit a bloke in the face (8) |
| CHINAMAN — CHIN A MAN (hit a bloke in the face). A type of cricket delivery | |
| 9a | Carried in tidal flood (4) |
| BORE — Another double definition. The Severn bore is pretty impressive | |
| 10a | Health food runs into prohibition (4) |
| BRAN — R (runs) inserted into BAN (prohibition). As a kitten I used to call Bran Flakes Brain Flakes, and went through a phase of modifying the packet to show this. These days I call muesli muesli and definitely have fewer functioning brain cells |
|
| 11a | Heard of bygone times forgotten (6,2) |
| PASSED BY — PASSED sounds like (heard of) PAST (bygone), and we add BY (times, as in multiplied by) | |
| 12a | Cat perhaps, one thinking about nothing (6) |
| MOUSER — MUSER (one thinking) around (about) O (nothing). My state through much of this puzzle: I saw this clue and my mind immediately obliged by going blank. I should perhaps add that I’m certainly no mouser! |
|
| 14a | Having learned, repeat city is taking part in ceremony (6) |
| RECITE — EC (city) is inside (taking part in) RITE (ceremony) | |
| 16a | Cautious about empty words in guarantee (8) |
| WARRANTY — WARY (cautious) around (about) RANT (empty words) | |
| 18a | Greatly multiply little bit of sugar (4) |
| CUBE — Another double definition | |
| 20a | Make quiet money (4) |
| DOSH — DO (make) + SH (quiet) | |
| 21a | To request computer assistance is to invite trouble (3,3,2) |
| ASK FOR IT — The answer, if the second word is spelled out, could also mean to request – ASK FOR – computer assistance – IT | |
| 23a | See you run twice (3-3) |
| BYE-BYE — BYE (run), twice. Cricket again | |
| 24a | Daughter understands plaited hair (6) |
| DREADS — D (daughter) + READS (understands). Do you read me? | |
| Down | |
| 2d | Escort our party with that woman (5) |
| USHER — US (our party) with HER (that woman) | |
| 3d | Lottery pay-out wife wasted — that’s a knock (7) |
| INNINGS — [w]INNINGS (lottery pay out) with W (wife) not used (wasted). The definition sailed over my head when solving, but I have confirmed that a knock can mean an innings or a spell at batting |
|
| 4d | Sound of bee is sweet, but not bug (3) |
| HUM — HUM[bug] (sweet) but not BUG | |
| 5d | Novel variety of energy: gas (5,4) |
| AGNES GREY — An anagram of (variety of) ENERGY GAS. Novel by Anne Brontë | |
| 6d | Top of wall is good fit (5) |
| GABLE — G (good) + ABLE (fit) | |
| 7d | I barter nuts for cheesy snack (7) |
| RAREBIT — I BARTER anagrammed (nuts) | |
| 11d | Descent of leaf with a tear in it (9) |
| PARENTAGE — PAGE (leaf) containing (with … in it) A RENT (a tear) | |
| 13d | Powerful speech from either a Labour member … (7) |
| ORATORY — The solver is invited to complete the sentence with … OR A TORY. Until I’d solved this one I was surprised to see no answering ellipsis beginning the next clue |
|
| 15d | Ride round working in strong wind (7) |
| CYCLONE — CYCLE (ride) round ON (working) | |
| 17d | Chap in pub turning up: where did he dry out? (5) |
| REHAB — HE (chap) in BAR (pub) all reversed (turning up, in a down entry) | |
| 19d | Unable to see what may be on the window (5) |
| BLIND — Two definitions | |
| 22d | As king, I had a child (3) |
| KID — K (king) + I’D (I had) | |
Did you know? Ronald Reagan spent time in the UK and became interested in cricket. He said to Maggie Thatcher to watch out for the Chinaman. The Foreign Office spent weeks trying to indentify the person he meant! David
I found this so hard that it became no longer fun, and was tempted to give up with ten clues to go. I persevered, and got to my last three the next day. Meanwhile I did the following day’s crossword without nearly as much trouble, and checked the blog for that crossword – but saw someone had mentioned ANGERS in that. Never mind – I don’t think I would have got it. I also failed to get BORE. On the plus side, I did like ORATORY.