Hi everybody. I was on course for a very good time, but that became just a normal Monday time as I stared for ages at 2d before thinking of the right answer. The other two cryptic definitions did not give me the same trouble. I liked the puzzle, and the delay at the end didn’t dent my enjoyment. Thanks Pipsqueak!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [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 | |
| 7a | Fifty-fifty chance rugby match doesn’t start (5) |
| EVENS — sEVENS (rugby match) is missing its first letter (doesn’t start) | |
| 8a | Female bringing up young with pride? (7) |
| LIONESS — A cryptic definition which requires the solver to think of a pride of lions rather than parental pride | |
| 10a | Object I briefly see in catalogue (7) |
| ITEMISE — ITEM (object) + I + briefly SEe | |
| 11a | In the morning I leave Madrileno friend (5) |
| AMIGO — AM (in the morning) + I + GO (leave) | |
| 12a | Leased piece of land where Swedes may put down roots? (9) |
| ALLOTMENT — A cryptic definition designed to make you think of nationals rather than vegetables and with a more literal interpretation of “put down roots” than at first appears | |
| 14a | Replacement taking public transport back (3) |
| SUB — BUS (public transport) reversed (back) | |
| 15a | Watch yours truly being caught (3) |
| EYE — I (yours truly), soundalike (being caught) | |
| 16a | Feeble son stupidly sleeps in (9) |
| SPINELESS — S (son) + an anagram of (stupidly) SLEEPS IN | |
| 18a | Rent place in Croatia (5) |
| SPLIT — A double definition. (It seems such a shame that the Museum of Broken Relationships is in Zagreb rather than here) | |
| 20a | Penniless old German — or someone from Moscow? (7) |
| RUSSIAN — Missing P (penniless), [p]RUSSIAN (old German) | |
| 22a | Remarkable reason for not eating? (7) |
| NOTABLE — NO TABLE (reason for not eating?) | |
| 23a | Musical game with many moving pieces (5) |
| CHESS — Two definitions | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Food shop with decent sales, I suspect (12) |
| DELICATESSEN — DECENT SALES, I anagrammed (suspect) | |
| 2d | This is what soldiers might get up to (8) |
| REVEILLE — A cryptic definition of a soldiers’ wake-up call | |
| 3d | Drink that’s essential for Christmas-time (4) |
| ASTI — This is found inside (essential for) ChristmAS–TIme | |
| 4d | Claim stage is covered in beer (6) |
| ALLEGE — LEG (stage) is covered in ALE (beer) | |
| 5d | Fight debt a lot after messing up (2,6) |
| DO BATTLE — An anagram of (… after messing up) DEBT A LOT | |
| 6d | Hairy creature one’s pursuing still (4) |
| YETI — I (one)’s after (pursuing) YET (still) | |
| 9d | Expose affair in entertainment industry (4,8) |
| SHOW BUSINESS — SHOW (expose) BUSINESS (affair) | |
| 13d | Experimental equipment in trial underground (4,4) |
| TEST TUBE — TEST (trial) + TUBE (underground) | |
| 14d | MP’s niece somehow becoming a model (8) |
| SPECIMEN — MP’S NIECE is rearranging to form (somehow becoming) the answer | |
| 17d | Is tragic king overthrown in Middle Eastern country? (6) |
| ISRAEL — IS + LEAR (tragic king) reversed (overthrown) | |
| 19d | Music producer’s stolen money, I hear (4) |
| LUTE — Sounds like (… I hear) LOOT (stolen money) | |
| 21d | Charlie infiltrating established faith community (4) |
| SECT — C (Charlie) going inside (infiltrating) SET (established) | |
Perfect Monday QC. Gentle but with some very neat clues as noted by others above!
Had all but two after about eleven minutes, then got EYE and then finally read 2d and worked out that it might mean something soldiers wake up to. It was then down to a recollection of my French Duolingo coming to the rescue of a NHO once before, and in went REVEILLE (for any of you in a similar position to me a couple of years ago, reveille is French for wake up). I agree with a couple of later comments that this clue seemed a bit out of place in an otherwise gentler side puzzle. Anyway, stopped the watch on 14:23. Thanks Pipsqueak and Kitty.
Very happy with my time of 16-17 minutes today. A comfortable escape from the SCC.
Nothing particularly stood out, but the various challenges were both achievable and enjoyable.
Many thanks to Kitty and Pipsqueak.
Very well done, Mr Random!
5.45 I mostly flew through this, slowing down a bit for last three SPECIMEN, SPINELESS and ITEMISE. Thanks Kitty and Pipsqueak.
A straightforward, but very pleasant, 15min start to the week. It did however need a flash of inspiration to cut short what was threatening to become a Reveille breezeblock. CoD to its tricky NW partner: Itemise, for the misdirection. Invariant
I didn’t find this difficult until the end either; if half the clues are write-ins, you can biff the rest. Yes, reveille gave a little trouble at the end, I had to think for a bit, but I am getting better at cryptic definitions.
Time: 6:43
Slow today, but mainly because I wasn’t concentrating properly. I don’t grow swedes on my ALLOTMENT but I got that one straight away. I remember REVEILLE as some kind of newspaper, a saucy one I think, but I don’t know. I was only a kid.
On edit: Google tells me REVEILLE was a weekly tabloid newspaper lunched in 1940, and originally the official newspaper of the Ex-Services’ Allied Association. It survived until 1979 – I was more than a kid by then – when it merged with its rival “Tit-Bits”. The clue’s in the name.
Thanks Kitty and Pipsqueak
DNF with REVILLE stumping me, but an interesting word to learn. Lots of fun clues in this puzzle, especially the other cryptic definitions for LIONESS and ALLOTMENT. Thank you for the blog 🙂
We were also on the wavelength today. All done in 7:15. LOI SPINELESS. Thanks, Kitty and Pipsqueak!
8:05. DO BATTLE took the longest as I had trouble getting past GO or TO for the first word.
Liked the cryptics in this, especially ALLOTMENT which I spelled initially with two Ts, making REVEILLE a bit tricky. No other problems until LOI ITEMISE which required an alpha trawl for the second letter. Many thanks kitty and Pipsqueak.
25 minutes or so – one of those where never quite on setter’s wavelength although looking back it’s hard to see why not, as everything perfectly fairly clued.
2d LOI and took a while, not least in remembering how to spell it even when I’d thought of the answer!
Dnf…
15 mins for everything apart from 2dn “Reveille” which rings a vague bell, but isn’t in my everyday vocabulary if I’m being honest. Probably would have spelt it wrong anyway.
FOI – 4dn “Allege”
LOI – Dnf
COD – 22ac “Notable”
Thanks as usual!
9:02 but one pink square. And I looked at that final vowel in DELICATESSEN, and thought there are plenty of Es in the letters. But my pink square was for TO BATTLE.
Pleased to get REVEILLE, that was tough.
Approximately 6.10, but I had to retrieve the puzzle several times when the page jumped on my iPad.
What Kitty said! FOI DELICATESSEN and LOI REVEILLE in 5:57. Took a minute for the penny to drop re REVEILLE. COD to NOTABLE. Thanks Kitty.
An unenjoyable 13 minutes.
Way behind the competition.
7 unsolved on 15 x 15. Appalling. Having read blog, there are still some clues I don’t get!
20 mins.
An enjoyable QC.
LOI : REVEILLE.
COD: TEST TUBE
Thanks Pipsqueak and Kitty
I parsed NOTABLE as NOT ABLE, which is a reason for not doing anything, never mind eating.
Last time it came up someone mentioned the fill-in-the-blanks sentence “The 22A surgeon was 22A to do the operation because there was 22A”
🙂
A pleasant start to the week 😊
8:15 FOI Evens LOI Do battle COD Notable – it may be a chestnut, but it’s a nice shiny one!
Thanks Pipsqueak and Kitty
I knew what Swedes meant even being a Yank. But an area in a community garden here would most likely be called a plot.
DNF
Similar to one or two others, 16 minutes in and only REVEILLE missing. Gave it 1 minute more and threw the towel in.
I’d like to blame my very long day and late solve – but I fear I would only be kidding myself.
Other than that, a nice QC.
FOI: EVENS
LOI: DNF
COD: NOTABLE
Thanks to Pipsqueak and Kitty
Coming in for the finish, strong and still in clear single figures with two left, 16a SPINELESS (looking at wrong words for the anagram – ‘Feeble son’ in lieu of ‘sleeps in’) and 5d DO BATTLE.
We spent nearly 7 minutes on those two. What a tragedy took our time to mid teen’s.
Equally, what a delightful puzzle. So much to like – and we did
Particularly enjoyed 22a NOTABLE and 20a RUSSIAN
Thank you Pipsqueak and Kitty
All went well for us and a near PB. 2D was second one in due to one of us having played it on a bugle at Boys Brigade camp in their youth!
Very enjoyable. Thanks to Pipsqueak and a good blog from Kitty.