Hi all, and happy bank holiday if that applies to you. It’s good to see Wurm again so soon.
I thought a 8a was a very nice charade, but I’m struggling to pick out specific highlights even though I enjoyed this puzzle more than usual. In general I thought the definitions were nicely incorporated, not too plainly in sight but not so disguised as to push the difficulty sky high. For example 2d, does mean to burn in both surface and definition – but in the answer we find a bit more than the sunburn suggested by the surface!
Speaking of burning, we travel to the Devil’s island (20a), correspond with Lucifer (3d) and meet a beast at 18d. Add this to some injury/punishment (4a, 10a) and the aforementioned catastrophe (8a) and you can see why I chose the blog title. I nearly went with “on fire, then burned!” which describes my solve: I was on course for a near-record time when I found myself stalled for a more than a minute on a clue which shouldn’t have troubled me, 22a. I have occasional anagram blindness and it struck here. This is despite having solved enough crosswords to know perfectly well what “present time” is likely to mean. It is too hot!
I hope you are keeping cool and had as much fun as I did today. Thanks Wurm.
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, I generally italicise indicators unless it seems clearer not to. Where the removed part is specified, [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. I sometimes omit link words and juxtaposition indicators if it doesn’t feel necessary to explain them. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments section.
| Across | |
| 1a | Returned raincoats and fleece (4) |
| SCAM — Backwards (returned) MACS (raincoats). A nicely disguised definition | |
| 4a | Cut shifting ale crate (8) |
| LACERATE — An anagram of (shifting) ALE CRATE | |
| 8a | The writer limited personal catastrophe (8) |
| MELTDOWN — ME (the writer) + LTD (limited) + OWN (personal). | |
| A catastrophe is what a kitty uses to indicate missing letters or possession … | |
| 9a | Quiet river untainted (4) |
| PURE — P (quiet) + URE (river) | |
| 10a | Cat in large wood (4) |
| LASH — The answer – a whip, not a feline – is found in L (large) plus ASH (wood) | |
| 11a | Leak from eastern embassy (8) |
| EMISSION — We get this answer from E (eastern) + MISSION (embassy) | |
| 12a | Coastal path announced for port (6) |
| BEIRUT — Sounds like (… announced) BAY ROUTE (coastal path) | |
| 14a | Team quits after Spanish article (6) |
| ELEVEN — EVEN (quits) after EL (Spanish article) | |
| 16a | Mike in Ford van to send signal (8) |
| TRANSMIT — M (Mike) in TRANSIT (Ford van) | |
| 18a | Stall closing early in Wellington? (4) |
| BOOT — BOOTh (stall) stopping short of its last letter (closing early) | |
| 19a | Biblical victim talented they say (4) |
| ABEL — ABLE (talented), soundalike (they say) | |
| 20a | Devil’s Island? (8) |
| TASMANIA — The island of the Tasmanian devil | |
| 22a | Cultivated hybrid at present time (8) |
| BIRTHDAY — An anagram of (cultivated) HYBRID AT | |
| 23a | Fuel container in Panzer say (4) |
| TANK — Two definitions | |
| Down | |
| 2d | Old woman in Greek island to burn (7) |
| CREMATE — MA (old woman) in CRETE (Greek island) | |
| 3d | Correspond with Lucifer? (5) |
| MATCH — A double definition, the second originally from a brand of matches but now generic (and increasingly archaic, but still going strong in crosswords) | |
| 4d | Pope the French love (3) |
| LEO — LE (the, French) + O (love) | |
| 5d | Seasoning minced not ground (9) |
| CONDIMENT — MINCED NOT anagrammed (ground) | |
| 6d | Sharp answer given in Tripos test (7) |
| RIPOSTE — The answer is given in tRIPOS TEst | |
| 7d | Tangled roots and trunk (5) |
| TORSO — An anagram of (tangled) ROOTS | |
| 11d | Guessed wrong date and times (9) |
| ESTIMATED — An anagram of (wrong) DATE and TIMES | |
| 13d | Lock phone, rented (7) |
| RINGLET — A lock of hair. RING (phone) + LET (rented) | |
| 15d | Schoolboy son Tallinn resident expels? (7) |
| ETONIAN — S (son), which E[s]TONIAN (Tallinn resident) removes (expels) | |
| 17d | Artist, two bishops, one Jewish scholar (5) |
| RABBI — RA (Royal Academician, artist) + B B (two bishops) + I (one). | |
| An artist, two bishops and a Rabbi walk into a bar. Is this some kind of joke? | |
| 18d | Live as good person or horrible one? (5) |
| BEAST — BE A ST (live as good person) | |
| 21d | Very last bit of salty sauce (3) |
| SOY — SO (very) + the last letter of (last bit of) saltY | |
Thank you, Kitty, for confirming LASH. I thought one might receive a LASH from a cat o’nine tails, but can’t see how LASH = the cat itself. Otherwise this was a perfect QC until my LOI BEIRUT which took a while to see. Thanks, Wurm.
Thanks Martinů – I’ve corrected the title.
The equivalence of LASH and CAT works either if they are both nouns or both verbs. A lash can be a scourge or whip, and Chambers says that to cat is “to lash with a cat-o’-nine-tails” (and the other main dictionaries all have something similar).
Crazy world of Arthur Brown, seen live at The University of Reading circa 1971 /72. Opened with “Fire” and a crucifix which didn’t go down well in some quarters.
Reading festival 1971 opening night. Genesis and Wishbone Ash on Saturday. Didn’t stay for Sunday. I was living 10mins walk away.
I never was one for festivals. Liked my creature comforts….:-)
missed that one but saw Gabriel perform Supper’s Ready (6 of the best) at Milton Keynes in 82
Thanks, Kitty – I can only plead the usual “NHO”!
As for the following comments, about Arthur Brown, Fire and Genesis, I can again only say “NHO” to those too. Well I suppose I’ve HO Genesis, but what that has to do with cats and lashes I can’t imagine. Apologies to both.
In fact I don’t understand a single word of what this is all about – it’s a foreign language. Maybe I don’t need to?
Wurm’s Yes btw (Quite the Prog Rocker I’m reliably informed😉)
I reckon when Churchill talked of naval tradition as rum, sodomy and the lash it was a noun! 8.51, all good, thank you Wurm and Kitty.
5:52
No problem, although I dnk the Ford van and biffed. Biffed MELTDOWN, parsed post-submission.
The vehicular conveyance of choice for various criminal ne’er-do-wells as seen in many British TV shows in the 70’s and 80’s eg The Sweeney and Minder.
First thing I ever drove, after a fork-lift truck!
10 minutes. Both puzzles finished early today so it’s good to have the BH Jumbo in reserve.
I enjoyed this QC without rushing. Lots of good clues and chewy bits. I parsed them all except BEIRUT, a clue that, like MELTDOWN and BIRTHDAY (d’oh) took a while to click and extended my gentle Bank Holiday stroll to 17 mins.
Thanks to Wurm and Kitty.
Raced through this in super-quick time until I was breezeblocked at the CREMATE/MELTDOWN intersection. That took me out to 17:24, which was rather annoying. Otherwise a fun puzzle.
Pi ❤️
PS Waiting expectantly for Merlin’s irritation at yet another Eton reference. 😊
Yes, we too waiting for Merlin 😉
Hello everyone.
No QTPi today (close though 😉)
Nice puzzle to enjoy this fine morning among the roundabouts. All done in a pleasurable 17.00 which included about a minute of shade adjustment so we could stop the glare on the iPad screen.
Lots to enjoy, present time was new to us, and our favourite for today. Thanks Wurm and Kitty
All bar five in 20 minutes. One more without revealing letters. Coastal paths for me were always on Cornish cliff tops so the homophone didn’t work for me.
I did recall RA from Saturday.
Thanks Kitty and Wurm
Thanks Kitty for bringing light, and Wurm for a nice puzzle which gave a devilishly quick (for me) and best time of 9:01. I think the generic name for a match is still lucifer in Dutch.
Well done!
Congratulations!
No major dramas today although the homophone for BEIRUT doesn’t really work for me.
Started with SCAM and finished with the aforementioned homophone in 6.50.
Thanks to Kitty and Wurm
13 mins…
Seriously thought I was on for a sub-10 as I raced through the grid – but the NW corner was tricky, with 2dn “Cremate”, 8ac “Meltdown” and 12ac “Beirut” stopping me in my tracks. “Beirut” in particular could be a frustrating solve for anyone new who finished everything else. Usual eye roll at 15dn.
FOI – 1ac “Scam”
LOI – 12ac “Beirut”
COD – 8ac “Meltdown”
Thanks as usual!
Very quick today. CNP BEIRUT, but it had to be. LOsI MELTDOWN, MATCH and LASH.
Liked TASMANIA, BIRTHDAY, ETONIAN(!) and EMISSION.
Thanks vm, Kitty.
It promises to be hot in Hertford, Hereford and Hampshire today.
34 in Cambridge. And I thought FL was hot!
LASH and BEIRUT unparsed but the rest went in steadily, leading to a very quick (for me) 12:38.
About 5 mins. Only hold up Beirut, which (for whatever reason) isn’t near the top of my list of ports. That took about a minute. But I thought it was a good clue. COD to BIRTHDAY.
10:06 for a most pleasant solve, just right for a lazy bank holiday morning. Might have been even faster but I was held up by my LOI BEIRUT – it’s not an exact homophone for me, as I tend to say Bear-oot not Bay-root, but even so I could’ve should’ve got it quicker. No other problems and pleased to get TASMANIA, which brought back happy memories of a very fine holiday there a few years back.
Many thanks Kitty for the blog.
6:44
Struggled a bit at the end with MELTDOWN and BEIRUT but otherwise this seemed a reasonably gentle introduction to the week.
Thanks Kitty and Wurm
Some excellent clues in a straightforward QC, but my LOI, BEIRUT, took quite a while to come. I even started to think of different types of the wine, to no avail.
Thanks Kitty and Wurm
9:01. About the right level of difficulty for me with the exception of my LOI BEIRUT (like a few others it seems) which I might not have been lucky enough to get on another day. Interesting to see ABEL TASMAN(IA) appearing across the third from the bottom row.
Thanks to Wurm and Kitty
Totally on my wavelength smashed my PB by over 30 seconds finishing all green in 3:54!
LOI BEIRUT
Awesome, well done!
A breezeblock solve with MELTDOWN and LOI BEIRUT being the culprits. Thanks Kitty 7:23
Strolled through until completely stuck for ages on Beirut and Ringlet. Only noticed on giving up that I had Able which casued the problem. Not sure I would have got Beirut anyway, bay isnt one of the (several) synonyms for coastal that I came up with. Nice enjoyable one though. Thanks Wurm and Kitty.
8:59
A similar experience to others. Started fast, slowed down by my LOI MELTDOWN.
Thanks Kitty and Wurm
I was held up by BEIRUT and LOI TASMANIA; and I should have got ETONIAN more quickly. Clearly geography remains a weak link.
But I was finished in 10 minutes for this enjoyable puzzle.
Ticks for MELTDOWN and BIRTHDAY.
It’s very hot here already – SE London.
David
Whizzed through this until I got breezeblocked on BEIRUT. From SCAM to the aforementioned in 6:45. Thanks Wurm and Kitty. It is warm!
Finished in a respectable 7.47, although it would have been nearer the six minute mark if it hadn’t been for my final two BEIRUT and lastly MELTDOWN.
Quite a friendly BH teaser from Wurm, with just loi Beirut putting up stiff resistance. I don’t pronounce the word that way, but should still have recognised the possibility.
A comfortable enough sub-20, with CoD to Birthday for the smile, just ahead of the Tasmania(n) chestnut. Invariant
DNF After 25 mins. BEIRUT. Blame it on jetlag following return to UK yesterday 😁 Thanks Kitty and Wurm
9:09. Held up by BEIRUT where I was looking at SEA- options first. Couldn’t believe there was a word with LTD in the middle of it, but there it was. COD, and clever surface too.
Misread Wellington as “in Washington” which is a classic marker for an American expression. My NZ based daughter tells me that no-one there calls them wellies, but “gumboots”.
Nice to see Ford Transit in there. What a classic vehicle it is.
My children tell me it’s now almost identical to the VW transporter…. what is the world coming to?
Me too on Beirut – could not find a coastal path or port in ?e?r?t. But otherwise a straight whiz through in about 17 mins – should have been quicker really.
All done in 7 minutes bar BEIRUT. Stared at it for another 6 minutes and could not see it and threw in the towel. Ah well.
Spent a couple of minutes on my last two – MELTDOWN and BEIRUT – to finish in 15 minutes with everything parsed. I too was looking to start 12ac SEA—- before having a rethink.
FOI – 1ac SCAM
LOI – 12ac BEIRUT
COD – 16ac TRANSMIT
Thanks to Wurm and Kitty
4:54. LOI BEIRUT. I see I’m not alone on that. Great puzzle. Thank-you Wurm for that and Kitty for the blog. Good to see you both at the George last Monday.
SCAM and LACERATE went in quickly, as did some of their associated Down clues and I continued by jumping around the grid attempting to use new checkers as they came up. This approach worked well until I had around five clues to go, when I rather ran into the sand.
CREMATE, MELTDOWN, BEIRUT and RINGLET all slowed me down, but my LOI (ETONIAN) nearly sunk me. 8-10 minutes on these five clues, but I still finished in a sprightly (for me) 22 minutes.
Thanks to Kitty and Wurm.
Very enjoyable but beaten by Beirut. Never heard of Bay route for coastal walk (and I’ve done a few of those) and couldn’t face trawling through to find the port.
Surely you have followed a footpath around a bay, and that would mean you took the bay route rather than catching a ferry or suchlike.
Retreated to the fan in my study after gardening became too hot … then sizzled my way through this until hitting BEIRUT (which like Brer Plett doesn’t work for me – I would say something more like “Bear-route”). So that stopped me breaking the four minute barrier for only a second time.
Records were nowhere in sight at first as I blundered around in the NW, trying hard to make “combust” work at 2d and “calamity” work at 8a. Neither did, so I grumped off to the rest of the puzzle only to find all the other answers going in as fast as I could read the clues.
All done in 04:47 for an Excellent Day. Many thanks Wurm and Kitty.
Nice puzzle. But is there a superfluous S in your parsing of beast?
Oops, yes, thank you! Will correct that now.
Nearly 45minutes & delighted!! Loved « Beirut » as we live on a coastal path & this reminded me not to walk anywhere near it today.. bank holiday/sunshine .. beach will be jam packed. Enjoy
13.49 SCAM was very neat. I was breeze-blocked by BEIRUT, CREMATE and MELTDOWN, where early on I discounted LTD as letters unlikely to appear together in a word. It’s hot. Thanks Kitty and Wurm.
Revealed the U in LOI BEIRUT which rather gave the game away, otherwise a fairly steady and very enjoyable solve. I love a homophone so the port gets COD, although I also liked BIRTHDAY for the PDM. Many thanks both.
Didn’t time myself but it would be somewhere around 12 mins at a guess. Held up by BEIRUT.
15 x 15 is definitely doable today.
Some chewy clues for a Monday… Thought I’d finished but hadn’t gone back to 12a Beirut – not that it worked for me either and I would have probably declared a DNF rather than face a trawl on such a hot dy.
LOI 1a Scam
LOI 20a Tasmania
COD 17d Rabbi – very amusing!
Zappa’s version of Ring of Fire is very good. No prizes for guessing where he went with it.
We burn in the sun, we Celts who are paler even than others of the clan, and peel, but never go brown. Worse for vampires though surely, a cloudless 30 degrees here today.
I was on the same bill as Arthur Brown a few years ago, at A New Day Festival, in Faversham. He was still doing that act. Carl Palmer, of ELP fame, but also of The Crazy World between 1968 and 1969, was also present, so they had a little cuddle in the hot sunshine. Carl lives in Limassol, which ought to be a sun cream or something, but isn’t.
Many thanks Kitty et al.
How lovely to have your input. Thank you for the puzzle and fir taking the time to post🙏
Very much liked by this resident of the SCC. Like many LOI was BEIRUT which I indeed pronounce bay route. Thanks Wurm
First time commenting after recently finding this great community! I’m trying to get better at crytpics, but still very much learning. I usually do them with my grandad, who was brilliant at them, but he passed recently so I’m trying to keep attempting them even without my mentor. I rarely complete a puzzle, but love to read through the answers, so thank you Kitty for the lovely explanations today.
Very pleased to have mostly completed in 45 minutes, but had to give up on LASH, BEIRUT, BIRTHDAY, and RINGLET. Those clues were a little beyond my current knowledge!
A very warm welcome, Eclipse. No one can replace your grandad, but you will find plenty of willing mentors here. Do keep commenting, and I bet that in no time at all* you will be reporting regular completions.
*(Reworded as I originally said you will be regularly completing these in no time at all – but even the quickest do have to take some time!)
Welcome Eclipse, great to hear from you.
Welcome!
25 minutes for me looking out over the Mediterranean not that far from Beirut- which I thought was a great clue (made me chuckle when I finally got it).
Very enjoyable crossword. Thank you Kitty and Wurm
The port of Beirut was the scene of a devastating explosion and fire a few years ago, and Lebanese wine exports (among others) were severely affected. BEIRUT was my loi and I entered it because it fitted and is a port, without (I admit) getting the homophone. Ah well. Otherwise all done in under 10m which is fast for me! And I didn’t have an 8a. Groaned at 15d, smiled at several others including 1a. A well-judged crossword imho, thanks Wurm and thank you Kitty.
A quite fast 7:45 today. LOI BEIRUT which looked like it could bring us crashing down but was my COD once the penny dropped. Enjoyable all round. Thanks, Wurm and Kitty.
BEIRUT proved a problem for me, too, apart from that fairly brisk canter
DNF courtesy of BEIRUT, which I pondered for the regulation two minutes before giving up, but it was a pleasant six minutes for the rest of it.
Thank you for the blog!
17:25 couldn’t get hold of a match and eventually got a birthday meltdown; Qu’ils mangent de la brioche or cake even.
Ta KAW