Introduction
5:22. Plenty of anagrams (and not very long or obscure ones) made this a very accessible puzzle for me.
Solutions
A brief summary of cryptic crosswords —feel free to skip— :
- Each clue has at least one “definition”: an unbroken string of words which more-or-less straightforwardly indicates the answer. A definition can be as simple as a one-word synonym; but it can also be a descriptive phrase like ‘I’m used to wind’ for REEL or SPOOL. A definition by example must be indicated by a phrase like ‘for example’, or, more commonly, a question mark (?). Thus ‘color’ is a definition of RED, while ‘red, for example’ or ‘red?’ are definitions of COLOR. Punctuation (and capitalization) is otherwise irrelevant.
- Each clue may also have an unbroken string of words which indicates the answer through wordplay, such as: using abbreviations; reversing the order of letters; indicating particular letters (first, last, outer, middle, every other, etc); placing words inside other words; rearranging letters (anagrams); replacing words by words that sound alike (homophones); and combinations of the above. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but the general theme is to reinterpret ordinary words as referring to letters, so that for example ‘lion’s head’ indicates the first letter of LION: namely, L.
- Definitions and wordplay cannot overlap. The only other words allowed in clues are linking words or phrases that combine these. Thus we may see, for example: “(definition) gives (wordplay)” or “(definition) and (definition)” or “(wordplay) is (definition)”.
- The most common clues have either two definitions, or one definition plus wordplay, in either order. But a single, very misleading definition is not uncommon, and very occasionally a definition can also be interpreted as wordplay leading to the same answer. Triple definitions (and more) are also possible.
My conventions in the solutions below are to underline definitions (including a defining phrase); put linking words in [brackets]; and put all wordplay indicators in boldface. I also use a solidus (/) to help break up the clue where necessary, especially for double definitions without linking words.
After the solutions, I list all the wordplay indicators and abbreviations in a Glossary.
Across
1 Summed up — as a completed story? (3,4)
ALL TOLD = double definition
A completed story, for example, would be ALL TOLD.
5 Garment for women / in mind (5)
BRAIN = BRA + IN
8 Lovely first person, by the sound of it, arresting (3-8)
EYE-CATCHING = homophone of I + CATCHING
10 Soft cloth / considered (4)
FELT = double definition
11 Tool reinvented as a winch (8)
CHAINSAW = anagram of AS A WINCH
12 Protest, / at which action directed (6)
OBJECT = double definition
The second definition being synonymous with ‘purpose’ or ‘end’.
14 Beans cooked, / toast ultimately missing (6)
ABSENT = BEANS anagrammed + last letter of TOAST
16 America backed / dodgy gaffer [in] vote (8)
SUFFRAGE = U.S. reversed + anagram of GAFFER
18 Organised / a way to drink whisky (4)
NEAT = double definition
20 Nonsense — [with] two wives? (6,5)
DOUBLE DUTCH = double definition
DOUBLE DUTCH is, according to Chambers, ‘any unknown or unintelligible language’. DUTCH also means ‘wife’, so DOUBLE DUTCH is ‘two wives’.
22 Group of wild animals was curious, reportedly (5)
PRIDE = homophone of PRIED
23 Drunk angered, raise your weapon (2,5)
EN GARDE = anagram of ANGERED
Down
2 Subject for example in story (5)
LIEGE = E.G. in LIE
3 Stand to sort out letters (7)
TRESTLE = anagram of LETTERS
4 Endless spring meadow (3)
LEA = LEAP without last letter
6 Power shower audible? (5)
REIGN = homophone of RAIN
Funny surface!
7 Gran and I in awful fix (7)
INGRAIN = anagram of GRAN I IN
Chambers has ‘to fix a dye firmly in’.
9 A farce, race had to be fixed (7)
CHARADE = anagram af RACE HAD
11 Whistle — [or] miaow? (7)
CATCALL = CAT CALL
13 Villain [is] skipper? (7)
BOUNDER = one who bounds
Lucky guess for me.
15 Old performer partially unconscious, in a trance (7)
SINATRA = hidden in UNCONSCIOUS IN A TRANCE
17 Discovered nothing in kitty (5)
FOUND = O in FUND
19 Little pest ran for cover after father turned up (5)
APHID = HID after reversal of PA
21 Fellow in demand, once (3)
DON = hidden in DEMAND ONCE
Your brain is your mind and the way that you think.
Examples:
Once you stop using your brain you soon go stale.
Stretch your brain with this puzzle.
My own niggle is reserved for 8ac where I’d suggest that EYE-CATCHING means ‘noticeable’ without implication of loveliness or otherwise. The “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend” would certainly be eye-catching but not ‘lovely’.
I had the same feeling as you about EYE-CATCHING.
Edited at 2021-03-17 06:37 am (UTC)
Edited at 2021-03-17 07:21 am (UTC)
I did wonder if there might be something going on with the ‘rhyming’ clues in the the NE and FOUND and BOUNDER in the SW, but if there is it’s beyond my ability to see.
Finished in 6.25 with LOI BRAIN.
Thanks to Jeremy
Edited at 2021-03-17 07:21 am (UTC)
Otherwise a nice puzzle, first one I’ve enjoyed completing this week. Thanks Mara and Jeremy
Collins has these definitions under American English but not included under British:
NOUN
1. royal power, authority, or rule; sovereignty
2. dominance, prevalence, or sway
the reign of good will
FOI 1A: ALL TOLD
LOI 10A: FELT
Had somehow entered ON GARDE.
Thank you, plusjeremy and the setter.
… as I fairly raced through three quarters of this enjoyable puzzle before the NE corner held me up. I also tried to start 6D Reign with a P for power, and 7A Ingrain simply wouldn’t come — no real reason, except that I am less familiar with the simple form of the verb than its past participle ingrained. Finally those two fell and then my LOI 5A Brain followed for a 14 minute solve.
All a lot more fun than yesterday’s! Many thanks to Jeremy for the blog.
Cedric
Forward, Side, Together; Back, Side, Together with too much time standing still with both feet together.
I didn’t think REIGN fitted ‘power’ as observed above. Also was confused about LIEGE, I always though the Liege was the Lord, not the subject. Also INGRAINED for ‘fix’ didn’t feel quite right.
DOUBLE DUTCH, similarly clued appeared this week in the QC, as I recall.
I see that both clue and answer, “object” and “protest” are words which change their part of speech depending on where the accent is. Nice symmetry at 12a.
COD CHAINSAW – good anagram in a very clean surface
Edited at 2021-03-17 08:43 am (UTC)
… does anyone else get ads in Russian on this site? I can’t see how it can be my personal settings as it only happens on this site, no others, and I have not to my knowledge ever visited Russian websites — not speaking the language or even having cyrillic on my keyboard.
Cedric
Brian
Smiled when I saw it I have to say — not sure about the synonym but the w/p was perfectly fair and clear. In plain sight almost.
Thanks Mara and Jeremy
I liked EN GARDE, BRAIN, and LIEGE but DOUBLE DUTCH was my COD.
All done in 2 mins under target (15 mins but it used to be 10 — 12) so a good day in current circumstances. I read something recently about the routines of lockdown and lack of personal interaction leading to poorer short-term memory and slower responses. I keep very active mentally (music, reading, 2 or more cryptics a day), keep in close touch with others in the usual ways (avoiding Facebook) and organise a lot of activities for local groups (including ambitious monthly wine tastings on Zoom for groups of 80+, often involving the overseas winemakers) but I do wonder about this. Does anyone else share these concerns? Perhaps I need to get out more, as they say.
Thanks to Mara and Jeremy. John M.
Edited at 2021-03-17 09:51 am (UTC)
Personally I consider that to be a load of utter nonsense. However, I am not an expert in these things.
Edited at 2021-03-17 10:04 am (UTC)
As for not knowing anybody whose “freedom” has been curtailed over extended periods: I am also in lock down, and have been for what, a year now? I live on my own, so yes I am in that situation. I stand by my response.
We are expecting these setbacks to be temporary and I’m sure that this will be the case with adults in lockdown, also, apart from those who have been at their workplace, throughout.
There are many excellent online tastings if you search, not least from The Wine Society.
Liked DOUBLE DUTCH. Do not like APHIDs but it was one of the FOsI along with EN GARDE, SINATRA, NEAT, LEA. In fact, all fairly quick in the south.
Thanks for ever helpful blog, Jeremy.
FOI: 23a ENGARDE
LOI: 12a OBJECT
Time to Complete: 93 minutes
Clues Answered Correctly without aids: 22
Clues Answered with Aids (3 lives): 8a, 13d
Clues Unanswered: Nil
Wrong Answers: Nil
Total Correctly Answered (incl. aids): 24/24
Aids Used: Chambers
This was one of those crosswords where, after the first read though of the clues, I started with no idea. Yet, the clues did not appear to be obscure or nonsensical to me. I knew I would be able to work most of them out given time. On my second, slower, run through the answers began to form in my mind.
8a. EYE-CATCHING – As much as I tried, I just could not get this one, and so had to use Chamber’s. One life gone. Obvious once I saw the answer.
20a. DOUBLE DUTCH – One of my earliest ones to go in. I did not understand the “wives” part, but the answer just screamed itself at me, and so in it went. It was not until I came here that I understood wives.
13d. BOUNDER – I should have got this one, as I called somebody a bounder the other day. Second life used.
15d. SINATRA – I did get this one, but over the past few puzzles I have missed the hidden clues. I need to be more aware of these.
11d. CATCALL – My favourite clue. Though I have always used the meow variant, rather than miaow.
A thought-provoking puzzle, but enjoyable and fair. This is the fifth Mara crossword I have attempted, and my second Mara solve. More of Mara please!
Oh, and I have been invited for my first Covid jab on Saturday. Means I must be considered old.
Have to be more aware these days.
4:25.
Anyway, like many others it seems, my LOI was BRAIN. 10:33 on the clock which I was pleased with.
COD to LIEGE just ahead of NEAT.
David
BRAIN was also my LOI, and only occurred to me after I tried to justify ‘train’ as a possible answer. Like others, if asked, I would have gone for the ‘lord’ interpretation of LIEGE, which is a legitimate alternative to the serf or subject interpretation used here, also quite legitimate. Another example of English words that have two, diametrically opposed meanings — there must be a name for that phenomenon, but I can’t think of it. Sorry, just thought of it — contronym!
Thanks both.
Couldn’t do either 1ac or 5ac first up, but then the rest all followed in sequence before I returned to where I had (not) started. A lot of anagrams, I thought, and rather clumsy to use the same anagram indicator (“fix”) in two consecutive clues (7 and 9dn).
FOI EYE-CATCHING, LOI ALL TOLD (not a very good clue IMHO), COD CHAINSAW, time 2.1K but since Kevin was so fast today that was only just over 8 minutes and I’m still calling this a Good Day.
Thanks Mara and Jeremy.
Templar
Some good clues from Mara, with a couple of traps if you weren’t careful. 21ac could easily have been construed as “Man” if it wasn’t for the “once” at the end. 7dn also proved annoyingly difficult.
A nice, but no doubt unintentional, protest theme as well.
FOI — 4dn “Lea”
LOI — 5ac “Brain”
COD — 19dn “Aphid” — lovely surface
Thanks as usual.
Thanks all.
Diana
My only doubts today were:
TRESTLE – which caused me to realise I was unsure how to spell it.
BOUNDER – which required the shortest alphabet trawl ever (next word after ASUNDER).
LIEGE – the parsing of which was easy, but a word I didn’t know.
Many thanks to plusjeremy for the blog, and to Mara (especially after the mauling I suffered last time he set the QC).
FOI – 8ac EYE CATCHING
LOI – 6dn REIGN
COD – 20ac DOUBLE DUTCH
Thanks to Mara and Jeremy
….but some nice clues in here (although Brain v tricky IMO)
Thanks all
John George
FOI: all told
LOI: brain
COD: eye catching
Thanks to Mara and Jeremy.
Lots of anagrams helped.
I have come to the realisation that my QC solving time is along the lines of an enthusiastic exercise rather than a full marathon, so happy to settle for a 10K. Pip pip.
Thanks all and Mara and Jeremy
Thanks Jeremy and Mara