After comments on yesterday’s blog about the (apparently) growing unpopularity of some types of clues and devices (Eton, Pi, dodgy homophones, Spoonerisms, cockney dropped ‘aitches, etc.) I’d like to issue a kind of spoof Times Crossword Clue Writing Challenge to write a clue that will annoy the most regulars the most. To kick us off, please write an annoying clue for the answer SPIDER PHAETON (6,7) and post it here, and I’ll award a Gold Star to the most annoying. Judge’s decision is final, the Gold Star has no monetary value.
Across
1 Part of collection’s a breach-loading weapon (5)
SABRE – Hidden answer inside {collection’}S A BRE[ach}.
4 Unexpected danger parking the thing before autumn (7)
PITFALL – P{arking} and IT (the thing) before FALL (autumn).
8 Preach movingly about Lot’s end in part of Genesis? (7)
CHAPTER – Anagram (movingly) of [PREACH] outside {lo}T’s end (last letter of loT).
9 Time after Post Office returned major work? (5)
OPERA – P{ost} O{ffice} (returned / reversed to give OP) and followed by ERA (time).
10 Small pig hearts tough to pierce with a blade (3,7)
RUN THROUGH – RUNT (small pig) with H{earts} and ROUGH (tough).
14 United approach is never coming back (3-3)
ONE-WAY – ONE (united, as in of ONE mind) and WAY (approach, method).
15 On-screen icon gave data card, but no peripherals (6)
AVATAR – Take away the first and last letters (no peripherals) of {g}AV{e} {d}AT{a} {c}AR{d}. Unusual device!
17 Son gutted about swine making a display at match (10)
SCOREBOARD – S{on} and CORED (gutted) about BOAR (swine).
20 Old judge to make a speech (5)
ORATE – O{ld} and RATE (judge).
22 Girl’s after church goblet (7)
CHALICE – ALICE (girl) after CH{urch}. We had goblet as an answer the other day I believe.
23 Lieutenant in utter retreat (7)
SHELTER – LT (Lieutenant) inside SHEER (utter).
24 Catherine earmarked money for cat (5)
KITTY – A rare triple definition, diminutive name for Catherine, a money KITTY (usually earmarked for a particular purpose), and a young cat.
Down
1 Dismiss society hack wasting hours (4)
SACK – S{ociety} and {h}ACK (hACK wasting hours, losing H).
2 Runs in to catch crow (4)
BRAG – R{uns} inside BAG (to catch). Crow as to BRAG or boast.
3 Train and inspire to hope getting time for clubs (9)
ENTOURAGE – ENcOURAGE (inspire to hope) replacing the c with a T (getting T{ime} for C{lubs}).
4 Talk foolishly about one copyright infringer (6)
PIRATE – PRATE (talk foolishly) around I (one).
5 Couple starting to work out (3)
TWO – First letters (stating) of T{o} W{ork} O{ut}.
6 Sufficient nowadays to regard as equal (8)
ADEQUATE – AD (Anno Domini, nowadays, although CE (Common Era) may be more politically correct these days) and EQUATE (to regard as equal).
7 Tough lay there quivering (8)
LEATHERY – Anagram (quivering) of [LAY THERE].
11 Perhaps Windrush side split over right place to keep money (5,4)
RIVER BANK – RIVE (split) and R{ight} plus BANK (place to keep money). The River Windrush is a tributary of the Thames in Central England, joining the Thames near Newbridge in Oxfordshire. Good misdirection with the recent / current Windrush scandal still raging.
12 Semolina made by US company in company with us (8)
COUSCOUS – US CO (US company) inside CO (company) with US (us). Nice, but not the semolina stuff!
13 Go off having assignation outside school (8)
DETONATE – DATE (assignation) outside ETON (school – now, where have I heard that before?).
16 Agree to swindle scoundrel (6)
CONCUR – CON (to swindle) and CUR (scoundrel).
18 Beer? Mine’s got nitrogen in (4)
PINT – PIT (mine) with N (nitrogen) inside.
19 Refuse 500 yen for working (4)
DENY – D (500 in Roman numerals) and an anagram (for working) of [YEN].
21 Dine on steak, say, but not medium (3)
EAT – {m}EAT (steak, say – meat) but not M{edium}.
I quite enjoyed this, I liked COUSCOUS and RUN THROUGH
I was interrupted. Slowed considerably by ‘er indoors.
My time was officially 11.30 – I may appeal.
FOI 1ac SABRE which rattled-in!
LOI 22ac CHALICE
COD 11dn Tales from the RIVER BANK – please support the ‘Windrush Widows’
WOD Might I humbly suggest 2dn?
COUSCOUS – oft known in China con-gee and served by ‘er indoors for brekker with a fat black – salted date in the middle. There is plenty of rice con-gee too. In GZ they boast Con-gee Restaurants. Never ever again!
Edited at 2021-11-25 05:50 am (UTC)
Started fast and kept up the pace until the SW where I need to work hard to recall COUS COUS (I’ve heard of COUS COUS and remember semolina from school dinners (it was the only thing worse than rice pudding. Rice pudding would have been worst but it came with a redeeming dollop of jam) but I never remember they are the same thing). I needed those checkers for SHELTER and ONE-WAY (which I’d overcomplicated). Ended up with ENTOURAGE where even with all the checkers needed to be stared at for a while. All green in 14.
Edited at 2021-11-25 08:48 am (UTC)
Thought this was on the tough but enjoyable side of Quickiedom today. Steady solve with no major hold-ups until my LOI, ENTOURAGE, where I could see what was being asked of us but took ages to find a solution.
Thanks Rotter and Joker
Deploy step and hop in a red carriage (6,7)
Edited at 2021-11-25 07:59 am (UTC)
Having sorted BRAG properly, I spent what seemed like ages on *U* THROUGH. Sad, really — I ended up thinking CUT and couldn’t parse it and then settled on RUN. Clever clue — I should have got ‘little piglet’ earlier. Finally, I finished 3 mins over target, a bit slower than our esteemed blogger.
I won’t list the clever clues — too many. I’ll just read through the blog and enjoy them all again. Many thanks to Joker for a great puzzle and to Rotter for a fine blog. John M.
Edited at 2021-11-25 08:58 am (UTC)
As for Spider Phaeton:- Fly-trap? (6,7)
Edited at 2021-11-25 09:07 am (UTC)
Please yourselves….. 🙄
… and it needed an alphabet search to get my LOI, 3D Entourage, only parsed after entry. 17 minutes in all so much longer than recent puzzles.
Also held up by 10A Run through — I spotted small pig = runt, but rough = tough eluded me for a long time.
Rotter, many thanks for the blog. I can’t compete with the clue-writers, but I will register a small disappointment that you have not managed to get that other very overworked device in there, supporter = bra.
Cedric
A top quality puzzle from Joker which I finished over target in 12.21.
Thanks to Rotter for the blog and the interesting challenge which I may try to enter if time (and talent) allows later.
Lots of sighing when I read the blog and realised that 8ac “Chapter”, 6dn “Adequate” and 17ac “Scoreboard” were not that exceptional. How on earth I didn’t see 4dn “Pirate” I have no idea (I think the “p” at the beginning led me down the “plagiarism” route).
Did have a moment where I wasn’t sure whether “rough” really did mean “tough” — seemed odd to have such a similar word as part of the solution.
Has to be said, I’m finding Joker more and more of a struggle these days. It’s just not funny anymore. 😀
FOI — 1ac “Sabre”
LOI — dnf
COD — 17ac “Scoreboard”
Thanks as usual!
Edited at 2021-11-25 09:59 am (UTC)
ENTOURAGE my LOI and COD.
7:28
So a bad day but thanks Rotter!
I have no problem with Pi and Eton etc partly because having leanrt the conventions, they seem part of the crossword landscape. Obscure birds, fish and poets are another matter.
David
Ide agree 🙂
One for the experts. Just too hard for me. Very devious and nasty.
And I thought I was being clever putting in REEVE for “old judge”, wrong chestnut.
Brilliant clues submitted by the bloggers today. My vote goes to “FLY TRAP”.
Happy Thanksgiving to all, even if you’re not American, take time today to give thanks.
ADEQUATE, SCOREBOARD, RIVER BANK, ENTOURAGE and RUN THROUGH (my LOI) all gave me trouble towards the end. In fact, I nearly put down my pencil with CUT THROUGH, but it wouldn’t parse, so I alphabet-trawled – and I’m pleased I did.
Unfortunately, after a record-breaking run of 48 consecutive solves, Mrs Random came to grief today. Having struggled long and hard with SCOREBOARD, ONE WAY and ENTOURAGE, she “didn’t have the willpower” to revisit CUT THROUGH, so a DNF ensued. And I had so been looking forward to reporting her unbeaten half-century tomorrow. It may even have elicited a ripple of applause from around the boundary.
Many thanks to Joker and therotter.
If tomorrow’s is the same I will give up and spend the time framing a crossword clue for schadenfreude.
The Windrush is a very pretty river in the Cotswolds which runs through the much visited Bourton-on-the-Water.
I remember loathing semolina pudding as a child but have rather taken to it recently in its halva form – lovely with spices, nuts and dried fruit.
FOI Sabre
COD Kitty
DNF after about 20 mins – it wouldn’t have mattered how long I stared at the grid, I wasn’t going to finish it!
Thanks Joker (my problem, not yours!) and Rotter.
Love the idea of the clue comp – you cheered me up no end after the above debacle 😄
Edited at 2021-11-25 12:55 pm (UTC)
Was held up for a while at LOI 17 ac “scoreboard” where for too long I was looking for a 10-letter word beginning with “Sn”.
Forgot that semolina and couscous were virtually the same and needed to piece together the rather clever cryptic elements to remind me.
Many neat constructions by Joker and I particularly liked 15 ac “avatar”.
Thanks to Rotter for the blog and to Joker for a top notch puzzle.
FOI: SABRE
LOI: DNF
COD: CONCUR
Thanks Rotter and Joker
Just to prove that I do follow your blogs Rotter.
Well done for keeping it alive and well!
Meldrew
Found the crossword quite easy until I realised who the setter was. Swine? Pig? Must be Oink, right? Wrong.
Almost 7 minutes in the end
Edited at 2021-11-25 09:31 pm (UTC)