Solving time: 6:57
A thought-provoking challenge from Felix who is known for the ninas and themes with which his grids are occasionally spiced. Always worth reviewing the grid on completion to see if you can spot anything….
Did you spot it? If so, try not to give too much away in the chat, so that later solvers can join in the fun. If you didn’t however, I’ll post a clue in the chat at 15:00 GMT…
Definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [directions in square ones].
| Across | |
| 1 | Flood’s ending with Noah’s vessel in gloom (4) |
| DARK – Last letter [ending] of {floo}D + ARK (Noah’s vessel) | |
| 3 | Come down with post for remote Cornish location (5,3) |
| LANDS END – LAND (come down) + SEND (post) | |
| 8 | Remains after rearranging student meeting (7) |
| SEMINAR – Anagram [after rearranging] of REMAINS | |
| 10 | Annual percentage rate, one lowered initially for a month (5) |
| APRIL – APR (Annual percentage rate) I (one) + first letter of [initially] L{owered} | |
| 11 | Drunk a lot on a mild sherry (11) |
| AMONTILLADO – Anagram [drunk] of A LOT ON A MILD | |
| 13 | Cold German gentleman with yen for fruit (6) |
| CHERRY – C (cold) HERR (German gentleman) Y (yen) | |
| 15 | Awoke close to eight, in brief dramatic appearance (4,2) |
| CAME TO – Insert the last letter of [close to] {eigh}T into CAMEO (brief dramatic appearance) | |
| 17 | Attractive girl we hear going round for job in church? (4-7) |
| BELL-RINGING – BELL – homophone [we hear] of BELLE (attractive girl) RINGING (going round i.e. circling) | |
| 20 | Sends up European surrounded by runners (5) |
| SKIES – E (European) inserted into [surrounded by] SKIS (runners) | |
| 21 | One monotonously reciting viewpoint — one read, in part (7) |
| INTONER – Hidden [in part] inside viewpoint – one read | |
| 22 | Ape synod’s unusual times for public visits (4,4) |
| OPEN DAYS – Anagram [unusual] of APE SYNOD | |
| 23 | Go down for a season in San Francisco? (4) |
| FALL – Double definition | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Remoteness of girl with attitude (8) |
| DISTANCE – DI (random girl) STANCE (attitude) | |
| 2 | Tough character reflected partially in Jacob Marley (5) |
| RAMBO – Reverse hidden [reflected partially] in Jacob Marley
David Morrell, writer of the novel ‘First Blood’ in which John Rambo appears, says that in choosing the name Rambo he was inspired by “the sound of force” in the name of Rambo apples, which he encountered in Pennsylvania. |
|
| 4 | Tune I like, yodelled at first in casual manner (6) |
| AIRILY – AIR (tune) I + first letters of L{ike} Y{odelled} | |
| 5 | Very resistant to once more entering lifeless street (4,7) |
| DEAD AGAINST – AGAIN (once more) inserted into [entering] DEAD ST (lifeless street) | |
| 6 | Lug part of bale, or last of produce, carelessly (7) |
| EARLOBE – Anagram [carelessly] of BALE OR and E [last of {produc}E]
LUG is a Scottish or Northern English informal term for an EAR (though I’m from London and certainly remember the term “lug ‘oles” being used with the same meaning) |
|
| 7 | Toy handed to grateful girl, last of all (4) |
| DOLL – Last letters of all of the preceding words: {hande}D {t}O {gratefu}L {gir}L | |
| 9 | As uitlander, potentially, awarded citizenship? (11) |
| NATURALISED – Anagram [potentially] of AS UITLANDER | |
| 12 | One pursuing, perhaps, article in Spanish for comic verse (8) |
| DOGGEREL – DOGGER (one pursuing, perhaps e.g. one who follows/dogs another) EL (article in Spanish) | |
| 14 | One in recession, ie bachelor, ruined with debt (3-4) |
| EBB-TIDE – Anagram [ruined with] of IE B (bachelor) and DEBT | |
| 16 | Clever bishop — rather wet? (6) |
| BRAINY – B (bishop) RAINY (rather wet) | |
| 18 | Pinot Noir, as regularly found in ancient part of Asia (5) |
| IONIA – Every other letter [regularly found] of pInOt NoIr As
IONIA was in the area of Turkey now known as Western Anatolia. Its biggest city was Ephesus where one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the Temple of Artemis, was located. |
|
| 19 | Capital city’s outskirts evacuated, behold (4) |
| OSLO – O{utskirt}S [evacuated i.e. remove all inside letters] LO (behold) | |
One persuing = Dogger? Awful, not having that at all. Especially as the word dogger already has a meaning in this day and age – ask Stan Collymore.
That’s a very niche Nina. Never heard of the band. Still lots of bands I have heard of and still wouldn’t have got the Nina.
I agree with Rog that dogger was a stretch and it brought to mind all sorts of unpleasant images.
Didn’t start this until 3.30 this afternoon, enjoyed and finished in well below average time, but DNF as too lazy to go back and tty to parse EARHOLE. FOI RAMBO, COD AMONTILLADO, LOI DOGGEREL. Thanks, mike and Felic.
I don’t care about or look for Ninas or themes, but nevertheless am quite pleased on the rare occasions when I spot one. I don’t understand the fuss made about this one, which was even more esoteric than most. It would be ridiculously easy for anyone familiar with the music, but absolutely impossible for the rest of us, who, I suspect, are in the majority.