Solving time: 9:21
My solving time is the longest it has taken me to complete a Joker grid since the last time I blogged them on 17th May (QC2397) – each of their eight grids since then has taken me less than eight minutes, so I wonder if this is around the medium-pace level?
I counted only two-and-a-half anagrams, one double definition and one hidden. None of the vocabulary is unusual, apart from perhaps 19a.
How was it for you?
Definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [directions in square ones].
| Across | |
| 1 | Inclination to write and sing (8) |
| PENCHANT – PEN (write) and CHANT (sing)
This word is from the present participle of Old French pencher “to incline”, used as a noun. |
|
| 6 | Let go loose-fitting dress (4) |
| SACK – Double definition, the first perhaps somewhat euphemistic
Variously described by sources as ‘a woman’s long loose dress or gown’ and as ‘a woman’s short loose unwaisted dress, typically narrowing at the hem, popular especially in the 1950s’.
|
|
| 8 | Be careful of worker full of hostility (6) |
| BEWARE – BEE (worker) containing [full of] WAR (hostility)
Wasn’t sure whether or not the word ‘of’ should be part of the definition. On the one hand, ‘BEWARE of the dog’, on the other, ‘BEWARE the ides of March’… |
|
| 9 | Building level of falsehood reported (6) |
| STOREY – Homophone [reported] of STORY (falsehood) | |
| 10 | What publisher will do in Shoreditch (4) |
| EDIT – Hidden in Shoreditch | |
| 11 | Showing astonishment about queen being greedy (8) |
| GRASPING – GASPING (Showing astonishment) about R (queen i.e. regina) | |
| 12 | Pulped food is nothing but the ultimate in unpalatable (5) |
| PURÉE – PURE (nothing but) + E i.e. the ultimate letter of {unpalatabl}E
I tried substituting PURE for ‘nothing but’ in a sentence but found my attempts somewhat clunky. Clearly, ‘the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth‘ means ‘purely the truth’ or ‘the pure truth’ but that doesn’t seem a very smooth substitution. Any suggestions? |
|
| 13 | Wear down staff in middle of week (5) |
| ERODE – ROD (staff) inserted into EE i.e. the middle of {w}EE{k} | |
| 15 | Cob’s zeal running in crazy hunt (8) |
| HAZELNUT – There are two anagram indicators here. We have an anagram [running] of ZEAL inside an anagram [crazy] of HUNT
In Ireland and the UK, a cob or cobnut is another name for a HAZELNUT. |
|
| 17 | Fast run, which sometimes follows slap (4) |
| DASH – DASH can certainly follow ‘slap’ to make SLAPDASH meaning ‘shoddy’.
I wondered if the surface intended that a slap having been given, the slapper or slappee would run away quickly? |
|
| 19 | Household name, eg Dicky (6) |
| MÉNAGE – Anagram [Dicky] of NAME EG | |
| 20 | What’s standard, perhaps, on large vessel (6) |
| FLAGON – FLAG (What’s standard, perhaps i.e. a standard is a FLAG) followed by ON
A FLAGON typically has a volume of two imperial pints, though other countries such as Ireland and New Zealand may have FLAGONs of different volumes. |
|
| 21 | Young bear with energy and power (4) |
| CUBE – CUB (Young bear) with E (energy)
CUBE here refers to the product of a number multiplied by its square i.e. to the power of three |
|
| 22 | Small stream entering the river is a mystery perhaps (8) |
| THRILLER – RILL (Small stream) entering THE then R (river) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Correct me, turning up before finish (5) |
| EMEND – ME ‘turning up’ is EM before END (finish)
‘turning up’ is apposite here as this is a down clue. |
|
| 3 | Meeting of canons is more fitting after church (7) |
| CHAPTER – APTER (more fitting) after CH (church)
In the 6th-century, St Benedict directed that his monks convene daily for the reading of a chapter of the Bible. Over time, expressions such as “coming together for the chapter” (convenire ad capitulum) found the meaning transferred from the text to the meeting itself and then to the body gathering for it. The meeting place similarly became known as the “chapter house” or “chapter room”. |
|
| 4 | Regularly watches brilliant play at Wimbledon (3) |
| ACE – Every other letter of [regularly] watches | |
| 5 | Drunken mates in camp accommodation will (9) |
| TESTAMENT – Anagram [Drunken] of MATES in TENT (camp accommodation) | |
| 6 | Sailing boat in second go round (5) |
| SLOOP – S (second) LOOP (go round) | |
| 7 | Can eels wriggling get free of mud? (7) |
| CLEANSE – Anagram [wriggling] of CAN EELS
Think the question mark is only there to make the surface more grammatically correct |
|
| 11 | Fresh blow for countryside round London? (5,4) |
| GREEN BELT – GREEN (Fresh) BELT (blow)
The term was coined by social reformer Octavia Hill in 1875 and refers to a ring of countryside where urbanisation will be resisted for the foreseeable future, maintaining an area where local food growing, forestry and outdoor leisure can be expected to prevail. |
|
| 12 | Table to coat with metal gold (7) |
| PLATEAU – PLATE (coat with metal) AU (chemical symbol for gold i.e. from the Latin word for gold which is ‘aurum’) | |
| 14 | One who does little conventionally, not even dance (7) |
| ODDBALL – ODD (not even) BALL (dance) | |
| 16 | Get rid of Times English (5) |
| ERASE – ERAS (Times) E (English) | |
| 18 | Small ice cream bun (5) |
| SCONE – S (Small) CONE (ice cream)
Should I expect some debate on whether scone and bun are synonymous? (In my view, they are not). I’m just glad that SCONE hasn’t been clued homophonically. The hotly-debated pronunciation of the word is alluded to in the following quatrain: I asked the maid in dulcet tone |
|
| 20 | Reduced cost of travelling a long way (3) |
| FAR – FAR |
|
9:25. I liked PENCHANT, MENAGE and HAZELNUT.
Just to add to the confusion, round here in the East Midlands, a cob is what I grew up calling a roll and MrB (a Geordie) calls a bread bun! Stottie is something else again 😋
FOI Beware LOI Oddball COD Green belt
Thanks Joker and extra thanks to Mike for the very interesting blog
DNF
Took 22 minutes after the SLIP slip in the top right but got a pink square put CHARTER not CHAPTER.
Am I the last?
Like others I had trouble online this morning, so had to try to complete yesterdays Killer Sudoku instead.
Now I have completed the QC after the day’s travails, and when I go back to finish yesterdays Killer Sudoku I cannot get it….annoying
Technology is great when it works.
We need our puzzles fix.
Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed this QC and there was lots to make me smile especially the worker full of hostility – I’ve met a few in my time – and the staff who were worn down in the middle of the week (well actually most of the time) – and of course the ones who do little conventionally.
Thanks Joker and Mike