A fun puzzle from Pedro, pitched on the friendly side of average difficulty.
I didn’t have any major hold-ups, although some bits required extra thought, and words hiding in plain sight (like the trophy in 1d) are rarely the first thing you think to look for. I clocked in at 6.29, three minutes quicker than yesterday’s done just before.
Much enjoyed, and helped to distract from a slightly sore head – many thanks to Pedro!
I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas, and best wishes for the New Year.
| Across | |
| 7 | Small tablet in shed (5) |
| SPILL – S(mall) PILL (tablet) | |
| 8 | Shot possibly to fail in tournament (5-2) |
| CLOSE-UP – LOSE (fail) in CUP (tournament). Shot as in photo | |
| 10 | Restore play area no longer in operation (7) |
| RECOVER – REC (play area) OVER (no longer in operation). REC, short for recreation ground, crops up a fair bit. | |
| 11 | Mouldy? Has to end in decay (5) |
| MUSTY – MUST (has to) Y (“end” in decaY) | |
| 12 | Nut? It is a chop that’s cooked (9) |
| PISTACHIO – anagram (that’s cooked) of IT IS A CHOP | |
| 14 | Remains in the role of husband (3) |
| ASH – AS (in the role of) H(usband) | |
| 15 | Japanese currency the writer removed from Arab country (3) |
| YEN – ME (the writer) removed from YEmeN (Arab country) | |
| 16 | King or Queen taking dinner, say, a bit at a time (9) |
| PIECEMEAL – PIECE (king or queen, in chess) MEAL (dinner, say). “Taking” is just a linkword. | |
| 18 | Deduce liner, heading away, is carrying female (5) |
| INFER – LINER, in plain sight, with the heading away, carries F(emale) | |
| 20 | Acknowledging crowd’s applause after receiving 50 deliveries? (7) |
| BOWLING – BOWING (acknowledging crowd’s applause) receives L (50) | |
| 22 | Error about the French church? Saying nothing (7) |
| SILENCE – SIN (error) about LE (the, French) CE (Church of England). As in something like: “One’s position is strengthened by saying nothing/silence.” | |
| 23 | Friday and every Saturday initially revealing side? (5) |
| FRIES – FRI(day) and E |
|
| Down | |
| 1 | Idiot claiming trophy is limiting opening in computer science (12) |
| ASTROPHYSICS – ASS (idiot) claiming TROPHY, and then IS limiting C (“opening” in Computer) | |
| 2 | Describing bishop’s area, I’d upset Saint in the main (8) |
| DIOCESAN – DI (I’D “upset) S(aint) in OCEAN (main) | |
| 3 | Eastern European’s singular toilet (4) |
| SLAV – S(ingular) LAV(toilet) | |
| 4 | Surprised comment in school showing damage by fire (6) |
| SCORCH – COR (surprised comment) in SCH(ool) | |
| 5 | Zero room in entire trans-dimensional passage (8) |
| WORMHOLE – O (zero) RM (room) in WHOLE (entire) | |
| 6 | Inclines to overlook a camera feature (4) |
| LENS -LEaNS (inclines) to overlook A | |
| 9 | Hitchcock film initially lacking obvious point for student of mental behaviour (12) |
| PSYCHOLOGIST – PSYCHO (Hitchcock film) L O (“initially” Lacking Obvious) GIST (point) | |
| 13 | Clear father turned up with mother, say (8) |
| APPARENT – AP (PA = father, “turned up”) with PARENT (mother, say) | |
| 14 | A variety of tripe provided as precursor to meal (8) |
| APERITIF – A, an anagram (variety of) TRIPE, IF (provided) | |
| 17 | Circulating internet topic includes half of blue symbol (6) |
| EMBLEM – MEME (internet topic) circulating = reversing includes BL (“half of” BLue) | |
| 19 | Fine, long-established congregation (4) |
| FOLD – F(old) OLD (long-established) | |
| 21 | Gentle breeze, westerly at first, towards rear of vessel (4) |
| WAFT – W (Westerly “at first”) AFT (towards rear of vessel) | |
My third 24-minute solve in a row, so this is turning into an excellent week for me.
I started with SPILL, having first looked at 1d, and managed to solve precisely half of the 24 clues during my first pass. 12 minutes had passed by then, as I always give each clue a decent attempt before moving on.
I liked WORMHOLE and ASTROPHYSICS, although both required all of their checkers. APERITIF caused some trouble, as I forgot how to spell it and EMBLEM was my LOI.
Many thanks to Pedro and Rolytoly.
👏👏👏
Just finished 15×15 unaided so must be on the gentler side! Could be worth a try folks.
I was inside 4 minutes until I got to my LOI…..
FOI RECOVER
LOI WORMHOLE
COD ASTROPHYSICS
TIME 5:44
25 mins (as yesterday) and unhappy (as yesterday).
If this was gentle or friendly, then I’m wasting my time thinking I can ever be a good solver. I thought this was hard and was delighted to have all done bar WORMHOLE in about 16 mins. Then I was brought back to reality.
First, took 9 mins to work out the aforesaid WORMHOLE – depressing beyond words. Completely unable to parse it and didn’t have a clue what a trans-dimensional passage was. A lucky guess, nothing more, so no credit there.
Second, came here, read the comments and felt thoroughly flat after seeing that it wasn’t rated as that hard by most solvers. I can’t tell you how demoralising it is to think you have done very well (bar one clue), only to find that you haven’t done anything special at all.
So yet another frustrating and dissatisfying day for me, and another opportunity missed to escape the SCC.
If you had them all bar a fairly esoteric answer (albeit a write in for Star Trek fans) in 16mins, then you were just one answer away from beating nearly everyone in your peer group. . .
Gary, I’m always delighted just to finish the QC and often have a few that I can’t parse along the way. That’s what the blog’s for. Why compare yourself to others when it’s really not a level playing field? Most people who post have been doing these for many years. It sounds like you’re doing an amazing job (16 mins for all bar one is very quick) but the most important thing of course is to enjoy the process.
Thanks, I know you’re right. Just frustrated today with last clue syndrome. Despite my comments, I do try to enjoy the process of solving, but perhaps I have set my expectations a little high.
Thanks Invariant. Yes, you’re right. I need to adopt the ‘glass half full’ approach.
Defeated by the wormhole at 5d.
DNF
Just not on the wavelength today
A great QC. DNF as I didn’t go back and rethink Messy/Musty – was pushed to get away for a short trip out and really shouldn’t have allowed myself to count this as done and dusted. Nonetheless it was fun.
FOI 7a Spill
LOI 5d Wormhole
COD 16a Piecemeal
Hang on…. Ocean for Main? What’s going on there? Stumped by 2d as a result. Otherwise just Astrophysics I couldn’t parse. Largely very enjoyable. Thanks for the grid and blog.
There’s an old song with the chorus “Sailing, sailing, over the bounding main…”
Thank you! Still strikes me as a stretch Especially for a Q! I was trying to stitch Di with St and See! Thanks again CO
And didn’t we have this clue for Spill only a couple of weeks ago?
Tackled by the fire after 10 hours driving north, arriving in the Highlands in a hailstorm to find the new keys are very very stiff … humph.
Could not get ASTROPHYSICS for the life of me first up, all thought processes as per Invariant. So that was two minutes down the drain. Then reasonably smooth until going back to 23a, where I’d written FRIES on first pass and decided to revisit it at the end to see if it could possibly be the right answer … after some squinting a PDM ensued so that has to be COD.
Finally submitted in 08:57 for an OK Day.
Many thanks Pedro and roly. Have called GaryA’s counsellor to warn them.
Templar
A shame you weren’t in the Highlands 2 days ago. The Cairngorms were blanketed in thick snow under azure skies…simply magical. Then howling storms yesterday. You missed the very best and the very worst.
I’m over Glencoe way Pi (West Coast Best Coast 😉). We had a wild night last night but totally still and clear today. Epic walk – you could see way out past Mull! Snow’s down at about 650m.
🤣🤣
14:25. Felt like it should have been faster but not unhappy. No problems with WORMHOLE and actually rather liked FRIES which we are accustomed to seeing described as a side on local menus.
A happy and satisfying solve in just over 30 minutes. I love the cosy fire in the SCC! And for me 5d was easy as WORMHOLE is the only trans-dimensional passage I know.