Solving time: 6:09
A fairly smooth ride through this puzzle where there are perhaps a few unknown (e.g. 4d) or rarely-used words (e.g. 5d), however the crossers are generous, allowing for some educated guesswork where the answer is not familiar.
There are also plenty of IKEA-style clues – add this to that, remove that from this etc. I was surprised that there are just two anagrams – both for two of the longer words – only one hidden, and two homophones. I still found the whole journey very enjoyable.
How did you all get on?
Definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [directions in square ones].
| Across | |
| 1 | Reflected sound needed by college choirs (4) |
| ECHO – Hidden [needed by] in college choirs | |
| 3 | Charm we recalled, feeding female dog (7) |
| BEWITCH – EW (we – reversed [recalled]) inserted into [feeding] BITCH (female dog) | |
| 8 | Overtake one on river, blooming thing (7-6) |
| PASSION-FLOWER – PASS (Overtake) I (one) ON, then FLOWER (river i.e. something that flows being a FLOW-ER)
Why is a PASSION-FLOWER named so? Its blossom, especially the flower of the purple passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) symbolises events in the last hours of the life of Jesus Christ: The corona represents the crown of thorns; the styles represent the nails used in the Crucifixion; the stamens represent the five wounds; and the five sepals and five petals represent ten of the Apostles – all but Judas, who betrayed Jesus, and Peter, who denied knowing Jesus three times at the time of His trial. |
|
| 9 | Feller’s tool unknown by a European (3) |
| AXE – X (unknown) by A, then E (European) | |
| 10 | Leather strap Republican removed from crowd (5) |
| THONG – TH |
|
| 12 | Forceful, backing a lot in police department (7) |
| DYNAMIC – MANY (a lot) in CID (police department) all reversed [backing] gives D(YNAM)IC | |
| 14 | Engineers negotiate withdrawal (7) |
| RETREAT – RE (Engineers i.e. abbreviation for Royal Engineers) TREAT (negotiate)
The last definition for TREAT in Collins online dictionary has “to discuss settlement; negotiate“. An example given elsewhere suggests the following usage: “propagandists claimed that he was treating with the enemy“. |
|
| 16 | Part of joint a music group knocked back (5) |
| TENON – NONET (music group) reversed [knocked back]
For thousands of years, the world’s woodworkers have used a mortise and tenon joint to connect two pieces of wood or other material, particularly those that connect at right angles. |
|
| 17 | A board game in the past (3) |
| AGO – A GO (board game)
Invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day, GO is an abstract board game for two players in which the aim is to fence off more territory than the opponent. |
|
| 20 | Disobedient brat involved with union side (13) |
| INSUBORDINATE – Anagram [involved] of BRAT with UNION SIDE | |
| 21 | She entertains great numbers outside quarters (7) |
| HOSTESS – HOSTS (great numbers) outside E{ast} S{outh} (quarters) | |
| 22 | Follow English magistrate in Venice once (4) |
| DOGE – DOG (Follow) E (English) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | International trader’s former carrier (8) |
| EXPORTER – EX (former) PORTER (carrier) | |
| 2 | Meat and veg dish’s hot remains (4) |
| HASH – H (hot) ASH (remains) | |
| 3 | Forbidden woman entering base (6) |
| BANNED – ANN (woman) inserted into [entering] BED (base) | |
| 4 | Jazzman in central London with a big tree (12) |
| WELLINGTONIA – ELLINGTON (Jazzman e.g. Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington 1899-1974) inserted into [in] WI (i.e. W1 – central London postcode) with A
(I use e.g. with Duke Ellington being the most likely example. Less likely is Ray Ellington (1916-1985), singer, drummer and bandleader best known for his appearances on The Goon Show between 1951 and 1960, where The Ray Ellington Quartet provided the musical interludes between scenes.) WELLINGTONIA is one of the names by which the giant sequoia or giant redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is known. Native to the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, giant sequoia specimens are the most massive trees on Earth. The W1 postcode, also known London’s West End, comprising of Mayfair, Marylebone and Soho, is often thought of as central London because it is the tourist and clubbing centre, however it is actually slightly west of centre. Officially, London centres on Charing Cross Station in WC1. A useful discussion on London postcodes can be found here: London Postcodes List, explanation and meaning |
|
| 5 | Urban dweller in Kent finally has staff (8) |
| TOWNSMAN – Last letter [finally] of {Ken}T OWNS (has) MAN (staff) | |
| 6 | Group of beasts tried to be listened to (4) |
| HERD – Homophone [to be listened to] of HEARD (tried i.e. subjected to trial)
Not a whoop of gorillas or flange of baboons then 🙁 |
|
| 7 | Unpleasant ride a beagle’s suffering (12) |
| DISAGREEABLE – Anagram [suffering] of RIDE A BEAGLE‘S | |
| 11 | Revealed son carrying mail for distant territories (8) |
| OUTPOSTS – OUT (Revealed) S (son) with POST (mail) inserted [carrying] | |
| 13 | Building material originally common on Greek island (8) |
| CONCRETE – First letter [originally] of C{ommon} ON CRETE (Greek island) | |
| 15 | Sign a chap’s dropped from word book (6) |
| TAURUS – T |
|
| 18 | Spoken greeting in school? (4) |
| HIGH – Homophone [spoken] of HI (greeting) | |
| 19 | Old man, old wall decoration (4) |
| DADO – DAD (Old man) O (old) | |
Another enjoyable QC. We are definitely having an easier streak. We were uncertain about E & S being quarters of the compass but it had to be. I knew Wellingtonia as we are not far from Crowthorne and Wellingtonia Avenue (See earlier comment).
COD PASSION-FLOWER for its construction.
Thanks very much to Orpheus, and Mike for the blog.