Solving time: 9:55
First time blogging a Pipsqueak puzzle – their tenth QC – which for me, took the longest to solve. Most of it was comfortable – the reversal at 1a, the homophone at 8a, and seen-before word building at 4a and 1d etc. However, the last three, none of them connected to each other, gave me the greatest problems.
With all checkers in for each, I had to think unexpectedly deeply to come up with 9d; focus on the probable definition and reverse engineer for 11a; and frown a lot at 21d before the not-too-difficult answer materialised in my head. I’d like to think that this is a medium-paced puzzle which I found untowardly difficult to finish.
Let me know what you thought…
Definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [directions in square ones].
| Across | |
| 1 | Backing students a mistake? (4-2) |
| SLIP-UP – Reversal [Backing] of PUPILS (students) | |
| 4 | Most recent US city trial (6) |
| LATEST – LA (US city i.e Los Angeles) TEST (trial) | |
| 8 | Tree from Mediterranean island, I’m told (7) |
| CYPRESS – Homophone [I’m told] of CYPRUS (Mediterranean island) | |
| 10 | What’s almost too nice to put in your gin? (5) |
| TONIC – The whole clue is the definition, but I’m not sure all of it is wordplay so I’m guessing it’s a semi &lit. The wordplay being most of the letters [almost] of TO{o} NIC{e} | |
| 11 | Legal documents delivered for hotel (4) |
| RITZ – Homophone [delivered] of WRITS (Legal documents)
“delivered” perhaps in the context of an actor delivering their lines. My second last in. |
|
| 12 | What makes perfect business for a doctor (8) |
| PRACTICE – Double definition – lift and separate – What makes perfect? PRACTICE makes perfect. | |
| 14 | Last English team involved in deadlock (9) |
| STALEMATE – Anagram [involved] of LAST E (English) TEAM | |
| 18 | Introduction of expert tactics mistakenly showing great enthusiasm (8) |
| ECSTATIC – First letter [Introduction] of E{xpert} then anagram [mistakenly] of TACTICS | |
| 20 | Catch sight of drunkard embracing Penny (4) |
| SPOT – SOT (drunkard) surrounding [embracing] P (Penny i.e. One New Pence) | |
| 22 | Ottoman intelligence protecting Arab citizen (5) |
| OMANI – Hidden [protecting] in Ottoman intelligence | |
| 23 | Man carrying weapon in jacket perhaps (7) |
| GARMENT – GENT (Man) containing [carrying] ARM (weapon) | |
| 24 | This is a sin all right (6) |
| AGREED – A GREED (sin – one of the seven deadly sins in Roman Catholic theology)
Not quite sure how ‘This is’ fits into the wordplay, other than for surface reading. |
|
| 25 | Issue resolved by a chap from Wagga Wagga (6) |
| AUSSIE – Anagram [resolved] of ISSUE by A
‘by’ is a placement indicator here – I don’t know whether there are any hard and fast rules about whether it indicates something coming after or before… |
|
| Down | |
| 1 | Certain to keep city safe (6) |
| SECURE – SURE (Certain) containing [to keep] EC (city – postcode of part of the City of London) | |
| 2 | I’m upset, struggling for momentum (7) |
| IMPETUS – Anagram [struggling] of I’M UPSET | |
| 3 | Waste product found in bureaucracy (4) |
| UREA – Hidden in [found in] bureaucracy | |
| 5 | Doctor at court a tyrant (8) |
| AUTOCRAT – Anagram [Doctor] of AT COURT A | |
| 6 | Boredom displayed by drunken nuisance (5) |
| ENNUI – Hidden [displayed by] in drunken nuisance | |
| 7 | Bank receiving about £1000 for watch (6) |
| TICKER – TIER (Bank) containing [receiving] C (about i.e. circa) K (£1000) | |
| 9 | Showing — or concealing? (9) |
| SCREENING – Double definition
My third last in. |
|
| 13 | Wonderful place is found in March (8) |
| PARADISE – IS inserted into [found in] PARADE (March – ignoring the capital letter misdirection) | |
| 15 | State of former journalists (7) |
| EXPRESS – EX (former) PRESS (journalists) | |
| 16 | Iron Lady’s hat (6) |
| FEDORA – FE (Iron – chemical symbol) DORA (Lady)
Conjures an image of a be-hatted Margaret Thatcher… |
|
| 17 | Sue acquiring rubbish work of art (6) |
| STATUE – SUE containing [acquiring] TAT (rubbish) | |
| 19 | Rita’s affected by turbulence in part of flight (5) |
| STAIR – Anagram [affected by turbulence] of RITA’S | |
| 21 | Language spoken in old city of the French (4) |
| URDU – UR (old city) DU (French for ‘of the’)
My LOI |
|
16:07. Not entirely convinced by ‘watch’ as the definition for TICKER, since it really means ‘heart’, but hey. Thanks Mike and Pipsqueak.
Probably one of the very few cryptic puzzles i am able to fill up at least 75 % of the grid.