New setter today, and a fine maiden outing.
Lots to like in this well-pitched debut from Jet Lag. It might be bolstered by seeing a new name atop the puzzle, but it had a breezy fresh feel to it, and I enjoyed the slightly different slant on some familiar clue types. Very light on anagrams (a mere two, right down at the bottom of the downs), and some lovely surfaces kept things entertaining (my favourite being the mysterious 12ac).
Around average difficulty with a couple of spicier things thrown in: I clocked in at 7:48, a touch quicker than the last couple of days.
Much enjoyed – many thanks to Jet Lag!
| Across | |
| 1 | Start to generate a little illumination (8) |
| GASLIGHT – G (“start” to Generate), A, SLIGHT (little) | |
| 5 | Just beautiful (4) |
| FAIR – double definition | |
| 8 | It’s unimportant what characterises a vacuum (2,6) |
| NO MATTER – double definition | |
| 9 | Initially, Forster may cut novel (4) |
| EMMA – E.M. are the initials of Forster, MA |
|
| 11 | Meagre score in skittles (5) |
| SPARE – double definition | |
| 12 | In the morning, catching companion opening letters? (7) |
| ACRONYM – AM (in the morning) catching CRONY (companion) | |
| 13 | A puzzle mostly concerning part of South America (6) |
| AMAZON – A, MAZ |
|
| 15 | Pack animal roughly east of mountain area (6) |
| ALPACA – CA. (roughly) east of ALP (mountain) A (area) | |
| 18 | Constantly established high point (7) |
| EVEREST – EVER (constantly) EST. | |
| 19 | Cast finished broadcast (5) |
| THREW – when spoken, or broadcast, sounds the same as THROUGH (finished). LOI, as I dithered over an unparsable THROW. | |
| 21 | Existential statement has at first mystified prayer leader (4) |
| IMAM – I AM (existential statement) has/eats M (“at first” Mystified) | |
| 22 | Pirate finished after char (3,5) |
| SEA ROVER – OVER (finished) after SEAR (char) | |
| 23 | Three attempt taking ecstasy (4) |
| TREY – TRY (attempt) taking E. The three in cards – and dice, according to Chambers, indeed “anything with a value of three.” | |
| 24 | Range of capabilities initially seen in piece of cookware (5,3) |
| SKILL SET – S (“initially” Seen) in SKILLET (piece of cookware) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Feeling angst about embracing hardcore rapper (7) |
| GANGSTA – is “embraced” by feelinG ANGST About | |
| 2 | Samuel and couple from Bath dance (5) |
| SAMBA -SAM and BA (“couple” from BA |
|
| 3 | Content to join them, one year, enjoying wealth (2,3,5) |
| IN THE MONEY – the “content” to joIN THEM ONE Year | |
| 4 | African scavengers laugh about hunger strike primarily (6) |
| HYENAS – HA (laugh) about YEN (hunger) and S (“strike” primarily) | |
| 6 | Country song engages roughly half the population (7) |
| ARMENIA – ARIA (song) engages MEN (roughly half the population) | |
| 7 | Actual beginning of Mongol Empire (5) |
| REALM – REAL (actual) M (“beginning” of Mongol) | |
| 10 | Subsequently going through ordeal with three participants (10) |
| TRILATERAL – LATER (subsequently) going through TRIAL (ordeal) | |
| 14 | Okay, state how old you are (7) |
| AVERAGE – to AVER AGE would be to state how old you are. | |
| 16 | Two-star novel — no less than that (2,5) |
| AT WORST – anagram (novel) of TWO STAR | |
| 17 | Run of luck confused skater (6) |
| STREAK – anagram (confused) of SKATER | |
| 18 | Rising trend to accept Conservative decree (5) |
| EDICT – TIDE (trend) “rising”, accepts C(onservative) | |
| 20 | Wanders through woods without leader (5) |
| ROVES – gROVES (woods) without “leader” | |
Thanks to rolytoly and welcome to Jet Lag.
Slightly unusual feel to this one, not especially hard but some new ideas and styles, some causing pause.
DNK 11a Spare in the skittles sense, but the wordplay made it 90% and the 3 checkers 100%.
19a Threw. Good one; I too puzzled awhile at Throw as the answer.
22a Sea Rover, not familiar, just a vague inkling. Added to Cheating Machine.
23a Trey, tricky!
1d Gangsta. Good job this has appeared before or I wouldn’t have thought gangsta was a word. Nor does Microsoft Note.
3d In the money, biffed; I assumed it was an anagram as I could see a lot of anagrist and passed blithely on. I often miss hiddens, and this was a good one. HiddenS added to CM as Wiktionary has it as a noun, relevant in crosswording. Crosswording (noun, uncountable) added too.
Quite a toughie but very nice to have a new setter – gets the grey cells working. Couldn’t parse HYENAS and mis-parsed THREW. I thought it was a triple definition with broadcast meaning ‘scattered’ or ‘thrown’, and finished in the sense ‘threw the towel in’ – very convoluted! 😆 COD ACRONYM. Thanks roly and welcome Jet Lag.
I’m another who found this very tricky – Jet Lag certainly has a very individual style which I hope to get to grips with in due course!
No chance of a sonic boom today. I stopped after 20 minutes, which is my usual cut-off point with 7 – yes 7 – to go, but I decided I couldn’t give in, so returned to try a couple more. To my surprise, I got them in all in less than five minutes. (Yes, I know some people could have done two whole ones of these in those 5 minutes!)
So at least it wasn’t a DNF, but I had a nice respite in the SCC.
The biggie is proving to be a bit of a challenge too 😅
25 minutes in two sessions FOI Fair LOI Amazon
Thanks Jet Lag (cool name) and Roly
Blimey the SCC is blessed with a rare appearance!
The value of taking a break is much underrated by many – and I think when you’re a decent solver (as you are) just an extra checker is enough to unlock the block.
Well, I’d be in the SCC rather more often if I didn’t bail out after 20 minutes 😂 Perhaps I should be more determined and stick it out for at least half an hour when I get stuck!
You’re right about taking a break – it does help clear a clogged up brain! Well, sometimes anyway 😉
I just gave the 15×15 a go and reached my last pair in an hour (persistence!) but couldn’t unlock them. Had another one wrong but it’s good to be pushed.
Easy in retrospect to appreciate it was a new setter as it had a fresh feel to it with some unusual answers as others have pointed out. We found it rather tricky, finally putting in LOI ACRONYM at 17:12. We were slow seeing the hiddens but thought they were particularly fine examples esp. 3d. Welcome, Jet Lag! Thanks too to Rolytoly.
10:25 with ACRONYM my LOI. Very good puzzle, liked MEN for “roughly half the population” and a few others eg ALPACA were cleverly constructed
Congrats to the new setter and thanks to todays blogger
A long time and a lot of biffing so thanks to rolytoly for the explanations. Not on Jet Lag’s wavelength (yet).
I enjoyed this. Struggled a bit initially but went away and came back to it and it all fell into place
Welcome Jet Lag and thanks blogger. I also struggled initially but as the answers filled in I began to enjoy the style. I thought 12 across and 3 down really clever clues.
Look forward to your next offering Jet Lag.
Oh dear. Got 5 clues yesterday. Came back today hoping to be more inspired and got another 5. Read the blog and realised that this resident of the SCC would never have finished this puzzle.