After a couple of days of slightly trickier puzzles, we have a nice straightforward one that should make the newer solvers a little more comfortable.
When talking to the newer solvers at my bridge club (I was set upon by a certain setter for calling them ‘grannies’, but that’s what they call themselves), one of the ideas I suggested was a small A-Z type notebook where they can build a little glossary of devices and phrases used in crosswordland that mean something slightly different to the norm, for example flower and banker for river. There were a couple of things in today’s puzzle that I would suggest stashing away for future reference if you haven’t encountered them before.
Clue of the day is the lovely and clever 6 down, which I hadn’t seen before!
Incidentally there’s a nice bonus crossword in today’s Times to celebrate the publication of a new Agatha Christie novel. There’s also a gathering next Wednesday in London at the Town of Ramsgate following the Times Setters’ Lunch. I hope to be there. It would be nice to see some of you!
Across | |
1 | PRETTY – A double definition to start. Quite, in the sense of qualifying something and a word meaning good-looking. |
4 | CEDRIC – The definition is is ‘this fellow’, which indicates that you are looking for a man’s name. C (cold) + an anagram (sparkling) of CIDER. |
9 | CHIANTI – A word sum. CHI (Greek character) + ANTI (not in favour) = the name of an Italian wine, beloved by Hannibal Lecter. |
10 | TAMPA – TA (soldiers, the Territorial Army) with A MP (a politician) inside gives you somewhere in Florida. |
11 | LYRE – A type of musical instrument is a homophone (mentioned) of someone who tells stories. |
12 | CHUCK OUT – An expression that means dismiss or reject is a type of steak (CHUCK) plus a word meaning ‘away’ (out) |
14 | HARDY ANNUAL – The name for a type of plant is found by taking the name of a (yearly) book that was written by the partner of film actor Oliver Hardy. |
18 | HUSBANDS – Something that means ‘mates’ is found by taking HANDS (helpers) and inserting (includes) US (American) and B (British) |
20 | MOOR – The nationality of the Shakespearean character Othello is a homophone (speaking) for extra. |
22 | CHOSE – The definition here is selected. C (a hundred) + HOSE (socks). |
23 | ARMENIA – The name of a country is found by taking MEN (folk) and placing it inside ARIA (operatic song). |
24 | ASTUTE – The definition is ‘perceptive’. AS (like) + TUT (half of ‘tutors’) + E (head of Eton). |
25 | SADDLE – DD (theology student – one for the little A-Z book, abbreviation for doctor of divinity) inside SALE (auction). The definition is ‘cycle accessory’. |
Down | |
1 | PICKLE – A double definition clue. A word that means a type of preserved vegetable is also the name of a difficult situation or jam. |
2 | ERITREA – An African country is the definition. E.R. (our Queen) + an anagram (terribly) of IRATE. |
3 | TONY – The common name for an American acting award (properly named the Antoinette Perry Awards for Acting Excellence is the same as the first name of an actor called Curtis.) |
5 | ENTICING – Something that means attractive. ENT (abbreviation for part of a hospital) + ICING (topping). |
6 | RAMBO – My Clue of the Day! Hidden backwards (indicated by ‘rewind part of….’) inside BOB MARLEY is the name of a famous film associated with Sylvester Stallone. |
7 | CHASTE – An anagram (reformed) of CHEATS is a word that may be said to mean exactly the opposite! |
8 | NIGHT AND DAY – A title of a famous song by (Cole) Porter. A description of a period of 24 hours NIGHT AND DAY. |
13 | ADJACENT – A DJ (a record player) + A CENT (a small coin) gives a word meaning near. |
15 | ADORNED – N (rear, the last letter of KITCHEN) goes inside (keeping) ADORED (loved) to give something meaning decorated. |
16 | CHA-CHA – More than one -CHA(P) (fellow fails to finish) gives the name of a dnace. |
17 | CREATE – Inside CRETE (Greek Island) goes A to give something that means forge or make. |
19 | SHOOT – Probably the most difficult clue today. The name for (the making) of a film is also an attempt to score a goal in soccer or other sports. |
21 | EMMA – A girls name is EM (No heart of E(XA)M) + MA (a degree). |
I’m not overfond of the use of ‘sparkler’ as an anagram indicator & took ages to get 6dn while Z8 was sat next to me chuckling in delight. Hence 6ac was my LOI.
My COD was 14ac – very nicely constructed!
Many thanks to Macavity for a lovely, clear blog.
Thanks for clear blog macavity. Share your enthusiasm for RAMBO, also enjoyed NIGHT AND DAY.
Edited at 2014-05-08 01:59 pm (UTC)
Edited at 2014-05-08 09:58 pm (UTC)
I feel using jargon gives the impression that there is almost elitism around here, and I would not wish to encourage that sort of behaviour on the blogs that I write.
Edited at 2014-05-09 07:40 am (UTC)
Actually managed to finish all except 2 (CREATE and MOOR), which I then managed with a bit of prompting from my other half reading from Macavity’s guide.
Very pleased! – Particularly after doing appallingly yesterday.
NIGHT AND DAY held me up a bit – I was pretty sure that was the answer but had no idea how to relate it to “Porter”. COD 23ac.
Thanks Macavity.
I had exactly the same problem as you with MORE but when I tried MOOR it all worked out. Hey, experts out there, is there a trick to knowing which sense of a word is the right one to use or do we just have to try it and see?
I finished the puzzle (two days on the trot!) but have to declare I had a little bit of help in the form of a couple of suggestions *blushes*. I struggled for ages with LIMBO instead of RAMBO — it made sense to me BM (part of Bob Marley, rewound) combined with OIL (film). I only changed it when I got CEDRIC.
Perhaps Othello is the defintion and he was a Moor.
Extra speaking is the word play. A synonym for extra is more which sounds like Moor.
So you’re stuck with Armenia I’m afraid.
May it be the first of many.
Why don’t you now register with the site so that we don’t have to know you as “anonymous”?
I’m on the same path (newbie, reading the blog religiously) so can totally imagine the sense of triumph!