Several clues went in on a first pass and I thought this was going to be an easy one - I was wrong! Some clues were really satisfying - requiring building up sections of wordplay to eventually see the answer e.g. COD 1dn. Others stretched my abilities and time to complete (18 minutes) e.g. LOI 13dn. Then there were a couple of obscure ones (16ac, 18ac) and one (24 ac) which fooled me completely. I don't think I've had to reference Collins online quite as much before in order to complete this blog.
At the end of all this, I thoroughly enjoyed this tussle - so thanks to Hurley. I am wondering how newcomers will get along but I've made such comments on difficulty before only for others to see the answers straight away so, as always, I look forward to hearing of your experiences.
Definitions are underlined.
At the end of all this, I thoroughly enjoyed this tussle - so thanks to Hurley. I am wondering how newcomers will get along but I've made such comments on difficulty before only for others to see the answers straight away so, as always, I look forward to hearing of your experiences.
Definitions are underlined.
| Across | |
| 7 Maladroit, alas, I’m no famous smiler? (4,4) | |
|    MONA LISA - Anagram (maladroit) of ALAS IM NO. Well, the famous smiler is very well known so I suppose the clue may have been too easy with a normal anagram indicator. Maladroit is defined by Collins as 'showing or characterized by clumsiness; not dexterous' so Hurley is asking us to mess about clumsily with the word play. | |
| 8 Prices down in thisNorthern town? (4) | |
|    SALE - Double definition. | |
| 9 Fashionable tame animals round part of foot (6) | |
|    INSTEP - Fashionable (IN), tame animals (PETS) backwards (around). | |
| 10 Small walk leading to unoccupied area (5) | |
|    SPACE - Small (S), walk (PACE). An unoccupied area in a garden shed would be a space or, alternatively, and just as unlikely - “Space is big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist's, but that's just peanuts to space.” ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Now, you may say that Space IS occupied (by e.g. the Earth), but, according to my maths (which isn't very good but then nor is my astronomy), once you start messing about with infinity, the percentage of Space occupied by anything is zero so, sadly, we probably don't exist - which goes a long way to explaining a great deal. | |
| 11 Regularly retype for organ (3) | |
|    EYE - Regular letters of rEtYpE. | |
| 12 Bird not finishing beer (6) | |
|    BITTER - Bird (BITTERn) without the last letter (not finishing). No idea why this answer took me so long being familiar with both. | |
| 14 More insulting about daughter? This should give guidance (6) | |
|    RUDDEr - Well, you may know that I do like boaty answers. More insulting (RUDER) around daughter (D). 'I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky, and all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by'. I had thought of guidance more as which direction to go in, but guide is also defined as 'to control the movement or course of (an animal, vehicle, etc) by physical action; steer'. | |
| 16 Many for example embraced by celebrity (6) | |
|    LEGION - For example (EG) embraced by celebrity (LION). Hmmm - not overly familiar with this definition of lion but it's all good: 'a celebrity or idol who attracts much publicity and a large following'. | |
| 18 Set of programmes has notices about Rhode Island (6) | |
|    SERIES - Notices (SEES) around Rhode Island (RI). Hmmm again - just in case Hurley pulls this one again here's the full list of RI's from Collins: Regina et Imperatrix Rex et Imperator Rhode Island Royal Institution religious instruction (Republic of) Indonesia (international car registration) | |
| 19 Do the same asprimate (3) | |
|    APE - Double definition. | |
| 20 Youngster born with attitude getting name (5) | |
|    BAIRN - Born (B), attitude (AIR), name (N). Term used in Scotland and Northern England. | |
| 21 Colluders allowed to return following vehicle (6) | |
|    CARTEL - Allowed (LET) backwards (to return) after (following) vehicle (CAR). | |
| 23 Channel shunned by Duke showing restless desire (4) | |
|    ITCH - Channel (dITCH) without the 'D' (shunned by Duke). | |
| 24 Description of ring man heading off brought to Northern Ireland — extremely tacky (8) | |
|    ETERNITY - Man (we have to pick a male name out of a zillion - this one is PETER), take off the first letter (heading off), Northern Ireland (NI), first and last letters (extremely) of TackY. Having got the answer, I confess I was completely fooled by this clue. I was getting in a strop about a ring or circle having no end so could perhaps be described as eternal: 'denoting or relating to that which is without beginning and end, regarded as an attribute of God', rather than eternity: 'endless or infinite time' not just endless. An eternity later - whilst competing this blog - I realised that there are such things as eternity rings - doh! | |
| Down | |
| 1 Desire to include navy and leaders of private institutes in dance (8) | |
|    HORNPIPE - I got this by thinking navy (RN) and first letters (leaders) of Private Institutes and then working out that desire (HOPE), when fitted around, made a dance. A very satisfactory workout. Not having the first letter crossing other clues made this harder. | |
| 2 Interruption has annoyed lecturer, tetchy, just starting (4) | |
|    HALT - First letters (just starting) of Has Annoyed Lecturer Tetchy. | |
| 3 Small drink for each child (6) | |
|    NIPPER - Small drink (NIP - as in a nip of whisky rather than a sip), for each (PER). | |
| 4 Old ruler needing some vodka is erratic (6) | |
|    KAISER - The answer is in the clue (some) vodKA IS ERratic. | |
| 5 Douglas native perhaps one’s left with monarch (8) | |
|    ISLANDER - One's (IS), left (L), with (AND), monarch (ER). Douglas being the capital and largest town of the Isle of Man, with a population of 28,939 people (2011). | |
| 6 Rush from fine shelter (4) | |
|    FLEE - Fine (F - which came up last week - I particularly like F when applied as fine brandy), shelter (LEE). | |
| 13 Unyielding about incomplete bequest list in period of decline (8) | |
|    TWILIGHT - Unyielding (TIGHT - on the definition: 'not compliant, submissive, or flexible'), around bequest list (WILl) minus the last letter (incomplete). This isn't the end of day period and the quality of light (which I was starting to hmmmm about) but is defined by: 'a period in which strength, importance, etc, are waning ⇒ the twilight of his life'. | |
| 15 Blokes kept in by nasty sleet weather? (8) | |
|    ELEMENTS - Blokes (MEN) inside an anagram (nasty) of SLEET. | |
| 17 Northern worker at heart of best European port (6) | |
|    NANTES - Northern (N), worker (ANT), middle letters (heart) of bESt. | |
| 18 About to get involved in religious group — not many know it (6) | |
|    SECRET - About (RE) in religious group (SECT). Some obscurity with 'about' possibly being C and RE possibly being Religious Education. | |
| 20 The two clubs put off by poor quality repair (4) | |
|    BOTH - Poor quality repair (BOTcH) without the C (clubs put off). | |
| 22 Managed to overlook a thousand — highly offensive! (4) | |
|    RANK - Managed (RAN), over a thousand (K). | |