Morning / evening all. Commencing this blog at Perth airport, will complete it at Sydney airport, with the dreaded red-eye flight in between. Consequently it might be a bit befuddled, but at least I'll be back in my favourite city.
The puzzle took me 6:51, placing it slightly on the tougher side of average. Could be because I prefer a few anagrams, and there are no full anagrams in this puzzle (there are three partial ones). Will be interested to see how others rate the level of difficulty.
Not too many obscurities today as far as I can see. I don't think I knew the cocktail, and the physicist didn't come to mind immediately, but I'm sure for many solvers they'll be write-ins. We all have our own obscurities.
Here's how I parsed it all. Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised. Then there's the answer IN BOLD, followed by the parsing of the wordplay. (ABC)* means 'anagram of ABC'.
The puzzle took me 6:51, placing it slightly on the tougher side of average. Could be because I prefer a few anagrams, and there are no full anagrams in this puzzle (there are three partial ones). Will be interested to see how others rate the level of difficulty.
Not too many obscurities today as far as I can see. I don't think I knew the cocktail, and the physicist didn't come to mind immediately, but I'm sure for many solvers they'll be write-ins. We all have our own obscurities.
Here's how I parsed it all. Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised. Then there's the answer IN BOLD, followed by the parsing of the wordplay. (ABC)* means 'anagram of ABC'.
Across | |
| 7 | Bargain haberdashery items taken back (4) |
| SNIP - PINS (haberdashery items) reversed (taken back) "Snip" for bargain might be UK-centric, but not unknown to some of us foreigners. The word is commonly used for a vasectomy these days. I'd think twice about trying to combine a vasectomy with a bargain. | |
| 8 | Sound of pleasure subsequently covering sound of disgust (8) |
| LAUGHTER - LATER (subsequently) "covering" UGH (sound of disgust) Neat clue. | |
| 9 | Help string player who's missed intro (6) |
| ASSIST - {B}ASSIST (string player) without the first letter (missed intro) Didn't we have this recently? Or was that in the 15 x 15? | |
| 10 | For altering, place that’s messy and cold (6) |
| FROSTY - (FOR)* + STY (place that's messy) | |
| 11 | Doctor Silver is a bore (4) |
| DRAG - DR (doctor) + AG (silver) Helps to know your chemical symbols in Crosswordland. I would think AG is one of the better-known ones. | |
| 12 | See about translation of bitter words in opera (8) |
| LIBRETTO - LO (see) about (BITTER)* | |
| 15 | Go overseas? Good to enter Arab state (8) |
| EMIGRATE - G (good) inside EMIRATE (Arab state) | |
| 17 | Choosea mountaineering accessory (4) |
| PICK - Double definition If there was an "Even Quicker" version of the Quicky, this clue would be in it. | |
| 18 | Suggestappearing on time (6) |
| PROMPT - Double definition | |
| 21 | Academic took in offer (6) |
| DONATE - DON (academic) + ATE (took in) | |
| 22 | Joker with trick taking in broadcasters etc. (8) |
| COMEDIAN - CON (trick) "taking in" MEDIA (broadcasters etc.) | |
| 23 | I'm taken aback about swamp (4) |
| MIRE - MI (I'm reversed) + RE (about) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Swedish physicist showing uneasiness over computer memory (8) |
| ANGSTROM - ANGST (uneasiness) over ROM (computer memory) An easy one if you know the guy. Not so easy otherwise. | |
| 2 | Letting go, suppressing a sudden pounce (6) |
| SPRING - SP{A}RING (letting go), "suppressing" A | |
| 3 | Ships— a good many brought in to replenish Armada, ultimately (8) |
| FLOTILLA - LOT (a good many) "brought in to" FILL (replenish) + A (Armada, ultimately) | |
| 4 | Some of fugitives turned up? Nonsense! (4) |
| GUFF - Reverse hidden (some, turned up) in oF FUGitives | |
| 5 | Most of crowd coming to English symbol of monarchy (6) |
| THRONE - THRON{G} (most of crowd) "coming to" E (English) | |
| 6 | OK to avoid some witticisms — time for another? (4) |
| JEST - OK removed from J{OK}ES (some witticisms) + T (time) "Another", as in another witticism. | |
| 13 | Bringing forthrefined behaviour (8) |
| BREEDING - Double definition | |
| 14 | Quiet, considerate attitude about one funerary ornament (8) |
| TACITURN - TACT (considerate attitude) about I (one) + URN (funerary ornament) COD, just because taciturn is such a good word. I must try to use it more often. | |
| 16 | Cocktail? I get agitated about small amount of liquid (6) |
| GIMLET - (I GET)* about ML (small amount of liquid) Gin and lime juice apparently. ML as in millilitre, which by most standards is a small amount. | |
| 17 | Father upset a bloke in region around canal (6) |
| PANAMA - PA (father) NAMA [A MAN (bloke)] upset | |
| 19 | Satisfactory after turning up gold chesspiece (4) |
| ROOK - OK (satisfactory) after RO [OR (gold), turning up] | |
| 20 | Suggestion about river jaunt (4) |
| TRIP - TIP (suggestion) about R (river) | |