A mostly excellent workout from Izetti which I predict will cause some new solvers a few problems. I certainly struggled with some parts of this and took well over my target of 15 minutes. There is a smattering of General Knowledge required (17a and 14d), unusual words for a crossword (e.g. 11a) and some fiddly surfaces and parsing. However, it is all fair and above board, and for this solver at least, proved a satisfying challenge, with some additions to my (admittedly limited) knowledge. Let’s hope that next time that perpetual canons raise their heads and sing that I’ll remember them from this outing.
CoD to 13 and WoD to INGROWING
Thanks Izetti. Good luck Leicester City tomorrow against the Gunners.
ACROSS
1. Walk is departing from heavenly garden (6)
PARADE– Paradise is reputed to be the Garden of Eden or Heaven. Take out IS as instructed PARAD{is}E
4. Material put in gap for astronaut (6)
SPACER– Double definition, the second one being a bit of a pun
8. Vast region – it’s tricky for detectives maybe (13)
INVESTIGATORS– Anagram (indicated by ‘tricky’) of [VAST REGION IT’S]
10. Little room with old instrument (5)
CELLO– A CELL could be a little room, with O{ld}
11. Gosh – birds clipped animals in the paddock (3-4)
GEE-GEES– GEE is an informal interjection expressing surprise, as is gosh. Birds clipped gives GEES{e}, clipped indicating to drop the final letter. GEE-GEES are what a child might call horses, but is also slang for horse racing and betting, which is where you would find animals in the paddock. This didn’t come naturally to me, but was all that I could see fitting the crossers.
12. Nail that hurts when one old and cold enters makeshift bed (6,5)
STUDIO COUCH– STUD is a nail, OUCH is what one may say when it hurts, and I (one) O{ld} and C{old} are ‘entered’ to give the answer. A STUDIO COUCH is a couch, often without a back, which can be converted into a bed.
16. Good Greek character penning study about Italian food (7)
GNOCCHI– G{ood} CHI (Greek character) ‘penning’ or containing CON or study (reversed or about) to give the small dumplings often made of potatoes that are beloved by Italians.
17. British statesman, a fool from what we hear (5)
BURKE– sounds like berk or burk (fool). The statesman was probably Edmund BURKE from Dublin (so actually Irish), but referred to as British probably as a result of his many years in London and as a Whig member of the House of Commons. It is claimed that he was the one that said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.
18. Rendering Frere Jacques say, or just messing about? (7,6)
PLAYING AROUND– I was unsure of what Frere Jacques had to do with PLAYING AROUND at first, but the answer is obvious from the definition. I looked it up later to discover that songs like this one (Sur Le pont D’Avignon is another one) are sung ‘in the round’, where ‘round’ means a minimum of three voices singing the same words, but starting at different times. This is also known as a perpetual canon.
19. Adage remaining with time passing (6)
SAYING– remaining is S{t}AYING, with T{ime} omitted or passing
20. Affair to be of consequence (6)
MATTER– Double definition
DOWN
1. Image-promotion in church for resident at palace? (6)
PRINCE– Image promotion gives PR, IN (in) CE (church) as in C{hurch of} E{ngland}. The question mark is to indicate that other residents of palaces are available, and PRINCE is just an example of the type.
2. Cleric on trial you worked out to be subversive type (13)
REVOLUTIONARY– Cleric is REV{erend} with an anagram (worked out) of [ON TRIAL YOU]
3. Party in Ireland is corrupt (5)
DISCO– hidden in {Irelan}D IS CO{rrupt}
5. Location upset old boy – it’s of no medical benefit (7)
PLACEBO– Location gives PLACE and O{ld} B{oy} is ‘upset’ or overturned.
6. Like some television critic could see, endlessly rattled (6-7)
CLOSED-CIRCUIT– For some reason it took me a long time to twig this, partly because I struggled with the surface. This turns out to be a straight-forward anagram, indicated by ‘rattled’, of [CRITIC COULD SE{e}], with the last letter of ‘see’ dropped (endlessly). Doh!
7. Hold out against dire sister to some extent (6)
RESIST– Hidden answer in {di}RE SIST{er} (to some extent)
9. One no good using an oar may be getting under one’s skin (9)
INGROWING– I (one) N{o} G{ood} and ROWING (using an oar)
13. Speech words to be taken down? No ta! (7)
DICTION– Words to be taken down could be dictation. No ta means miss out the TA to give DIC{ta}TION
14. Religious meals Georgia served up with mushy peas (6)
AGAPES– I had never heard of AGAPES, which are a feast in token of such love as that shown by early Christians, when contributions were made for the poor. However, ignorance proved no block as the answer obviously results from GA (Georgia), reversed (served up) with an anagram of [PEAS].
15. Boss in newspaper article (6)
LEADER– another double definition
17. Rumba dancing in what is now Myanmar (5)
BURMA– Anagram of [RUMBA] (dancing) to give the former name of the state now known as Myanmar
CoD to 13 and WoD to INGROWING
Thanks Izetti. Good luck Leicester City tomorrow against the Gunners.
ACROSS
1. Walk is departing from heavenly garden (6)
PARADE– Paradise is reputed to be the Garden of Eden or Heaven. Take out IS as instructed PARAD{is}E
4. Material put in gap for astronaut (6)
SPACER– Double definition, the second one being a bit of a pun
8. Vast region – it’s tricky for detectives maybe (13)
INVESTIGATORS– Anagram (indicated by ‘tricky’) of [VAST REGION IT’S]
10. Little room with old instrument (5)
CELLO– A CELL could be a little room, with O{ld}
11. Gosh – birds clipped animals in the paddock (3-4)
GEE-GEES– GEE is an informal interjection expressing surprise, as is gosh. Birds clipped gives GEES{e}, clipped indicating to drop the final letter. GEE-GEES are what a child might call horses, but is also slang for horse racing and betting, which is where you would find animals in the paddock. This didn’t come naturally to me, but was all that I could see fitting the crossers.
12. Nail that hurts when one old and cold enters makeshift bed (6,5)
STUDIO COUCH– STUD is a nail, OUCH is what one may say when it hurts, and I (one) O{ld} and C{old} are ‘entered’ to give the answer. A STUDIO COUCH is a couch, often without a back, which can be converted into a bed.
16. Good Greek character penning study about Italian food (7)
GNOCCHI– G{ood} CHI (Greek character) ‘penning’ or containing CON or study (reversed or about) to give the small dumplings often made of potatoes that are beloved by Italians.
17. British statesman, a fool from what we hear (5)
BURKE– sounds like berk or burk (fool). The statesman was probably Edmund BURKE from Dublin (so actually Irish), but referred to as British probably as a result of his many years in London and as a Whig member of the House of Commons. It is claimed that he was the one that said “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.
18. Rendering Frere Jacques say, or just messing about? (7,6)
PLAYING AROUND– I was unsure of what Frere Jacques had to do with PLAYING AROUND at first, but the answer is obvious from the definition. I looked it up later to discover that songs like this one (Sur Le pont D’Avignon is another one) are sung ‘in the round’, where ‘round’ means a minimum of three voices singing the same words, but starting at different times. This is also known as a perpetual canon.
19. Adage remaining with time passing (6)
SAYING– remaining is S{t}AYING, with T{ime} omitted or passing
20. Affair to be of consequence (6)
MATTER– Double definition
DOWN
1. Image-promotion in church for resident at palace? (6)
PRINCE– Image promotion gives PR, IN (in) CE (church) as in C{hurch of} E{ngland}. The question mark is to indicate that other residents of palaces are available, and PRINCE is just an example of the type.
2. Cleric on trial you worked out to be subversive type (13)
REVOLUTIONARY– Cleric is REV{erend} with an anagram (worked out) of [ON TRIAL YOU]
3. Party in Ireland is corrupt (5)
DISCO– hidden in {Irelan}D IS CO{rrupt}
5. Location upset old boy – it’s of no medical benefit (7)
PLACEBO– Location gives PLACE and O{ld} B{oy} is ‘upset’ or overturned.
6. Like some television critic could see, endlessly rattled (6-7)
CLOSED-CIRCUIT– For some reason it took me a long time to twig this, partly because I struggled with the surface. This turns out to be a straight-forward anagram, indicated by ‘rattled’, of [CRITIC COULD SE{e}], with the last letter of ‘see’ dropped (endlessly). Doh!
7. Hold out against dire sister to some extent (6)
RESIST– Hidden answer in {di}RE SIST{er} (to some extent)
9. One no good using an oar may be getting under one’s skin (9)
INGROWING– I (one) N{o} G{ood} and ROWING (using an oar)
13. Speech words to be taken down? No ta! (7)
DICTION– Words to be taken down could be dictation. No ta means miss out the TA to give DIC{ta}TION
14. Religious meals Georgia served up with mushy peas (6)
AGAPES– I had never heard of AGAPES, which are a feast in token of such love as that shown by early Christians, when contributions were made for the poor. However, ignorance proved no block as the answer obviously results from GA (Georgia), reversed (served up) with an anagram of [PEAS].
15. Boss in newspaper article (6)
LEADER– another double definition
17. Rumba dancing in what is now Myanmar (5)
BURMA– Anagram of [RUMBA] (dancing) to give the former name of the state now known as Myanmar