Well, thought provoking for a former psych major like myself where it's "cigars and lollies" all the time. Did they have to use a crazy eyes picture? Poor DA. When are they bringing Letters and Numbers back?! I loved that show. I loved the UK version, Countdown, too. Bring that show back, please.
I made the effort to set time aside for this and what did we get - a themed puzzle full of across clues lacking definition. Oh come on! The first way to tackle a cryptic clue is to discern which end has the definition then work backwards. No definition? All clueing? They better be nice lollies, is all I'm saying. If it's all Minties I'll be pissed off. And by "Minties" I mean a cricket theme.
Of course, because of 7D I thought - it's a fucking cricket puzzle isn't it. I'm so jaded - I pulled up my cricket glossary and got to work focussing on the down clues; the ones with a definition. I got 13D first, then 5D. 21D was gorgeous - loved it. 16D was a firm guess. That got me the downs for the SW corner. With a hint from Gayle for 10,15A "10/15 A You’ve probably got ‘and so on preceding’ .. My take for letters 4 to 11 is a synonym for plot (as verb, although I see it as a verb usually associated with a plot) containing a shortened word for bias as in slant." and said "Yes, I think it's ETC...hey!" and the lightbulb went off and I got the answer. Nothing crickety? Then I looked over at 23D and thought 23A's 6-letter word could be TOMATO...looked closer... POTATO HEAD? I looked up at 12A and MISTER was working: MISTER POTATO HEAD?! I was joyous! It's not a cricket puzzle. Closed off the glossary and got stuck in. Confident the theme was toys, 22,25A fell into place, then 20A. Like dominoes, bliss.
I still used a lot of the clues from the D.A. Trippers but here's my final effort:
NB - All Across answers share a theme, and thus go undefined. Down clues are normal.
8A - Tom possibly sees a loss in deposit (8)
"Tom" = CAT and I think "sees A" = A but "Loss in deposit" I think is to put the L from "loss" into PUT for "deposit" to give CAT+A+PU(L)T. I'm not completely confident on that solution.
9A - Supporter cuts tree facing west (6)
"Supporter" is commonly BRA and "tree" = ELM. The instruction "cuts tree facing west" means ELM is being cut into BRA and the words are reversed to give M(ARB)LE.
10, 15A- Bias briefly stops plot, and so on, preceding (4-1-6)
I got this one second of the across clues and I had the "and so on preceding" as ETC, with 2D filled so 10A = ETCH, "bias briefly" = ASKEW -W, I'm not sure on the "stops plot" = TCH, It could be as a plot of land = PATCH -PA but how to remove the PA isn't there so I'm not confident. Answer is ETCH-A-SKETCH.
11A - Old Scot, one in sleeper's position? (10)
Blah! I spent too much time time thinking of synonyms for taxes. Not until Mort at DAT said "CC, re 11A, the old Scot is not a celt but another four-letter word." You mean Scot means Scot? Well frick. If not a celt then it's a PICT. I'd scribbled notes about "one in sleeper's position" as FETAL+I but that was wrong (I still think it was a good guess) and the next letter is "one" = I. Getting the last part isn't as easy. "Sleeper's position" isn't a sleeping person. It could be a railway sleeper and the answer could be "ON A RailwaY" but where is the instruction to remove those middle letters? RY isn't an abbreviation for railway. No idea. Answer is PICTIONARY. Edit* I've been humbly corrected by Qix @Crypticqix on Twitter "in 11a, RY *is* an abbreviation for railway. RY for railway is used quite a lot; it's in Chambers dictionary, which is useful to have, at least for UK crosswords." Going to get me one of those. My Oxford one is a bit ratty, now I look at it.
12,23A - Film tape heard to twist around spool? (6,6-4)
I got this from cross letters and theme - which was lucky because the clue is bloody hard. "Film" = MIST (not movie film but icky, dirty film; like soap scum) "tape heard to twist" is fodder+anagrind and we need to add a "spool" = O (because spools are round?) to give us:
MIST(ER POTAT(O) HEAD) I'll be adding "spool" = O to my list of things to know.
17A - Kiss supports its own genre? (3,4)
I had first guessed this would be PET ROCK from the theme but some of the DATs clues made me think it was something else like GLAM ROCK but what's a three-letter word for Glam? No we just needed to know "Kiss" = ROCK without any further expression. I'm less sure about how we get PET except it was a fad toy and it fits the enumeration.
20A - Radio welcomes live audience (4,4)
With cross letters and theme I got this. Radio could be AM, FM, HAM or CB and here we want CB. "Welcomes live" = ARE to be inserted into CB and "audience" = EAR to give C(ARE)B(EAR). Don't stare at them or they'll belly barf rainbows on you.
24,14A - Flexing all set to lead run inside (4,8)
I did not get this one. And until I just broke this down on paper I didn't get it because the "lead" part was screwing me up. "Flexing all set" is anagrind+partial fodder. "run" = RACE. I had to put the answer SLAP BRACELET next to those letters to find my leftovers: PB for "lead"...completely forgetting atomic symbols. I was thinking CEO and PRES and that kind of lead. I hate getting caught out...moving on.
25,22A - League melee erupted within two secs (6,2,4)
I got this with cross letters and theme. The word "melee" caught me at first as an anagrind, but it's really fodder with "erupted" as the anagrind. MELEE is to be put "between two secs" like "just a TICK" and "just a MOment" for (TICK)LE ME EL(MO), so what is the point of "League?"
26A - 7 in 10 don't stretch (8)
I love this clue! Very must thinking outside the box. My first thought was candlepin bowling with a 7-10 split but that's very New England and probably not here in this puzzle. You can see in my puzzlepic I wrote out the the words because the clue isn't saying "don't stretch", it's saying me must stretch seveNINTENDOnt to get NINTENDO.
1D - Leads right into killer's grasp (8)
I didn't get this and I'm struggling to make sense of it even now with the answer CAPTAINS. I see "Leads" is the definition but which "right" if not the letter R is going "into" which "killer's grasp?" For the longest time I was sure this was "clutches" but but the I in12A scuppered that. I can see TAIPANS which are killer snakes with a C on top but I don't think that's the answer. Looking back to the DATs, Sandy says "The killer is biblical. Included is a word for right, in the sense of correct." so CAINS + APT? C(APT)AINS.
2D- Tender man in black? (4)
Sweet clue. My first thought on "man in black" was Westley from The Princess Bride. With "Tender" as the definition and it meaning as a form of payment, the "man in black" became CASH, as in Johnny Cash. On googling I find there's a stage show about his life also titled Man in Black.
3D - Part of pinball delivery (6)
I'm not sure of this as a cryptic clue, I read it more as a straight clue and got BUMPER listing through parts of pinball machines.
4D - Doggedly support criticism over extra report (5,2)
"Doggedly support" is the definition. "Criticism" = STICK and "extra report" = BY is that for "byline" or "by product" I'm not sure. Edit* I'm told by Qix @CrypticQix via Twitter that "In 4d BY is a homophone of "bye" (an extra in, yup, cricket)" Curses! Put the glossary away too soon. Thanks Qix!
5D - I'm up snarling fury at refereeing (8)
"Refereeing" is the definition. "Im up snarling" is fodder+anagrind and "fury at" = IRATE for UMPIRATE. I'd first put in "Umpiring" following the line of the clue which made 17A rather hard to solve for a long time. Edit* Didn't realise I put the wrong ending in after all that Thanks Robin for pointing this out "5D UMPIRATE needs you to use the I twice. Try RAGE " Correct answer as show in the key is UMPRAGE.
6D - Borneo climber course lost newbie, initially, in orchard (6,4)
"In orchard" is the definition and a "Borneo climber" is an ORANGUTAN and I'm a bit confused with "course lost" = -UTA "Newbie initially" = -N as well. The whole answer becomes ORANGE TREE.
7D - Latest among our cricket 1-down seen dunking hands in soap? (6)
I didn't get this. I'm guessing it has something to do with Michael CLARKE? does "soap" = CAKE and "hands" = L&R for left and right being put into CAKE? C(L)A(R)KE? I'm going with that.
13D - He kept arms stacked in tourist venues (5,5)
"Tourist venues" is our definition and "he kept arms stacked" is fodder+anagrind to give is : THEME PARKS.
16D - Amerindian rancher operated off average estate limits (8)
"Amerindian" is the definition and we're looking for a tribe. I got the "EstatE limits" = EE for the outer limits of the word "estate". I can see that "average" = OK, but how "Rancher operated" CHER I'm unsure. I had noticed in the words "ranCHER Operated" are the letters we want but there's no hidden word indication that I recognise. CHEROKEE is the answer. Here, being a Yank came in handy.
18D - Mark, as seen here, and Don mugged marauder (8)
"Marauder" is the definition and "Mark, as seen here," is being very literal - what marks do we see? COMMA "Don mugged" is fodder+anagrind to give us COMMA(NDO).
19D - Kinky Fergie scandal essentially liberating (7)
"Kinky Fergie" is anagrind+fodder to which we add "scaNdal essentially" where "essentially" means to look at the heart of "scandal" for the N. Mix FERGIE+N to get FREEING for "liberating"
21D - Blondie hit Britpop's kitten? (6)
Sweet clue! We want a Blondie hit and I saw "kitten" and knew TOM meant ATOMIC but where did the AIC come from? Not until I was enlightened by Andy at DAT "Def first two words. Then a british pop girl band …… kitten. " knowing the band Atomic Kitten. Great double definition.
22D - I'm beside myself drinking in holy city (6)
"Holy city" is the definition and "I'm beside myself drinking in" is ME+DA+IN where the setter DA is beside himself but done this way: MED(IN)A.
24D - Look for software starter - a mouse! (4)
"Look for" is the definition and "Software starter" = S and EEK! A mouse! for SEEK.
Done! Help for 1D, the BY part of 4D and the RY part of 11A appreciated. Going to be full-on Springtime today so I'm happy to have this done before Noon (just) and I'm getting to the beach. Enjoy your weekend, get some fresh air.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Have a crack