"Warning: today's DA #crossword goes across, down & around."
There were also a few clues about drunkenness and drink and some clues that referred to the "outer circle" Nina theme. I got half of the "outer circle" early on and the rest nearer the end. It reads from top to right side "BIG TOP CIRCUS," and the left side and bottom is "BARNUM BAI(L)EY," and I put the L is parentheses for a reason - in 22D the clue doesn't end in an L but a T. DA addresses this on Twitter, too "@andywain Damn - I changed CYMBAL at the proofing phase, neglecting the hidden ring! Throw me to the 15-across" Clever Andy for spotting it so early, shame the proof reader didn't as well.
I got a first look at this at 4pm after a busy day getting the Chifonie finished, Charity book drive with the Girl Guides at our local primary school and then getting my daughter back from her recent camp where although she was grumpy, shunning and wanted to be alone, I was just happy she was home again and kept my invading of her space to a minimum. She only yelled at me twice. Here's my pic:
7A - Boffin drops in, receiving call to succeed (5,3)
"Call to succeed," is our definition and lucky for me the clue was easy to parse or I would never have gotten this as I've never heard this phrase. "Boffin drops IN" = -IN = BOFF is a literal instruction. "receiving call" = RING, synonym of "call" which BOFF will "receive" to make: B(RING OFF) where I would say "Pull it off" instead.
9A - Shook tails on city road, switching to arterial (6)
"Arterial," is our definition and this was one of my first answers in, lightly penciled because I couldn't parse it. I'm solving this as I type: "shook tails" is a deletion instruction to remove the "tails" of "CITy ROAd" = CITROA and the "switching" means to reverse that to AORTIC. Previously I had "shook" as a synonym of "tic" and then reversed the tailed "road" but the word "city" wasn't being used so i knew that was off.
10A - Delicate but dangerous in Whitechapel (4)
I saw "Whitechapel" and thought Jack The Ripper. That wasn't right it turns out. A hint from DATer Gayle hinted "10A Whitechapel is in East London." and took a beat to twig Aha! It's a Cockney clue! This week has made me very aware that my knowledge of English geography is woeful. We want a five-letter word starting with H that means "dangerous" but when the H is removed means "delicate" it's HAIRY -H = AIRY.
11A - Will plump sine ratio reduce margins for elite cabal (10)
"Elite cabal," is our definition and reading the clue it has more than the usual cryptic gobbledegook (no offence) but "reduce margins" stands out an instruction. Looking again at "wILl pLUMp sINe rATIo" reveals ILLUMINATI.
12A - Chiselled Brahms and Liszt? (6)
Double definition where "Brahms and Liszt" is rhyming slang for "pissed" meaning drunk, the first in drunken sub-theme. We need a synonym for "chiselled" that is also a synonym (slangonym?) for drunk: RIPPED, as in muscular and/or drunk. I must have put in and erased six words, including "pissed" a dozen times. I'm surprised the paper didn't give way. Also "pissed" means angry in the USA so I often get confused when someone says "He was pissed!" and I wonder what made him so mad. Say "pissed as a fart/newt/parrot/priest" and I'll know what you mean.
14A - She delivers topless fashion for two queens (8)
I had most cross letters in place and couldn't get this. The closest I could find was "panderer" which was a synonym for a brothel's Madame which seemed not to work at all with the clue, and for good reason. It was wrong. I appealed to the DAT and nn replied "4a isn’t a madam and doesn’t have to be a she. He or she may have delivered unto Caesar." Then why put in "she" if only to torment people like me? Once freed from feminising the answer I could get "topless fashion" = TREND -T (not pasties or bikinis?) and I knew the "two queens" = ERER to make: RENDERER.
15A - Proclaim centre has employees of outer circle? (6)
"Employees of outer circle," is our definition and "proCLaim centre" = CL and "has" = OWNS to make CLOWNS. With this I got the top and right side of the "outer circle."
17A - Gutlessly fiddles employees of outer circle? (6)
"Employees of outer circle," is our definition again and "Gutlessly fiddles" means we want a synonym for "fiddles" but not the instrument, that we'll then remove the middle from which is TAMPERS - P = TAMERS.
20A - Seek to impress retro bloke, Almodovar, first to last (4-4)
"Seek to impress," is our definition and "retro bloke" = MAN reversed to NAM and "Almodovar, first to last" refers to PEDRO Almodovar the movie director, where we take the P in his name and put it to the end PEDRO - EDROP to make: NAME DROP.
22A - Old Irish name discovered back in 200 (6)
"Old Irish," is our definition and a "name" = TITLE that's "discovered, back" or has its first letter removed leaving ITLE then reversed to ELTI to be put "in 200" = CC to make C(ELTI)C.
23A - Belief in ideal place for court hub - it is on map, maybe (10)
"Belief in ideal place," is our definition and "coUrt hub" = U as it's the middle of the word "court" and then "it is on map, maybe" is fodder and anagrind to give us U(TOPIANISM)
24A - Ballet outfit overly mirrored in recital (4)
"Ballet outfit," is our definition and it didn't take much imagination to guess TUTU but from the clueing I don't know how I'd get there - is "overly" = TOO as in "too much" and "mirrored" means to double it (but not like TUUT?) and "in recital" is a homophone signpost.
25A - Kind male replacing boars' head on flag (6)
"Kind," is our definition and "male" = M which will be "replacing Boars' head" = B in a word for "flag" = BANNER -B to make MANNER.
26A - Marshals seize Part One, missing bars in outer circle (8)
This one - well all hidden word clues this week, I've mistaken for anagrams first and fumble around trying to make bits work when I only had to look closer and chill out a bit. "Bars in outer circle" is our definition and What is the point of "marshals" in this clue? It's such a perfect anagrind but it's not an anagrind - is it? Because "seize part, one missing" = SE(-I)ZEPART and when read backwards becomes TRAPEZE. Maybe marshal is just being general in saying "wrangle those letters in order!"
1D - Mastermind adjusted cabin air (8)
"Mastermind," is our definition and "adjusted cabin air" is anagrind and fodder to make BRAINIAC.
2D - Dark, small model exited to hug Korean leader (4)
"Dark," is our definition and I thought "small" was something like itty-bitty, incy-wincy, and then I thought "rinky-dink!" and I ignored the rest of the clue (having looked up many "Korean leaders" and then realising we only needed the K as the first letter) and guessed INKY. I now wonder if "small model" was actually referring to a Dinky toy, the model cars and "exited" (I only just noticed this is "exited" and not "excited" which I'd originally typed and read) wants us to remove the D? "Model" is usually a T so have I missed a word for small, with a T...ok I just got it. Shut up. Stop laughing. TINY -T with K inside makes IN(K)Y. Really, what is wrong with my head today?
3D - Threw old wig to lose it (2,4)
"To lose it," is our definition and "threw old wig" is anagrind and fodder to make GO WILD. Thank you easy clue, thank you.
4D - Apple producer cheers fervour (8)
"Apple producer." is our definition and "cheers" = TAS as the way we teach children to first say thank you by saying "Ta," then "fervour" = MANIA for TASMANIA. I didn't realise they were a major apple producer. I think I knew it once, but obviously forgot again.
5D - Royal House meets old PM with zest (6,4)
"Zest," is our definition and I got this with cross letters and then One Across. I don't know if this as clear as "old PM" = PEEL as in Robert Peel and "Royal House" = ORANGE for the royal house of Orange in Nassau.
6D - Hook into beer - beer needing head (6)
"Hook," is our definition and "beer" = PINT and "beer needing head" = ALE -A as it's needing a head, so currently must not have one, for LE making PINTLE which is kind of hooked car hitch.
8D - Drunk the last to quit bender, raising pivotal points (6)
"Pivotal points," is our definition and here "drunk, the last to quit" isn't hinting to drunkenness but means FULL -L, and a "bender, raising" isn't related to drinking either but is an ARC put in the grid backwards for a down clue to make FUL(CRA). I just googled the plural of "fulcrums" after finding out the definition on DAT and then solved the clue in reverse. I'd been looking for boozy drunken synonyms and getting no where.
13D - Roman goddess supporting a sniper in hiding (10)
"Roman goddess," is who we are looking for and "Supporting" = PRO and "a sniper in hiding" is partial fodder and anagrind to make PRO(SERPINA) I did have cross letters and looked up a list of Roman gods and godesses in wiki and found one who fit, then worked the clue in reverse.
16D - Go out of bar, roaring drunk in northern NSW (8)
We want a town in "northern NSW" but I do not know how to parse the answer NARRABRI. I had enough cross letters to deduce from a list of towns by post code which one would fit cross letters.
18D - Move to get important capital creator at your fingertips (5,3)
"Capital creator at your fingertips," is the definition and I struggled to break into this clue. "Move" = SHIFT and "important" = KEY to make a SHIFT-KEY which when pressed makes capital letters in text.
19D - Brace sharp edges against fluffy stuff (6)
"Brace," is our definition and "SharP edges" = SP and "fluffy stuff" = LINT to make a SPLINT
21D - Half-hearted insulator picked up technical shortcut (3-3)
18D's sister clue which I also didn't get. I also cannot parse this clue. Sorry. Answer is ALT-TAB
22D - Attack compiler, dressed warmly? (4,2)
"Attack," is our definition and "compiler" = ME as DA refers to himself, the compiler of this puzzle and that's "dressed" or held within something to make one warm is a COAT to make CO(ME) AT. I'd toyed with "ruff-up" as a version of "rough-up" or "rug-up" but wasn't thinking of the "come at me bro" kind of phrase.
24D - Cutesy online message curtailed (4)
"Cutesy" is our definition and an "online message curtailed" = TWEET - T for TWEE.
All done except for parsing 21D and16D. A lot of misdirection with extra words and commas. I haven't had a chance to finish the Enigmatist yet except for the first three across clues. I found my early success began to falter and then I just went to my bed. It was a big day yesterday.
As always if you have solutions to share I'd love to see them and if you had some diverting rabbit holes I'd love to know about them too. Have a great weekend!
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