An excellent challenge from MUDD today! Several fantastic clues peppered all over the grid and a real treat for someone wanting to bite into tantalizing cryptic crosswords.
I started off quite slowly (only 3-4 unconnected clues on first pass) and was really struggling until I solved 6d and started making rapid progress from there.
FF: 10 DD: 9
| Across | ||
| 1 | PALISADE |
Reportedly, equerry is a fence (8)
Sounds like PALACE AIDE (descriptive of an equerry) |
| 5 | GRATIS |
Initially, green grass is free (6)
G (Green, initially) RAT (grass, informer) IS |
| 9 | CUSTOMER |
Client requires order in general (8)
OM (order, Order of Merit) in CUSTER (General, Amercian Civil War) |
| 10 | JUST SO |
Gravy tastes simply outstanding for starters – that’s as it should be (4,2)
JUS (gravy) TSO (Tastes Simply Outstanding, starting letters) |
| 12 | LODGE |
Stick first of dates in diary before heading for engagement (5)
[ D (first of Dates) in LOG (diary) ] E (heading for Engagement) |
| 13 | SNOWDRIFT |
Wind or winds with us, evidence of wintry weather (9)
Anagram (wind) of OR WINDS with FT (us, where this puzzle appears) |
| 14 | STONED |
Are cherries so steeped in alcohol? (6)
Cryptic clue, unpitted cherries. |
| 16 | HERRING |
Fish going off past mouth of Humber (7)
ERRING (going off) past H (mouth of Humber) |
| 19 | UNHORSE |
Throw her and us on ground (7)
Anagram of HER US ON |
| 21 | COP OUT |
Sulky look by company in an avoidance of responsibility (3-3)
CO (company) POUT (sulky look) |
| 23 | SOMMELIER |
Expert waiting, one down in the WWI trenches? (9)
Another wicked clue ! The Battle of Somme was one of the largest WW1 battles fought by Britain and France against Germany. Trench warfare in WW1 was a big defensive strategy. In relation to the clue itself, LIER can describe one who is/lies down and SOMME is one place where WWI trenches can be found.
|
| 25 | MANSE |
Some clergyman’s estate (5)
&lit, hidden in “…clergyMAN’S Estate.” |
| 26 | EAGLET |
Bird still in nest, damaged leg wrapped in down (6)
Anagram of LEG in EAT (down) |
| 27 | MUSCADEL |
Wine calmed us when tipsy (8)
Anagram of CALMED US – Elegant surface! |
| 28 | LATEST |
Most recent audition in Hollywood? (6)
LATEST can be read as L.A TEST (descriptive of an audition in Hollywood, Los Angeles). My alternative &lit parsing is that it sounds like (audition being the homonym indicator) as LAY TEST (or what amateurs would do to get a role in a movie ). |
| 29 | STRAINER |
Small shoe, one full of holes (8)
S (small) TRAINER (shoe) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | PICKLE |
Preserve is jam (6)
Double def |
| 2 | LAST DITCH |
Desperate abandoned child sat clutching toy at the outset (4-5)
Anagram of CHILD SAT T (Toy, at the outset) |
| 3 | SPOKE |
Rod gave a lecture (5)
Double def |
| 4 | DRESSED |
Up and ready to go, as a crab may be? (7)
Cryptic clue |
| 6 | ROUND TRIP |
Ticket there and back torn up, I’d moved south of Russian capital (5,4)
Anagram of TORN UP ID |
| 7 | TUTTI |
Old king and the infant leaders play together (5)
TUT (old king) TI (The Infant, starting characters) |
| 8 | SHORTAGE |
Want to share shifts? Good to get involved (8)
Anagram of TO SHARE with G (good) |
| 11 | BOSH |
Sound artist? Nonsense! (4)
Sounds like BOSCH (Hieronymus Bosch, dutch painter. Wiki) |
| 15 | NERVELESS |
Calm upstanding figure maintaining order finally on ship (9)
[ NEVELE (reverse of ELEVEN, upstanding figure) maintaining R (ordeR finally) ] on SS (ship) |
| 17 | IGUANODON |
I had to collect dung, taking on old lizard (9)
[I’D (I had) collecting GUANO (dung, of seabirds usually) ] ON – A former inhabitant of our planet. Wiki. |
| 18 | NUTSHELL |
Brief facts in this infernal madness? (8)
NUTS (madness) HELL (~infernal) – madness possibly also indicates the exchange of positions for HELL and NUTS going by the clue direction. |
| 20 | EVIL |
Bad as it happens, but looking up? (4)
Reverse of LIVE (as it happens) |
| 21 | CORRUPT |
Beastly sound arising in bed for doctor (7)
COT (bed) containing reverse of PURR (beastly sound, arising) – Loved this clue! |
| 22 | MEDLAR |
Hallucinogenic dream about large fruit (6)
Anagram of DREAM around L (large) |
| 24 | MIGHT |
Power a little bit vocal (5)
Sounds like MITE (a little bit) |
| 25 | MOCHA |
Talk about someone who ridicules coffee (5)
Sounds like MOCKER (someone who ridicules) |
A treat indeed – thank you Paul and Turbolegs
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs. Failed on SOMMELIER and NERVELESS but enjoyed it all, PALISADE being the favourite.
Your alternative parsing of LATEST/lay test made me think instead of the casting couch, not just for amateurs. Bad me.
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs.
6dn: Small point, but I think this really needs to be anagram of TORN UP ID following R, to fit the indicator “south of”.
Thanks all for the comments.
Urieka@2 – Your comment made me chuckle! I hadn’t thought of it that way….
PB@3 – Of course, you are right. Thanks.
Cheers
Yes, agree with your verdict, Turbolegs.
That said, I don’t see why this puzzle is better than other Mudds – he’s always reliable.
The reason I post this comment is the clue for 11d (BOSH).
Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch painter and because I am Dutch, I am afraid I do not pronounce his name as a homophone of BOSH.
In the Netherlands it is pronounced as ‘boss’.
‘Bosch’ is an archaic word meaning ‘wood’ or ‘forest’. Somewhere in the second half of the 20th century a lot of words ending in SCH were changed by deleting CH. Therefore, nowadays ‘bosch’ = ‘bos’.
The CH had and has no influence on the pronunciation – unlike for Germans.
I do not blame Mudd because, since my arrival in the UK, I have noticed that in this country a lot of foreign words are not pronounced as they perhaps should.
Anglification is the word [if that’s a word …. 🙂 ].
Along those same lines, I had to come here to parse MOCHA. I could not figure out what a MOKER (rhymes with smoker) could be. I have figured out the “uh” sounds = “er” but I had not heard the soft O sound for mocha before.
At any rate, realize no one is likely to see this at this late hour, but great time with this. Always enjoy Mudd. Thanks to him and the detailed blog, Turbolegs.
Sil @5, I don’t think BOSCH has been ‘Anglified’, it has been ‘Germanified’.
P.S. I think it has been ‘Anglified’ in boscage (also boskage) and bosky, like Schule has become school.
Thanks Mudd and Turbolegs
It may have been the late hour, but was able to finish this in half an hour which I’ve never come close to with any of JH’s crosswords before. Am sure that when one is nearly overtired or in a similar mental state, the pathway to lateral thinking must be opened up. Wonder if anyone else experiences this?
Anyway, was a really enjoyable puzzle from Mr Consistency. Had spelt IGUANODON with 2 A’s instead if 2 O’s originally and tried to have ‘dung’ as a part of the anagram fodder. After correcting the spelling, GUANO leapt out.
Didn’t equate ‘down’ to EAT until coming here – but so obvious now!
PALACE AIDE made me smile as did STONED. Also laughed when I read the alternate parsing of 28a by Ureika. 🙂