Owing to difficulties accessing the puzzle, I am posting this blog somewhat later than is customary, for which I apologise.
Radian has conjured up our daily dose of lexical gymnastics this Tuesday. I hadnt solved or blogged a puzzle by Radian for quite some time, so my interest was sparked as soon as I saw that todays puzzle was his work.
For me, this was a typical Radian in terms of level of difficulty, with the usual handful of clues with particularly devilish wordplay holding me up at the end. For example, I could not for the life of me work out what was to be the definition in 11, which was not helped by the fact that the entry turned out to be a new expression for me. Similarly, I realised that at 13 we were probably looking for one of those Irish parties whose names are spelt very differently from how they are pronounced, at least to an English speaker/reader; however, I couldnt quite tease out the correct spelling from the wordplay and needed to search Google to find the name and how it is written, and then work back from the solution to understand the wordplay.
My favourite clues today were 15, for making me smile and 28, for its surface. I also enjoyed 12 and 26, although I only very vaguely knew the former. 20 was also tricky, in that the type of arch was probably unfamiliar to the average solver.
*( ) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | PLAY-DOH | Music teachers instruction in kids compound?
A music teacher might tell his pupil to play the note doh; Play-Doh is a malleable substance (=compound) used by children to make shapes, figures, etc |
| 05 | SHADOWS | Bill visits exhibitions for dogs
AD (=bill, poster) in SHOWS (=exhibitions); to shadow is to dog, follow closely |
| 09 | OUTRE | Weird old note found among European coins
UT (=old note, in music, generally superseded by doh) in ORE (=European coins, i.e. the Swedish öre or the Danish/Norwegian ųre) |
| 10 | RESECTION | Surgical procedure devised in secret without oxygen
O (=oxygen) in *(IN SECRET); devised is anagram indicator; a resection is a surgical procedure involving the cutting away of all or part of an organ |
| 11 | PRIME MOVER | As main source of energy and power runner holds record
P (=power) + [MEMO (=record) in RIVER (= runner, i.e. something that runs (through a city)); the prime mover is the main cause or instigator of an action or project, hence main source of energy, driving force |
| 12 | MEME | Coinage thats copied and conveyed by some means
Hidden (conveyed by) in soME MEans; a meme is a belief or practice passed on by other than genetic means, the cultural equivalent of a gene |
| 14 | FAVOURITISM | Virtuosi played in Fame mostly showing bias
*(VIRTUOSI) in FAM<e> (mostly means last letter dropped; played is anagram indicator |
| 16 | MENDELSSOHN | Fix new lesson about overture to Hebrides by him
MEND (=fix) + [H<ebrides> (overtures means opening letter only) in *(LESSON)]; new is anagram indicator; the reference is to German composer Felix Mendelssohn ( 1809-47), composer of the overture The Hebrides (1830) |
| 21 | ELAN | Three notes displaying panache
E (=musical note) + LA (=musical note) + N (=note) = three notes |
| 22 | SCARLATINA | Damage tongue, getting a disease
SCAR (=damage) + LATIN (=tongue) + A |
| 25 | SEDITIOUS | Subversive publication cut in southern states
EDITIO<n> (=publication; cut means last letter dropped) in [S (=southern) + US (=States)] |
| 26 | AZTEC | One pursued by rampant Cortez, robbed of gold
A (=one) + *(C<or>TEZ); robbed of gold (=or) means letters or are dropped from anagram, indicated by rampant; the reference is to Hernando Cortés (Cortez), who conquered Mexico for Spain in the 16th century, hence & lit. |
| 27 | DODDERY | Unsteadily moving more rum inside Derrys walls
ODDER (=more rum) in D<err>Y (walls means first and last letters only) |
| 28 | SOLD OUT | No seats left picked up only reservation
Homophone (picked up, heard) of sole doubt (=only reservation, misgiving) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | PROMPT | Quick // cue // in concert part
A double definition and wordplay form this clue! PROM (=concert) + PT (=part) |
| 02 | ALTAIR | Stars key broadcast
ALT (=key, on computer keyboard) + AIR (=broadcast, as verb); Altair is a first-magnitude star in the constellation Aquila) |
| 03 | DIESEL FUEL | Bungled selfie during contest for power source
*(SELFIE) in DUEL (=contest); bungled is anagram indicator |
| 04 | HARPO | Dumb actor had a way of speaking in house
[A + RP (=way of speaking, i.e. Received Pronunciation) in HO (=house)]; the reference is to Harpo Marx of the Marx Brothers, who played the silent (=dumb) character in many of their films |
| 05 | SOSTENUTO | Urgent call to put over fresh tune to be played smoothly
*(TUNE) in [SOS (=urgent call) + TO]; fresh is anagram indicator |
| 06 | ARCH | A Vatican fan meets Hearts supporter
A + RC (=Vatican fan, i.e. Roman Catholic) + H (=hearts, in cards); an arch is a supporter of weight in architecture |
| 07 | OLIVE OIL | I love bananas in crude fruit juice
*(I LOVE) in OIL (=crude); bananas is anagram indicator |
| 08 | SUNBEAMS | Local star sends out old cars
SUN (=local star, of the Earth) + BEAMS (=sends out, broadcasts); Sunbeam is a former British car manufacturer |
| 13 | FIANNA FAIL | Party founder follows racing with girl
F1 (=racing, Formula One) + ANNA (=girl) + FOUNDER (=fail, as verb); Fianna Fįil is the Republican Party in Ireland |
| 15 | VASECTOMY | See girl touring Tesco, frantic for snip
V (=see, from v(ide)) + [*(TESCO) in AMY (=girl)]; frantic is anagram indicator |
| 16 | IMMERSED | Was about to explode, head pushed down, getting ducked
S-IMMERED (=was about to explode); head pushed down means first letter here s occupies a later position in the word |
| 17 | UNHANDED | Let go worker in nude, cavorting
HAND (=worker) in *(NUDE); cavorting is anagram indicator |
| 19 | BISTRO | Writer enjoys second time in restaurant
[S (=second) + T (=time)] in BIRO (=writer) |
| 20 | LANCET | Sort of 6 // used in 10?
Double definition: a lancet is a sort of (narrow, pointed) arch (=entry at 6) AND a surgical instrument for cutting, which might be used in e.g. resection (=entry at 10) |
| 23 | RUSES | Resolution to mask American ploys
US (=American) in RES (=resolution) |
| 24 | STYE | It impairs vision in first year
Hidden (in) in firST YEar |
I do not think 12 is &lit because it has a clear definition part, then another part which holds the hidden word.
26 I think is one, although you can argue about the spelling of Cortes/ Cortez if you really want to š
A nice puzzle.
Thanks, RR, for a great blog and Radian for another lovely puzzle.
Favourite clues: 26ac – with no wish to argue about the spelling:
“Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star’d at the Pacific and all his men
Look’d at each other with a wild surmise
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.”
– if it’s good enough for Keats it will do me – 15dn, which really made me laugh, as I usually shudder at the mention of Tesco, and 27 and 28ac.
I didn’t manage to parse FIANNA FAIL, though I did know how to spell it, but I wasn’t too upset that I didn’t get F1 = racing but miffed that I didn’t spot founder = fail.
I enjoyed this puzzle. FIANNA FAIL was my LOI, initially from definition only, although I did manage to parse it afterwards. I agree that the clue for MEME is not an &lit.
Yes, I see what you mean about the & lit. at 12 – I suppose I was distracted by the fact that the transmission IS by other than genetic means. I will amend the blog accordingly.
Not too difficult, though some help required (and not always obtained as my wordfinder didn’t have MEME) and quite a few parsings took a while to work out.
Thanks, Eileen, for the Keats quote – from “On first looking into Chapman’s Homer” if I remember correctly; I must go and look it up.
And thanks to Radian and RatkojaRiku.
Spotted quite a few musical references in clues and answers eg. Music teacher, three notes, virtuosi, Mendelssohn. And this alerted me to the musical notes appearing in order in the across answers in the grid.
Well spotted, Anna! – thank you! [And, for me, a big Doh – I had been looking! š ]
Yes well spotted Anna! Actually, the notes appear twice in most rows! A very, very late thanks to Radian for a terrific puzzle and to RR for a great blog.