It’s been a while since I blogged an Anax crossword .
I’ve always found Anax’s puzzles require a good deal of lateral thinking and I get a great deal of satisfaction from completing them.
There were three words in the grid today that I don’t use on a regular basis. These were MISCEGENATED (14 across), WICKIUP (24 across) and ELYTRA (27 across). The latter was clearly indicated as a hidden word and I deduced the anagram of the first once the crossing letters were in place. It was the C and G that I had left and CEG seemed a more likely combination than GEC For WICKIUP, I got the ending IUP fairly quickly but it looked fairly odd. I didn’t know that WICK was dialect for a farm and had to resort to dictionaries to finish the clue.
I also had to do a bit of research to confirm that Iris Murdoch had written a novel entitled THE BELL rather than THE ROLL but again the wordplay was logical.
Anax usually produces some good long anagrams and today’s puzzle was well stocked in that respect.
My favourite clue today were the ones for TWO PEAS IN A POD (10 down) and UMBRELLA (17 down)
With any puzzle that has some obscure words, I get the feeling that there must be a theme elsewhere in the grid. That is the case with this puzzle, but without an online nudge last night I would never have got the theme in a month of Sundays. The theme relates to the American pop punk band All Time Low formed in 2003. A number of the groups album tracks are alluded to in the grid. These are, in no particular order, UMBRELLA, FORGET ABOUT IT, TIME-BOMB, BACK-SEAT SERENADE, The RECKLESS and the BRAVE, For BALTIMORE
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Most of the people in old country (6)
|
THE excluding the last letter (mostly) E + RACE (people)
|
THRACE (historical and geographic area in southeast Europe, centred on the modern borders of Bulgaria, Greece, and Turkey; old country) |
|
4
|
Private kills time, having become old (8)
|
OFFS (kills in American slang) + T (time) + AGE (become old)
|
OFFSTAGE (not visible to the audience; private)
|
|
9
|
Detective’s brother – "I haven’t lost the plot!" (7)
|
MY CROFT (a small plot of arable land that I own, i.e. I haven’t lost ther plot)
|
MYCROFT (Christian name of the elder brother of Sherlock Holmes; detective’s brother)
|
|
11
|
One defending a knob of butter, say? (7)
|
RAM (an animal that butts; a butter) + PART (a knob could be considered to be a PART of something bigger)
|
RAMPART (a flat-topped defensive mound; that which defends)
|
|
12
|
US city dish with spice added (9)
|
BALTI (a kind of Indian cookery originating in Britain, usually involving many spices) + MORE (added)
|
BALTIMORE (city in Maryland, Untied States)
|
|
13
|
Bachelor party challenge (5)
|
B (bachelor) + RAVE (party)
|
BRAVE (defy; challenge)
|
|
14
|
Of mixed descent, e.g. I am (12)
|
Anagram of (mixed) DESCENT EG I AM MISCEGENATED* |
MISCEGENATED (of mixed race; of mixed descent) possibly an &Lit clue
|
|
18
|
How to make oarsmen use force (5,4,3)
|
TWIST ONES ARM (if you TWIST [make an anagram of] the letters in ONES ARM you will generate the word OARSMEN)
|
TWIST ONES ARM (persuade with force)
|
|
21
|
Gutted, like a social outcast (5)
|
LE (the letters that remain in LIKE when the central letters IK are removed [gutted]) + PER (for each or a)
|
LEPER (social outcast)
|
|
22
|
I may not like it – starter of prawns in squid (9)
|
(IT + P [first letter of {starter of} PRAWNS]) contained in (in) NICKER (pound sterling [squid can be defined similarly]) N (IT P) ICKER |
NITPICKER (one who indulges in petty criticism of minor items; one who may not like it)
|
|
24
|
On local farm, I finished simple hut (7)
|
WICK (dialect word [local] for farm) + I + UP (finished)
|
WICKIUP (a Native American hut constructed with an oval frame and covered with grass or mats.)
|
|
25
|
Goddess replacing one in tall story by Iris (3,4)
|
TALL with HEBE (daughter of Zeus and Hera in Greek mythology) replacing A (one) T (HE BE) LL |
THE BELL (1958 story by Iris Murdoch)
|
|
26
|
It’s cool to cover commercial song (8)
|
SERENE (calm; cool) containing (to cover) AD (advertisement; commercial) SEREN (AD) E |
SERENADE (song)
|
|
27
|
Some entirely transparent wings (6)
|
ELYTRA (hidden word in [some] ENTIRELY TRANSPARENT)
|
ELYTRA (beetles’ forewings)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Dangerous situation black gangsters produce when upset (4,4) |
(B [black, when describing pencil lead] + MOB [gangsters] + EMIT [produce]) all reversed [upset] (TIME BOM B)< |
TIME BOMB (a phrase used to describe dangerous situation)
|
|
2
|
Spots, but not following small rash (8)
|
FRECKLES (spots) excluding (not) F (following) + S (small)
|
RECKLESS (rash)
|
|
3
|
Flowers in jar, but not in full one (5)
|
CROCK (jar) excluding the final letter (not in full) K + I (one)
|
CROCI (flowers, a less common but acceptable plural of CROCUS)
|
|
5
|
Worried if too great, but no worries (6,5,2)
|
Anagram of (worried) IF TOO GREAT BUT FORGET ABOUT IT* |
FORGET ABOUT IT (no worries)
|
|
6
|
Turning up reverb, I’m essentially holding long note (9)
|
SEMIBREVE (reversed (turning up; down clue] hidden word in [holding] REVERB I’M ESSENTIALLY) SEMIBREVE< |
SEMIBREVE (a note equivalent to four crotchets; long note)
|
|
7
|
A museum thanks leader for religious icon (6)
|
A + VA (Victoria and Albert Museum) + TA (thanks) + R (first letter of [leader for] RELIGIOUS)
|
AVATAR (a movable three-dimensional image used to represent someone in cyberspace; computer icon)
|
|
8
|
Book for Nancy is incomplete present (6)
|
EST (French [Nancy is a town in France] for IS) + (HERE [present] excluding the final letter [incomplete] E)
|
ESTHER (book of the Old Testament)
|
|
10
|
Likes to wipe soap and bubbles? (3,4,2,1,3)
|
Anagram of (bubbles) TO WIPE SOAP AND TWO PEAS IN A POD* |
TWO PEAS IN A POD (two things that are similar; likes)
|
|
15
|
After King Andrew murdered, guards rejected help (9)
|
Anagram of (murdered) ANDREW containing (guards) (AID [help] reversed [rejected]) EDWAR (DIA)< N* |
EDWARDIAN (relating to [King] Edward; after king)
|
|
16
|
Support behind inferior position (4-4)
|
BACK (support) + SEAT (behind)
|
BACK-SEAT (an inferior position)
|
|
17
|
In France, go climbing after daughter leaves dim shelter (8) |
DUMB (dim) excluding (leaves) D (daughter) + (ALLER [French for ‘go’] reversed [climbing; down clue]) UMB RELLA< |
UMBRELLA (protection; shelter)
|
|
19
|
Starts to create laughter, has fools around (6)
|
CL (first letters of [starts to] each of CREATE and LAUGHTER) + OWNS (has)
|
CLOWNS (fools around)
|
|
20
|
It divides church through dispute (6)
|
CE (Church [of England]) contained in (through) SPAR (dispute) SPA (CE) R |
SPACER (a piece of material for separating adjoining items; it divides)
|
|
23
|
Textbook stockist is yours truly (5)
|
I DEAL (I trade in merchandise; I stock things)
|
IDEAL (perfect; textbook)
|
Thanks, Duncan – and well done on seeing the theme.
This is an excellent example of a puzzle with a theme which can go completely over one’s head without detracting one iota from the pleasure it gives. I wasn’t surprised to be told that there was a theme and I can see how discovery of it by those in the know adds the cherry on the top – but I was quite happy with the icing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the wit and misdirection, which led to several ‘ahas’. I particularly liked the &lit MISCEGENATED – I don’t think I’d met the word before but could construct it from the derivation – TWIST ONE’S ARM – I really like this kind of clue – NITPICKER, THE BELL and EDWARDIAN – among others. I always enjoy the exploitation of Nancy [and Nice] and ESTHER was a neat example. And I loved the cheekiness of the ‘knob of butter’. 😉
Many thanks, Anax!
I enjoyed this even though I didn’t (and would never have been able to) identify the theme. Missed WICKIUP and had trouble parsing a few more, but overall good fare for a Thursday. Yes, COD for me was RAMPART (NBN), with NITPICKER a close second and the old ‘…Nancy is…’ always brings a smile.
Thanks to Anax and Duncan.
Marvellous blog, Duncan – thank you!
Surprised to see UMBRELLA as a favourite clue. Of a handful of minor edits, this was the toughest to put right and the result was something I considered OK but… well, just hard work really! Goes to show.
The only let-down, clue-wise, was a technical problem with 3D, and even now I’m not sure if this attempt at the original will work:
Jar < Missing flowers (5)
If that symbol has come out as a chevron you should see the wordplay was based on manipulating the K of CROCK to turn it into an I. Unfortunately the print equivalent was coming out as a left-facing arrow so an alternative was needed.
Right then. Off to that London in a while to see All Time Low at Wembley tomorrow with my lovely daughter. Have a good weekend all.
I loved this puzzle until I became stuck on the intersecting 18A/15D/24A. I had never heard of either “wickiup” or “wick” in the sense of “local farm”.
This is twice in a fortnight that I have seen the word “leper” taken as synonymous with “social outcast” in a crossword. Is that acceptable modern usage, using the label for someone with an infection as a perjorative term? I wouldn’t use it in this way, personally. Is that me being overly PC? Or are crossword clues allowed to be less sensitively phrased than current usage?
I wouldn’t have got the theme in a century of Sundays, never mind a month of them. I found this a typically challenging Anax puzzle, and I finished with WICKIUP from the wordplay after the NITPICKER/IDEAL crossers. The clue for RAMPART certainly raised a smile. Excellent blog as ever Duncan.
A very enjoyable fight was had – it took all of my ‘three goes’ to finish it off. I didn’t notice the theme either. Lots to enjoy so thank you to Anax and Duncan.
I found it hard to get started on this, and abandoned it with only nine answers in. I came back to it after tackling the Grauniad and FT cryptics, got the long anagrams out, and then things started to come together, though I had to look up WICKIUP, as I had never heard of it.
I’m glad I persevered with it, as there was much to enjoy, and I had a good snigger at RAMPART. I didn’t see the theme, but then I rarely do, and in this particular case I doubt if I ever would have.
Emrys @4, I also noticed the second recent appearance of LEPER. Both dictionaries I have to hand give figurative meanings for it along the lines of ‘a person shunned by others’, so I don’t think there’s any real problem with it, though it’s probably not used much any more. ‘Pariah’ seems to have replaced it these days to mean a social outcast, especially in journalistic circles.
Thanks Duncan and Anax, missed the ghost theme but guessed there would be one. You don’t get setters of the standard of Anax using wickiup unless they have to. Unless its Don in which case it’s the first thing he fills the grid with.
Thoroughly enjoyed this. I got only about 7 words on first pass, and decided to come back to it after a break, which turned out to be a good idea: things started falling into place on second pass. Had to hunt out W_C_IUP in the dictionary – I had never heard of WICKIUP.
I couldn’t parse the wordplay for CROCI and the NICKER part of NITPICKER – I got them from the crosses and the definitions. Thank the stars for this blog!
Like many others, loved the clueing for RAMPART, MISCEGENATION, and EDWARDIAN the most, but the clues were overall of a high standard. Thank you, Anax and Duncan!