As usual with Enigmatist’s crosswords, I found this very difficult. Fortunately my colleague Abi kindly helped out in the middle of the week and with her help we both finished it. Anyway, with the exception of a couple of clues mentioned below, I thought that the cluing here was brilliant – lots of laugh-out-loud “a-ha!” moments, and excellent surface readings. The construction is very impressive as well, given the common theme of every across clue.
The rubric for the puzzle read:
Special instructions: All across solutions and their letter counts are deficient in a consistent way.
… which turned out to mean that all of the definitions in across clues lead to an expression that began “OUT OF” but that two words was missing from the answer, letter counts and subsidiary indication.
Across
1. Done for, finished with, done with abandoned women (3,6)
[OUT OF] THE WINDOW
(DONE WITH)* + W = “women”
Definition: “Done for, finished with”
9. Eggs turned down at the edges not so popular now (6)
[OUT OF] FAVOUR
OVA = “Eggs” reversed (“turned”) in FUR = “down”
Definition: “not so popular now”
10. Sky broadcast with Lulu or Gaga? (4,5)
[OUT OF] YOUR SKULL
(SKY LULU OR)*
Definition: “Gaga?”
11. Scents include one backtracking when hunting is illegal (6)
[OUT OF] SEASON
NOSES = “Scents” around A = “one”, all reversed
Definition: “when hunting is illegal”
12. Learn to suppress rumour one’s unfit (9)
[OUT OF] CONDITION
CON = “Learn” around “ON DIT” = “rumour” + I = “one” (Two bits of very obscure slang in one clue; I know CON from crosswords, but I didn’t know “ON DIT”)
Definition: “unfit”
13. Off limits — university patrolled by Moore and Craig? (6)
[OUT OF] BOUNDS
BONDS = “Moore and Craig” (referring to Roger Moore and Daniel Craig, who’ve both played James Bond) around U = “university”
Definition: “Off limits”
17,21. Time to try on Kubrick’s most prominent old hat (3,3)
[OUT OF] THE ARK
T = “Time” + HEAR = “try” + K[ubrick] = “Kubrick’s most prominent”
Definition: “old hat”
19. Endless depression with no warning (3,4)
[OUT OF] THE BLUE
THE BLUE[s] = “Endless depression”
Definition: “with no warning”
20. Faulty coaches’ terminus before getting parked outside Victoria (7)
[OUT OF] SERVICE
S = “coaches’ terminus” + ERE = “before” around VIC = “Victoria”
Definition: “Faulty”
23. Hawk keeping left, then right — skew-whiff! (6)
[OUT OF] KILTER
KITE = “Hawk” around L = “left” followed by R = “right”
Definition: “skew-whiff!”
27. For a change, he doesn’t finally step in too far! (4,5)
[OUT OF] ONE’S DEPTH
(HE DOESN’T P)* (The P in the anagram fodder is from “finally step”.)
Definition: “in too far!”
28. High-calibre athletes (the majority leaving, winded) … (6)
[OUT OF] BREATH
I think this is just a hidden answer: “[high-cali]BRE ATH[letes]”, although “the majority leaving” seems like an unusal indicator
Definition: “winded”
29. … dropped out of the competition — bizarre (4,5)
[OUT OF] LEFT FIELD
Double definition: “dropped out of the competition” and “bizarre”
30. One during first part of play briefly incapacitated (6)
[OUT OF] ACTION
I = “One” in ACT ON[e] = “first part of play” “briefly”
Definition: “incapacitated”
31. Atypical documentation of rights puts squeeze on American clubs (9)
[OUT OF] CHARACTER
CHARTER = “documentation of rights” around A = “American” + C = “clubs”
Definition: “Atypical”
Down
2. Thomas the Rhymer loves to bewitch (6)
HOODOO
HOOD = “Thomas the Rhymer”, referring to Thomas Hood, followed by O O = “loves”
Definition: “to bewitch” – I wasn’t familiar with “hoodoo” as a verb, but it’s in Chambers
3. Spheres of interest — example of limnologist’s is wrapped up in mine! (6)
WORLDS
I’m not completely sure about this, but I think it’s: L (“lake”) = “example of limnologist’s [spheres of interest]” in WORDS = Enigmatist’s sphere of interest
Definition: “Spheres of interest”
4. Fashionable backing drums, maybe, on a hit for Elton (6)
NIKITA
IN reversed = “Fashionable backing” + KIT = “drums, maybe” (referring to a drum kit) + A
Definition: “hit for Elton”, referring to this song
5. “XL” fly-by-night to whom “L” is made to fit (3-4)
OWL MOTH
(TO WHOM L)*
Definition: “XL fly-by-night” apparently the owl moth is a very large moth that flies at dusk or night
6. Horsey crowd I spotted in field? (9)
RACEGOERS
EGO = “I” in RACERS = “field?”
Definition: “Horsey crowd”
7. Outside plant promoted item providing stable security (5,4)
HORSE NAIL
I’m not at all sure about this, because “horse nail” is only in Chambers to mean a nail that holds a horse shoe on, which doesn’t quite work as “stable security” for me – I’d have thought something providing “stable security” would be something that locks a stable door or something. However: HORS = “Outside” (if this parsing is right, I think not indicating this is a French word is a bit off) + LIANE = “plant” reversed (“promoted” in a down clue). The plant seems to be more commonly spelled Liana, but Chambers gives LIANE as an alternative spelling.
Definition: “item providing stable security”
8. Row on street, punching a joker (9)
PRANKSTER
RANK = “row” on ST = “street” in PER = “a” (as in “miles per gallon” / “miles a gallon”)
Definition: “joker”
14. Roast weasel Spooner’s provided for regatta marker (5,4)
STAKE BOAT
A spoonerism of “bake stoat” (“Roast weasel”), which reminded me of the old “what’s the difference between a stoat and a weasel?” joke
Definition: “regatta marker”
15. Covers centrally supported bands, £10 for admission (4,5)
BELL TENTS
BELTS = “bands” around L TEN = “£10”
Definition: “Covers centrally supported”
16. As the Prince of Wales is to endless revels! (6,3)
ELDEST SON
(TO ENDLESS)*
Definition: “As the Prince of Wales is”
17. Hats off to everyone attending meal (3)
TEA
First letters (“the hats off” / “the hats from”) of “T[o] E[veryone] A[ttending]”
Definition: “meal”
18. Cumbrian flower old solver’s snatched from the sky (3)
ESK
THY = “old solver’s” removed from [th]E SK[y]
Definition: “Cumbrian flower” The River Esk
22. From OT, moves quickly north northeast, being into one of its authors (7)
RUNNETH
NNE = “north northeast” in RUTH = “one of its authors” – although as a point of pedantry, the book of Ruth in the Old Testament isn’t thought to have been written by her, as I understand it.
Definition: “From OT, moves quickly”
24. Loose shirt draped over a part-time fertility goddess? (6)
ISHTAR
(SHIRT)* around A
Definition: “part-time fertility goddess?”, presumably “part-time” because Ishtar was also the goddess of love, war and sexuality.
25. I cancel shifts, not keeping note of an American’s personal space? (6)
CELIAC
(I CACEL)* – the anagram fodder is I CANCEL without N = “note”
Definition: “of an American’s personal space?” – one meaning of CŒLIAC is “relating to the abdomen”, the abdomen is a “personal space?” and the US spelling is CELIAC
26. Prime Minister learner driver’s preparing to drive around? (6)
ATTLEE
L = “learner driver” in AT TEE = “preparing to drive” (in the sense of driving in golf)
Definition: “Prime Minister”
Many thanks mhl, and to Enigmatist for a mostly impressive puzzle. I was very glad of your blog to elucidate 6 and 7 down which, as you suggest for 7, were pretty dodgy clues, and which I’d never have got unaided.
Thanks mhl. The across clues were straightforward once KILTER and FAVOUR showed the way early on, but the others were harder. I couldn’t see the American relevance to 25D, or make sense of the only likely option for 7D. I liked some of the anagrams, in eg 27A and 16D.
I suspect that 7D refers to the proverb “For want of a nail“.
It took me ages to get even a fingernail under the skin of this puzzle and I almost gave up. Once the theme became apparent the across clues fell in with relative ease but I still struggled with some of the north/south axis. I couldn’t parse 7D or 25D so thank you mhl for that and Enigmatist for such a tough test.
Very many thanks mhl and Abi and also Enigmatist for an amazing Puzzle. I have never seen anything like it before.
I soon solved 13a which opened the thematic solution for me.
However, even after having sussed the theme, the rest were far from easy.
Truly wonderful!
For me, a typical Enigmatist, with the reaction to many of the clues being “aren’t you clever” (once revealed here) rather than “aren’t I clever” (upon solving the clue). The theme was also unsatisfactory – crossword almost impenetrable until the theme was discovered and then a rush of write-ins when it was. Not helped by the misleading instruction, as the solutions to the definition part of the clues were not deficient; just their entry into the grid.
Excellent puzzle. Tough to break into and even with a few cracked I felt I barely had a foothold and still the Matterhorn to climb. Then the theme revealed itself. Plain sailing after that. Good crunchy clues – as expected – but the defs gave themselves away rather easily.
Watch out for the next one. He doesn’t take kindly to having his puzzles described as easy.
Thanks for the blog mhl.
This was impressive, enjoyable and relatively straightforward for an Enigmatist, though not without a few obcurities, as one would expect. Once the theme was clear, the themed answers were the easier ones. The SW corner was last to rack, though I had a few problems in the NE too. I think RUNNETH was last in – LEFT FIELD also took me a while. I was strongly reminded of a fairly obscure Peter Hammill song “A way out”, which includes many of these phrases, in fact the song helped mr remember CHARACTER. Lyrics for that here: http://sofasound.com/phcds/oowlyrics.htm#8
Thanks to mhl and Enigmatist
Forgot to mention that the little square in the middle and the down clues round THE ARK made it much easier to crack the theme than it would otherwise have been.
After three hours of pounding, I wound up with about a half-dozen of the down clues, plus THE ARK. The idiom “out of the ark” isn’t part of my vocabulary, so no help. Threw in the towel.
Congratulations to all of those who are saying this went smoothly.
Hi,
I enjoyed finding the theme (via The Ark and Your skull) which seemed at a reasonable level of difficulty and with an appropriately enigmatic rubric.
I struggled with the D clues though and failed to complete. I’m not sure if it is sour grapes on my part but would really like to know what people think about 6D (Racegoers), 7D (Horse Nail) and 25D (Celiac). Specifically the definitions (stable security = horse nail, personal space = celiac ), and the subsidiary word play for (ego = I ? hors = outside ? ).
I also didn’t get 22D (Runneth), but there I acknowledge a fair, if rather difficult clue.
Thanks Enigmatist for a great puzzle and to mhl for the blog.
I started very slowly with a few down clues, and then got LEFT FIELD. Unfortunately, this by itself means bizarre, so I wondered what was deficient (me probably.) Once I realised that this could also be ‘out of LEFT FIELD,’ I started to get traction on the crossword.
I never did parse WORLDS – nice one!
Thanks Enigmatist and mhl
I’m afraid that I’m with Van Winkle on this one – clever, but more fun to set than solve. The across clues were impenetrable until the “trick” was spotted, then it was simply a case of thinking of all the words that “out of” could precede, then seeing where they would fit in.
Thanks all
I do not like themes especially the GK ones which yield to Google.
This was of the superior type except that once spotted the numeration plus out of…..made the whole thing much too easy especially on Saturday.
I could not parse 7 down.
An odd one, this. Somehow too hard and too easy at the same time.
I almost gave up with only a few down clues solved, got THE ARK, then whoosh all done save the parsing.
As a coeliac myself, I still don’t see how that fits the def.
I enjoyed this but ultimately found it a little disappointing: I cracked “out of” early on via kilter and breath, which meant that the across clues were more guessing than solving. I wonder if this is a case where there should have been just the total letter numbers for the across clues, to make some of them a bit harder?
With reference to the gripes about the definition of HORSE NAIL, “stable” can also mean a number of horses as well as the building they are kept in, so the clue works for me. I found this a typical Enigmatist puzzle, and I’d actually solved six of the across answers from wordplay alone before I twigged what the theme was.
@15
“Coeliac” meaning someone with gluten intolerance is a secondary meaning. The original meaning (given first in all the dictionaries I think) is “of the abdomen”, which Enigmatist is here calling a “personal space”, i.e. a space (albeit one full of organs etc.) within the person.
Really enjoyed this. Could only sense the strain that was doubtless involved in getting all the ‘out of’clues into a grid in a couple of places -horse nail was a bit odd and we might normally have seen ‘one’s’ rather than ‘your’ for the skull clue.
It reMinded me of one from araucaria several years back, with the same grid, where all the nine letter clues began and ended with the same letters, unclued.
Thanks mhl.
In 15D, I took “covers” as the definition, and “centrally supported bands” to define belts.
Thanks Enigmatist and mhl.
Out of fright on seeing the special instructions I waited for today when I would have the back up of the check button if needed. First hint was SEASON, then BOUNDS confirmed what was going on.
12a, CON v. tr. is to study, learn by heart (is it not used any more, when I was young we often said “I’m going to con up my geography”, for example), and ON DIT is given in the OCED n. a piece of gossip or hearsay. [French = they say]
Seeing that Enigmatist has used ON DIT, the use of HORS in 7d seems acceptable, after all it is used in ‘hors d’oeuvre’ and ‘hors de combat’.
I had not heard of HOODOO, though it is from voodoo, more a US usage according to the OCED.
I did like WORLDS, STAKE BOAT and BELL TENT.
I have to align myself with the “very clever, but…” faction here. I found this a puzzle to admire, more than to enjoy.
I started hesitantly with the down clues, making little progress, but once THE ARK and BOUNDS had revealed the “out of” theme, it was then possible to pencil in nearly all the across solutions, even with no crossing letters. Some good clues, though, but not the very dodgy 7 down.
I found this hard to get started on, not least because the special instructions weren’t listed on the Kindle version. FOI was HOODOO-quite brilliant, I thought but I was unable to understand why YOUR SKULL was the answer to 7ac. Got a few more from the wordplay but it was only when Mrs PA arrived with the paper that I was able to get started properly. I thought it quite straightforward after that-and I don’t want to antagonize the setter-but this was far from easy and most enjoyable.
Thanks ENIGMATIST.
My heart usually sinks when I see Enigmatist is the setter, but we found this one tractable although certainly not easy – and actually enjoyed it!
I initially got HOODOO but nothing else so waited for today’s blog (thanks mhl) to get the “out of.” I still stumbled on a few items (I have to add ESK to my mental list of UK rivers, didn’t know OUT OF THE ARK, and missed BELL TENT), but eventually did enjoy the process.
Brilliant puzzle
The toughest setter in the paper and he beat me here.
Good crossword though.
After doing the previous week’s easier Prize in under half an hour, it took me longer than that to get my first solution this time and a lot longer still to see what was meant by “deficient in a consistent way.” I struggled most with the SE. FOI was ISHTAR, and I interpreted “part-time” in the same way that mhl did. Although I eventually completed the puzzle, I couldn’t parse HORSE NAIL at all and a few others were either incomplete parsings or ones about which I was uncertain.
Thanks to Enigmatist for a challenging puzzle and to mhl and Abi, for your explanations.
What Tramp said.
Please explain “brilliance”. Most of the solving just involved the challenge of separating out the definition part of each clue and the cryptic element was almost an irrelevance.
Many thanks Enigmatist for a very entertaining puzzle; made all the more accessible and enjoyable by the fact that none of the down clues lead to obscure answers.