A tricky set of clues after what felt like a very quick start. I particularly liked the four outer clues, as well as 5dn, 17dn, and 19dn. Thanks to Imogen.
Getting ELBOW ROOM, NOSEGAY, and EARPLUG relatively early had me expecting a theme. Not convinced there is one, but with MOLAR teeth, STERNUM, and ATRIA of the heart… maybe I’m missing something?
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | YEOMAN SERVICE | Loyal support? Alas, I scam everyone (6,7) |
| definition: a phrase meaning dependable support (I scam everyone)*, with “Alas” working as an anagram indicator, similar to ‘sadly’ |
||
| 10 | NEBULISER | Spray blue rinse all over the place (9) |
| definition: a device that sprays a fine mist (blue rinse)* |
||
| 11 | RABBI | Book ban rescinded by one leader of congregation (5) |
| B (book) + BAR=”ban”, all reversed/”rescinded”; plus I=”one” | ||
| 12 | NEWER | Never has waist doubled? Not that old! (5) |
| NEVER, doubling the VV making a W, with “waist” indicating a ‘middle’ letter | ||
| 13 | GILGAMESH | Man impressed to have left sport, quiet epic hero (9) |
| referring to the ancient poem The Epic of Gilgamesh [wiki] GI (soldier, someone “impressed” i.e. pressed into military service) + L (left) + GAME=”sport” + SH=”[be] quiet” |
||
| 14 | GROUCHY | Bad-tempered Greek that hurt you early on (7) |
| GR (Greek) + OUCH=”that hurt” + Y[ou] | ||
| 16 | GLISTEN | Shine, having first to break depression (7) |
| IST=1st=”first”, breaking into GLEN i.e. a “depression” between hills | ||
| 18 | TIME OUT | Male caught in snare unconscious, going to expire (4,3) |
| M (Male) inside TIE=”snare” and OUT=”unconscious” | ||
| 20 | STERNUM | Bone is hard? I’m pondering (7) |
| STERN=”hard” + UM=”I’m pondering” | ||
| 21 | TRADE FAIR | Equitable dealings out of order in this business meeting (5,4) |
| FAIR TRADE=”Equitable dealings”, with the word order changed | ||
| 23 | GRIEG | Man of note fell a minute short, say (5) |
| referring to musical notes, and Edvard Grieg the composer [wiki] GRI[M]=”fell” meaning dire/dreadful, shortened by a M (minute); plus E.G.=”say” |
||
| 24 | NORMA | Woman not entirely like the others? (5) |
| NORMA[L]=”like the others”, cut short/”not entirely” | ||
| 25 | OVERSWEET | Not to one’s taste and bad for one: two severe blows (9) |
| (two severe)* | ||
| 26 | EAGER TO PLEASE | So enthusiastic, corruptly agree best contract (5,2,6) |
| (agree)* + TOP=”best” + LEASE=”contract” | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | ELBOW ROOM | Scope to jog over cell (5,4) |
| ELBOW=”jog” as in to nudge somebody; plus ROOM=”cell” | ||
| 3 | MOLAR | Relating to large masses may be called wisdom (5) |
| my first thought was of atoms and molecules – checking Chambers, “Relating to large masses” is listed as a definition of MOLAR
second definition refers to ‘wisdom’ teeth i.e. some of the ‘molars’ |
||
| 4 | NOSEGAY | Is the rest of the head straight in this bunch? (7) |
| if a NOSE is GAY, the rest of the head might be straight | ||
| 5 | EARPLUG | Old lawman to carry personal protection (7) |
| Wyatt EARP is the Old West lawman [wiki]; plus LUG=”carry” | ||
| 6 | VERSATILE | Reveals it to be flexible (9) |
| (Reveals it)* – I think “flexible” is also the anagrind | ||
| 7 | CABLE | Rope caught by type of seaman (5) |
| C (caught, cricket abbreviation); ABLE as in ‘able seaman’ | ||
| 8 | ONE-NIGHT STAND | A particular dark time to sustain a casual relationship (3-5,5) |
| ONE NIGHT=”A particular dark time” + STAND=”sustain” | ||
| 9 | HIGH AND MIGHTY | Arrogant greeting good worker could eventually deny (4,3,6) |
| HI=”greeting” + G (good) + HAND=”worker” + MIGHT=”could” + last letter of [den]Y | ||
| 15 | COOPERATE | Join in as craftsman took a meal (9) |
| COOPER=”craftsman” + ATE=”took a meal” | ||
| 17 | TINNINESS | Miniaturised state introduces new poor quality of sound reproduction (9) |
| TININESS, as in being tiny=”Miniaturised state”, around N (new) | ||
| 19 | THAW OUT | What may make one warm? (4,3) |
| THAW OUT in a crossword clue could indicate/”make” an anagram of THAW, giving “What” | ||
| 20 | SERVE UP | Wait in court, present at table (5,2) |
| “present” as a verb in the definition, presenting a meal SERVE=”Wait” + UP=”in court” e.g. somebody being ‘up for robbery’ |
||
| 22 | ATRIA | Hearing defective behind area in courtyards (5) |
| TRIA[L]=court “Hearing”, “defective”/incomplete with a missing last letter; all after A (area) | ||
| 23 | GOSSE | Father and Son: son goes off to be an author (5) |
| Father and Son [wiki] is an autobiographical memoir by Edmund Gosse with a focus on his relationship with his father Philip Henry Gosse (s goes)*, with the s short for “son”, and “off” as anagrind |
||
I read atria as defective hearing of ‘at rear’…hmmm..
Typically classy offering, but not over scholarly, thanks Imogen and thanks Manehi. Took all crossers to remember Gilgamesh, another of the classics one should have read but hasn’t. Are all GIs impressed..what about volunteers? The 12a vv trick reminded me of the ‘rotating unknown’ trick, which becomes ‘N’. Fell for grim in 23a was pretty sly, and Gosse was a nut out and look up, but Groan Of Day goes to nosegay, very droll. All good fun, thanks again both.
Comments similar to manehi, slightly more difficult than yesterday, but not much. Held up for a while by 23D, but then I remembered dear old Edmund … and then also remembering what he wrote made the clue come to life.
I also thought atria sounded like at rear.
Took a while to get started, then words went in pretty steadily.
Like @1 grantinfreo and @4 Gillian, I also parsed ATRIA as a ‘defective’ homophone of at rear.
Today’s favourites were EAGER TO PLEASE and HIGH AND MIGHTY, putting all the pieces together is very enjoyable.
Thanks Imogen and manehi!
A pleasant challenge overall with EAGER TO PLEASE, MOLAR, and EARPLUG being favorites. Seems like Wyatt EARP has been popular recently in crosswords. Failed on GILGAMESH (GI as someone who’s “pressed” into military service is way outdated since the U.S. draft ended in 1973.) Also failed on GOSSE, my GK being limited. Thanks Imogen and Manehi for the blog.
Very nice puzzle and blog.Thanks Imogen and manwhi.
Found the SE corner tricky but got there in the end with help of the check button. GOSSE new to me. ATRIA was LOI but I parsed it as Manehi did. Enjoyed the groan of NOSEGAY and liked the long outer clues (do they tell a story?) amongst others.
Thanks to Imogen for the fun and Manehi for the blog
Manehi – agreed. Most enjoyable. Many thanks to Imogen
Like: EAGER TO PLEASE, TINNINESS (loi)
Did not parse A/TRIA, MOLAR = “Relating to large masses”, SERVE UP = wait in court
New: GOSSE
Thanks B+S
Thanks Imogen and manehi
Most went in easily, but I found some in the S a struggle. I thought AT REAR too, but the wording could have simpler if this was the intention – I think manehi has it right. I took ages to see the agree/eager anagram!
GILGAMESH favourite.
I wonder if anyone will take offence at NOSEGAY today?
Enjoyable till I got to the SE corner, failing on 23 a, d. My Middle English is pretty sparse, so I failed on fell = grim. Never heard of the book ‘Father and Son’, but I guess I should have googled it since it looks like a title (now). And I learnt a new word: NEBULISER (could also be someone who makes things nebulous?). 13 popped into view from somewhere, once I had the initial G from 4 and suspected the ending SH from 9. I liked GROUCHY, STERNUM and THAW OUT.
Thanks Imogen and Manehi for the early post.
I used to think that Grieg was a typical Norwegian surname. However it derives from his Scottish great-grandfather, a merchant called Greig!
I can’t seem to ever get onto Imogen’s wavelength properly and today was the same – though I am sure it is me and not him. This was a DNF for me today as I couldn’t get 15a OVERSWEET (seems crazy now when the anagram is so obvious, but somehow I just drew a blank) and 23d GOSSE (a totally unfamiliar Father and Son). No ticks on the way through and a couple of others unparsed (23a GRIEG, 2d MOLAR, 22d ATRIA – the latter two already mentioned in dispatches) so not very satisfying all round really. In fact it left me feeling a bit 14a GROUCHY (but mostly directed at myself).
Nevertheless, thanks to Imogen for the mental agility test and to manehi for the blog.
A delight.
Particular favourites 9dn, 15dn, 19dn, but there’s hardly a weak clue in the lot.
Muffin @11: someone, somewhere, probably will take offence at NOSEGAY because that seems to be what people do; but they shouldn’t. It isn’t slightly rude in the way one expects of Paul, and simply treats gay/straight as part of the natural order of things, like up/down, left/right. Which it is.
Thanks for the comments all – I hadn’t thought of the homophone!
@muffin, I did momentarily pause on 4dn (as ‘straight = not gay’ could ignore other orientations – rereading it, I think the wording leaves other alternatives open, and I don’t have a problem with the clue)
Yes, tricky indeed! Like gratinfreo@1 I parsed ATRIA as ‘at rear’. In my enthusiasm I bunged in GLISTEN as 14a rather than 16a, which didn’t help. Favourites were EARPLUG, ELBOW ROOM and THAW OUT. Many thanks to Imogen and manehi.
What Julie in Australia said. Almost exactly.
I haven’t read Father and Son, but I seem to remember a TV adaptation that I watched. A quick Google didn’t find it, though.
muffin @ 19: if you enter father and son into google and go to the second page, you will find
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98935.Father_and_Son
One of my first ones in was GROUCHY. I couldn’t help wondering if there might be a Marxist theme, but HARPY and CHICORY didn’t turn up..
A tale of two halves. The top half went in easily but I struggled with much in the bottom half. Dnf as I didn’t know GOSSE. I couldn’t parse GRIEG or ATRIA so thanks to Manehi for those. Like others enjoyed NOSEGAY.
Thanks too to Imogen for making me crank up the brain cells.
A good, moderately challenging puzzle by a setter who nearly always giuves us four long words or phrases. I like to get the long ones early on, but today those on the right and at the top had to wait.
I liked the grid that was chosen for this – it was friendly for the solver and no doubt not too easy for the setter to fill. It turned out well, with no words of fewer than 5 letters and a tasty variety of clues. I too had difficulty with ATRIA.
Thanks to Imogen and manehi.
A fairly easy start with 8d ONE NIGHT STAND, then gradually getting much trickier as I worked through. I vaguely remembered 1a YEOMAN SERVICE from a previous puzzle, and on checking I see it was in Picaroon 28,068 in February (where it was YEOMANS SERVICE). I liked the amusing 4d NOSEGAY. Also 6d VERSATILE was good – an interesting clue in that the whole clue is the wordplay, including the definition. But the whole clue isn’t the definition, so not an &lit. What would you call it?
I’m a bit unsure about “rescinded” as a reversal indicator (11a). Obviously “rescind” can mean “reverse”, but only, I would have thought, in the sense of “reverse” meaning annul or abrogate, not in the sense of “reverse” meaning turn backwards.
Thanks Imogen and manehi.
Thanks for a fine blog, manehi and Imogen for an interesting and enjoyable puzzle.
Like Lord Jim, I entered ONE NIGHT STAND early on and thought it was the weakest of the four long answers – I liked the rest.
I had the same reservations about ‘rescind’ as a reversal indicator.
My only reservation re ATRIA was the definition – but I see it’s in Chambers. I can’t for the life of me see how it sounds like ‘at rear’.
My favourites were 19dn THAW OUT and 23ac GRIEG, which reminded me of MacDuff’s lament on hearing that Macbeth has murdered his wife and children:
“All my pretty ones?
Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?
What, all my pretty chickens, and their dam,
At one fell swoop?”
Great fun. Even though Grieg and Gosse defeated me.
[Eileen @25
Some time ago my mother-in-law told me about a friend of hers who had “done” all the Lakeland 2000 footers. I asked how long it had taken him.
Quite innocently she replied “he did them in one fell swoop”.]
muffin@19: I remember that TV film about the Gosses. It’s really all I know about them.
I found some of the clueing here dubious. ‘Alas’ as an anagrind? “Eventually deny” to indicate the ‘y’? Not to my taste I’m afraid.
On the plus side, ATRIA went in with no qualms. Speaking for the rhotic among us, it would never in a year and day occur to me that this could sound like AT REAR, so for once we have the advantage 🙂
Nice early start to today’s offering, with ONE NIGHT STAND providing lots of crossers to start the left hand side. Then it became a little bit trickier, but not impossible. Quite often this kind of grid is like that for me, as maybe the setter starts to struggle to get the right hand side filled in, resulting in *hard* words to solve.
Afraid I’m not a great reader of classic novels or ancient history, as a result GILGAMESH and GOSSE defeated me and I had to resort to that search engine for confirmation. Oh well!
I agree with manehi with the parsing of ATRIA and Eileen with it not being pronounced AT REAR. Not in my house, anyway! I can’t see that the PC police should have any objection to NOSEGAY either, unless they’ve gone mad again!
Thanks to manehi for the blog and parsing, and Imogen for the puzzle.
[muffin @27 – you’ve persuaded me: I was pondering whether to comment on how the meaning of ‘one fell swoop’ has been rather watered down since Shakespeare’s day. These study notes explain the play on different meanings of ‘fell’ – and you’ve provided another. As we’re often saying here, isn’t English wonderful?
And then there’s this story, which I learned at school and which has absolutely nothing to do with the clue, but I love it 😉 ]
[Thanks Eileen – I knew the poem, but not its origin.]
A DNF for me this morning alas, speaking of which, “alas” as an anagram indicator is a bit of liberty. Molar, in the chemical sense, is defined imprecisely and surely “wisdom” is not what a molar is called, it is how they are described, as in “a wisdom tooth”. I couldn’t parse 23A even after guessing the answer, so thanks for the enlightenment manehi. In my ignorance, I didn’t know Gilgamesh either.
Sorry but I didn’t find this an enjoyable morning’s diversion. I still don’t understand why “Father and Son” is in 23D as it is superfluous to solving the clue.
I found this very hard, and like JinA that’s usually the case for me with Imogen.
Some very good clues; I particularly liked that for THAW OUT. I was not so enamoured, however, with ‘eventually deny’ giving a Y (why not just use finally or ultimately?) I thought the clue for NOSEGAY was a bit silly, but maybe if it had been Paul I would have given him the benefit of the doubt.
Thanks Imogen and manehi.
DNF for me but still enjoyable. I parsed 14A as GR + OUCHY as in what you might say when you’re young and hurt yourself. 13 and the 23s highlighted how uninformed in anything classical I really am. A nice crossword, a bit above my station.
DNF as I could not see ATRIA although it is obvious now I know the answer!! Nevertheless a very enjoyable solve generally, so very many thanks Imogen and for ATRIA and others thank you manehi. Favourites NOSEGAY – no muffin please do not get them started – GILGAMESH and three of the four long ones. I agree with Eileen that ONE NIGHT STAND is a bit ordinary.
Tony Santucci please see my comment at the end of the Philistine blog which explains why Araucaria’s classic has 10 letters!!
Sorry sorry sorry that should be Tony Collman mine @ 35.
Eileen @30 — like muffin @31 I’ve known that poem for years but never te amusing anecdote.
I got both vertical long ‘uns right away, but the horizontals had to wait some.
Thanks Imogen and manehi.
Re 23d. I found this the trickiest, partly because of the unfamiliarity of the answer, partly due to the rarity of definition-wordplay-definition clues, or whatever this one is exactly. What got me there was on conjecturing GOSSE, looking it up in Wikipedia and finding amongst a list of a dozen or so names:
Edmund Gosse (1849–1928), an English poet, author and critic, son of Philip Henry Gosse
Philip Henry Gosse (1810–1888), an English naturalist and the author of Omphalos: An Attempt to Untie the Geological Knot
So without even knowing about the book, the Father and Son bit could be satisfied.
[muffin et al – for TV version of “Father & Son” try looking in IMDB for “Where Adam Stood” from 1976 – adapted by Dennis Potter]
I need to do more Imogens, as I just don’t seem to be on the right wavelength. I was very grateful for a nice easy 8d to get me started, because my first run through was coming up embarrassingly empty.
Got there in the end, with a lot of head scratching around the SE corner particularly, and a couple that I struggled to parse for far too long! I was happy with ATRIA as understood by manehi, although I was originally trying to make it a “sounds like” type of clue. After a long time of thinking 3d might be SOLAR (few things bigger than the sun, right?), even when I settled on MOLAR, I somehow failed to connect it with wisdom. So maybe my brain just isn’t functioning properly today.
For day 7 of my Corona Crossword Challenge this was a lot of fun. Still a DNF but getting better each day which I think is a good thing? Quite a few laugh-out-loud and groan moments today which made Mrs MaidenBartok (MasterBela?) wonder what was going on. THAW OUT was one such. Fun all round.
A dnf, alas! Like JinA @14, I failed on OVERSWEET, partly because I kept thinking that the wordplay in an eleven-word clue had to consist of more than three words. I have difficulty with Imogen in general, as mentioned by JinA and others, but there was still lots to admire today. I liked THAW OUT in particular and laughed out loud at NOSEGAY. The cluing of VERSATILE goes a bit against convention, but it’s a stretch I don’t object to, as the setter’s intention is clear.
Thanks to Imogen for the mental calisthenics and to manehi for the parsing of SERVE UP and ATRIA.
For VERSATILE I assumed “to be” was the anagrind?
Thanks manehi for all this and especially explaining GI of Gilgamesh (although I am another slightly unhappy with the pressing part) – being a middle/lowbrow type, I know it from a Robert Silverberg novel, not the original classic. I also dragged GOSSE out from somewhere, must have been something my gf studied at uni, and it gets my virtual gold star today. Thanks also to Eileen for showing me where “one fell swoop” comes from (I presume it’s his original phrase, or at least the first transcription of it) – it’s the only reason I was able to parse 23A.
I am going to moan about 19D though, I eventually saw what was going on but don’t really see precisely how it works with all those words as laid out. A more concise “Warm, what?”, like Jeeves or Biggles’ chum Bertie might have said, would have been my preference.
Not that this detracted from an enjoyable solve, tough enough for me with even the long boundary clues only gradually becoming clear. Thanks Imogen.
Enjoyed the crossword and the blog. I did parse Gosse but had to check as they are new to me. I am improving at cryptics, esp. anagrams, but irritatingly failed What/Thaw, now so obviously.
Don’t know if it’s because I was “up with the birds” this morning watching the sunrise, but the blog led to musing about missing 12a because my mind is stuck on w = double u, but in print it’s a double v, and perhaps it’s time to rename the letter as we communicate more in print than cursive…
…..and then Gilgamesh started me thinking musing on the development of human intelligence, except then I watched the news!
I had a very slow start, but GILGAMESH gave me HIGH AND MIGHTY and the long one down the lhs opened things up nicely. But then I found myself with the last three down clues and two out of the last three across clues resisting my every attempt. Went away and did something else for a couple of hours, after which all but 19d fell. (Incidentally, I remember fell from a hymn that we used to sing at school: “The ancient prince of hell hath risen with purpose fell.” Very grim.)
My problem with 19d was that it reads like a cryptic definition. So like one, in fact, that I didn’t see the reverse clue that was staring me in the face. Especially after last week’s HEWN from when*. So a dnf for me and chapeau to Imogen.
I don’t, on the other hand, have a problem with alas as an anagrind, or eventually to indicate the last letter.
Highly amused by the number of solvers who thought that ATRIA was a homophone, but the clue seems faulty to me, because if it’s (as manehi says, and I agree) hearing=TRIAL and defective=incomplete, so take the L off, what is “behind area” doing in a down clue? How about “defective hearing under glass centre in courtyards” instead?
I had GHOST for 23d for quite a long time, but couldn’t make the clue work. Father, Son & Holy Ghost? Ghost writer? But the clue as is has an allusive semi-definition at the start, wordplay in the middle and another definition at the end. Does this not make it an &lit?
ChrisP @45. Nice idea about renaming double-U to double-V, but I’m afraid the French have got there before you!
I usually can’t complete Imogen’s puzzles and have long-accepted that I’m not on her/his wavelength – so I was decidedly chuffed when the four long answers went in fairly swiftly. Alas, with a half-dozen at the bottom still unsolved, I came to a dead stop. Those last six took forever. Most were guesses and I’m grateful to Manehi for the parsing. I thought I knew my Shakespeare, but the grim-fell connection eluded me. GOSSE was largely thanks to google. In retrospect, 19D really shouldn’t have been such a struggle – and OVERSWEET went in by default, though I personally would write it with a hyphen. I’d gone from chuffed to deflated, but at least I finished it. And clearly Imogen is still way out of my league… hey ho.
I really liked NEWER, ELBOW ROOM and NOSEGAY though. Thanks to Imogen for tying me in knots and Manehi for the untangling.
Some pleasantly misleading clues from Imogen; I realised something sneaky was going on in the clue to THAW OUT but it still took a while for the penny to drop. I liked the perimeter answers and also VERSATILE, if only because Imogen avoided the obvious anagram of ‘relatives’. I see nothing wrong with the anagrind and definition combined in one phrase. Never heard of Father and Son by Gosse (only by Cat Stevens). GRIEG also reminded me of studying Macbeth at school, plus (less intellectually but from about the same era) Eric Morecambe playing his piano concerto conducted by Andrew Preview.
I loved this challenge from Imogen, whose puzzles I always find hard but I seemed to get on his wavelength quicker today. Lots of favourite clues, all of which have already been mentioned, with NOSEGAY and EARPLUG my LOLs.
Thanks for the blog Manehi and for correcting my parsing of ATRIA – I was another AT REAR, but it did leave me with a unparsed “area”. Admittedly it’s a particularly dodgy homophone since ATRIA is normally pronounced with a long A, but I was amused by the idea that Imogen had come up with the clueing of “hearing defective” to silence the homophone police…
Thanks to Eileen for your lovely story of Doctor Fell.
Wellbeck @49
Imogen is a he. Gaufrid has provided links to setters on this site here.
@Eileen ONE NIGHT STAND might have been a weaker clue, but I was grateful for it as a way into the rest. I failed to parse ATRIA after rejecting a TRIER as one who tries and fails and is hence defective and the lovely German town of TRIER at some point defecting to nearby France. I think you can be behind in a vertical ranking as well as a horizontal one, so I was ok with that. Thanks to Imogen and manehi and to Eileen for the Dr. Fell story
I’m always pleased to finish an Imogen, the more so without any alarums as today. Fitted in around taking my son for his birthday pub lunch as well. My early ONE NIGHT STAND undoubtedly helped. Against that, I’m grateful to the blog for some parsings. I now know why TINNINESS has nothing to do with a short form of the state of Tennessee.
I usually look forward to Imogen’s challenges, even if I don’t always finish them (my post-war education was basic at best), but this one had me struggling like stomping through a muddy field wearing loose wellies! Still, we live, learn and improve – hopefully. Thanks all.
@Trailman. I spent ages trying to make a short form of Tennessee work as well.
Although I can see it’s wrong now, I parsed SERVE UP as a double definition, with wait in court being what you have to do in a tennis court as your opponent prepares to serve up.
I wanted “best contract” at 26A to be seven no trumps. I tried valiantly to make the wordplay fit but when the crossers also refused to oblige I had to rethink.
Muffin and others: I wold not normally be tempted by a book relating the boyhood of a Victorian naturalist, but I love Father and Son, and would recommend it to anyone. It is a loving relationship, but the young Edmund’s delight and inquisitiveness into the natural world leads him to question his father’s fundamentalist religious beliefs, and this provides a real edge to the book, which is amusing as well as enlightening.
As to the crossword, it was a DNF for me. Like others I failed on Atria, and got stuck in the bottom left before giving up and coming on here. Thanks to Manehi for the blog which I needed for one or two others as well, and to Imogen for a tough crossword and for the rather neatly employed anagrinD in VERSATILE.
Thanks for that, Job – I’ve just bought it for my Kindle (£1.99!)
I heard a dramatization of “Father and Son” on Radio 4 Extra quite recently and managed to dredge the author’s name up as a result.
The top half of this puzzle went in quite easily but I slowed down considerably after that. EAGER TO PLEASE and the brilliant THAW OUT were the last to yield. I didn’t parse GRIEG though.
I’m certainly not finding Imogen as difficult as I used to.I may,of course, live to regret that remark!
Thanks Imogen.
Phil K @58 A Bridge Too Far?
Very enjoyable puzzle – maybe I’m an outlier, but this was MUCH more challenging than yesterday; took me three separate sittings to get it (almost…) done. I did not get GRIEG or GOSSE and I could not parse ATRIA (even though I got it…). I thought NEWER was brilliant. Also loved TRADE FAIR.
And @27 munromad, that was exactly how it was for me – top half was a rapid fill-in, and then….
Thanks Imogen and manehi.
Muffin – it’s horrendously late but I’ve only just spotted your helpful link to info about the setters. Thank you!
Quite frustrating. Very much liked 5dn and 13ac but the sense in 3dn as used seems like the setter was desperate to use a word in a very obscure sense and I am not having 16ac as a fair clue.
Steven @65: Just out of curiosity, what’s your objection to 16 ac? I thought it was straightforward…
Jay – Glen is ok but I do not accept ‘ist’ as first or ‘1st’ the substitution is illegitimate.
me @60
Sorry Job, I’ve read the first chapter, and just think that his parents are idiots (I might have included an expletive). I don’t feel inclined to read any more about a poor lad brought up by morons.
Steven @65: Ah OK, I see…
Guess I’ve seen this several times before with different setters so I never gave it much thought.
sorry to be late to this, and didn’t read all comments so this may have been covered: “molar” refers to “mole”, a unit of molecular mass in chemistry, eg “molar unit,” “molar weight.”