Nearly caught up. Here’s my completed grid for the puzzle that was published on New Year’s Day. I’ll line up Saturday’s solution for tomorrow, and then I’ll start putting out a few things that aren’t crossword solutions, otherwise I might as well change the title of this blog to “The Crossword Guy”…
(checks internet)
…okay, “The Crossword Chap” then. Anyway, we’ll get back to horror stuff shortly, folks, bear with me.
Across clues
1. Writing of law enforcer delayed by publisher at first (11)
Answer: COPPERPLATE (i.e. “writing”). Solution is COPPER (i.e. “law enforcer”) followed by P (i.e. “publisher at first”, i.e. the first letter of the word “publisher”) and LATE (i.e. “delayed”).
7. Oft repeated utterance at church he carps frightfully about (5-6)
Answer: CATCH-PHRASE (i.e. “oft repeated utterance”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “frightfully”) of HE CARPS placed “about” AT CH (i.e. “at church” – CH being a recognised abbreviation of “church”), like so: C(AT-CH)PHRASE.
13. Reverse decision: support youth knocked over outside gym (4-5)
Answer: BACK-PEDAL (i.e. “reverse decision”). Solution is BACK (i.e. “support”) and then I wobble a bit. I’ll say the remainder is PE (i.e. “gym”, i.e. Physical Education – yeah, I know, not convincing) and DAL (i.e. “youth knocked over”, i.e. the word “lad” backwards).
14. Crummy seaside feature – more like a rough ride! (7)
Answer: BUMPIER (i.e. “more like a rough ride”). Solution is BUM PIER (i.e. “crummy seaside feature”). This made me smile when I figured it out.
15. Having left for river, fetch glitzy jewellery (5)
Answer: BLING (i.e. “glitzy jewellery”). Solution is BRING (i.e. “fetch”) with R (a recognised abbreviation of “river”) replaced with L (ditto “left”).
16. Well-built chair finally installed in workplace (6)
Answer: STURDY (i.e. “well-built”). Solution is STUDY (i.e. “workplace”) with R (i.e. “chair finally”, i.e. the last letter of the word “chair”) “installed” inside, like so: STU(R)DY.
17. Open note about current opportunity for supplementing income (8)
Answer: OVERTIME (i.e. “opportunity for supplementing income”). Solution is OVERT (i.e. “open”) and ME (i.e. “note” in the doh-ray-me scale) wrapped “about” I (represents an electric “current” in physics), like so: OVERT-(I)-ME.
18. Malevolent spirit in work unit left family trapped (3-4)
Answer: ERL-KING, “a mistranslation of the Danish ellerkonge, king of the elves”, i.e. “malevolent spirit”. A new one on me, if I’m honest. Could be an interesting one to follow up. Solution is ERG (a unit of “work”) “trapping” L (a recognised abbreviation of “left”) and KIN (i.e. “family”), like so: ER(L-KIN)G.
20. Release Tom from confinement – and give the game away (3,3,3,3,3,2,3,3)
Answer: LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG. Solution satisfies both “release Tom from confinement” and “give the game away”.
23. British hooligan hanging around old women’s feast (7)
Answer: BLOWOUT (i.e. “feast”). Solution is B (a recognised abbreviation of “British”) and LOUT (i.e. “hooligan”) wrapped “around” O (a recognised abbreviation of “old”) and W (ditto “women), like so: B-L(O-W)OUT.
24. Former actor holding opening of Macbeth to be over the top (7)
Answer: EXTREME (i.e. “over the top”). Solution is EX (i.e. “former”) and TREE (i.e. “actor” – I’m guessing we’re riffing on wooden performances here) “holding” M (i.e. “opening of Macbeth”, i.e. the opening letter of “Macbeth”), like so: EX-TRE(M)E.
26. Put in leafy recess, half of them submit with hesitation (7)
Answer: EMBOWER (i.e. “put in leafy recess”). Solution is EM (i.e. “half of them”, specifically the last half) followed by BOW (i.e. “submit”) and ER (i.e. “hesitation”).
28. Promise shown by hero at Harrow (4)
Answer: OATH (i.e. “promise”). “Shown by” suggests the solution is hidden in the clue, like so: HER(O AT H)ARROW.
29. Dutiful knight in parliament with recipient of lesser honour (8)
Answer: OBEDIENT (i.e. “dutiful”). Solution is N (an abbreviation of “knight” used in chess) placed “in” DIET (a variant meaning of which is “parliament”) with OBE (i.e. “recipient of lesser honour” – in the honours system an OBE ranks below a knighthood) placed before it, like so: OBE-DIE(N)T.
32. Brainy chap with temperature, sick internally (9)
Answer: BRILLIANT (i.e. “brainy”). Solution is BRIAN (i.e. “chap”) and T (a recognised abbreviation for “temperature”) with ILL (i.e. “sick”) placed “internally”, like so: BR(ILL)IAN-T.
35. Old coach’s daily account written outside bar (9)
Answer: CHARABANC (i.e. “old coach”). Solution is CHAR (i.e. “daily”) and AC (i.e. “account”) “written outside” BAN (i.e. to “bar”), like so: CHAR-A(BAN)C.
36. See viper slithering around church entrance initially (8)
Answer: PERCEIVE (i.e. “see”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “slithering”) of VIPER wrapped “around” CE (i.e. “church”, specifically the Church of England) and then followed by E (i.e. “entrance initially”, i.e. the first letter of the word “initially”), like so: PER(CE)IV-E.
37. Old Persian ruler’s quiet expression of pleasure (4)
Answer: SHAH (i.e. “old Persian ruler”). Solution is SH (i.e. “quiet”) and AH (“expression of pleasure”).
39. Youth flustered man carrying high class resin (7)
Answer: LADANUM (i.e. a fragrant Mediterranean “resin”). Solution is LAD (i.e. “youth”) followed by an anagram (indicated by “flustered”) of MAN “carrying” U (i.e. “high class” – U is often used to denote posh or upper class), like so: LAD-AN(U)M.
41. Bachelor fled, but returned – to have a dip in this? (4-3)
Answer: BRAN-TUB, which is “a tub of bran from which small presents are drawn at parties”. So a lucky dip, then. Solution is B (a recognised abbreviation of “bachelor”) followed by RAN (i.e. “fled”) and then TUB (i.e. “but returned”, i.e. the word “but” reversed).
44. Emotionally stimulated, like Earl Grey sometimes? (7)
Answer: STIRRED. Solution satisfies both “emotionally stimulated” and “like Earl Grey sometimes”.
45. He wrote our best love stories oddly adopting new name (6,5,9)
Answer: ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON (i.e. “he wrote”). “Oddly” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of OUR BEST LOVE STORIES, N (a recognised abbreviation of “new”) and N (ditto “name”).
49. Reportedly recognises trashy paper: one sustains blows (4,3)
Answer: NOSE RAG, a slang term for a handkerchief (i.e. “one sustains blows”). Solution is NOSE (i.e. “reportedly recognises”, i.e. a homophone of “knows”) and RAG (i.e. “trashy paper”).
50. Fellow lessee’s hypocrisy involving books in French (8)
Answer: COTENANT (i.e. “fellow lessee”). Solution is CANT (i.e. “hypocrisy”) “involving” OT (i.e. “books”, specifically the Old Testament) and EN (i.e. “in French”, the French for “in” is “en”), like so: C(OT-EN)ANT.
51. Course finally eaten in Eastern plane, perhaps? (6)
Answer: ENTREE (i.e. “course”). Solution is N (i.e. “finally eaten”, i.e. the last letter of the word “eaten”) placed “in” E (i.e. “Eastern”) and TREE (i.e. “plane”, any tree of the genus Planatus – no, me neither), like so: E-(N)-TREE.
53. Eg Ezra’s enclosure for stray dogs (5)
Answer: POUND. Solution satisfies both “eg Ezra” as in the poet Ezra Pound, and an “enclosure for stray dogs”.
54. Allure of former county briefly belonging to us (7)
Answer: GLAMOUR (i.e. “allure”). Solution is GLAM (i.e. “former county briefly”, specifically an abbreviation of Glamorgan, a historic county of Wales) followed by OUR (i.e. “belonging to us”).
55. Councillor in row about old hooped skirt (9)
Answer: CRINOLINE (i.e. “hooped skirt”). Solution is CR (a recognised abbreviation of “councillor”), IN and LINE (i.e. “row”) placed “about” O (a recognised abbreviation of “old”), like so: CR-IN-(O)-LINE.
56. Like emblem of Manx people – and like some other races (5-6)
Answer: THREE-LEGGED. Solution satisfies both “like emblem of Manx people” and “like some other races”.
57. Boarding-school altercation that may make the feathers fly! (6,5)
Answer: PILLOW FIGHT. Solution riffs on how pillow fights would sometimes see the feather stuffing go flying.
Down clues
1. Eg Picasso’s share of profits securing rise for sibling (6)
Answer: CUBIST (i.e. “eg Picasso”, referencing the artist’s cubist phase). Solution is CUT (i.e. “share of profits”) “securing” BIS (i.e. “rise for sibling”, i.e. the word “sib” spelled backwards – remember setters like using words like “up” in down clues to signify all or part of a word needs to be reversed), like so: CU(BIS)T.
2. Bearer of message presenting a one-sided view? (7,8)
Answer: PICTURE-POSTCARD. Solution riffs on how postcards have an idyllic view of a holiday spot on the one side of the message.
3. Quest for speed (10)
Answer: EXPEDITION. Solution satisfies both “quest” and “speed”.
4. Groups of dolphins originally protected by Officers of the Day (4)
Answer: PODS (i.e. “groups of dolphins”). Solution is P (i.e. “originally protected”, i.e. the first letter of the word “protected”) placed “by” ODS (a recognised abbreviation for “Officer of the Day” is OD, the plural would be ODS).
5. Ease a former son of Jacob snatched (9)
Answer: ALLEVIATE (i.e. “ease”). Solution is A LATE (i.e. “a former”) “snatching” LEVI (i.e. “son of Jacob” – I once had to play Levi in a primary school production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, which required me to stand in the background like a lemon singing half-remembered songs with a big letter L pinned to my chest. We didn’t tour.) like so: A-L(LEVI)ATE.
6. Ban printers’ unit before pub game (7)
Answer: EMBARGO (i.e. “ban”). Solution is EM (a slightly bigger space about the width of a letter m, i.e. “printers’ unit”) followed by BAR (i.e. “pub”) and GO (i.e. “game).
7. Arrive to welcome German with note for board (9)
Answer: COMMITTEE (i.e. “board”). Solution is COME (i.e. “arrive”) “welcoming” MIT (i.e. “German with” – the German for “with” is “mit”) and TE (i.e. “note” in the doh-ray-me scale), like so: COM(MIT-TE)E.
8. He leaves the grain for a moment (5)
Answer: TRICE (i.e. “a moment”). Solution is THE RICE (i.e. “the grain”) with HE removed (i.e. “he leaves”).
9. Arab, possibly, has house in Home Counties, lucky thing! (9)
Answer: HORSESHOE (i.e. “lucky thing”). Solution is HORSE (i.e. “Arab, possibly”, i.e. a breed of horse) followed by HO (a recognised abbreviation of “house”) placed “in” SE (i.e. “Home Counties”, or, in other words, the South East), like so: HORSE-S(HO)E.
10. Confusion from astronomer crushing fraudulent scheme (6-6)
Answer: HUBBLE-BUBBLE (i.e. “confusion”). Solution is HUBBLE (i.e. “astronomer”) placed on (i.e. “crushing”) BUBBLE (i.e. “fraudulent scheme”).
11. Enduring a loud noise – generous about it (7)
Answer: ABIDING (i.e. “enduring”). Solution is A followed by BIG (i.e. “generous”) placed “about” DIN (i.e. “loud noise”), like so: A-BI(DIN)G. Though I knew the solution from the letters I had, for some reason it took me several minutes before I finally saw how it had been constructed. It happens.
12. Get involved, good about leaving fruit (6)
Answer: ENGAGE (i.e. “get involved”). This took some figuring out! Solution is GREENGAGE (a green and sweet variety of plum – no me neither) with the first G (a recognised abbreviation of “good”) and RE (i.e. “about”, i.e. regarding) removed (i.e. “leaving”).
19. Plunge finally breaking Green supporter’s backbone, partly (8)
Answer: VERTEBRA (i.e. “backbone, partly”). Solution is E (i.e. “plunge finally”, i.e. the last letter of the word “plunge”) placed between (i.e. “breaking”) VERT (i.e. “green”) and BRA (i.e. “supporter”), like so: VERT-(E)-BRA.
21. Disapproving cry about drink going up? It’s on the house! (7)
Answer: FREEBIE (i.e. “it’s on the house”). Solution is FIE (i.e. “disapproving cry”) placed “about” REEB (i.e. “drink going up”, i.e. the word “beer” reversed, seeing as this is a down clue), like so: F(REEB)IE.
22. Hapless wife made an impression with king (8)
Answer: WRETCHED (i.e. “hapless”). Solution is W (a recognised abbreviation of “wife”) and ETCHED (i.e. “made an impression”) placed around R (a recognised abbreviation of “king”, i.e. Rex), like so: W-R-ETCHED.
23. Endlessly badger man requiring new green veg (8)
Answer: BROCCOLI (i.e. “green veg”). Solution is BROC (i.e. “endlessly badger”, i.e. the word “brock” with the last letter removed) followed by COLI (i.e. “man requiring new”, i.e. the name “Colin” with N – a recognised abbreviation of “new” – removed).
25. Connection I established at first in place to the north (3-2)
Answer: TIE-UP (i.e. “connection”). Solution is I and E (i.e. “established at first”, i.e. the first letter of the word “established”) placed in TUP (i.e. “place to the north”, i.e. the word “put” reversed, this being a down clue), like so: T(I-E)UP.
27. Surviving without managers giving protection from the rain (15)
Answer: WEATHERBOARDING (i.e. “protection from the rain”). Solution is WEATHERING (i.e. “surviving”) placed “without” BOARD (i.e. “managers”), like so: WEATHER(BOARD)ING.
30. Sound measure of beauty, we hear, after start of month (7)
Answer: DECIBEL (i.e. “sound measure”). Solution is BEL (i.e. “measure of beauty, we hear”, which I’m taking to mean a homophone of “belle”) placed “after” DEC I (i.e. “start of month”), like so: DEC-I-BEL.
31. Wrong, turning up without a card (5)
Answer: TAROT (i.e. “card”). Solution is TORT (i.e. “wrong” in legalese) reversed (i.e. “turning up”, this being a down clue) and placed “without” A, like so: T(A)ROT.
33. Encroaching female brought up in home where flowers are displayed (8)
Answer: INVASIVE (i.e. “encroaching”). This is a bit weak, but I reckon this is VI (i.e. “female”, which I’m assuming is a shortened form of Vivien I’ve never heard in my life) reversed (i.e. “brought up”, again this being a down clue) and placed in IN VASE (i.e. “home where flowers are displayed”), like so: IN-VAS(IV)E.
34. Bug ready to skip under farm building? That’s novel (7,5)
Answer: BARNABY RUDGE, a “novel” by Charles Dickens. Solution is an anagram (indicated by “to skip”) of BUG READY placed “under” BARN (i.e. “farm building”), like so: BARN-ABYRUDGE.
38. Author’s session in bookshop cancelled, ending programme? (7,3)
Answer: SIGNING OFF. Solution satisfies both “author’s session in bookshop cancelled” and “ending programme”.
40. Home buyer increasingly sore ultimately about time restriction (9)
Answer: MORTGAGEE (i.e. “home buyer”). Solution is MORE (i.e. “increasingly”) and E (i.e. “sore ultimately”, i.e. the last letter of the word “sore”) placed around T (a recognised abbreviation of “time” and GAG (i.e. “restriction”), like so: MOR(T-GAG)E-E.
42. Maturity teachers originally found in a mostly dreary poet (9)
Answer: ADULTHOOD (i.e. “maturity”). Solution is T (i.e. “teachers originally”, i.e. the first letter of the word “teachers”) placed “in” A DUL (i.e. “mostly dreary”, i.e. the word “dull” with the last letter removed) and HOOD (i.e. “poet”, which I’m assuming is Thomas Hood, a nineteenth century poet – no, I haven’t read him), like so: A-DUL-(T)-HOOD.
43. Unexpected action in lab loosely relating to plants (9)
Answer: BOTANICAL (i.e. “relating to plants”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “unexpected”) of ACTION placed inside another anagram (indicated by “loosely”) of LAB, like so: B(OTANIC)AL.
45. One who saves rupees, always pocketing shillings and copper (7)
Answer: RESCUER (i.e. “one who saves”). Solution is R (short for “rupees”) followed by EER (i.e. “always”, or put poetically, “e’er”) placed around S (short for “shillings”) and CU (the chemical symbol for “copper”), like so: R-E(S-CU)ER.
46. Sheltered place some seamen once or students set up (7)
Answer: SUNTRAP (i.e. “sheltered place”). This took some digging! Solution is PART (i.e. “some”) and NUS (i.e. “some seamen once…” – specifically the National Union of Seamen, which ceased to be in 1990, “…or students”, specifically the National Union of Students) reversed (i.e. “set up”, again this being a down clue), like so: SUN-TRAP.
47. Container for fluid, one not kept regularly inside (6)
Answer: INKPOT (i.e. “container for fluid”). Solution is I (i.e. the Roman numeral “one”) followed by NOT with KP (i.e. “kept regularly”, i.e. every other letter of the word KEPT) placed “inside”, like so: I-N(KP)POT.
48. Act as judge, though initially deprived (6)
Answer: BEREFT (i.e. “deprived”). Solution is BE REF (i.e. “act as judge”, as in be referee”) followed by T (i.e. “though initially”, i.e. the first letter of the word “though”).
50. Resounding effect of Cosmo at first, one-time archbishop (5)
Answer: CLANG (i.e. “resounding effect”). Solution is C (i.e. “Cosmo at first”, i.e. the first letter of “Cosmo”) followed by LANG (i.e. “one-time archbishop”, specifically Cosmo Gordon Lang, who was Archbishop of Canterbury during the abdication crisis and the outbreak of the Second World War).
52. Warrant officer imbibing at home, a heavy drinker (4)
Answer: WINO (i.e. “a heavy drinker”). Solution is WO (a recognised abbreviation for “warrant officer”) placed around (i.e. “imbibing”) IN (i.e. “at home”), like so: W(IN)O.
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