A Puzzle by Fez
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
Fez set an enjoyable if tricky in places crossword for our lunchtime entertainment
Across
1a Arizona city where high standards might be expected (9)
FLAGSTAFF: Somewhere a standard or ensign might be flown
6a Outfit put back on the wrong way, for example (3-2)
GET-UP: A reversal (back) of PUT on (or after) a reversal (the wrong way) of the abbreviation meaning for example
9a Subject of letters written to reflect changing values (7)
ALGEBRA: A cryptic definition of a mathematical method of using letters to represent quantities
10a Minutes beginning to blend into hours when flying a kite (7)
RHOMBUS: An anagram (when flying) of the abbreviation for Minutes, the ‘beginning’ to Blend and HOURS
11a See wonderful eagle at last, at Carnoustie’s eighth hole (6)
EYELET: A verb meaning to see, the last letters of wonderful and eagle and the eight letter of Carnoustie
12a It’s OK, doctor’s taking over relative’s case (8)
MEDIOCRE: A doctor ‘taking’ or having inserted the cricket abbreviation for Over, the result finished with the outside letters (case) of RelativE
14a Opposing substantive limits (4)
ANTI: Hidden inside (limited by) substANTIve
15a Small-state Conservative & Unionist is loud, wildly entertaining and crazy (10)
RIDICULOUS: An abbreviation for an American State followed by an anagram (wildly) of IS LOUD ‘entertaining’ the abbreviations for Conservative and Unionist
18a What you might have when playing bridge as partners (4-2-4)
HAND-IN-HAND: What you literally might have when playing a game of bridge or an expression meaning in close association (as partners)
20a Just light entertainment here? (4)
FAIR: A triple definition – an adjective meaning both just and light or a place of entertainment
23a You wouldn’t notice if mum was late (8)
BACKWARD: This synonym for late describes the fact that if you turned the word mum round, you wouldn’t notice any difference
24a Wear a rubber ring, say (6)
ATTIRE: A (from the clue) and a homophone (say) of a rubber ring
26a Get too old for public slanging match, essentially disengaging beforehand (7)
OUTGROW: A way of saying in public followed by a slanging match, the ‘essential’ letter of disenGaging, going before the slanging match
27a As one‘s picked up by roadside, if in USA travelling west (7)
UNIFIED: Hidden in reverse (picked up by… travelling west) roadsiDE IF IN USA
28a Takes off clothing for Swedish journalists (5)
SHEDS: The outside letters (clothing for) of SwedisH and some abbreviated journalists
29a Praise received by ex-PM, or another leading figure (4,5)
LORD MAYOR: A homophone (received) of some praise followed by the name of an ex-Prime Minister and OR (from the clue)
Down
1d Somehow help RAF to land at airstrip – that’s brilliant! (5,4)
FLARE PATH: An anagram (somehow) of HELP RAF into which is inserted (to land) AT (from the clue)
2d Enhance taste of asparagus, adding ground nutmeg (7)
AUGMENT: The first letter (taste) of Asparagus with (adding) an anagram (ground) of NUTMEG
3d Smaller group of ships, maybe those that go underwater? (6)
SUBSET: A smaller group of ships that go underwater might be described as this
4d Unfortunately, tap leaks occasionally (4)
ALAS: The occasional letters of tAp LeAkS
5d Old instrument initially fine-tuned prior to tricky operation (10)
FORTEPIANO: The initial letter of Fine goes before (prior to in a Down solution) an anagram (tricky) of OPERATION
6d Starts to get life organised, repaying debts – splendid! (8)
GLORIOUS: The ‘starts’ to Get Life Organised Repaying and some promises to repay debts
7d Explorer returned with seeds of Chinese opium plant (7)
TOBACCO: A reversal (returned) of an Italian explorer followed by the ‘seeds’ or first letters of Chinese and Opium
8d Dough stuck in grandpa’s teeth (5)
PASTE: Hidden in grandPAS TEeth
13d Reportedly, John Wayne spoke this way in retirement (10)
WITHDRAWAL: A homophone (reportedly) of the way John Wayne spoke
16d Not quite certain – clarify, or give up (9)
SURRENDER: Almost all of a synonym for certain and a verb meaning to clarify by melting
17d Nothing connects flying foxes to kiwis (8)
ZIPWIRES: An originally American slang word for nothing and part of a verb meaning to connect to electricity combine to give us apparently what the Kiwis and other Antipodeans would call flying foxes. Interestingly, when searching for pictures of the ‘flying foxes’ in New Zealand, the only ones I could find were under xxxlines not the solution
19d Where you might poke your head into top sporting event – Ascot, say (7)
NECKTIE: Where you’d poke your head through on a jumper or other top and a sporting event
21d LSD topping provided hippy’s finishing touch to make tart (7)
ACIDIFY: An informal name for the drug LSD, a conjunction meaning provided that, and the finishing ‘touch’ to hippY
22d Entrance hall‘s abstract art – I’m checking it’s suitable for everyone (6)
ATRIUM: An anagram (abstract) of ART and IM (from the clue) into which is inserted (checking) the letter used to indicate that films, for example, are suitable for everyone
23d Chemist starts fires (5)
BOOTS: A well-known chain of chemists, starts [a computer] or an informal word meaning dismisses
25d Jaguar’s sound? Yes and, perhaps surprisingly, no (4)
PURR: The sound made by a Jaguar car’s engine if it is running well, or the noise which the Jaguar cat, perhaps surprisingly, doesn’t make
A lot of fun – many thanks to Fez.
I found the SW corner trickier than the rest. The BRB wasn’t very forthcoming on ‘flying foxes’ in 17d but Collins came to the rescue.
I suspect that 15a would earn a “Some editors don’t …” if it appeared in Rookie Corner.
For my podium I’ve selected 9a, 12a and 13d.
Thanks Gazza, glad you enjoyed it … I used to avoid unindicated lift & separate but have become rather fond of it as a device, provided it’s not overused or *too* outrageous!
Yes, I like it as well. If we’re allowed to ignore punctuation in a cryptic clue then ‘missing space’ is just an example of this.
Very impressive as ever Fez. Lots of ticks, clever clueing and great surfaces. My only quibbles are that I can’t quite work out the function of “on” in 6a and I am not convinced that 10a’s definition quite matches the answer as typically its sides aren’t parallel. Even if it does, would it not require an example indicator?
Thanks Dr D … in 6a, you have PUT reversed (“back”) following (“on” in an Across clue) a reversal of (“the wrong way”) EG (“for example”). Every 10a is a special case of a kite – def by example would be required if the other way round (ie you can define the special case – corgi/10a say – as the general case – dog/kite – but not t’other way round … I think? Oh dear, I’m confused myself now!) Glad you enjoyed the puzzle, thanks again!
As usual with one of this setter’s puzzles, I’m struggling with a couple of bits of parsing – will keep pondering.
Top three here were 12a plus 1&6d and I suspect that if Shabbo pops in he’ll particularly like 20a!
Thanks to Fez for the NTSPP workout.
Thanks jane … hopefully the struggle is an enjoyable one!
Very enjoyable Fez (certainly not 12a!) though I found the bottom half quite tough.
I thought the aforementioned 12a was very smooth and clever, I liked the ingenuity of 11a and 20a was neat. On the Downs 8d made me laugh, as did 13d and I loved the triple definition at 23d. Good stuff indeed.
Many thanks and thanks in advance to CS whose review I look forward to in order to check a couple of my interpretations.
Thanks SL, much appreciated – glad to raise a laugh or two!
I really enjoyed this with its great clueing and smooth surfaces. Parts of it did prove to be rather challenging but, given the appalling weather, I was in no hurry to finish.
An intimate knowledge of the lyrics of Route 66 got me off to a flying start with the excellent 1a. I don’t believe I have ever come across 5d before so I needed Google to help with this one.
13d is a definite hmmophone for me, but I imagine that it would have been OK for John Wayne who almost certainly wouldn’t have pronounced the final A!
I struggled with 17d. The flying foxes don’t appear in the BRB but they are in Collins. However, shouldn’t Kiwis be capitalised?
I don’t think the third definition for 23d is quite right as “fires” is synonymous with “boots out” not “boots”. The BRB agrees.
I had lots of ticks, and my top picks were 1a, 12a & 23a.
Well done and thank you, Fez. Please keep them coming.
Many thanks RD. Love the “hmmophone” description, that’s how I like ’em, sorry! BRB has kiwi uncapitalised (though is inconsistent, it seems – eg “limey” is fine lower-case whilst “Yank” requires the capital?), whilst 23d is supported without the “out” by Collins (def. 22b) … I do check these things
Many thanks again for the feedback, much appreciated …I do indeed hope to “keep them coming”
We struck a real log-jam in the SW.
17d should have been a gift for us but it was a description that we had never heard before for a flying-fox. Still not sure how 23a works.
Really enjoyed the rest though and thoroughly enjoyed the solve.
13d gets our vote for favourite.
Thanks Fez.
2Ks, if the word “mum” was (written) 23a it wouldn’t look any different.
Thanks 2Ks – I did think 17d would be a write-in for you (& a nightmare for anyone else) but maybe I’ve got the niceties a bit wrong, sorry. RD has 23a spot on, of course (I originally had “mum or dad” but worried about the Ds in dad not quite reflecting!), glad you also enjoy a dodgy homophone!
Deleted and replaced by a reply to the 2Ks.
Many thanks for the review CS – and for the super illustrations:-)
Many thanks for the review, CS, and the confirmation of the bits of parsing I’d been uncertain were correct. Hadn’t found any reference to that particular term for flying foxes and thought it was telling that it was also unfamiliar to our 2Ks. Still not very persuaded by 23a but I suppose a ‘late developer’ in the classroom could be classed as being ‘backward’ – maybe not in this new WOKE-infested world!
A bit chewy in places, and I needed a wordfinder for 12 and 27. And even with wordfinder help I couldn’t get 23ac and 17. But the rest was fine, and I particularly liked 2, 9, 10, 15 and 19. Thanks, Fez and CS.
A few clues kept me at bay when I looked at this last night, but the pennies finally dropped with resounding clangs this morning on 11a, 23a and 17d – with the latter needing an e-reference to confirm my reading of the clue made any sense at all! I enjoyed the two triple definitions – both clues being short and sweet. I wasn’t that keen on 3d or 25d, but very much enjoyed 9a, 24a (an unarguable homophone
) and 21d; and I really, really enjoyed 10a, which was my clue of the day.
Many thanks for a fun puzzle, Fez, and also to CS for the review. P.S. I think you overlooked ‘repaying’ in your list of ‘starts’ for 6d.
So I did
Lovely stuff Fez, that took me a few very enjoyable sessions across the weekend and finished the home straight this morning! I particularly liked 9a (fun), 10a (smoothly done), 1d (nho but nicely done), 5d (clean), 8d (simple but effective) and and 23d (neat) – thanks Fez!