A Puzzle by Dabrite
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
As usual, the setter will be delighted to receive feedback from you, the solvers. I do ask that you remember that for most setters this is a new experience, so please only offer constructive criticism.
A review by a Google exhausted Prolixic follows.
There is a fine line between the general knowledge that a setter can expect the solvers to know and more specialist knowledge that asks too much of the solver. Good as many of the clues were, I think that Dabrite has strayed too far over that line. Many of the comments on the blog bear testament to this. The commentometer reads 6.5 / 26 or 25%.
Across
7a Door of Africa made from granite (7)
TANGIER: An anagram (made from) of GRANITE.
8a Springtime exam relating to office of municipal principal leader (7)
MAYORAL: A three-letter springtime month followed by a four-letter word for a type of exam.
10a Small ornamental case kept in perpetuity (4)
ETUI: The answer is hidden (kept) in the last word of the clue.
11a &20. Free album is one that causes crushing grief, anguish, or distress (5)
HEART BREAKER: Double definition. This does not quite work as the first part of the solution is enumerated (11) and the second part enumerated (5,6). Possibly too much general knowledge required to know the names of albums by a group that is not especially well known.
12a See 14 Down (4)
13a Either of 19 25s say 10 gross misrepresentation (8)
SONGSTER: An anagram (misrepresented) of TEN (10) GROSS.
15a 19 25’s wife is Cassio’s mistress (6)
BIANCA: Double definition, the first being the wife of one of the musicians referred to in the solution to 19 25.
17a Cigar Island flotsam and jetsam reading the Morning Star? (11)
RADICAL SIGN: An anagram (flotsam and jetsam) of CIGAR ISLAND. I am pretty lenient with surface readings but this one little or no sense. In addition, the enumeration should be (7,4), the anagram indicator “flotsam and jetsam” is not an anagram indicator and the definition is indirect that it is no help to the solver.
21a Second album of English post-punk band is more intimate (6)
CLOSER: Double definition, the first being the second album released by the Joy Division. This is a clue where the degree of specialist knowledge makes this too unfair for the solver. You have to know the names in order of a band from one of the many that could be described as an English post-punk band and then match this to the solution.
22a Shed tears about vandalised bower and fruit (8)
COWBERRY: A three-letter word meaning shed tears around an anagram (vandalized) of BOWER.
24a Pornography or indecent talk to Sooty matter! (4)
SMUT: Double definition.
26a Coach goes after second place on 14 12 27 Down? (5)
TRAIN: The word coming after the medal given for second place in a track from the album referred to in 14, 12, 27 down. Another clue where the degree of knowledge required is too much for the general solver. Expecting them to have knowledge of the titles of tracks on an album is stretching it. Perhaps coach that goes after would be better.
27a Lucifer, Bob and Jack come up with half a song? (4)
STAR: The abbreviation for shilling (bob) followed by a three-letter word for a sailor (jack). The answer is also half of the repeated name of a song on the album in 14, 12, 27d.
28a I learnt about showing confidence like Robin (7)
RELIANT: An anagram (about) of I LEARNT.
29a Rihanna, Morissette Amon, and Adele initially wanting rummage sale excited pulses (7)
LEGUMES: An anagram (excited) of RUMMAGE SALE after removing (wanting) the initial letters in the four names given in the clue.
Down
1d Yellow journalist abandoning education reform (7)
CAUTION: An anagram (reform) of EDUCATION after removing (abandoning) the abbreviation for editor (journalist).
2d Fruit from 6 is not much to look at, we hear (4)
UGLI: A homophone (we hear) of ugly (not much to look at).
3d Frankfurter is emotionally charged to Henry the German, on reflection (6)
RED HOT: The TO from the clue, the abbreviation for Henry and the German for the all reversed (on reflection). The solution should be enumerated (3,3).
4d Scholar has a go at Anglo-Saxon fixed benches made of stone (8)
MASTABAS: The abbreviation for master of arts (scholar) followed by a four-letter word meaning has a go at and the abbreviation for Anglo Saxon.
5d Wailer shot in violent frenzy (4)
TOSH: An anagram (in violent frenzy) of SHOT.
6d Single from big band of the 70s sounds like the Reggae Boyz (7)
JAMAICA: The country whose football team is nicknamed the Raggae Boyz. Also the country where the album was recorded. Not sure why “sounds like” is required here as it suggests a homophone that is not required by the wordplay.
9d Venerable chief admitted in lawsuit dogging secretary (11)
PATRIARCHAL: A four-letter word for chief inside (admitted in) a five-letter word for a lawsuit all underneath dogging the abbreviation for personal assistant (secretary).
14d &12/27D. Aged opus has to get face-lift? (5,4,4)
GOAT’S HEAD SOUP: An anagram (get face-lift) of AGED OPUS HAS TO. Even with the preamble to the crossword, this clue requires a definition. For the anagram indicator to work, it would need to be “getting a face-lift”.
16d German chancellor seen through eyes of adoring fans in 7 (5)
ANGIE: The answer is hidden in the answer to 7a. Also one of the tracks in the relevant album. I think that the eyes of the adoring fans (and I am guessing wildly here) is to the initial letters (eyes) of “The Rollers”, the fans of the Rolling Stones that frame the answer. The name of the former chancellor is Angela the solution is not the same as the definition.
18d Irish celebrated traffic warden books are a nuisance (8)
IRRITANT: The abbreviation for Irish followed by a four-letter name of a celebrated traffic warden in the Beatles song and the abbreviation for New Testament (books). In the cryptic reading of the clue, you have wordplay ARE definition which is not grammatically correct.
19d Bob working out mongrelism could be almost imperceptible sign of something (7)
GLIMMER: An anagram (could be) of MONGRELISM after removing the abbreviation for shilling (Bob) and a two letter word meaning working. Try to avoid repeating wordplay – Bob has already been used in 27a.
20d See 11 Across (7)
23d Johnny for one in period of decline (6)
WINTER: Double definition, the first being an American singer songwriter. Also one of the tracks on the album.
25d 1 of 2 in batwing sleeves (4)
TWIN: The answer is hidden (sleeves) in the penultimate word of the clue.
27d See 14 Down (4)
Sorry Dabrite not for me. With the help of Google, I presume that the 50th anniversary relates to 14d/12a/27d but that nugget, assuming that it is correct, did not help me very much before I retired hurt with about two-thirds solved.
I do consider that 16d should include an indication of ‘former’ German Chancellor as the present incumbent of that post does not fit the clue.
Thanks anyway and thanks in advance to Prolixic.
Welcome to Rookie Corner, Dabrite. Even though 70s music is something of a specialist subject for me, I am sorry to say that I struggled with this.
I am not very keen on puzzles with a lot of cross-references, but that can be difficult to avoid with a theme like this. Somehow I ended up with a full grid but I have several answers unparsed and there are a lot of scribbles on my page with questions and comments. Some of your surface readings are fine but some are bizarre.
I’ll leave most of the detailed comments to Prolixic and confine myself to a small selection:
– The album title for 11/20 is one word so should be enumerated (11) even though the answer is split across two lights.
– For 15a , there are two 19 25s and the one in question had more than one wife. How about “A wife of a 19 25 is Cassio’s mistress”?
– 17a appears to lack a definition and in any event should be enumerated (7,4).
– 3d should be enumerated (3,3).
Well done on compiling a cryptic puzzle, Dabrite. You have clearly put a lot of work into this. Please pay heed to Prolixic’s wise words and come back with a more user-friendly offering next time.
At the end of my breakfast I’d solved eight clues. Because of 15a, I was fairly sure what all the links were referring to but knowing little about the subject, this didn’t help much.
I was waiting for something to go live on another site and so I decided to reveal a few letters and see where that got me but with a lot of the clues, it didn’t help much. I will say that the anagrams were helpful
Thank you Dabrite – you are obviously good at writing cryptic clues but I would suggest that you might win more friends if you presented us with a straightforward, non-themed crossword. Thanks in advance to Prolixic
Faced with a puzzle having lots of cross references I normally try to concentrate initially on the non-linked clues. I made some progress with these but even there a lot of (to me) specialised GK seemed to be required to understand some. I’m afraid that I gave up with about half the grid completed.
Of the clues I solved I did like 9d which made me laugh.
Thanks for the puzzle, Dabrite. As CS says you obviously have a lot of potential – a non-themed puzzle next time would be very welcome.
In all fairness, Mr Google answered far more of this than I did! I think you have quite a lot to learn on subjects such as surface reads, enumerations and clear definitions, Dabrite, perhaps a non-themed puzzle would be a good idea for your next submission?
Welcome Dabrite.
Not one for me either, clearly the anniversary (and the music of this era) is significant to you, but maybe it isn’t to the vast majority of those attempting the puzzle. In my case, electronic assistance was needed quite early on.
Quite apart from the cross-referencing which I found an 18d, there were a few cryptic grammar errors, for instance in 14d/12a/27d you have “anagram fodder get face-lift” and in 18d you have “wordplay are definition”. I also thought you were guilty of over-embellishing some of the definitions, i.e. “principal” is not needed in 8a, and the definition in 11a/20d seems ridiculously wordy. I thought 22a was your best clue.
Thank you, Dabrite.
Thanks Dabrite,, I’m not especially familiar with the main thematic entry but enjoyed Googling to find the various references. Some of the other musical references were more familiar (e.g. the “second album…”, the “Wailer”) , others needed further e-help (e.g. the “Free album”, “Johnny”) but in the context of a themed puzzle I thought mostly ‘tough but fair’. However, I do have to agree with others overall, with incorrect enumerations, some imperfect cryptic grammar, a few odd surfaces etc making things just a little too difficult to really be satisfying, sorry.
A few specific points: 14/12/27, as the ‘key’, is probably fair to clue without further definition (well, I guess “aged opus” does it but that’s then doing double-duty as it isn’t really an &-lit … unless it’s being remixed and repackaged for the anniversary?), but I think that ought to be flagged in the pre-amble. 17a, though, seems to be two sets of wordplay (an anagram and a whimsical/literal interpretation) without a definition. 26a probably needs “coach *that* goes after…” for the grammar to work? 6d’s homophone indicator seems the wrong way round to me? 18d grammatically needs “is” rather than “are”. I’ll leave it there but expect there’ll be plenty to digest in Prolixic’s review (thanks in advance) so do take heed of his advice.
I did like the opening run of Acrosses (8 and 11/20 could maybe do with some pruning, but still good I thought) and appreciated a lot of the inventiveness and clever use of GK … thanks again!
Welcome Dabrite, and I must say that having not compiled a puzzle myself I admire anyone who puts their head above the parapet in doing so. Having said that, I do enjoy (trying to) solve them!
I had to admit defeat with two to go (17a, 19d). The cross-referencing was confusing, and that amount is usually enough for me to move on to another one instead. I too looked for some of the non-linked clues but the biggest help was spotting 15a early on: I googled Rolling Stones and the anniversary date (it meant nothing to me).
I’m in my mid 50s, have a reasonably broad general knowledge and enjoy a wide range of music types, but found this obscure in the extreme, having never heard of the album, the nicknames for Jagger & Richards, Johnny 23d, or the Wailer in 5d; the stone benches were fairly clued but again, very obscure. There are several (inc 21a, 26a, 27a, 3d, 16d) where I’m looking forward to Prolixic’s review to understand the parsing.
Otherwise: 11/20 – the album name is a single word, not two; 17a – I cannot find this used / defined as a single word; 16d – ex-chancellor indicator needed, also that it’s not her proper name. Rather too many surface reads would fail the “pub conversation” test, and many are also too wordy for my taste.
Highlights for me were 10a, 1d, 9d, and 22a. You clearly have a talent for setting cryptics and I’d look forward to doing one of your puzzles again in the future, but maybe with fewer cross-references …
Thank you Dabrite, and in advance also to Prolixic
Once we found the theme we had to turn to Google but we still had some difficulties. Favourites were 7a, 8a,10a, 22a, 28a and 29a. Thank you for the challenge, Dabrite, but please can we have a more straightforward cryptic puzzle next time. Thank you in advance to Prolixic.
Thanks for the review Prolixic and thanks again Dabrite. I think the homophone in 6d refers to Led Zep’s reggae-inspired single “D’yer Mak’er”; I took the adoring fans reference to be a familiar/fawning way to say “Angela” (although her adoring fans would probably say Mutti!) Plenty of food for thought for Dabrite, perhaps this was over-ambitious in parts but I did enjoy untangling all the music references (both known and unknown)
Google exhaustion – I think the blog should adopt that one! Many thanks for all your hard work, Prolixic, I hope Dabrite has learned some valuable lessons and will return with something that really shows what he can produce.
Although I often check Big Dave for DT comments I have not looked in here often since my last my last entry as Umber. I have printed this puzzle out but, having read the comments, already know I am really going to struggle with it!
I’ve tried my best, Dabrite, but it’s a crossword more suited to a rock music magazine from what I’ve managed to see. I once used Arteta in clue – he’s more well known now but at the time I wrote the clue Mikel was still an Everton player (I’m an Evertonian) – but I wondered if it was too obscure a name to use, especially as ‘Quint’ used in another clue here was deemed an obscure made up name, even he was the character of Robert Shaw in Jaws.
I think the point I’m making is you can’t assume everyone knows who, what and where you know about.