A Puzzle by Buddy
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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. We do ask that you remember that for most setters this is a new experience, so please only offer constructive criticism.
A gem of a crossword from Buddy. Whilst there are a number of comments on the clues, these are designed to give a higher polish to a few of them. The main advice is not to cluster similar clue types together. The commentometer reads as 3 / 30 or 10%
Across
1a Ease senior clothing shortage (7)
SLACKEN: The three-letter abbreviation for senior around (clothing) a four-letter word meaning shortage.
5a Deal with reporters besieging only child (7)
PROCESS: A five-letter word for reporters around (besieging) the abbreviation for only child.
9a Grand church that is the centrepiece of Suffolk (5)
CHIEF: The abbreviation for church followed by the abbreviation for this is and the middle letter (centrepiece) of Suffolk.
10a Harry guards degenerate demonstrator (9)
PROTESTER: A six-letter word meaning harry around (guards) a three-letter word meaning to degenerate.
11a Fail to pick an empty Scrabble tile? (4,1,5)
DRAW A BLANK: Double definition.
12a Oddly, some urge to steal (4)
SMUG: The odd letters in the second and third words of the clue.
14a Special date arranged for new business financing (4,7)
SEED CAPITAL: An anagram (arranged) of SPECIAL DATE.
18a Top manager’s routine: playing hangman (11)
EXECUTIONER: A four-letter word for a top business manager followed by an anagram (playing) of ROUTINE. As a hangman is one example of the solution, a definition by example indicator should be used.
21a Starts to mix a yolk with a bit of oil to create sauce (4)
MAYO: The initial letters (starts to) of the third to fifth words of the clue followed by the first letter (bit) of oil. A nitpicking point, but try to avoid using starts where one of the words you are taking the starting letters from is a single letters. Perhaps addled yolks would work?
22a Incite us with very loud ranting? Enough! (10)
SUFFICIENT: An anagram (ranting) of INCITE US FF (very loud). I think I err on the side of ranting not been a good anagram indicator. It would have to be used as an adjective rather than a noun in the context in which the word is used. It suggests something that anagram letters are doing rather than something done to the letters.
25a Weekly magazine – The Observer? (9)
SPECTATOR: Double definition.
26a Buddy: a fighter with heart of stone (5)
AMIGO: The A from the clue followed by a three-letter name of a Russian fighter jet and the middle letter (heart) of stone.
27a Obscure excerpts written in Early English (7)
ECLIPSE: A five-letter word excepts inside (written in) the abbreviation for Early English.
28a When the stars are seen aligning (7)
EVENING: Double definition.
Down
1d Every now and then, upset head teachers split (6)
SECEDE: A reversal (upset) of the even letters (every now and then) of the sixth and seventh words of the clue.
2d Sensual soul encounters onset of lust (6)
ANIMAL: A five-letter word for soul followed by the initial letter (onset) of lust.
3d Ultimately, Josef K devoured by Scottish jackdaw: A bizarre unfinished sequel that’s nightmarish and surreal (10)
KAFKAESQUE: The last letter of Joseph and the K from the clue inside a two-letter Scottish word for a jackdaw and the A from the clue all followed by an anagram (bizarre) of SEQUAL without the final letter (unfinished). Although not technically wrong to use them, try to avoid the use of obscure regional words.
4d Traumatized elephant abandoning the troubled country (5)
NEPAL: An anagram (traumatised) of ELEPHANT after removing (abandoning) an anagram (troubled) of THE.
5d Debate both sides of press release? Sorry, no can do (3,3,3)
PRO AND CON: The abbreviation for press release followed by an anagram (sorry) of NO CAN DO. Try to keep clue types balanced. Here we have had three clues with anagrams in a row. Whilst 8 anagrams in the grid is on the high side (though nationally crosswords sometimes have more), having three in a row makes it feel as though there are too many.
6d Withdrawing component of charger: EV operation’s terminated (4)
OVER: The answer is hidden (component of) and reversed (withdrawing) in the fourth to sixth words of the clue.
7d In Bucharest, I’m a tenured judge (8)
ESTIMATE: The answer is hidden (in) the second to fifth words of the clue. Another case where clue types should be varied. Two hidden word clues in a row (given that they are some of the easier clue types) should be avoided.
8d Poor result embroils German government in conflict (8)
STRUGGLE: An anagram (poor) of RESULT includes the abbreviation for German and government. Chambers gives G on its own as an abbreviation (with an example of use in G-Men). I think that its use is therefore fine.
13d See program deliver stored answer (10)
APPRECIATE: A three-letter word for a program followed by a six-letter word meaning to deliver or quote that includes (stored) the abbreviation for answer. The cryptic grammar is somewhat stilted here as it resolves to A with B stored C where (in the cryptic grammar it should be stores or storing).
15d Tie up queen before noon, holding dry ceremony (9)
ETIQUETTE: An anagram (up) of TIE followed by the letters in queen before the N (noon) that includes (holding) the abbreviation for teetotal (dry). I cannot recall having seen this type of construction (Queen before noon) before, but it works well.
16d “Can I take a look?” “I’m thinking about it” (3,2,3)
LET ME SEE: Double definition.
17d In excellent health, all right (4,4)
VERY WELL: Double definition.
19d Little woman turns up in Italy, producing twins (6)
GEMINI: A reversal (turns up) of one of the characters in Little Women followed by the IN from the clue and the IVR code for Italy.
20d Mighty strain to contain banks of Tamar (6)
STRONG: A four-letter word for a strain or air (music) includes (to contain) the outer letters (banks) of Tamar.
23d Feign warning in golf? Just the opposite (5)
FORGE: A four-letter word meaning a warning includes the letter represented in the NATO phonetic alphabet by golf.
24d Discontinue stew after losing recipe (4)
STOP: A five-letter word for a stew or tantrum without (after losing) the abbreviation for recipe.
Apologies in advance for 3d. (But surely an erudite group such as this has some familiarity with The Trial.)
Thanks Buddy for an enjoyable end to the week of cruciverbalism. I have to admit that I knew nothing about ‘The Trial’ and, with sufficient checkers, 3d was a ‘bung in’ that seemed to make sense.
Smiles for 1a, 25a, 4d, 13d, and 19d.
Thanks again and thanks in advance to Prolixic.
Late getting on to this today.
No particular hold ups for us in what we found an enjoyable solve.
Thanks Buddy.
Morning all! A very good quality puzzle Buddy, thank you. 3d worked for me – no need to apologise! I think you use ‘a’ twice in wordplay charades within the same puzzle – 3d and 26a – which I’d normally try and avoid … but apart from that I think most editors would be very happy with this puzzle. I look forward to Prolixic’s insight.
Welcome back to RC again, Buddy. I thought your previous submission was very good, but this one was even better.
Apart from finding “ranting” an unconvincing anagram indicator in 22a, my only other comment is my frequent beef that G is not a recognised UK abbreviation for government. It appears in Chambers, but only as part of the US expression G-man, and it is not cited in Collins at all. Replacing “German government” with “Girl Guides” in 8d would have worked with a resultant comical surface.
I learnt a new meaning in the answer to 12a.
I had a plethora of ticks, but the wonderful 3d is head and shoulders above the rest. It is rare for me to rave about such a verbose clue, but this one is absolutely spot-on (as well as relating to one of my favourite books!)
Many thanks, Buddy, and really well done. I anticipate a very low commentometer score. Thanks too in advance to Prolixic.
What Encota said
Thanks to Buddy and, in advance, to Prolixic
Very enjoyable – thanks to Buddy.
I liked the ‘queen before noon’ in 15d and other clues I ticked included 1a, 10a, 26a and 19d.
Welcome back, Buddy.
I was very impressed, this was a high-quality and proficient puzzle that I enjoyed solving immensely. I do agree with RD about “ranting” as an anagram indicator, maybe “barking” would have been a good potential alternative. I have plenty of ticks on my printed page and next to no quibbles, my top three clues matched three of Gazza’s choices, i.e. 1a, 10a and 19d.
Congratulations on a fine puzzle, of which you can feel suitably proud. Many thanks, Buddy.
There were a handful that didn’t quite work for me this time but a couple of those were probably down to lack of the required GK.
My ticks went to 1&10a plus 16&19d.
Thank you, Buddy, but please don’t sacrifice your sense of humour in the interest of being ‘clever’.
Thanks all for comments and feedback. A few thoughts:
G = government is in Chambers, as noted, but GG = Girl Guides is not (and as we don’t have those over here, I have to say I have never heard of them so couldn’t have used them anyway!). Plus, I was thinking of the unwieldy 3-way coalition the Germans are trying to manage.
As for using “a” twice, in 26a I could have gone with “American fighter” which also would have been geographically accurate in my case.
Chambers gives “rant” as “to storm or scold with great anger” and “to make merry, noisily” so i will defend using that as an anagrind.
Glad 3d was not problematic, That is about the 10th iteration of that clue – it was probably not wise to include that word in the grid (a rookie mistake?) but once I saw I could get Josef K into the clue I couldn’t let it go.
Buddy, GG = Girl Guides is in Collins.
A very enjoyable lunchtime solve, thank you Buddy. Slightly heavy on the anagram count for my tastes, but there was nothing wrong with any of them, indeed nothing adverse to say about any of the clues! 3d was a write-in from the solitary F, so no apology needed on my account. Some very clever use of less-familiar synonyms and unusual words, all fairly clued. Well done, and I look forward to your next puzzle, though I should not be surprised were it to be on a Saturday.
Thanks also in advance to Prolixic
Many thanks for the review, Prolixic, greatly appreciated as always.
Thanks for blog & feedback!
Just back from holiday and really enjoyed this crossword. Thank you, Buddy. NW corner was last in. Favourites were 22, 27 and 28 across plus15d. More like this, please, Buddy. Thanks also to Prolixic.