A Puzzle by PostMark
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
This crossword, with separate themes based on different definitions of the solution to 9a, was the perfect Saturday lunchtime solve
Across
1a Wingers' runs yielded tries (4)
BIDS: Some wingers without (yielded) the cricket abbreviation for Run
8a Setter's printed issue replacing books penned (10)
IMPRISONED: How the setter would say he was going to do something and PRIntED where SON (issue) replaces the Books in the second part of the Bible
9a New partner wins good game (6)
BRIDGE: A new female life partner ‘wins’ the abbreviation for Good
11a Released by engineers, electric vehicle enters fabrication department (8)
RELIEVED: The abbreviation for the Royal Engineers and an abbreviated Electric Vehicle ‘enters’ a fabrication, the result finished with the abbreviation for Department
12a Blame cast after disastrous Rep introduction (8)
PREAMBLE: An anagram (cast) of BLAME goes after another (disastrous)of REP
15a Director's cut seems oddly boring (8)
SCORSESE: Cut with a line into which is inserted (boring) the odd letters of SeEmS
18a Clubs in which money's put on cards (5)
MACES: The abbreviation for Money put on some playing cards
19a Carry clout in absence of leader (4) For the theme you have to link this solution with that of 14d
HUMP: Hit with a dull heavy blow (clout) without its first letter (absence of leader)
21a Irish heading essentially for Santa Fe (4)
IRON: The abbreviation for Irish and the ‘essential’ letters of fOr and saNta
22a Keep, for example, a carthorse? (5)
TOWER: Something that pulls something along, a carthorse for example
23a Fleet fall into line having lost nine at sea (8)
FLOTILLA: An anagram (at sea) of FALL inTO LIne
25a No fellow goes hungry following meat roasts (8)
LAMBASTS: A verb meaning goes hungry without the abbreviation for Fellow goes after a type of meat
29a Decorated cavalryman exposed in Winter Olympic event (3,5)
ICE DANCE: Decorated like a cake and the inside letters (exposed) of a cavalryman
31a Border, say, opened by Democrat with spirit (6)
EDGING: The abbreviation meaning say, for example into which is inserted (opened by) the abbreviation for Democrat and a type of alcoholic spirit
32a Patrons, travelling, can sit here in taxi? (10)
STRAPONTIN: A folding seat in a taxi – an anagram (travelling) of PATRONS followed by another word for a can
33a Wise one first to finish Times (4)
AGES: Move the first letter of a wise person to the end of the word
Down
1d Jazz work covered by Auntie, half-heartedly (5)
BEBOP: An abbreviated work ‘covered’ in a Down solution by the informal name for the BBC (Auntie) without one of its middle letters (half-heartedly)
2d Convey endless nonsense (5)
DRIVE: Some nonsense without the final letter (endless)
3d Confused state of irrational couple (3)
PIE: The ratio for the circumference of a circle to the diameter and another number (often known as Euler’s number) are both (a couple) of irrational numbers - a printing term for a confused mix of type
4d Overload old machine that's gobbling power (7)
OPPRESS: The abbreviation for Old and a type of machine ‘gobbling’ the symbol for Power
5d Tailor-made market for Merchant of Venice? (6)
RIALTO: An anagram (made) of TAILOR
6d Painter maybe correct to reject frame (4)
ROPE: An example (maybe) of something used to fasten a boat (painter maybe). The inside (to reject frame) of an adjective meaning correct
7d This finally breaks once rise stimulated? (9)
RECESSION: The final letter of thiS ‘breaks’ an anagram (stimulated) of ONCE RISE
10d Set up some computer storage in jet perhaps (3)
GEM: A reversal (set up) of some computer storage
13d Something up sleeve occasionally taking a trump point (6)
ARMPIT: The occasional letters of A tRuMp PoInT
14d Promote designer airline? Quite the reverse (4)
BACK: Reverse the order of a fashion design and a British airline
16d Steepling structure crowns a shrub in America (6)
SPIREA: A steepling structure on a church ‘crowns’ or goes on top of A (from the clue) to give an American spelling for this shrub
17d Double up entertained by coarse dialect (9)
DUPLICATE: UP (from the clue) ‘entertained’ by an anagram (coarse) of DIALECT
20d First signs of shuffling, whereafter infant might crawl? (4)
SWIM: The first letters of Shuffling Whereafter Infant Might
22d Gifts of suet, a Lent surprise (7)
TALENTS: Hidden in the last four words of the clue
24d Capital sole cooked using no energy at all (6)
LONDON: Synonyms for sole and cooked without the E at the end of each word (using no energy at all)
26d Sack graduate (3)
BED: An abbreviated Bachelor of Education (graduate)
27d Hang around with rat (5)
SWING: Turn informer (rat) goes around the abbreviation for With
28d Statement of greatness sounds sad (5)
SIGHS: A homophone (statement) of a measurement of greatness
30d Tie patients up (4)
DRAW: A reversal (up) of a group of patients collectively
31d At last, move on and finish (3)
END: The last letters of movE oN anD
Very enjoyable and pitched just right for a lunchtime solve – thanks to Postmark.
32a is a new word for me and I don’t understand the ‘couple’ bit of 3d.
Among the clues I ticked were 21a (clever), 29a, 33a, 6d and 24d.
3d two irrational numbers?
My interpretation also.
That works. Thanks.
Great to see you back Postmark. I found this nicely challenging especially in the North East corner. 8 and 11 across caused me to work hardest. I remain beaten by 3d and shall await the erudition of Stephen L(?) 32a was not a word I knew but clearly clued so I bunged it in and BRB agreed! So thanks for the education.
Lots to like. Ticks from me for 21a 22a 25a 6d 7d 24d and I particularly liked 31d which tickled me. It was my first one in, as that’s where I usually start on a crossword! I think I’ve spotted the theme – at least I’ve spotted 8 that seem to fit the bill for 9a? Very neat.
Thanks again for the fun. Hope to see you back here again soon.
I am up to 12 and there may be more.
Thanks for pointing out the theme which (as usual) I’d totally missed. I think that I’ve now found eleven elements if we include a) one different type of 9a and b) the name of a village near where I live.
12 including 9a.
No surprise, first caffeine of the day required! I did mange to keep myself to ‘one dose.’
I totally missed it, but after reading Jeemz’s comment I agree on the theme being based on 9a although I haven’t decided what they are all.
Smiles for 15a, 21a, 16d, and 24d.
Thanks PostMark for the brain mangling and thanks in advance to CS/SL(?).
If I had a pound for every time I write x is a nationally published setter, so I’ll be doing the review, it wouldn’t be a fortune but I’d definitely be able to treat myself to something nice
I found a few parts of this very tough, but I did enjoy the solve. I even spotted the theme and I think I have found 14 items.
I thought 32a was a bit unfair but probably necessitated by the constraints of the theme. It’s definitely one for Terence’s “THE LIST”! I was also blissfully unaware that 3d could mean a confused state but the wordplay was clever with a quick BRB check confirming the definition.
Not sure why but the codes in the pdf file to italicise Merchant of Venice appeared as written.
Many thanks to PM for the afternoon entertainment, and thanks in advance to SL.
… and thanks in advance to CS. I’d forgotten that PostMark compiles for the Indy as Stamp.
Yes have your 14, if hump back counts as two – alternatively, if we count Bridgend!
I struggled to get on wavelength right from the off & found the puzzle jolly difficult. Had I twigged the theme during the solve it would have helped matters but that penny only dropped at last in 6d where I resorted to one of two letter reveals to get over the line. Predictably 15a was my fav & it even took me a while to see that one.
Thanks to PostMark & in advance to the ever busy Sue
It’s the tea break at Old Trafford where the weather has, for once, been much better than here in soggy Kent. In pauses during the enthralling cricket I’ve been kept entertained by a delightful puzzle from PostMark, full of clever constructions and fine surfaces. My printout has several ticks: 1a, 19a, 23a, 25a, 33a and 7d; but my double tick favourite went to 3d when I finally twigged the wordplay – a brilliant 3 letter clue! 32a was a head-scratcher and I was chuffed when the dictionary confirmed my unravelling of the wordplay. I wonder if anyone knew this word (other than PostMark)?
Many thanks, PostMark, and my thanks in advance to CS.
Great stuff PM, thanks – all very smooth as per, and ideal for this slot. Favourites: 1a, 23a, 29a, 5d, 24d and 28d. Thanks also in advance to CS for the review.
Setter popping in to thank those who have solved and commented. I’m glad folk seem to have enjoyed it. The theme is light rather than all embracing and, yes, covers both the spans (named/by type) and the game. Ironbridge is, indeed, a relatively small town but it is named after the first such structure to be thus formed which, I hope, gives some justification for its inclusion.
A word on STRAPONTIN. It was, indeed, thrown up by constraints and, no, it was not a word I knew. But I realised I should know it as I have sat on one many a time – at sports grounds, in the theatre and on the Tube as well as in a taxi. I hoped solvers would be pleased to discover it and maybe even add it to their lexicon. (Rather than to THE LIST!) And, of course, it delivered the opportunity for a Clue as Definition.
Thanks again to all and, in advance, for tomorrow’s annotations.
PM
The thought of a theme only entered my head when I came to 5&6d whereupon I went looking for likely candidates. Have to confess that any of the ‘game’ references that I got were by chance – I know little about the terminology used and a quick referral to Mr G reveals a veritable dictionary of choices!
I should think the 21a town is familiar to most solvers if only as the home of our much missed setter, Roger Squires.
32a was a complete unknown for me – curious word but no doubt most of us have sat on one.
Thanks to PostMark for an absorbing NTSPP
Had problems in SE corner where we were convinced the degree was in agriculture, so a DNF for us.
A challenging and enjoyable solve in which we totally missed the theme once again.
Thanks Postmark.
What a delightfully illustrated blog, CS, for which many thanks.
As PostMark says an excellent review,
Thanks Sue
CS living up to her reputation as an arch reviewer!
Thank you, CS.
That made me laugh but the emoticon won’t work
The emoticon came through on the email
I found this quite challenging and needed help, including revealing a few letters in order to finish. Strapontin wasn’t entirely new to me but I’d forgotten the word since having to use one on the TGV from Paris to Perpignan a few years ago (although I did get a proper seat after Nimes). I didn’t spot either of the themes, not that I was looking for a theme.
Thanks, PostMark and CS.
Many thanks for the excellent review, CS. It must take you a long time to find all the illustrations you use, I’m sure PostMark was very grateful, as were the rest of us.
Thanks for the puzzle PostMark, very nice.
Not sure where I stand on the difficulty – I slogged away for ages last night and didn’t get very far. Then rattled through it in half an hour today.
Favourites were 21a, 22a and 7d.
Thanks too for the review CS.