Rookie Corner 557 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Rookie Corner 557

A Puzzle by Mjölnir

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +


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.

Our thanks to Mjölnir for an entertaining crossword.   There was a good variety of clues and some nicely observed wordplay.  My main reservation was over the use of some of the link words that did not really work for me.  The commentometer reads as 4/32 or 12.5%.

Across

1a  Musical with subplot that follows One Direction (4,4,5)
WEST SIDE STORY: A phrase (4,5) that describes as subplot after (following) one of the points of the compass (One Direction).

10a  Heard you travelled to acquire a place in Holland (7)
UTRECHT: A homophone (heard) of YOU TREKKED

11a  Popular old princess becomes one of the Joneses (7)
INDIANA: A two-letter word meaning popular followed by the name of a former princess.

12a  Idiot’s about to get sack (4)
LOOT: A reversal (about) of a four-letter word for an idiot.

13a  Fleet with some Israeli gadgetry travelling west (5)
AGILE: The answer is hidden (some) and reversed (travelling west) in fourth and fifth words of the clue.

14a  No burrow’s entrance evident in Italian river bank (4)
TIER: Remove (no) the first letter (entrance) of burrow from a five-letter name of an Italian river.

17a  Dad surprisingly getting into expensive French cheese (7)
CHEDDAR: An anagram (surprisingly) of DAD inside (into) the French word meaning expensive.

18a  Zidane’s inclined to play games bringing staggering profits (7)
SPORTIF: An anagram (staggering) of PROFITS.  The use of bringing as the link word does not work here.  The wordplay brings the definition.  The definition does not bring us the wordplay.  I recall it was used in one crossword in the Daily Telegraph and decided that even Homer nods.

19a  International set’s missing first sign of really cold weather spikes (7)
ICICLES: The abbreviation for international followed by a seven letter word meaning sets with the first letter of really removed (missing).

22a  Magazine‘s sale ran badly (7)
ARSENAL: An anagram (badly) of SALE RAN.

24a  Try cycling to see Uruguayan native that won’t fly? (4)
RHEA: Cycle the letters around in a four-letter word meaning try (as in a court case).

25a  Fabulous seasonal workers quietly unloading from storage boards (5)
ELVES: Remove (unloading) a two letter word meaning quietly from a seven-letter word for boards on which you store things.

26a  Pastimes occasionally causing holes in the wall? (4)
ATMS: The even letters (occasionally) in the first word for the clue.  Cause as a link word does not really work.  The wordplay does not cause the definition.

29a  Perhaps reassign places in top Spanish football team with inevitable outcome (7)
REALLOT: A four-letter name of a top Spanish football team followed by a three-letter word for fate or an inevitable outcome.

30a  Redeployment of a big Red Army corps (7)
BRIGADE: An anagram (redeployment) of A BIG RED.

31a  Make an example of scruffy teen with scared pet (3,1,9)
SET A PRECEDENT: An anagram (scruffy) of TEEN SCARED PET.

Down

2d  Organ piece receiving noble award (7)
EARLOBE: A four-letter word for a person of noble rank followed by a three-letter abbreviation for an award or honour.  Another link word that does not really work.  Does the definition really receive the wordplay?  Getting is used as a link word in in the sense of reaching something.  Whilst getting and receiving something are synonymous, in this sense it is acquiring something rather than reaching something – the direction is inwards rather than outwards.

3d  No end of sugars in fast food (4)
TUCK: Remove (no) the last letter (end) of sugars from a five-letter word meaning fast or unmovable.  Try to avoid repeating wordplay indicators.  No as a deletion indicator was used in 14a.

4d  Perhaps one or two special greetings after outsiders leave (7)
INTEGER: An anagram (special) of GREETINGS after removing the first and last letters (outsiders leave).

5d  A little Jedi blesses our food and drink (7)
EDIBLES: The answer is hidden (a little) in the third and fourth word of the clue.  The solution does not encompass drink so the final two words of the clue could have been omitted.

6d  Neat but hollow attempt to conceal personality (4)
TIDY: A three-letter word for an attempt without its middle letter (hollow) includes (to conceal) a two-letter word for personality.

7d  Pragmatist sharing what’s left of Brazilian bread roll (7)
REALIST: The four-letter name of the currency (bread) of Brazil and a four-letter word for a roll or rota with the L (left) in both words shared.

8d  Well-known house by railway’s a place to take Rebecca out? … or Clarissa? … or Emma? … (6,7)
PUBLIC LIBRARY: A six-letter word meaning well known followed by a five letter name of on of the signs of the zodiac (house) and a two-letter abbreviation for railway.

9d  0-0? (4,2,7)
PAIR OF GLASSES: A visual clue – what does 0-0 look like.  I would be wary of using dingbat clues.

15d  Singer whose albums take ages to cover (5)
ADELE: The name of the singer whose albums are named by her age at the time she composed the records on them.

16d  Picaboo Street welcomes media campaign? (5)
BOOST: The answer is hidden (welcomes) in the first two words of the clue.  As far as I can see, Picaboo is a made up word.  There is a skier called Picabo Street.  Should this have been peekaboo street?

20d  Say again: ignorant unfortunate must be removed (7)
ITERATE: A ten-letter word meaning ignorant without (must be removed) a three-letter word meaning unfortunate.

21d  Tribute performer needs a result after review (7)
SALUTER: An anagram (after review) of A RESULT.

22d  Sharp computer manufacturer with well-known pen name (7)
ACERBIC: The four-letter name of a Taiwanese computer manufacturer followed by the proprietary name of a ball-point pen.

23d  Profit from trawler’s haul? (3,4)
NET GAIN: Definition and cryptic definition.

27d  Jumper starts to feel less elastic again (4)
FLEA: The first letters (starts to) of the final four words of the clue.

28d  Enrich broadcasting corporation (4)
GILD:  A homophone (broadcasting) of GUILD (corporation).


16 comments on “Rookie Corner 557
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  1. Thanks Mjölnir for an enjoyable puzzle to end my weekend cruciverbalism.

    Strictly speaking, and for almost five years, Holland the country no longer exists it is now officially referred to as The Netherlands partly to distinguish the whole country from two of its provinces of North and South Holland.

    Smiles for 1a, 17a, 8d, 9d, and 22d.

    Thanks again and thanks in advance to Prolixic.

  2. Quite tricky in places with clever wordplay and allusions that took some cogitation. Our favourite was 8d.
    Thanks Mjolnir.

  3. This was another excellent puzzle, Mjölnir. It was pitched just right and was a joy to solve.

    My one very, very minor qualm is that I don’t think the definition for 5d embraces “drink”.

    My top picks are 1a (great start!), 10a, 25a, 7d, 8d, 15d & 28d.

    Very well done again, Mjölnir and thank you. More like this soon please.

  4. An enjoyable puzzle with some neat clues – thanks to Mjölnir.
    I thought that a couple of the clues (18a and 2d) appeared ‘backward’ with the definition producing the wordplay rather than the other way round.
    I really liked 1a, 19a, 7d, 8d and 15d with my favourite being the clever 3d.
    More like this please.

  5. Welcome back Mjolnir – I’d echo the call for more like this soon please

    The clue that made me smile the most was 25a

    Thanks to you and, in advance, to Prolixic

  6. Welcome back, Mjolnir.

    Another very sound, well-produced puzzle with little to fault technically, in my opinion. Like Gazza, my favourite clue was 3d.

    I also agree with Gazza’s observations on 18a and 2d, the latter would be better as “Noble award for organ piece”, I reckon. I think that just “idiot” would suffice in 12a too.

    This was fun to solve and I was amazed to find out that Picabo Street (one letter out from 16d) is actually the name of an American skier who won gold at the 1998 Winter Olympics!

    Many thanks and congratulations on a fine puzzle, Mjolnir.

  7. Another excellent submission from this setter which I found a little tricky in places, particularly when it came to parsing. Tops for me were the first two across answers, 1&10, with smiles for the seasonal touches in 19&25a.

    Many thanks to Mjolnir for a pleasurable solve.

  8. Good puzzle, thank you Mjolnir. One parsing left to understand tomorrow, but a very sound and enjoyable challenge.

    I had the same concerns about 18a & 2d, neither of which really worked for me, and echo RD’s comments re 5d – drink being consumable more than edible, but that’s a fine line indeed and a rather more difficult lurker to construct. 9d was very clever but rather visual – no pun intended. I’m never certain whether acronyms (BBC, ATM, etc) should be enumerated (1,1,1) or (3), but either way an amusing clue with a lovely surface read. Indeed, a lot of good surfaces. Always good to see 22a feature in a puzzle (a Gooner writes …) but I did wonder whether Zidane and “top Spanish football team” were possibly a bit niche for a general audience?

    Many thanks once again, and also of course in advance to Prolixic.

  9. Thanks for the puzzle Mjolnir – definitely your best puzzle so far (and I think I said that last time too).

    I liked 1a, 3d, 4d, and 5d for the surface reading.

    Thanks again, and in advance to Prolixic.

  10. Thank you all for trying the puzzle and leaving comments. I notice Jane and 2Kiwis thought it was tricky in places, which wasn’t the intention. I read an article that talked about Agatha Christie’s Why Didn’t They Ask Evans, which includes the lines “It’s like making crossword puzzles. You write down a clue and you think it’s too idiotically simple and that everyone will guess it straight off, and you’re frightfully surprised when they simply can’t get it in the least”. Perhaps as Alan Connor suggests, it should be pinned somewhere prominent as a reminder.

    On 18a and 2d being backward. DT 30617 13a has definition brings wordplay, so I thought definition bringing wordplay would be ok. STP 3261 3d has definition getting wordplay, which seemed similar to definition receiving wordplay. But I agree that Silvanus’s version is better.

    1. Hi Mjolnir,

      As a general rule, it should be “wordplay brings definition”, not the other way round. I accept that you’ve found one example of a construction that is the opposite to this, but I would be surprised if you were to find many or any others. I’m loath to say that sometimes experienced setters can get away with things that Rookie Corner setters can’t, but it does happen!

      “Getting” is fine as a linking verb from wordplay to definition in the sense of “obtaining”, in fact it’s frequently used but, like Gazza, I’m not that comfortable about it being used the other way round, especially as “receiving”. Yes, “get” and “receive” can be synonymous in some instances, but “receiving” is normally used as a containment verb, in the sense of “welcoming”, “accepting” etc.

      1. Thanks Silvanus. I have noted three instances of definition “making” wordplay: DT 30764 29a, STP 3286 13a, DT 30748 10a (there may be more). Even so, I wonder whether ‘definition making wordplay’ might still attract a comment on RC?

  11. We also found it tricky in places but enjoyed the solve nevertheless, thank you Mjölnir. We were unaware of the slang meaning of tool. Favourites are 10a, 19a and 8d. We look forward to the review from Prolixic tomorrow to parse a couple of answers.

  12. Tricky in places for me too but very enjoyable indeed. Ticks against 1,10,17&25a plus 3,8&9d. Can’t say it even occurred to me that there was owt wrong with the construction of 2d but can’t say I was a fan of 18a.
    Fav a toss up between the seasonal workers & the sugarless fast food.
    Thanks Mjolnir.

  13. Many thanks for the review, Prolixic. I didn’t know that fact about Adele’s albums, nor did I have a clue about Picaboo Street. Your idea about peekaboo seems quite plausible – perhaps Mjolnir will enlighten us.

  14. Thanks Prolixic.

    I didn’t see a problem with wordplay causing definition. Cause means to bring about and the wordplay, to me, brings about the definition. There are lots of examples of wordplay causing definition. DT 30767 21a, STPT 142 14a, DT 30726 15a, DTT 3341 18a, to name a few. If a link word is used three or more times in the paper it seems reasonable to assume it’s alright.

    Definition brings wordplay seems more than a Homeric nod. On a quick look I can see ‘definition brings wordplay’ (DT 30617),
    ‘definition bringing wordplay’ (STP 108 10a), and ‘definition bringing on wordplay’ (DT 30510 7d).

    I had a question mark against definition receiving wordplay, and it could have been avoided as Silvanus suggests.

    The first name of the skier is pronounced peekaboo, I believe. I suspect I saw a misspelling somewhere and didn’t question it at the time. Unfortunately I don’t have anyone to proof read my puzzles, so the plan was to submit the puzzle to get it into the queue and let the dust settle. Then to re-read it with fresh eyes to see if I can spot any mistakes, or take a revised view about trickiness, etc. I had anticipated at least another week, but as it happened I got an email saying the puzzle is going to be published about 3 hours before it was published, so the check didn’t happen. Had the check gone ahead I probably would have picked up Picabo Street. Actually, had there been another week I might have swapped the whole thing for a Christmas themed puzzle, but that’s perhaps something for next year now.

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