A Puzzle by Rahmat Ali
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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.
Welcome back to Rhamat Ali. After achieving a commendable commentometer score of 5% on his previous crossword, today’s offering represents a large step backwards with the commentometer this time reading as 6 out of 26 or 23.1%. I hope that this was in the main due to Rahmat having rushed to get the crossword ready for his birthday (for which a belated many happy returns) and the blog’s birthday without due attention to the precision of the clues or the level of general knowledge required of the solvers.
Across
7a Can, under pressure, return in Buffalo, so react (7)
AEROSOL: The answer is hidden and reversed (return in) in the final three words of the clue. For the cryptic grammar to work you need returning / returned in.
8a Samurai’s self-defence? Sounds like probably Israeli and member of a Germanic people sue (7)
JUJUTSU: A homophone (sounds like) JEW (probably Israeli) JUTE (member of a Germanic people) and the SUE from the clue. I don’t think that the homophone quite works. The central syllable is pronounced UT, not UTE.
10a Bury author somehow and scurry (5,5)
HURRY ABOUT: An anagram (somehow) of BURY AUTHOR.
11a Gentleman from Bonn? His Excellency has a British car (4)
HERR: The abbreviation for His Excellency and the abbreviation for Rolls Royce (British car).
12a Japanese city visited by poetic maid returning with bare Turkish dagger from behind (8)
YAMAGATA: A reversal (returning) of a three-letter poetic word for a maid and a reversal (from behind) of a seven-letter word for a Turkish dagger with the outer letters removed. Avoid repeating wordplay indicators. Return was used to indicate a reversal in 1a. Setters need to think about the fairness of the clues. To provide a clue for a Japanese city using an obscure / archaic word for a maid and an obscure name of a Turkish dagger is asking too much of the solver. The more obscure the solution, the simpler the wordplay should be. I am not sure that visited adds anything to the clue.
14a Print extra copies about Yankee writer (6)
RUNYON: A phrase (3,2) meaning print extra copies around (about) the abbreviation for Yankee.
15a Wisconsin product made of baked stuff and photographic smile, say (5,6)
BRICK CHEESE: A five-letter word for a construction product that is baked and a six-letter word for the word used to induce those having a photograph taken to smile.
19a Go nimbly but quietly on to this Far East country (6)
NIPPON: A three-letter word meaning go nimbly followed by the abbreviation for quietly and the ON from the clue. The but in the clue does not work as a charade indicator. Perhaps nimbly and quietly would be better.
20a Invests in places where horses are kept (8)
INSTALLS: The IN from the clue followed by a six-letter word for a place where horses are kept.
22a First animal, particularly, sentinel of Lhasa? (4)
APSO: The initial letters (first) of the second to fifth words of the clue. Some editors will not allow first X to indicate the first letter of a word. It would need to be first of. Also, you need a stronger indication that it is more than one initial letter that is required. Perhaps “First of all animals…”.
23a Very soft pain is troubling and thus I’m inside (10)
PIANISSIMO: An anagram (troubling) of PAIN IS followed by a two-letter word meaning thus with the IM from the clue inside it.
25a Coleridge’s ancient sailor? (7)
MARINER: A cryptic definition so weak that it is almost a Quickie crossword clue.
26a Public house in Oxford leading to racecourse? Could be (3,4)
THE TURF: Double definition of the name of a public house in Oxford and a four-letter word that might describe a racecourse. I despair sometimes. How on earth do you expect solvers to know the name of a pub in Oxford.
Down
1d Reading giving perverse endless pleasure? Just the opposite (7)
PERUSAL: An anagram (perverse) of PLEASURE with the final letter removed (endless). I liked the use of the just the opposite to change the sense of the link word.
2d Impoverished and humble (4)
POOR: Double definition. You have to be careful with double definitions. Here the solution could also have been mean.
3d An absolute transport of delight heading westward for some miles in India (6)
YOJANA: A reversal (heading westward) of the AN from the clue, the abbreviation for absolute and a three-letter word for transport of delight. As this is a down clue, westward is not the appropriate indicator as the solution is reversed from bottom to top, not from right to left.
4d Stainless and chargeless! Corrosion has to come earlier (4-4)
RUST-FREE: A four-letter word for chargeless with a four-letter word for corrosion preceding it (has to come earlier).
5d Mercy killing of oriental youth, as mistakenly heard (10)
EUTHANASIA: A homophone (as mistakenly heard) of YOUTH IN ASIA (oriental youth).
6d Smart criminal hosting party in territory of Ivan the Terrible (7)
TSARDOM: An anagram (criminal) of SMART includes (hosting) a two-letter word for a party.
9d Lewinsky perhaps left outside vault that’s regal (11)
MONARCHICAL: The name of the Lewinsky of notoriety in a scandal with Bill Clinton and the abbreviation for left around (outside) a four-letter word for a vault.
13d Doctor! A cop I abhor and fear (10)
ACROPHOBIA: An anagram (doctor) of A COP I ABHOR.
16d Can I, editor, work in between, covered with an awning? (8)
CANOPIED: The CAN and the I from the clue and the abbreviation for editor around (in between) a two-letter word for work.
17d Princess’ comedy show? (7)
DISPLAY: The shortened way of say Diana’s (princess’) followed by an form of art of which a comedy is an example. As a comedy is definition by example, this should have been indicated.
18d Dispirited soldiers bolt at last, having experienced a hit at the front (7)
ALAMORT: The abbreviation for other ranks (soldiers) and the final letter (at last) of bolt preceded by (at the front) the A from the clue and a three-letter word meaning hit. I think that the experienced in the clue is padding and should have been omitted.
21d Nameless Chinese unnatural harbour wave (6)
SEICHE: An anagram (unnatural) of CHINESE after removing the N (nameless).
24d Finally, bless the nascent, fresh, third son on earth (4)
SETH: The final letters of the second to fifth words of the clue.
Well done on putting together another cryptic puzzle for Rookie Corner, Rahmat Ali. However, I’m sorry to say that I thought this one was a step backwards from your previous very good submission. I felt there were too many obscurities along with some unconvincing surface reads for this to be a really satisfying solve.
A few minor comments from me:
12a – although I can work out from the checkers (4As!) what I think the answer must be, I can’t parse this clue at all.
15a – I’m not sure that “baked stuff” works to define “brick”. (In this context, “stuff” implies plurality, so it would be OK to use “baked stuff” for “bricks”.)
3d – As this is a down clue, I think the direction should be “northward”.
17d – I tend to struggle with definitions by example, but I think in this clue, as a “comedy” is an example of a “play”, it needs a DBE indicator. A “?” is OK for this purpose but it needs to follow the example directly, e.g.: “Show Princess’s comedy?” would have been OK.)
The clues I liked best were 10a, 11a, 20a, 6d & 9d.
Many thanks, Rahmat Ali, and thanks too in advance to Prolixic.
PS. The title of the PDF file is RC562.
Thank you so much, Rabbit Dave, for your significant comments and valuable suggestions which I deeply cherish. I will wait to see what Prolixic has to say in his review about 12a and 15a. For 17d, I had thought a mark of interrogation would be sufficient, but the most regrettable word that I have used in this puzzle is undoubtedly ‘westward’ that was simply a ‘lapsus visus’ in place of the actual required word that is ‘northward’ as it was a down clue. I am also happy to note that you have liked best some clues.
I happen to know that this puzzle was compiled in a very short timeframe to mark the birthday of Big Dave’s blog and Rahmat Ali’s own 65th Birthday.
I found this quite tough and some of the solutions took some thinking about, the martial art was an example where I fortunately found the alternative spelling. But I would like to repeat the perimeter Nina and say Many Happy Returns Of the Day to Rahmat Ali and here’s to many more🕉️
Thank you so much, Sloop John Bee, for wishing me on my birthday. Yes, indeed, this puzzle was compiled in a very short time but I should have started working on it even much earlier. Etymologically, jujutsu is the standard English language spelling, so says Wikipedia.
Welcome back Rahmat Ali and belated birthday greetings. The birthday theme seemed to morph into a Japanese theme at one stage.
Like RD, I was disappointed to see so many obscure solutions, perhaps necessitated by the Nina, and quite a few of the surface readings were unconvincing, sadly. “Return” was repeated as a reversal indicator (I don’t think it quite works in 7a, anyway) and “first” on its own in 22a isn’t sufficient as an initial letter indicator. I wasn’t aware that 8a was a legitimate alternative spelling, but Collins accepts it even if the BRB doesn’t. I thought the two definitions in 2d were a little too similar and I’m struggling to find anything cryptic about 25a.. The worst clue for me was 26a, are solvers really expected to know the name of a pub in Oxford?
Thank you for the puzzle, Rahmat Ali.
The BRB app has 8a as an origin ORIGIN: Jap jū-jutsu,
Crossword fans may know the pub in 26a, it was a favourite haunt of Morse and his creator Colin Dexter
Thanks, the BRB 13th Edition has just “ju-jitsu” or “jiu-jitsu”. I have to say that I have never before seen it spelt or heard it pronounced by an English person other than this way.
This crossword fan hadn’t heard of it!
Thank you so much, silvanus, for wishing me on my birthday. I had no option but to adjust with some obscure solutions, necessitated by the Nina, but I am sad to note that some of the surface readings were unconvincing. I will try hard to improve upon them in future. I will wait to see what Prolixic has to say in his review.
Have to say that this came across to me as being far more of a GK puzzle than a cryptic one – and some of the GK was decidedly obscure. Eventually reached a point where three clues were left to solve and, having given it my best endeavours, I finally resorted to revealing the answers. Ah well, I now know far more about Japanese cities, Turkish daggers, Wisconsin products and Oxford watering holes than I’d ever envisaged learning about!
Sorry, Rahmat, but this really wasn’t for me.
Thank you so much, jane, for your valuable comments. I am sorry to have disappointed you, but some of the obscurities that were partly due to gridfilling, were necessitated by the Nina. I note to take care of these issues in future.
Sunday Telegraph Cryptic No 3301
I am sorry to have disappointed you, jane, but some of the obscurities that were partly due to gridfilling, were necessitated by the Nina. I note to take care of these issues in future. Nevertheless, thank you so much for your valuable comments.
Belated happy birthday, Rahmat Ali. We missed the Nina which might have helped us. Several words we were unfamiliar with, which made it a difficult solve for us and we had to reveal letters to finish the puzzle. We look forward to your next offering. Thanks in advance to Prolixic.
Thank you so much, Hilton, for wishing me on my birthday. I agree with you that the Nina might have helped you.
We were very late getting on to this and then were finally defeated by several of the ‘obscurities’. If we had noticed the Nina we might have done a bit better. Best wishes on reaching your age milestone Rahmat Ali.
Thank you so much, 2Kiwis, for wishing me on my birthday. I agree with you that the Nina might have helped you to do better.
Many thanks for the review, Prolixic. I thought the commentometer was quite generous in its scoring this week but our setter still has plenty of issues to work on.