A Puzzle by RogerDodger
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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.
The good news is that there were six clues on which I did not have comments. However, RodgerDodger needs to concentrate on the fundamental construction of cryptic clues as there were far too many basic errors and leaps of faith required to reach the solutions required in the remaining clues. Sadly, the commentometer reads as an eye-watering 12/26 or 46.2%.
Across
8a Noisy vegetarian badgers? (8)
PIBROCHS: I am not sure what to make of this clue. The solution is the classical music of bagpipes but there does not appear to be a definition in the clue. The wordplay looks like it is a homophone (noisy) of PI[E] BROCKS (badgers) but how vegetarian relates to PI or PIE is anyone’s guess. Not an auspicious start to the crossword.
9a Not air control (6)
RATION: An anagram (unindicated) of NOT AIR. You need to provide an indication that the letters in NOT AIR have to be rearranged to reach the solution.
10a Attend regularly? (8)
FREQUENT: Double definition.
11a Some hosier rambling on range (6)
SIERRA: The answer is hidden (some) in the second and third words of the clue. On does not work as a link between the wordplay and the solution.
12a Decode rank – first to last – for meanings (15)
INTERPRETATIONS: An nine-letter word meaning decode followed by a seven-letter word for rank with the first letter moved to the end (first to last). The wordplay leaves an additional T. You would need something like “Briefly decode rank…”
15a Ask officer missing first Republican (5)
QUERY: A seven-letter word for a royal officer without (missing first) the initial letter and also missing the abbreviation for republican. The wordplay does not work to indicate that both the first letter and the abbreviation have to be removed.
16a Point out spike (5)
PITON: An anagram (out) of PITON.
20a Liberty dies – holiday film? (12,3)
INDEPENDENCE DAY: A twelve-letter word for liberty followed by the English word for the Latin dies. An indication that you are using a Latin word is required.
21a Criminal caught outlawed IT (6)
BANDIT: A homophone (caught) of BANNED (outlawed) followed by the IT from the clue.
23a Generators bait map maker (8)
MAGNETOS: A six-letter word for bait followed by the abbreviation for Ordnance Survey (map maker).
25a Some Oslo gang’s cry (6)
SLOGAN: The answer is hidden (some) in the second and third words of the clue. Try to avoid repeating wordplay indicators. Some was used as a hidden word indicator in 11a.
26a Headless Pat sent it packing smartly (8)
NATTIEST: An anagram (packing) of AT (headless pat) SENT IT. The solution would require most smart as the definition, not smartly.
Down
1d Roaring after fighter was Rover (7)
MIGRANT: A four-letter word meaning roaring after a three-letter word for a Russian fighter plane. Try to keep clues in the present tense. Was implies that the definition is no longer the solution!
2d Girl breaking salt caused cracks (10)
CRAQUELURE: A six-letter girl’s name inside (breaking) a four-letter word meaning salt or preserve. Another clue where the link word in the past tense grates.
3d Arrived dropping around peak (4)
ACME: A four-letter word meaning arrived with the abbreviation for around moved down (dropping).
4d Model-T hearse made from this? (3,4)
ASH TREE: An anagram (model) of T HEARSE.
5d Hearing crab make hard shell (10)
CRUSTATION: A homophone (hearing) of crustacean (crab). Make does not work as a link word in cryptic reading of the clue as you have wordplay make definition. Making would work better.
6d Last year I held in a painful bump (4)
STYE: The answer is hidden (held) in the first two words of clue. The I in the clue is surplus to requirements and simply acts as padding in the surface reading. Try to avoid padding words.
7d Rap soon found voice (7)
SOPRANO: An anagram (unindicated) of RAP SOON. Another clue where there is no anagram indicator. Also, found in the clue does not work as the clue resolves to wordplay found definition when it should be wordplay finds or finding definition.
13d Late start aiming to plaster (10)
PARGETTING: A ten-letter word meaning aiming without the first letter (late start). Unfortunately, the clue does not work as there is not indicator for the initial letter P. Also, the solution would require plastering or plaster work as the definition in the clue.
14d Film speed beginning to develop the same (10)
ISOGENESIS: The three-letter abbreviation used to indicate film speed followed by a seven-letter word meaning beginning. The solution is not given in the main UK dictionaries, the closest definition being isogenic.
17d Gutless Romeo demands (7)
ENTAILS: An eight-letter word for the gut after removing (less) the abbreviation for Romeo. Not all editors would accept the unindicated lift and separate requiring the solver mentally to split gutless to get gut less.
18d Unshakeable Madam antivipated sample (7)
ADAMANT: The answer is hidden (sample) in the second and third words of the clue. Run a spellcheck on your clues before you submit the crossword. This is the fourth hidden word clue. This is too many. I would normally expect to see two or three hidden word clues as a maximum and if there are more than two, one of them should be a reverse hidden word clue.
19d Ford river and celebrate (7)
CAROUSE: A three-letter word of a vehicle of which Ford is an example followed by the four-letter name of a river. As Ford is used as a definition by example, this should be indicated. Maybe ford river an celebrate would work.
22d Base God rejected leader (4)
DOGE: A reversal (rejected) of the single letter used to indicate the base of natural logarithms and the god from the clue.
24d Forego the bottle, barbarian. (4)
GOTH: The answer is hidden (bottle) in the first two words of the clue. As mentioned above, this is the fifth hidden word clue. Also for the wordplay to work, bottle needs to be bottles.
Welcome to Rookie Corner, RogerDodger. Before starting the solve, the immediate impression is that the brevity of your clueing makes RayT’s look verbose! Sadly however, despite some promising signs, I think this has led to a lot of issues as well as some unconvincing surface readings.
I found this tough and was unable to finish it, having needed to reveal the answers to 8a, 2d & 13d, which were unsympathetically clued obscure words. Having done that, I still can’t parse 8a & 13d.
I’ll leave most of the detailed comments to Prolixic and just mention a few specifics:
9a – there is no anagram indicator.
12a – if I am parsing this correctly, the wordplay leads to an unwanted T.
15a – is a clumsy construction in that the answer is missing the first letter of an officer as well as an R.
26a – the definition should be “most smartly”.
6d – “I” is surface padding.
18d – contains a typo.
24d – should say “bottles”.
For me, the best clues were 20a, 4d & 17d.
Please pay heed to the comments from Prolixic and the other blog contributors. For future submissions, I suggest giving yourself more leeway by allowing yourself to use longer clues at least until you have ironed out the basics.
Thank you, RogerDodger and well done on compiling a cryptic crossword – no easy task! Thanks too in advance to Prolixic.
Welcome to Rookie Corner RogerDodger with a crossword that was extremely tough and I had to reveal 8a, where I can see the homophone for badgers but the rest of the parsing is a mystery. I was helped by knowing the words in the solutions to 2d and 13d. I did like the Gut less Romeo in 17d but will be interested to see what Prolixic has to say about it.
Shame about the typo in 18d. I think your clues would have helped by having a few more words in them to allow the solver a bit more to work with, Brevity of cluing is not necessarily a good thing at all.
Thank you RogerDodger – please take note of the wise words of Prolixic and the comments of others – thanks also to Prolixic
Welcome to Rookie Corner, RogerDodger, and well done on putting your head above the parapet.
I found this very tough and revealed a few answers at the end in order to finish it.
There are a number of good ideas on show here but the execution needs work.
As well as paying attention to Prolixic’s wise words I’d suggest that you try to get a test solver.
The clues I liked best were 20a and 17d.
I hope to see you here again with a friendlier puzzle.
Welcome to The Corner, Roger Dodger. I thought you made your debut with a difficult puzzle and, being honest, I didn’t get a lot of enjoyment from it. I think you have a lot to learn about construction and surface reads so take careful note of the words of wisdom from Prolixic and other expert solvers.
Hope to see you back with a much improved offering very soon.
Welcome, RogerDodger.
Trying to solve this puzzle unaided, just from the clues, was a little like trying to complete a jigsaw with a number of the pieces missing – almost impossible. Indicators seemed to be included in certain clues but not in others and there was a tendency to use the past tense rather than the present tense when linking wordplay to definitions, e.g. “was” in 1d, “caused” in 2d, “found” in 7d. I counted five lurkers/hiddens which was at least two too many, and “some” was repeated as a hidden indicator in 11a and 25a. I think the choice of grid did not make the already uphill battle for solvers any easier and it was a little disappointing to see certain obscure solutions included, presumably because they were the only words that would fit. I could go on, but Prolixic definitely will!
Thank you, RogerDodger, but the puzzle had far too many flaws to be enjoyable, unfortunately.
Many thanks to everyone for the welcome and constructive comments. I did submit a cryptic puzzle several years ago and it was, quite rightly savaged, as I’d failed totally to comprehend the basics. Judging by the comments I still have a way to go but I am making progress and will do better next time.
I’m flattered that I make RayT verbose !
If you would like a test solver the Moderators can put us in touch
Many thanks for the review, Prolixic. Looks as though Roger has taken the criticism on the chin and, if he gets a test solver on board, he may well make progress.
Will have a more in-depth look later but I’m guessing we have a wee Sassenach in our midst because the correct pronunciation is PEA- Brocks.. !