Rookie Corner 582 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Rookie Corner 582

by Prolixic  

A Puzzle by Spartacus

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +


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 to Spartacus with her first Rookie corner crossword.  I suspect given the standard of most the clues, this is not her first foray into the arcane arts of crossword setting.  There were a lot of good clues, the best being 4a, but there were quite a few with come technical errors that are often seen in setters’ first crosswords that has pushed the commentometer up to 7/32 or 21.9%.

Across

1a  Hell nearly devoured a goddess (6)
HECATE: A four-letter word meaning hell (as an interjection) with the final letter removed (nearly) followed by a three-letter word meaning devoured.

4a  Onset of what Scottish idiot has, we hear (8)
NASCENCE: A homophone (we hear) of NAE SENSE (what a Scottish idiot has).

10a  Nelson? Guy of French note (7)
MANDELA: A three-letter word for a guy followed by the French for of and a two-letter musical note.

11a  One among Oxford greats briefly treats depression (7)
LITHIUM: The letter representing one in (among) the abbreviation for Literae Humaniores (Oxford greats).  I am not fan of verbal phrases to clue nouns where there is no indication that a noun is required.  Perhaps “has a remedy for depression” would be better.  I think that the greats needs to be capitalised at is a proper noun.  Whilst you can add false capitalisation, you should not put a proper noun into lower case in the clue.

12a  Muses maybe trapped by men in excitement (4)
NINE: The answer is hidden (trapped by) in the final three words of the clue.

13a  Sterling work alongside ship with no commitments (10)
STRINGLESS: An anagram (work) of STERLING followed by the abbreviation for steamship.  I don’t think that this clue works.  The solution means without strings and without strings means with no commitments but that does not mean that stringless means with no commitments.  Also, as an imperative anagram indicator, work needs to appear before the letters to be rearranged.

15a  Burn Holy man with bundle of papers (6)
STREAM: The abbreviation for saint (holy man) followed by a four-letter word for a quantity of paper.

16a  Left after tea with English son and sovereign (7)
CHARLES: The abbreviation for left after a four-letter word for tea followed by the abbreviations for English and son.

20a  Fellow feeling for route through space unknown (7)
EMPATHY: A four-letter word for a route inside (through) a two-letter word for a printer’s space and a letter representing an unknown quantity.  The link word here is the wrong way around.  You can have wordplay for definition but not definition for wordplay.

21a  Correspondent to impound recalled circuit (3,3)
PEN PAL: A three-letter word meaning to impound followed by a reversal (recalled) of a three-letter word for a circuit.

24a  Unintended musical notation (10)
ACCIDENTAL: Double definition.

26a  Arise shakily, without energy, and dress (4)
SARI: An anagram (shakily) of ARISE after removing (without) the abbreviation for energy.

28a  Three persons, one fool, in test (7)
TRINITY: The letter representing one and a three-letter word a fool in a three-letter word meaning to test.  Try to avoid repeating wordplay indicators.  One for I was used in 11a.

29a  Slaughter of brutalised narc taking long time (7)
CARNAGE: An anagram (brutalised) of NARC followed by (taking) a three-letter word for a long time.

30a  Watch dog is drunken cur with beers (8)
CERBERUS: An anagram (drunken) of CUR BEERS.

31a  Time out corner (6)
RECESS: Double definition.

Down

1d  Non-believer Spooner’s latest chap made disapproving noise (8)
HUMANIST: A Spoonerism of NEW (latest) MAN (chap) HISSED (made disapproving noise).

2d  Problem created by media tycoon almost reversing over sister (9)
CONUNDRUM: The surname of the media tycoon Rupert reversed after removing the final letter (almost) around (over) a three-letter word for a religious sister.  A over B indicating that A is included in B works for an across clue.  In a down clue it indicates that A is above B.

3d  Elder could be found in theatre eventually (4)
TREE: The answer is hidden (found) in the final two words of the clue.

5d  Dusk to dawn by flickering candlelight, banishing stormy, short month (3,5)
ALL NIGHT: An anagram (flickering) of CANDLELIGHT after removing an anagram (stormy) of the short form of one of the month of the year.  This strays too far into the indirect anagram territory and the solver has to find the abbreviation for the month first before removing it.  Although this one is fairly clear, avoid indirect anagrams.  I am happy with definition (given) by wordplay.

6d  Breeds feline pride: cries after scratching head (10)
CATEGORIES: A three-letter word for a feline followed by a three-letter word for pride and the cries from the clue without its first letter (scratching head).

7d  Green nitrogen drip in A&E (5)
NAIVE: The chemical symbol for Nitrogen followed by a type of hospital drip inside the A&E from the clue.

8d  Men she beguiles to snare (6)
ENMESH: An anagram (beguiles) of MEN SHE.

9d  First becomes last in heart of our world (5)
EARTH: The heart from the clue with the first letter moved to the end (first becomes last).  You can have definition of wordplay but avoid constructions involving wordplay of definition.

14d  Foxtrot dancing Edwardian is all over the place (3,3,4)
FAR AND WIDE: The letter represented by Foxtrot followed by an anagram (dancing) of EDWARDIAN.

17d  Pleased an eccentric by the seashore (9)
ESPLANADE: An anagram (eccentric) of PLEASED AN.  Perhaps one by the seashore would be better as a definition as it indicates that a noun is required as the solution.

18d  Cheers for Henry after tango with second person (5,3)
THANK YOU: A four-letter diminutive form of Henry after the letter represented by tango followed by the pronoun indicating the second person.  Another clue where you have definition for wordplay.  Also, you have repeated after as a positional indicator.  It was used in 16a. 

19d  Half of clan has goal: the late Queen’s pretenders (8)
CLAIMERS: The first two letters (half) of clan followed by a three-letter word for a goal and ER’S (the late Queen’s).

22d  Acid type to lose credit in report (6)
LACTIC: A homophone (in report) of lack (lose) tick (credit).  I am not sure that lack and lose are synonymous.

23d  Mike foremost in parade (5)
MARCH: The letter represented by Mike in the Nato phonetic alphabet followed by a four-letter word meaning foremost.

25d  Hawker for Cartier lacking a timepiece initially (5)
CRIER: Remove the A and the first letter (initially) of timepiece from the Cartier in the clue.  I think that some indication that the A and the T are removed separately is required otherwise you are being instructed to remove AT from the word.

27d  Hillside by outskirts of Bicester Arcade (4)
BRAE: The outer letters (outskirts) of the final two words of the clue.

33 comments on “Rookie Corner 582”

  1. Welcome to Rookie Corner and thank you Spartacus for an entertaining end to my weekend of cruciverbalism. Some parsings that I didn’t quite understand but when I had filled and checked the on-line grid I was told that I had everything correct. So, I will await the wisdom of the experts.

    Smiles for 15a, 20a, 30a, 2d, 6d, and 22d.

    Thanks again and thanks in advance to Prolixic.

    1. Thanks Senf, I’m glad you enjoyed it, I’m grateful for the feedback and that some of the clues raised a smile

  2. An enjoyable solve for us that all went together relatively smoothly with plenty of smiles along the way. Biggest smile was for 4a when we twigged the wordplay, so that’s our favourite.
    Thanks Spartacus.

  3. Welcome to Rookie Corner with what, as we quite often say, is probably not your first crossword

    My thoughts match those of the 2Ks

    Thanks Spartacus and, in advance, to Prolixic

    1. Thanks crypticsue, I was nervous as this is my first ever crossword, so I didn’t know what to expect but everyone’s been so helpful

  4. Welcome to RC, Spartacus, with a very promising debut, which was a great pleasure to solve.

    I have only a very few minor comments:
    1a – This would be better with the “a” omitted.
    11a – “Greats” should be capitalised.
    5d – I’m not sure if “by” is an acceptable link between definition and wordplay, so I will be interested to learn Prolixic’s opinion of this.
    22d – I’m not entirely convinced that “lack” and “lose” are synonymous.

    I had a lot of ticks on my page with the LOL 4a my favourite.

    Many thanks, Spartacus, and I look forward to your next submission. Thanks too in advance to Prolixic.

    1. Thanks Rabbit Dave, really helpful comments and things I can work on

  5. An enjoyable puzzle (with a bit of a Scottish flavour?) – thanks to Spartacus.
    I liked 10a, 2d and 6d but my favourite (for the laugh it produced) was 4a.
    More like this would be very welcome.

  6. Interesting – I appear to have an alter ego! I know that everyone in the story claimed, “I’m Spartacus!” but I didn’t expect to find a doppelganger on the blog :-)
    Anyway, to avoid any confusion, I’m not the Spartacus setting today’s RC – and well done to him/her. I do hope to emulate the feat one day.
    I have printed the puzzle and will have a go at solving, so will pop back later…

    1. LOL – so sorry, I didn’t realise you were already here! :) I’ll have to think of a variation

      1. You wait 2 millennia for one to turn up and then two arrive within 5 years…
        Thanks again for the puzzle, Janet, I shall look forward to the next one, in whatever guise!

  7. Well, I did enjoy that! As Gazza noted, there is a Scots lilt about it, so perhaps our setter is from North of the border? There are some very nice surface readings, including those I have awarded my podium places to: 15, 20 & 26 from the Across clues and 2, 14 & 17 from the Down clues. In addition, I have reserved a special podium place for 4a :-)
    I wondered about the word for ‘tea’ in 16a, but the dictionary informs me that it can include the required 4th letter. I might have classed the first of the ‘Oxford greats’ within the group of the second, but perhaps that’s splitting hairs? The Spoonerism didn’t quite work for me, but I have had a steady diet of proXimal Sunday Toughies which has set a high bar.
    This was very impressive for a first crossword, and I shall try not to bask in the reflected glory ;-) . My thanks to my namesake, and I shall also look forward to Prolixic’s sage review – perhaps I can learn something and be spurred on to grid filling action myself!

    1. I like a good Spoonerism in a cryptic clue, but I can’t see one at all in 1d. There’s a cryptic definition of the answer and also a homophone of the answer. But where’s the Spoonerism? I must be missimg something …

    2. Thanks so much Spartacus, for the kind words and the feedback

  8. Thanks for the puzzle Spartacus, I enjoyed it very much. Plenty of excellent clues – 4a made me laugh out loud when I twigged, and thumbs up for 15a, 20a, 2d and 6d too.

    In 25d, I think you probably need to indicate that the bits to be deleted are separate in the source word. Your clue is telling the solver to delete AT as one chunk.

    In 24a I’d slightly dispute whether “musical notation” really defines the answer, it’s more of an element of musical notation.

    And not sure on this one, but is 5d not verging on an indirect anagram, for the part to be deleted anyway?

    Thanks again, and thanks in advance to Prolixic.

    1. Thanks so much, lots of helpful feedback here, all things that I know I can improve on.

  9. Welcome to Rookie Corner, Spartacus.

    An enjoyable puzzle, certainly, but there were quite a number of technical flaws I spotted during the solving process. You’re not the first (and you won’t be the last) to do this, but you cannot put an imperative anagram indicator such as “work” in 13a after the letters to be rearranged. Also definitions such as “treats depression” in 11a or “by the seashore” in 17d do not point to nouns as the solutions. As Duncan has suggested above, in 5d you are asking the solver to remove an indirect anagram (“stormy short month”) from “candlelight”. I had a few other crosses on my printed page, some of which others have already mentioned, but I thought that the reversal of Rupert in 2d was a good spot and my favourite clue was 14d.

    A promising start but plenty of areas to work on before a second submission, I reckon. Many thanks, Spartacus.

    1. Thanks Silvanus, Some interesting points here that I’ll keep in mind for my next grid, I really appreciate the feedback.

  10. Welcome to The Corner, Spartacus No.2 with a very creditable debut puzzle which, as others have noted, contained a wee swish of the kilt. The LOL 4d takes top spot here with 10&15d filling out the podium.
    I think that Prolixic may well find a few clues that could have been improved but, overall, you seem to be off to a good start. Thank you for standing up to be counted.

    1. Thanks Jane, I was a bit nervous to send it in but there’s no way to learn unless you put yourself out there. I’m glad some of the clues made you smile.

  11. We enjoyed your puzzle, Spartacus, thank you and more like this, please. Like Spartacus above I wondered where the letter r had come from in 16a but he has explained. We still haven’t parsed 5d though! So, thanks in advance to Prolixic also.

  12. Really enjoyed this, Spartacus 2, thank you! Yes, there are a good few rough edges to smooth out as have been noted above, and there are a few rather odd surfaces, but this was a very accomplished debut and a good lunchtime challenge. Add me to the ranks who thought 4a was a very amusing highlight. Quite a number of ticks elsewhere, too, but the other two on the podium were 28a and 14d.

    Thank you, and thanks also in advance to Prolixic

    1. Thanks Mustafa, I’m a work in progress! I’ve already learnt a lot from everyone’s comments, what a supportive place this is.

  13. Thanks for the puzzle, Spartacus II.

    I’m sure that you know that previous Rookies in the Corner have gone on to be published in the national press.

    Hopefully, you will join them! (soon)

    ps. Loved 4a … new name? … maybe Tartanacus?

  14. Many thanks for the review, Prolixic, which I feel sure that our setter will be grateful for and act upon. If she pops back in, I do hope she will confirm whether she hails from north of the border.

  15. Thank you so much to everyone, especially Prolixic, for their advice and guidance. I am looking forward to putting it all into practice in my next crossword, which is in the works. How long does it take you all to fill and set a grid? I feel like it’s taking me a very long time!
    I should also disabuse you of the idea that I come from north of the border. Sadly this is not the case, I confess to being a Kentish Maid instead.

  17. Janet – your last two comments went into moderation because you were ‘experimenting’ with different aliases.

    The problem with using an actual name is that someone of the same name may already be using it. Indeed, we do have another Janet although she has not commented for some time.

    Tartanacus might be a good option. I don’t think that has been used before!

Comments are closed.