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 Rahmat with another good crossword. As with previous crosswords, all of the basics are there but the final finishing flourishes that separate a good crossword from an excellent one are missing. I wonder whether, once finished with the setting process, the crossword needs to go into a drawer for a month and then reviewed with a critical eye. Often, after a period of time, flaws and foibles in the clues that you would not see immediately after setting a crossword become apparent. The commentometer reads as 5.5 / 28 or 19.6%
Across
1a Buzzing: insects with queen – purest embodiment! (12)
QUINTESSENCE: An anagram (buzzing) of INSECTS QUEEN.
9a Thanks Jinping for the cab (4)
TAXI: A two-letter word meaning thanks followed by the first name of the Chinese politico Jinping. As Jinping is a definition by example, this should be indicated.
10a Count, earl, knight and a suspect are mute (9)
ENUMERATE: The abbreviations for earl and knight followed by an anagram (suspect) of ARE MUTE.
12a Some brutal mudirs hold Jewish civil and canon law code (6)
TALMUD: The answer is hidden (some…hold) in the second and third words of the clue.
13a Engineer gets near police officer, say (8)
SERGEANT: An anagram (engineer) of GETS NEAR. I don’t think that you need a definition by example indicator here.
15a Extra mathematical sum begins to anger student? (10)
ADDITIONAL: An eight-letter word for a mathematical sum followed by the initial letters (begins) of the final two word of the clue. I think that you need “beginning” rather than “begins” to maintain the grammatical surface of the cryptic reading of the clue.
16a Coffee house built from calcium and iron (4)
CAFE: The chemical symbols of calcium and iron.
18a Carrier to primarily transport fish (4)
TRAY: The first letter (primarily) of transport followed by a three-letter word for a type of fish. I don’t think that the form of the clue definition to wordplay works. You can have wordplay to (give) definition but not definition to wordplay.
20a Random criminal cost his act (10)
STOCHASTIC: An anagram (criminal) of COST HIS ACT.
23a Press heavily upon Attorney-General and feel intense sorrow (8)
AGGRIEVE: A six-letter word meaning press heavily upon after (upon) the abbreviation for attorney-general. Perhaps the meaning of press heavily upon is too close to the meaning of feel intense sorrow.
24a Watch Nimrod, for instance, in British Columbian island (6)
HUNTER: Triple definition.
26a King sniggered wearing women’s underpants (9)
KNICKERED: The abbreviation in chess for King followed by an eight-letter dialect word meaning sniggered.
27a Norse god starts to throw hammer over river (4)
THOR: The initial letters (starts to) of the final four word of the clue.
28a Prudent stable visitors from the East? (5,4,3)
THREE WISE MEN: Cryptic definition of season visitor to the infant Jesus. It was unlikely that the place visited by them was the stable (Matthew 2v11).
Down
2d Being everywhere during posh times, I resigned (8)
UBIQUITY: The abbreviation for posh and a two-letter word meaning times or multiplied by including (during) the I from the clue and a four-letter word meaning resigned. I think that the definition being everywhere requires the adjective ending ous rather than the noun ending y.
3d Coward’s negative response to the Spanish (4)
NOEL: A two-letter negative response followed by the Spanish for the. As the solution is an example of someone whose last name is Coward, this should be indicated.
4d Former ride-sharing company proceeds to a new church seeking bliss (10)
EXUBERANCE: The two-letter prefix meaning former followed by the name of a ride-sharing company followed by (proceeds to) the A from the clue and the abbreviations for new and church. I am not overly keen on wordplay seeking definition.
5d Head setter left border with Yukon transport (6)
SLEDGE: The initial letter (head) of setter followed by the abbreviation for left and a four-letter word for a border. I think you need head of X to indicate the first letter of X.
6d American runs once more back, then falls (7)
NIAGARA: The abbreviations for American and runs followed by a five-letter word meaning once more with all the letters reversed (back).
7d Apply retribution and tie the match (4,3,5)
EVEN THE SCORE: Double definition.
8d Wife fell sick and whined (6)
WAILED: The abbreviation for wife followed by a five-letter word meaning fell sick. I don’t think that the definition and the solution are synonymous.
11d Habit featuring upright-sounding sailor and alien? (12)
STRAITJACKET: A homophone (sounding) of STRAIGHT (upright) followed by a four-letter word for a sailor and the eponymous alien.
14d Composer is mistakenly not me, perhaps Giuseppe? (10)
MONTEVERDI: An anagram (mistakenly) of NOT ME followed by the composer whose first name was Guiseppe who gave us such works as Rigoletto, La Traviata, and Aida.
17d Gem of a loaf! (8)
BAGUETTE: Double definition.
19d Rearing madly, becoming more furious (7)
ANGRIER: An anagram (madly) of REARING.
21d Military pageant involving army display perhaps (6)
TATTOO: Double definition.
22d Titillate the French objectionable person at first (6)
TICKLE: The French masculine singular form of the with a four-letter word for an objectionable person before it (at first).
25d Cutting tool commercials on radio (4)
ADZE: A homophone (on the radio) of ADS (commercials).
Nice to see another pangram and a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle to solve. 26a gets our vote for favourite.
Thanks Rahmat Ali.
Whoops. Just done a second check and realise it is a (P)angram.
Thank you so much once again, 2Kiwis, for enjoying solving my puzzle. As I had mentioned in my last puzzle that since some solvers had expressed their desire for looking forward to a non-pangram puzzle also, I had thought of a no-P, no-pangram puzzle the previous time. This time also, it was a no-P, no-pangram puzzle.
Welcome back, Rahmat Ali.
Something of a mixed bag I felt, “head setter” for S in 5d jarred for me and how can a building be constructed from calcium (in 16a)?
I was a little surprised to see “say” used in 13a, where it isn’t needed, but then to see it or another definition by example indicator not present for Jinping in 9a and Coward in 3d, where it is needed. “Army” in 21d is a bit of a stretch, isn’t it? “Perhaps” is certainly doing a lot of heavy lifting in that clue. The synonym for “sniggered” was new to me, Chambers says its chiefly a Scottish or Northern England word.
As always, the puzzle was enjoyable to solve, but the above quibbles were a little disappointing to see. Many thanks, Rahmat Ali.
Thank you so much once again, silvanus, for enjoying solving my puzzle. I agree with you that definition by example indicator should have been there for Jinping in 9a and Coward in 3d and that ‘say’ was redundant for 13a. Thank you also for your meticulous observations and other comments which I consider as a great learning.
We thoroughly enjoyed your puzzle, Rahmat Ali, as always. We moved house on Friday and it was a lovely break from unpacking boxes, helped us to relax for a while. Favourites were 1a, 11d and 6d. We look forward to your next one.
Thank you so much once again, Hilton, for enjoying my puzzle as always. Hope you are well settled in your new house. For your kind information, I had already sent my next puzzle even before the publication of this puzzle.
I enjoyed your puzzle too, Rahmat Ali. My favourite clue is 14d, followed by 17d. 20a is a new word for me.
Thank you very much for the enjoyment and the new word. Hope to see you here again soon with a puzzle free of what Prolixic has termed the ‘flaws and foibles’. Follow his excellent advice!
Many thanks to Prolixic for his excellent review.
Thank you so much once again, Catnap, for enjoying my puzzle. I always go through the comments of Prolixic and follow his advice seriously, but still sometimes there are some faux pas. However, I do hope that I will gradually overcome them in the times ahead.
My sincere thanks to Prolixic for his excellent review which was as usual a great learning for me and which will help me to compile my future puzzles with more accuracy.