A Puzzle by Zebedee
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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 Zebedee. Like previous crosswords, Zebedee has produced a good crossword but still with too many avoidable errors. A recurring comment in previous crosswords was the repetition of wordplay indicators which contributes largely to the commentometer score of 5/30 or 16.7%.
Across
1a In direction of travel, case may be sent here (6)
TOWARD: Split 2,4 this is where a case or patient may be sent in hospital.
5a Testosterone possibly giving heavenly body (8)
ASTEROID: Split 1,7 the answer describes the class of chemicals to which testosterone belongs.
9a Cunning Whigs regularly circumventing rows (8)
WILINESS: The odd letters (regularly) of Whigs around (circumventing) a five-letter word for rows.
10a Claim palaeontologist kept antelope (6)
IMPALA: The answer is hidden (kept) in the first two words of the clue. It is better to use the present tense here – keeps would work better.
11a Indian decapitated in front of Bond as means of persuasion (10)
INDUCEMENT: A five-letter word for an Indian without the first letter (decapitated) followed by a six-letter word for bond. Probably better to avoid decapitation as a wordplay indicator in case the news features such an atrocity when the crossword is published.
12a Paralytic soldier left abandoned, overturning Bath maybe (4)
CITY: Remove (abandoned) a four-letter word for a soldier and the abbreviation for left from the first word of the clue and reverse (overturning) the remaining letters.
13a Perhaps Jonathan dressed in lace for sport (8)
LACROSSE: The name of the radio and TV personality Jonathan inside (dressed in) the lace from the clue.
16a Early indications of blight affecting oleander bush and beech tree (6)
BAOBAB: The initial letters (early indications) of the fourth to ninth words of the clue.
17a Maybe southern French side’s wingers going for a drink (3,3)
ICE TEA: Remove the outer letters (wingers going) from NICE TEAM (southern French side).
19a Writer is blogger or fraud (8)
IMPOSTER: A two-letter contraction meaning the writer is followed by a six-letter word for a blogger.
21a Cherry eaten by strange animal (4)
GEAN: The answer is hidden (eaten by) in the last two words of the clue.
22a ‘Complete’ and ‘repeat’ start with same sound (10)
ALLITERATE: A three-letter word meaning complete followed by a seven-letter word meaning repeat.
25a He put priest into bad odour (6)
HELIUM: The three-letter name of a biblical priest inside (put … into) a three-letter word for a bad odour.
26a The master pursuing Anna half-heartedly is object of abhorrence (8)
ANATHEMA: The THE from the clue and the two-letter abbreviation for master after (pursuing) the ANNA with the clue with one of the middle letters (half-heartedly) removed. The abbreviation is the abbreviation for master of arts (the degree), not master on its own.
27a Mark following brilliant Georgia for one (8)
TYPEFACE: A four-letter word for a mark or brand followed by the abbreviation for following and a three-letter word for brilliant.
28a Setter coming back with cough to board flight (6)
EMBARK: A reversal (coming back) of a two-letter word for the setter followed by a four-letter word meaning cough.
Down
2d Head vegetable (5)
ONION: Double definition, the first being a slang word for the head.
3d All the best finish covered in gold (5)
ADIEU: A three-letter word meaning finish inside (covered in) the chemical symbol for gold.
4d Slides embarrassingly at first when changing trains (7)
DIESELS: An anagram (when changing) of SLIDES E (embarrassingly at first). As the definition is a definition by example, perhaps a definition by example indicator should have been given.
5d Stark naked Paul chopped up trees (7)
AUSTERE: The inner letters (naked) of Paul followed by an anagram (chopped up) of TREES.
6d Temperature gain on pipe finally lacking washer (4-3)
TWIN-TUB: The abbreviation for temperature followed by a three-letter word meaning gain and a four-letter word for a pipe with the final letter removed (finally lacking).
7d Grasping raised standard face unlimited liabilities (9)
RAPACIOUS: A three-letter word for standard reversed (raised) followed by the inner letters (unlimited) of the face from the clue and a four-letter word meaning liabilities.
8d Executing will gets a badger anxious (3,2,4)
ILL AT EASE: Remove the first letter (executing) from will and follow with the A from the clue and a five-letter word meaning badger. I don’t think that execute specifically means to remove the head of something.
14d Devil-may-care hen leaving area in chaos (4-5)
ARCH-ENEMY: An anagram (in chaos) of MAY CASE HEN after removing (leaving) the abbreviation for area. As a matter of practice, don’t link the wordplay to the definition, even with a hyphen.
15d Tenacious old Rob drinks Spanish wine (9)
RETENTIVE: A five-letter archaic (old) word meaning to rob includes (drinks) a four-letter word for a type of Spanish wine.
18d Zebedee intends taking on motorists over bloodlessness (7)
ANAEMIA: The single letter representing the setter (Zebedee) and a four-letter word meaning intends inside (taking on) the abbreviation for a group of motorists all reversed (over). Try to avoid repeating wordplay indicators. Over is too similar to overturning used in 12a.
19d The Italian lover sinks following notoriety (3,4)
ILL FAME: The Italian word for the followed by a five-letter word for a lover with the F (following) moved down. Try to avoid repeating wordplay indicators. F for following was used in 27a.
20d Young man in attendance drinks excessive soup (7)
POTTAGE: A four-letter word for a serving boy (young man in attendance) includes (drinks) the abbreviation for excessive or over the top. Try to avoid repeating wordplay indicators. Drinks was used as containment indicator in 15d.
23d Ambassador opens pub up as treatment facility (5)
REHAB: The abbreviation for an ambassador inside (opens) a three-letter word for a pub with the letters then reversed (up).
24d Brief rising alarm (5)
TIMER: A reversal (rising) of a five-letter word for a brief or set of instructions. Try to avoid repeating wordplay indicators that have the same root word. Raised was used as a reversal indicator in 7d.
A couple of places where the BRB was called into play, but they were in generously worded clues, so no problem there. We found this a most enjoyable solve. Favourite was 5d as we were cleverly led astray initially.
Thanks Zabedee.
Hello again, Zebedee.
My repetition radar was kept busy with this one, as “drinks” was used twice as a containment indicator, “following” for F was also repeated as was, less obviously, “in”/”into” as an insertion indicator. It has been raised before, but using a word like “decapitated” to remove the first letter of a word can be contentious and I find “executing” (8d) even less acceptable, as not all forms of execution involve beheading. One should always try to keep containment verbs in the present tense, so “kept” in 10a was jarring.
Against these principal quibbles, I really enjoyed solving the puzzle and the peripheral Ninas added to this. Maybe a few of the surfaces still proved a little unconvincing but I do feel that progress continues to be made in that area.
Many thanks, Zebedee.
Enjoyable stuff – thanks to Zebedee.
I found the bottom trickier than the top with verification needed for 21a and 15d.
I liked 19a, 25a, 27a and 7d.
Well done again and thank you, Zebedee. I did enjoy the solve despite the repetitions mentioned by Silvanus. I also agree with his observation about some of your surface readings, with 12a being particularly bizarre.
I learnt some new words: 16a, 21a and the archaic word for “rob” in 15d (correctly indicated! 👍).
If you can maintain this standard whilst avoiding repetitions and polishing up your surfaces, promotion cannot be far away.
I enjoyed this one but it did take quite some time and I still have a couple of bits of parsing to sort out. Sadly, I didn’t know the required Georgia so that needed investigating as did ‘Old Rob’ in 15d. Like our 2Ks, I was led well and truly up the garden path by 5d – but I did find some very unusual trees!
The Ninas were a nice touch even if I didn’t spot them until it was too late for them to be of any help…..
As Silvanus commented, the use of executing would have been best avoided and you do need to watch out for those repetitions which can only too easily creep into a compilation.
Particular ‘likes’ were 19&22a.
Many thanks, Zebedee, hope you’ll return soon.
Thank you Zebedee, we enjoyed your puzzle. We started well but the bottom half was more challenging as we didn’t know the cherry, the Spanish drink(?) and we completely misunderstood 27a – so thank you to Prolixic for explanations. We look forward to your next one.
Many thanks for the analysis, Prolixic. I did wonder what you would have to say about the hyphens in 14d – now I know and it was just as I’d expected!
Thanks to all commenters and especially Prolific for taking the time to give feedback. I’ll be back…
The spellcheck got me again! Prolixic.
I enjoyed this very much, Zebedee.
I fully agree with comments already made. Like others, I really do not like the use of ‘decapitated’ and ‘executing’ in these contexts. I did notice the use of the hyphen in 14d…
Clues I liked the most are 19, 25 and 27a, and 7d. Much to my chagrin, I didnt see the Ninas!
Many thanks Zebedee. Hope to see you again soon.
Many thanks to Prolixic for the review.