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.
Zebedee has bounced back with this crossword. I am pleased to say that the repetitions of wordplay indicators in previous crosswords have been avoided in this crossword. There are a few technical comments but the commentometer reads as 2/32 or 6.3%.
Across
1a Front of boat follows neat curves in river (6)
OXBOWS: A four-letter word for the front of a boat after (follows) a two-letter word for a male cow (neat).
4a I head after public transport company (8)
BUSINESS: The I from the clue and a four-letter word for a headland after a three-letter word for a type of public transport.
10a Fully exposed groins react extraordinarily to porn (7)
EROTICA: An anagram (extraordinarily) of OI (the inner letters – fully exposed – of groin) REACT. Perhaps repeatedly exposed would be better to indicate that two letters are removed from the front and back of groins.
11a Yen to pursue truth over suggestion of rumour mill (7)
FACTORY: The abbreviation for yen after (to pursue) a four-letter word for truth, the abbreviation for over and the first letter (suggestion) of rumour.
12a Privileged American used to be quiet (4)
WASP: A three-letter word meaning used to be followed by the abbreviation for quiet.
13a Advocates block on exotic rites by heartless Rosicrucians (10)
BARRISTERS: A three-letter word for block or prohibition followed by (on) an anagram (exotic) of RITES and the outer letters (heartless) of Rosicurcians. Some editors will require A on B in an across clue to mean B followed by A.
15a Daughter has lots of aspirations (6)
DREAMS: The abbreviation for daughter followed by a five-letter word meaning lots of.
16a South American sailor spends time in study (7)
PERUSAL: A four-letter word for a South American followed by a four-letter word for a sailor without (spend) the abbreviation for time. As an adjective, South American would require Peruvian in the solution, not the name of the country.
20a Start to admire female face, giving offence (7)
AFFRONT: The initial letter (start to) of admire followed by the abbreviation for female and a four-letter word for face.
21a Dig out fox during hunt (6)
QUARRY: Double definition.
24a School allowed Yankee involvement (10)
COMPLICITY: A four-letter abbreviation for comprehensive (school) followed by a five-letter word meaning allowed and the letter represented by Yankee in the NATO phonetic alphabet.
26a One might be party to murder in college squabble (4)
CROW: The abbreviation for college followed by a three-letter word for a squabble.
28a Robin comes to grief around central heating pipes (7)
BRONCHI: An anagram (comes to grief) of ROBIN around the abbreviation for central heating.
29a Somebody broke her vow with Head of English (7)
WHOEVER: An anagram (broke) of HER VOW E (first letter – head – of English). Perhaps breaking would be better as the anagram indicator as it goes before the letter to be rearranged.
30a Changing key in opening of gavotte (8)
SHIFTING: A five-letter word for a key on a computer keyboard or typewriter followed by the IN from the clue and the first letter (opening) of gavotte.
31a Confuses seat, moving south east (6)
ADDLES: A six-letter word for a seat on a horse with the abbreviation for south moved to the end (east)
Down
1d Dentist’s line exposed by poor delivery (4,4)
OPEN WIDE: A four-letter word meaning exposed followed by a four-letter word for a poor delivery in cricket.
2d Flesh misplaced beneath reserve library storage facility (9)
BOOKSHELF: An anagram (misplaced) of FLESH after (beneath) a four-letter word meaning to reserve.
3d Supply with brief holiday (4)
WHIT: An anagram (supply) of WITH.
5d Opened out coat when going inside lacking guidance (8)
UNFURLED: A three-letter word for the coat of an animal inside a five-letter word meaning lacking guidance.
6d Describing family relations? (10)
INCESTUOUS: Cryptic definition describing sex (relations) between family members.
7d Superhero devouring, content to eat away (5)
ERODE: The answer is hidden (content) in the first two words of the clue.
8d Least confident attempt to put right for nothing (6)
SHYEST: A four-letter word for an attempt with the O (nothing) replaced by a three-letter word meaning right or affirmative.
9d One crossing Panama using chain mail regularly (5)
CANAL: The odd letters (regularly) in chain mail.
14d Ice treatment left cured meat ruined (7-3)
EMERALD-CUT: A anagram (ruined) of L (left) CURED MEAT.
17d Brief trial overturned by French barman’s flight (3,6)
AIR TRAVEL: A reversal (overturned) of trial after removing the last letter (brief) followed by the name of a French composer (barman).
18d Involved in battle, although showing idleness when joining up (2,6)
IN ACTION: Remove the space from the solution and you have a word meaning idleness. A shame that the IN from the definition is also the first word of the solution.
19d Spot where cloth is stained from dweebs hugging tree (3-5)
DYE-WORKS: A five-letter word for dweebs around (hugging) a three-letter word for a tree often found in churchyards.
22d Ship circumnavigates Caribbean island with aids for divers (6)
SCUBAS: The abbreviation for steamship around (circumnavigates) a four-letter named Caribbean islands.
23d Packs drug to remove old boils (5)
STEWS: A five-letter word meaning packs with the abbreviation for ecstasy (drug) replacing (to remove) the abbreviation for old.
25d Aboriginal and I wander northward (5)
MAORI: The I from the clue and a four-letter word meaning wander all reversed (northward).
27d Path reportedly travelled by wherry (4)
ROAD: A homophone (reportedly) of rowed (travelled by wherry). Although having the homophone indicator in the middle of the definition and wordplay where both words have the same number of letters, here the solution and the wordplay have different numbers of letters so you can get away with it! However, to avoid issues where this is not the case, it would be better to put the homophone indicator at the beginning of the end of the clue.
Quite a few good clues Zebedee, but I was left with some queries:
1a. Presumably, this is front of boat (BOW) following neat (a domestic bovine – in this case an OX). But where does the ‘s’ come from?
10a. Although I could easily see what you meant, I would have thought fully exposed is the same thing as exposed (partially exposed would be just one of the outer letters?). Doubly exposed?
11a. I am not sure where the insertion indicator is. Is over serving two purposes here?
12a. Racially derogatory terms are to be avoided in my view.
13a. I think there may be some debate about whether ‘heartlessly’ deletes all but the outside letters in a 12 letter word.
16a. I don’t think Peru equates with South American – that would be Peruvian. I suspect many might let that slide as nouns are increasingly used as adjectives, but some editors will not allow wordplay ‘in’ definition.
20a. Not sure why you didn’t say ‘starts to …’?
6d. I don’t see this as cryptic really. It seems to be just a term describing an unusual prohibited family relationship?
18d. Is ‘although’ a valid link word? Did you need ‘when joining up’?
Mark
1a – I think both bow and bows can mean the front of a boat.
11a – Why does it need an insertion indicator? Isn’t it just a Lego clue: FACT (truth) +O(ver)+R(umour)+Y(en)?
Thanks RD. Yes, you are right.
I found this quite challenging in parts but good fun. However, some of your surface readings remain unconvincing.
13a – I agree with Mark @1. Perhaps “completely heartless” would work.
18d – Wouldn’t “idleness when battling (8)” have been better (and much less complex)?
19d – As far as I am concerned, “dweeb” and “dork” are both US expressions.
23d – I’m not really sure that “right” = “yes”, although I suppose it may be used as such in conversation.
Thanks Zebedee.
Very entertaining – thanks to Zebedee.
Top clues for me were 26a, 1d and 17d.
Welcome back, Zebedeee.
I concur completely with RD’s opening remarks. I had a few quibbles, in particular “repeatedly exposed” would be preferable to “fully exposed” in 10a in my opinion and I think that “reportedly” in 27d would be better at the end of the clue as its current position leads to ambiguity. Having “in” as both part of the definition and part of the solution in 18d was regrettable. My top clue was 1d.
Overall, a pretty solid puzzle, I felt, and one that shows progress. Many thanks, Zebedee.
Thanks to Prolixic for the encouraging words and for the helpful suggestions from him and others.
RD: I agree with your qualms about 13a and 23d, and your much better clue for 18d. I also agree that ‘dweeb’ and ‘dork’ are both Americanisms, which is why I used one as a synonym for the other without indicating the origin.
[For those who are interested in such things, there was a theme, which relates to books by a favourite (sadly late) writer.]
Quarry, Wasp Factory, Complicity, Business, Crow Road, Canal Dreams. I may be missing something else, but nicely done.
And Whit
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