A Puzzle by Snowman
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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.
A highly accomplished crossword this week from Snowman. There were only a handful of niggling points to raise that means that the commentometer is a creditable 2/32 or 6.25%.
Across
1a Trials to curtail arms supply (5-8)
COURT-MARTIALS: An anagram (supply) of TRIALS TO CURTAIL.
10a Ache from sentimental longing, heading off without son (7)
OTALGIA: An nine-letter word for sentimental longing after removing (heading off) the first letter and removing (without) the abbreviation for son.
11a Workers in mine needing Old Spice (7)
PIMENTO: A three-letter word for workers inside (in) a three-letter word for a mine followed by (needing) the abbreviation for old.
12a Crumbly crusts of Amaretti custard tart (4)
ACID: An anagram (crumbly) of the outer letters (crusts) of Amaretti and Custard (AICD).
13a Cover of musical composition incorporating Voyevoda’s overture (5)
DUVET: A four-letter word for a musical composition for two people includes (incorporating) the first letter (overture) of Voyevoda.
14a Review of Oval game (4)
POOL: Reverse (review) a four-letter word for an oval.
17a No! No! Girl and French lodger shortly heading to port (7)
NANETTE: The French word for and with a six-letter word for a lodger with the final letter removed (shortly) all reversed (heading to port).
18a Treatment of renters gets harsher (7)
STERNER: An anagram (treatment) of RENTERS.
19a Miles walks unsteadily out of street and mutters (7)
MUMBLES: The abbreviation for miles followed by an eight-letter word for walks unsteadily without (out of) the abbreviation for street.
22a Swagger of one of Charlie’s neighbours when entertaining a date (7)
BRAVADO: The NATO code word for the letter B (one of Charlie’s neighbours) includes (when entertaining) the A from the clue and the abbervition for date.
24a Bloody unusual (4)
RARE: Double definition, the first being how a steak may be cooked.
25a Quoting person said to have luxurious existence sarcastically (5)
WRYLY: A homophone (quoting) of Riley (person said to have a luxurious existence).
26a Cycling store gives away short flights (4)
HOPS: A four-letter word for a store has its letters cycled around.
29a Perhaps Del Rey, beset by gas, rejected meal (7)
LASAGNA: The first name of the singer Del Rey includes (beset by) the gas from the clue reversed (rejected). I think that “beset by” means surrounded by. Beset “with” would be required to for inclusion.
30a Mischievous child learning to pray (7)
IMPLORE: A three-letter word for a mischievous child followed by a followed by a four-letter word for learning.
31a Animated tennis cartoon causing bewilderment (13)
CONSTERNATION: An anagram (animated) of TENNIS CARTOON.
Down
2d Rant on about relationship (7)
ORATION: The ON from the clue around (about) a five-letter word for a proportional relationship.
3d European capital starts to revel in global acclaim (4)
RIGA: The initial letters (starts to) of the last four words of the clue.
4d What rulers do to get a bill in Parliament? (7)
MEASURE: Double definition.
5d Rogue parries swords (7)
RAPIERS: An anagram (rogue) of PARRIES.
6d Serb maiden nurses twisted foot (4)
IAMB: The answer is hidden (nurses) and reversed (twisted) in the first two words of the clue.
7d President left colonel inside bar (7)
LINCOLN: The abbreviation for left followed by the abbreviation for colonel inside a three letter word for a bar or public house.
8d Two thirds of Little Mix revealing classical figures (5,8)
ROMAN NUMERALS: What might be represented by two thirds of the letters in LITTLE MIX.
9d Earl close to fans in posh car ride (6,7)
ROLLER COASTER: An anagram (fans) of EARL CLOSE TO inside (in) the abbreviation for Rolls Royce (posh car). A minor point but “in” is repeated as a containment indicator having previously been used in 11a and the similar “inside” in 7d.
15d Nevertheless, its going up by fifty pounds (5)
STILL: A reversal (going up) of the ITS in the clue followed by the abbreviations for fifty and pounds Stirling. As its is short for it is, it should be it’s.
16d Chipping of fragranced Areca wood used to deter moths? (5)
CEDAR: The answer is hidden (chipping of) in the third and fourth words of the clue.
20d Dance shown in flash wall art, not foxtrot (7)
MORESCO: A two-letter word for a short period of time (flash) followed by a six-letter word for wall art without (not) the letter represented by foxtrot in the NATO phonetic alphabet.
21d Emerge as first class channel hopper? (7)
SURFACE: Split 4,3, this might represent a person skilled at skipping between TV channels.
22d Stock speculator and courageous person sharing large mass of gold? (7)
BULLION: A four-letter word for a stock speculator and a four-letter word for a courageous person sharing the abbreviation for large.
23d A mostly grim old sherry (7)
AMOROSO: The A from the clue followed by a six-letter word for grim without the final letter (mostly) and the abbreviation for old. The abbreviation for old was used in 11a. Try to avoid repeating wordplay indicators.
27d Oddly engages clutch (4)
EGGS: The odd letters in engages.
28d Small kitty gets cartoon dog’s name (4)
SPOT: The abbreviation for small followed by a three-letter word for a kitty.
Thank you in advance to those who try my puzzle and best wishes to Jane. If anyone would like to comment on whether any part of the clues should be italicised, I would be grateful. I had a feeling that maybe Voyevoda and Little Mix should have been. But I surveyed the April daily cryptics and nothing was italicised. And then yesterday, Cyrano de Bergerac was italicised in the prize toughie (5d).
We thought this was a very well put together set of clues with a good level of difficulty. Many of our answers have ticks beside them and we’ll put 25a in top spot.
Thanks Snowman.
Thanks Snowman for an entertaining end to my weekend of cruciverbalism. There are a handful of clues that I am unsure of the parsing but I will wait and see what the experts have to say.
Smiles for 11a, 22a, 24a, 8d, and 22d.
Thanks again and thanks in advance to Prolixic.
Hello again, Snowman. It’s been quite a wait as it is almost a year since your excellent RC debut and I missed out on your second submission when I was away last summer.
I thought this puzzle was extremely accomplished. It was a great pleasure to solve and I very much doubt that the commentometer will do more than flicker.
My only very minor reservation is that for me “rant” is too much of a stretch for the answer to 2d.
From a plethora of ticked clues, my podium selection is 25a, 8d & 21d.
Many thanks, Snowman, and very well done. Thanks too in advance to Prolixic.
A really inventive and most enjoyable puzzle – thanks to Snowman.
I’m not sure that ‘beset’ in 29a works in the required way.
I particularly liked 17a, 22a, 25a, 4d and 22d.
Thanks all for trying the puzzle and commenting. It is always interesting to see what people liked and of course to hear about what might not have worked.
RD – The BRB has two definitions of 2d, the second of which is ‘harangue’.
Gazza – The BRB and the ODE have a definition of beset that means to occupy. But I did wonder if there was a better way of cluing this, for example I was toying with ‘having trapped’ but that seemed to lead to ‘having trapped wind’ which increases the difficulty of the clue.
Welcome back, Snowman.
I found this a very enjoyable puzzle to solve with little to fault technically. I thought the construction of 10a was a little awkward though , i.e. delete the first letter, then separately delete the third letter. “In”/”inside” appeared three times as an insertion indicator.
To answer your earlier question, I would prefer to see Voyevoda italicised (as a composition), but I don’t think Little Mix needs to be. How they appear in your clues is not incorrect, it’s more an issue of style really.
Many thanks, Snowman. I look forward to your next one.
Thanks Silvanus.
Thanks for the review Prolixic.