A Puzzle by Tater
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
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 welcome return after a long leave of absence to Tater. This was a very good crossword with only a few minor comments on the clues themselves. The commentometer reads as 2.5/29 or 8.6%.
Across
1a Resign oneself to take measures after swallowing mushroom (6)
ACCEPT: A three-letter word meaning to take measures includes (after swallowing) a three-letter word for a mushroom.
4a Foremost of astronauts practices landings on modules, building confidence (6)
APLOMB: The initial letters (foremost) of the third to eighth words of the clue. Perhaps practising rather than practices would be better to avoid using the noun practices.
9a Spots black cab, from the East End they say (4)
ACNE: A homophone (they say) of how a Cockney (from the East End) might pronounce Hackney (black cab).
10a Masquerading husband abandons the French ship in the sound perhaps (10)
PLAYACTING: Remove (abandons) the abbreviation for husband from a phrase (2,5) built up from the French feminine singular for the and a five-letter word for a ship. The remaining letters are inserted in a four-letter word for a short ringing sound. The use of “the sound” does not quite work. I would omit the “the”.
11a Setter is working dressed in knockout gown (6)
KIMONO: A two-letter contraction meaning the setter is followed by a two-letter word meaning working inside (dressed in) the abbreviation for knockout.
12a Celebration when Belgium takes first place from Germany in shoot-out (8)
BUNFIGHT: The IVR code for Belgium replaces the first letter of Germany in an eight-letter word for a shoot-out.
13a Up in arms Geronimo maybe tense to retain good name (9)
INDIGNANT: A politically incorrect way to refer to a native American followed by the abbreviation for tense all around the abbreviations for good and name. You should avoid using what are now considered pejorative terms.
15a Leader of rebels missing from fight – could be malaria (4)
AGUE: The first letter (leader) of rebels removed (missing) from a five-letter word meaning to fight or row.
16a Celebrity from the East Bethlehem aficionado entertains (4)
FAME: The answer is reversed (from the East) and hidden (entertains) in the fifth and sixth words of the clue.
17a Heather, touring Niger after reformation is staying a while (9)
LINGERING: A four-letter word for heather around (touring) an anagram (after reformation) of NIGER.
21a Vehicle storage facility (8)
GLOVEBOX: A barely cryptic definition of a storage space inside a car.
22a Occasional ballad heard is a curiosity (6)
ODDITY: A homophone (heard) of odd (occasional) ditty (ballad).
24a Perhaps where Angelica grew up (4,6)
HERB GARDEN: Cryptic definition.
25a Fly a little to the west with first of refugees aboard (4)
DART: A reversal (to the west) of a three-letter word meaning a little includes (aboard) the first letter of refugees. Try to avoid repeating wordplay indicators. First was used in 12a.
26a Drew the old T-shirt design (3-3)
TIE-DYE: A four-letter word meaning drew or levelled the score followed by the old English two-letter word for the.
27a A soft clap and pass the hat (6)
APPEAL: The A from the clue followed by the musical abbreviation for soft and a four-letter word meaning clap.
Down
1d Gold tonic concoction for disposal? (7)
AUCTION: The chemical symbol for gold followed by an anagram (concoction) of TONIC. Some editors will not allow nouns as anagram indicators.
2d Company holding back the German ideology (5)
CREDO: The abbreviation for company includes a reversal (holding back) the German for the.
3d Beat man getting into inferior new music style (7)
POPCORN: The abbreviation for police constable (beat man) inside (getting into) a four-letter word meaning inferior all followed by the abbreviation for new.
5d Afterthought involving uncooked northern seafood (6)
PRAWNS: The abbreviation for postscript (afterthought) includes (involving) a three-letter word meaning uncooked and the abbreviation for northern.
6d Open University starter getting external support (9)
OUTRIGGER: The abbreviation for Open University followed by a seven-letter word for a starter.
7d Has-been brewing Irish spirit (7)
BANSHEE: An anagram (brewing) of HAS BEEN.
8d Bad atmosphere Commanding Officer also reported (6,7)
CARBON DIOXIDE: A gas that is bad that is represented chemically by the abbreviation for Commanding Officer and a homophone (reported) of too (also).
14d Absolutely certain one is free to go (9)
IMMOVABLE: A two-letter contraction of “one is” followed by a seven-letter word meaning not fixed in place (free to go).
16d Hazel fractured left rib (7)
FILBERT: An anagram (fractured) of LEFT RIB.
18d Antelope about to lock horns with quiet adult (5-2)
GROWN-UP: A three-letter word for an antelope around (about) a three-letter word meaning to argue or lock horns with all followed by the abbreviation for quiet. As the abbreviation was used in 27a, perhaps a different abbreviation could have been used here.
19d Routine paddle up river (7)
NATURAL: A reversal (up) of a three-letter word meaning to paddle or beat followed by a four-letter name of a Russian river.
20d Rebuilt a cabby rank at monastery (6)
ABBACY: An anagram (rebuilt) of A CABBY.
23d Infamous frontier city to avoid (5)
DODGE: Double definition.
Thank you Tater for an entertaining finish to my weekend of cruciverbalism with your fourth Rookie but I was surprised to see that you have been ‘absent’ for five years (less a few days).
I will be surprised if Rabbit Dave does not raise the Americanism ‘flag’ on 19d.
Smiles for 17a, 21a, 1d, and 8d.
Thanks again and thanks in advance to Prolixic.
We found a couple of clues in the NE that had us doing some serious head-scratching but eventually managed to get everything sorted. 11a our favourite.
Thanks Tater.
A warm welcome back to Rookie Corner, Tater. It’s been a very long time! However, it was worth the wait and I would say that this is your best puzzle to date.
My very few comments are:
4a – to make sense of the surface, the spelling should be “practises” (or else you need an apostrophe after “astronauts” but this wouldn’t read so well)
13a – I don’t think it’s considered PC these days to use the term “Indian” in this context.
19a – I couldn’t parse the first syllable. I assume from Senf’s remark @2 that either “tan” or “paddle” must have an American meaning.
I had a lot of ticks, with 3d getting my vote as favourite.
Well done, Tater, and thank you for the fun. Don’t leave it so long before your next one! Thanks too in advance to Prolixic.
It’s old-fashioned American slang – a paddle is what they used to tan/spank miscreants with! I wouldn’t object to a US indicator for this one.
Entertaining and pitched at exactly the right level – thanks to Tater.
21a isn’t very cryptic.
I thought that 8d was very neat and I also liked 12a, 3d and 18d.
More like this would be very welcome.
Thank you all for a nice welcome back. You’ve no idea how apprehensive I was about logging on this morning.
I was shocked into action last week after hearing the RC cupboard was bare.
I’ve not actually been anywhere, and do the back-pager every day as well as the Rookie Corners and NTSPP’s and usually have a new puzzle brewing (very slowly).
When I looked over this one (written a while ago) I did think of changing Geronimo to someone famous from India – perhaps I should have done although it never seemed an offensive term to me.
I never thought that “paddling” might be an Americanism as it was a term my rear-end was all too familiar with when growing up
I’ll get on with another.
My views are exactly the same as Gazza’s @4
Thanks to Tater and, in advance, to Prolixic
Great puzzle, Tater, more like this, please. Favourites are 1a,10a, 12a and 18d. Thanks in advance to Prolixic.
Thanks Sue and Hilton,
10a was the clue I nearly replaced. You’ve made my day.
Welcome back after such a long gap, with special thanks for answering the call for new Rookie submissions.
I enjoyed solving this a lot and, apart from the same minor reservations mentioned already, I thought it was pretty sound technically. I’m not a fan of nounal anagram indicators plonked after the fodder (as in 1d), and I would recommend avoiding having “from the East” as well as “to the west” appearing as reversal indicators in the same puzzle. Top clue for me was 12a.
Many thanks, Tater.
Thanks Prolixic and all for your time and expert guidance.
I think I see that nounal anagram indicators are wrong in sort of the same way that “last night” wouldn’t give you “t”.
Perhaps “concoction of etc” would be acceptable as an indicator? (although it obviously wouldn’t work for 1d).