A Puzzle by Burrows
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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 Burrows. Whilst this was a good crossword, there were far more errors than in the first crossword from this setter, including some classic Rookie errors such as indirect anagrams and words doing double duty as part of the wordplay and part of the definition. There was an over reliance on initial / final letter indicators as well. Overalll, the commentometer reads as 4 / 29 or 13.8%
Across
6a Cosmetic product derived from skin of Steve Strange (5)
SERUM: The outer letters (skin) of Steve followed by a three-letter word meaning strange.
7a Showcases what it is Dawn’s job to do (4,4)
OPEN DAYS: Double definition, the second part referring cryptically to what sunrises do.
10a Book of songs (7)
NUMBERS: Double definition, the first being a book of the Hebrew bible.
11a Henry I, however, can be fishy character (7)
HALIBUT: A three-letter diminutive form of Henry followed by the I from the clue and a three-letter word meaning however.
12a Reduces things that might improve us by the sound of it (7)
LESSENS: A homophone (by the sound of it) of LESSONS things that might improve us.
13a Takes a risk in Grand Theft Auto, steering clear of gaming tables (7)
GAMBLES: Remove (steering clear of) the IN from the clue and the abbreviation for Grand Theft Auto from the final two words of the clue. Only abbreviations recognised by the main dictionaries should be used. That for Grand Theft Auto is not one of them.
14a Authorise in case Burrows isn’t able to find Major (11)
SIGNIFICANT: A four-letter word meaning authorise followed by a two-letter word meaning in case, a single letter representing the setter (Burrows) and a four-letter contraction meaning isn’t able.
19a Hidden message sci-fi writer sent back reveals pigment (7)
MELANIN: A four-letter word for a hidden message (often used in crosswords) followed by the surname of a Polish Sci-Fi writer all reversed (sent back). Maybe the author is a little too obscure. I have read more than my fair share of sci-fi over the years and have never come across him. The word for a hidden message is crossword lingo that is not in the dictionaries so perhaps should have been avoided.
21a Tries softer female comic (7)
EFFORTS: An anagram (comic) of SOFTER F (female). Comic is a word that is not really an anagram indicator. Comic can mean funny (in the sense of humorous) and funny can mean strange / odd / unusual, all of which could be anagram indicators. But that does mean that comic means strange / odd / unusual in that sense of funny.
23a United frisky young cat with a little dog (7)
KNITTED: An anagram (frisky) of KITTEN followed by the first letter (a little) of dog. Indirect anagrams where there is a clue to the letters to be rearranged, not the letters themselves, are strictly verboten. Do not use them.
25a Violent wifeless wretch confronted by police investigator faces jug (7)
PITCHER: An anagram (violent) of WRETCH after removing the W (wifeless) after (confronted by) the initial letters (faces) of police investigator.
26a Getting to everyone involved in circle (8)
REACHING: A four-letter word meaning everyone inside (involved in) a four-letter word for a circle.
27a Learn about kidneys (5)
RENAL: An anagram (about) of RENAL. This clue does not work as about is doing double duty as part of the wordplay and part of the solution.
Down
1d Vows nothing making way for European bases (8)
PREMISES: An eight-letter word for vows with the O (nothing) replaced by (making way for) an E (European).
2d Current austerity motion originally held up by old man in France (6)
AMPERE: The initial letters (originally) of the second and third words of the clue followed by the French word for a father.
3d Control a great deal of gang, bolstered by mutinous noises (10)
POSSESSION: A five-letter word for a gang with the final letter removed (a great deal of) followed by (bolstered) an anagram (mutinous) of noises.
4d Network running through Thames House (4)
MESH: The answer is hidden (running through) the final two words of the clue.
5d One member of percussion duo sounds like Mark (6)
CYMBAL: A homophone (sounds like) of symbol (mark).
6d Perform the French solo (6)
SINGLE: A four-letter word meaning perform to music followed by the French masculine singular form of the.
8d Awkward situation lifted lid on literary matchmaker (7)
DILEMMA: A reversal (lifted) of the lid from the clue followed by the eponymous matchmaker from a book by Jane Austen.
9d Hard tests set up for squirrel (5)
STASH: The abbreviation for hard and a four-letter word for school tests all reversed (set up).
13d Old money primarily prospers in grammar school test subjects (6,4)
GUINEA PIGS: A six-letter word for an old unit of currency followed by the initial letters (primarily) of prospers in and the abbreviation for grammar school.
15d Inherited knowledge underpinned by revolutionary quote (7)
GENETIC: A three-letter word for knowledge followed by (underpinned) a reversal (revolutionary) of a four-letter word meaning quote.
16d Lighting up feature coated in rising grime (8)
TORCHING: A four-letter word for a facial feature inside (coated in) a reversed (rising) four-letter word for grime.
17d London, Havana? (5)
SMOKE: Double definition, the first being an old reference to the smog laden capital, the second being another term for a cigar.
18d Intergalactic origins of artifact seem to reveal alien life (6)
ASTRAL: The initial letters (origins) of the final six words of the clue.
20d Hang around with leaders of lots of international territories supported by Queen (6)
LOITER: The initial letters (leaders) of the sixth to ninth words of the clue followed by (supported) the regnal cipher of the late Queen Elizabeth.
22d What is to come ultimately, if you trust text expunged from scripture (6)
FUTURE: The last letters (ultimately) of if you trust followed by the scripture from the clue without (expunged) a six-letter word for text.
24d Stage of development adolescents instinctively spurn at the outset (4)
DAIS: The initial letters (at the outset) of the third to sixth words of the clue. This is the sixth clue that uses initial letters as part of the wordplay. This is too many, particularly as the final four clues have initial letters and last letters as the wordplay.
A thoroughly enjoyable solve for us. The last one to get sorted was the wordplay for 19a. Plenty to like here but the biggest chuckle came from 13d.
Thanks Burrows
Thanks Burrows. For me, a little more challenging than your first Rookie but that might have been the soporific effect of quite a large G&T before I started solving after a busy afternoon!
There seems to be quite a large usage of initial letters and some of the clues are quite wordy, with some in double figures. Not all setters can be like Ray T but it’s worth keeping an eye on.
A black mark for the indirect anagram in 23a having to ‘decode’ the young cat into a word to be anagrammed by frisky.
19a was a ‘bung in’ as I have no knowledge of sci-fi writers but I do know who wrote about the literary matchmaker in 8d!
However, smiles for 7a, 10a, 11a, 2d, 8d, 15d, and 17d.
Thanks again and thanks in advance to Prolixic.
Welcome back to RC, Burrows. This was great fun to solve and, as requested, unlike Senf I found this less challenging than your debut. I do however agree with his comments about overuse of initial letters and the forbidden indirect anagram in 23a.
A few specific comments from me:
21a – It’s probably in one of the many almost endless lists of anagram indicators, but I’m not convinced by the use of “comic”.
25a – The abbreviation PI stands for Private Investigator not Police Investigator.
27a – “About” appears to be doing double duty as part of the definition and as an anagram indicator.
17d – Referring to London as The Smoke is very much obsolete now.
I had lots of ticks. Well done and thank you, Burrows. I look forward to your next offering.
In 25a, it is not the abbreviation but initial letters (faces) of police investigator.
Ah, yes. Thanks, Prolixic.
An enjoyable puzzle – many thanks to Burrows.
I wasn’t aware of the 19a sci-fi writer and I wondered whether that clue was telling us of a hidden message in the grid – if there is one I can’t spot it.
I particularly liked 13a, 8d and 16d.
More like this please (though no more indirect anagrams!).
An enjoyable solve. Never heard of the sci-fi writer and a shame about the frisky cat
Thanks to Burrows and Prolixic
Very enjoyable, thank you Burrows. We don’t know the sci-fi writer in 19a. Favourites are 13a, 11a and 13d. More please and thanks in advance to Prolixic.
Welcome back, Burrows.
Definitely an over-use if initialisms, three of the last four Down clues being constructed with the same device suggests you might have been running out of steam by that point. As others have said, the indirect anagram in 23a and the “double duty” anagram indicator in 27a were both unfortunate. The easily overlooked “in” was repeated as an insertion indicator and I noticed that quite a few of the Down clues had “held up by”, “bolstered by”, “underpinned by” or “supported by” within the wordplay. In 19a, the sci-fi writer was indeed obscure and “Nina” is very much a word that only the crossword community uses (like “lurker”), so it wouldn’t be found in any dictionaries.
Despite all those quibbles I still enjoyed solving the puzzle but I hope that your next one will have fewer repetitions. Many thanks, Burrows.