Rookie Corner 548 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

Rookie Corner 548

by Prolixic  

A Puzzle by Rahmat Ali

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +


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.

Bravo to Rahmat Ali with a very polished crossword.  There were only a few minor points so that the commentometer reads as 1.5/30 or 5%.  I was familiar with the Hardy Boys but would not have been able to name their aunt.  However, the clue was clear and the checking letters generous so there is no complaint from me.

Across

1a  Legendary ship held by war god (4)
ARGO: The answer is hidden (held by) in the final two words of the clue.

3a  Young corporate partner is possibly stern (5)
ERNST: An anagram (is possibly) of STERN to give the name that precedes Young in the name of an accountancy company.

6a  Exhausts foolish people? (4)
SAPS: Double definition.

8a  Globule of liquid with tiny amount of leftover dish (6,3,6)
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK: A six-letter word meaning a globule of liquid followed by a three-letter word meaning with as six-letter word for a tiny amount.  Some editors will not permit wordplay of definition.

9a  Make a boo-boo to lose your footing? (4,2)
TRIP UP: Double definition.

10a  Become disrespectful about Rector and aunt of ‘The Hardy Boys’ (8)
GERTRUDE: A phrase (3,4) meaning become disrespectful around the abbreviation for rector.

11a  Old bachelor almost furious at a state of being forgotten (8)
OBLIVION: The abbreviations for old and bachelor followed by a five-letter word meaning furious with the final letter removed (almost) and a two-letter word meaning at.

13a  What’s detected in astronaut is mysterious developmental disorder! (6)
AUTISM: The answer is hidden (what’s detected) in the fourth to sixth words of the clue.

15a  Newts swimming across river are scattered loosely (6)
STREWN: An anagram (swimming) of NEWTS around (across) the abbreviation for river.

17a  Sneaky thief’s back somersault, in front of previous monarch, twice (8)
PILFERER: A reversal (back) of a four-word meaning somersault followed by the regnal cipher of Queen Elizabeth (previous monarch) twice.

19a  Society inspired by carved stone i.e. cinnamon stone (8)
ESSONITE: The abbreviation for society inside (inspired by) an anagram (carved) of STONE IE.

21a  Page is hastily entertaining entertainer in kimono? (6)
GEISHA: The answer is hidden (entertaining) in the first three words of the clue.

22a  Multitasking sailor? (4,2,3,6)
JACK OF ALL TRADES: Cryptic definition.

23a  Zulu leader meeting some buffoon? (4)
ZANY: The initial letter (leader) of Zulu followed by a three-letter word meaning some.  Strictly, you need Zulu’s leader for the cryptic grammar to work correctly.

24a  Bit of a step, but gentleman retreats expressing hesitation (5)
RISER: A reversal (retreats) of a three-letter term of address to a gentleman followed by a two-letter word expressing hesitation.

25a  German runner having headgear, noticed periodically (4)
EDER: The even letters (noticed periodically) in headgear.

Down

1d  Oppressive and inescapable influence of large-winged seabird? (9)
ALBATROSS: Double definition.

2d  Messenger girl eating cheese (7)
GABRIEL: A three-letter posh word for a girl includes (eating) a four-letter name of a French soft cheese.

3d  Former English parliamentarian, one in hundred, getting immunity (9)
EXEMPTION: A two-letter prefix meaning former followed by the abbreviations for English and member of parliament and the letter representing one inside a three-letter word for a hundred.

4d  No worry regarding figure (7)
NONAGON: The No from the clue followed by a three-letter word meaning worry and a two-letter word meaning regarding.

5d  Stunner posed again looking upwards (5)
TASER: A five-letter word meaning posed again reversed (looking upwards).

6d  Arrange best route for theatrical maidservant (9)
SOUBRETTE: An anagram (arrange) of BEST ROUTE.

7d  Correct social manners of princes and queens (2,3,2)
PS AND QS: The pluralized abbreviations for prince and queens with an and between them.  As pointed out in the comments, where an abbreviation is pluralized in the clue, it should lead to the repeated abbreviation in the solution.

12d  Game unlikely to be frozen off (3,6)
ICE HOCKEY: Cryptic definition.

13d  Ferocious reptile furious at gorilla (9)
ALLIGATOR: An anagram (furious) of AT GORILLA.

14d  Diver’s curt reply during amalgamation (9)
MERGANSER: The abbreviation (curt) for answer (reply) inside (during) a six-letter word for amalgamation.

16d  Saint feeds contemptible person with a tortilla (7)
TOSTADA: The two-letter abbreviation for saint inside (feeds) a four-letter word for a contemptible person followed by the A from the clue.

17d  Sleep awkwardly hiding unlimited debt in Scottish town (7)
PEEBLES: An anagram (awkwardly) of SLEEP includes (hiding) the inner letters (unlimited) of debt.

18d  Stayed with team in Moscow’s Square (7)
RESIDED: Four-letter word for a team inside (in) the three-letter colour of a square in Moscow.  Try to avoid repeating in as an insertion indicator.  It was used previously in 3d.

20d  Deduce if no first-hand evidence recorded initially (5)
INFER: The initial letters for the second to sixth words of the clue.

22 comments on “Rookie Corner 548”

  2. What the 2Kiwis said! But a very minor complaint – my knowledge of the Hardy Boys and their aunt would not even need the back of a postage stamp! So an instant e-search was required.

    Smiles for 11a, 22a, 7d, and 14d.

    Thanks Rahmat Ali and thanks in advance to Prolixic.

    1. Thank you so much, Senf, for echoing the comment of the 2Kiwis. I am sorry about the troubling aunt but in the process I learnt from you what ‘on the back of a postage stamp’ means and for which my thanks to you once again.

  3. Excellent, Rahmat Ali. This pangram was light and fun, a pleasure to solve and, in my opinion, your best yet. It was noticeable too that there was a significant improvement in your surface readings.

    I learnt two new things: the stone in 19a; and that the answer to 23a could be used as a noun. However, both were very fairly clued.

    My one qualm is that The Hardy Boys is a very obscure American reference, but at least Googling “The Hardy Boys’ aunt” gave the answer instantly!

    Very well done, Rahmat Ali, and please keep them coming like this.

    1. Thank you so much, Rabbit Dave, for your kind comment of an excellent puzzle and for finding the pangram light and fun, a pleasure to solve and, IYO, my best yet. A great encouragement for me for my future puzzles after reading that.

  4. Welcome back, Rahmat Ali.

    As ever, a very enjoyable puzzle but there were still one or two flaws. The worst one was using “princes” and “queens” to indicate PS and QS respectively. Cryptically, “princes” would suggest PP and “queens” QQ, as in the frequently used constructions of NN (“news”) and TT (“times”). In addition, strictly speaking, 23a should be “Zulu’s leader” not “Zulu leader”, but why not simplify it to just “Zulu”? I would have been far happier seeing “…with expression of hesitation” in 24a, I don’t believe your construction quite works. 9a seemed rather “same-sidey” to me, and I thought 12d was fairly weak. My overall favourite clue was 4d.

    Well done on producing another puzzle which was solver-friendly. Thanks, RA.

    1. Possibly a daft question, but I noticed in today’s DT 30,744 that similarly to PS and QS here, drugs had been used to indicate ES rather than EE. I would prefer to see EE than ES for this myself, but it would appear that today’s setter and the editor don’t agree. Perhaps I am missing some distinction between the two usages?

      2. You are missing something.

        In DT 30,744, “e” is also a noun (“tablet of ecstasy”), so the setter is pluralising a noun which is perfectly fine. The difference is that Rahmat Ali here is trying to pluralise abbreviations, not nouns.

        I hope that clarifies your query.

        1. Thank you Silvanus. I had been operating under the assumption that E for ecstasy was only an abbreviation but I now see it’s in Chambers lower down as a noun as well. Note to self scroll to the end of the entry when dictionary trawling.

    2. Thank you so much, silvanus, for your kind comment of as ever, a very enjoyable and solver-friendly puzzle. Today, I learnt that the cryptic formation of the plural of an abbreviation should be represented by doubling the letter rather than adding an S to the single, for which I thank you once again.

  5. Shows you what know – I liked 7d & had no idea until there was anything wrong with the clue until read the comment from Silvanus. Enjoyed the solve – the stone was new to me but everything else was fairly straightforward. I liked the 2 long ‘uns at 8&22a + 3,4&14d.
    Thanks RA

  6. Thanks for the puzzle Rahman Ali – I agree that this is definitely your best so far.

    Favourites for me were 11a, 22a, and 13d.

    Like other posters, and despite actually reading some Hardy Boys novels during my youth, I still couldn’t have recalled their aunts name without a bit of light Googling.

    Thanks again, and in advance to Prolixic.

    1. Thank you so much, duncanjwitham, for your kind comment that this is definitely my best so far.

  7. My sincere thanks to Prolixic for his splendid review. I feel really encouraged from his very kind comments. It also gave me great satisfaction and relief to learn that there is no complaint from him.

  8. Thank you so much for another enjoyable program Rahmat. Learned few more new words as always from your past programs.
    My favourites are 13a,19a,2d & 7d. These programs shows how much knowledge of languages you have. Take love & take care.

    1. Thank you so much, Arka, for enjoying solving the puzzle, learning new words and for your other kind comments. Wish you the very best in your learning and you also take care.

  9. Very late to comment as we weren’t at home but we have just really enjoyed completing this crossword. Thank you very much Rahmat Ali. We didn’t know The Hardy Boys or Essonite but a little bit of Googling soon helped. We missed the pangram, forgot to look! We really look forward to your next one.

    1. Thank you so much, Hilton, for enjoying completing this crossword. I hope to send another puzzle to RC soon.

Comments are closed.